If I only had more time
for training? There is never enough time? How often have you
said or thought that? I know I have. Maybe a better
question is what are you doing with the time you have? My
experience has been that more time means more wasted time, more fluff, more
nice to do rather than more need to do activities. In the excellent book Teaching
As Leadership by Steven Farr he speaks to this point regarding class
management. If a teacher wastes two minutes a day taking role, another three
minutes handing out assignments and then three minutes collecting assignments,
that is 8 minutes out of a 50 minute class. The gym, pool, filed or track is
your classroom. Use every second. Time is precious, use it, optimize it. Organization and
planning are key to effective utilization of time.
This next week I am going to visit Air Force Academy and
spent time with Matt McGettigan, Head S&C, he has a very brief window
of time to train, no option, he has to get it done. I want to watch how he uses
his time in off season training. I watched an in-season workout two years ago and it was amazing. They
got more quality training done in 30 minutes than most places do in an hour.
Use the time you have, but it is not really about time, it is all
about timing, how much do you spend doing what you need to do. A crucial
function of coaching is training session management. How you organize and
set-up the workout is the key to how you use your time. I spend 15 to 20
minutes setting up each training session. You have to do this. I have 55 to 60
minutes. I want that 60 minutes to be focused quality training where each
session is a step toward the ultimate goal. I want total involvement and focus.
Rest must be active, no sitting, just quality movement. If you working in pairs
or in a group you are expected to coach your teammates, that will insure full
involvement. Make time your friend, it is precious, use it wisely.