No, I have not lost it. As any follower of my work knows I am a big believer in the basics. The most basic of the basics before anything else is Who, What, Why, How, When.
Let’s look at each:
WHO – Who are you coaching, is it young developing athletes or mature athletes? Males or females. All have different needs and qualities are you taking that into account? Never forget we coach people who do the sport not machines.
WHY – Why are you planning on doing what you are going to do. Is it age and developmentally appropriate? Know why and invest in the why to make everything more meaningful.
WHAT – This is the nitty gritty, the training methods and exercises. In many respects this is the easiest part of the process. Too many coaches start here and make the exercises and drills an end to themselves instead of a means to an end.
HOW – Exactly what is necessary to insure how things are done are done with precision and intent. How are you giving athletes ownership and room to grow or is the HOW so rigid that the athlete becomes a robot?
WHEN – This is the timing of the application of the application of the training. When in a career and when in a year? This entails understanding progression & regression and the concept of mastery
Start here and invest in the process and you can’t go wrong.