Feedback and communication, to me it is the most important part of the athlete/coach relationship.
No feedback from the athlete or the coach will mean the relationship isn’t working at its best. Communication is the key.
A coach should there for their coached athletes and should be a good listener. However, the final decision on how the feedback is used to determine the athlete’s program should always be the coach’s decision. That is the reason why you employ us, to make the best judgement call for you. Consider whether this sits well with you, if not then you might not benefit from having a coach assist you.
Below are the typical types of athletes we see at GPC in regard to feedback:
- The athlete that just wants a program and you don’t hear from them. They need heaps of self-discipline and they are usually the ones who get the poorest results and goal attainment. The program becomes a guideline for them.
- The athlete that fills their weekly feedback form to share the way they feel, their availabilities and work schedule. This works well if we can see them at squad sessions but could benefit from more communication outside of these sessions.
- The athlete that fills their weekly feedback form to share the way they feel, their availabilities and work schedule + they text you when they are sick or have a niggles to get their program changed and revised on a daily basis. These are the serious athletes. They want to be coached properly and want to go place + reach their goals
- The perfect athlete in my book. Probably 5% of the people I coach. They fill up their weekly feedback form, text you when they feel sick or injured or when something comes up and they need a replacement session BUT the main difference with this category of athletes is that they text me daily to let me know how their sessions went. That is precise, specific and efficient coaching. These are the ones who reach their goals, who qualify for the big races and the ones who win big races.
I personally prefer one on one communication & feedback and not comments (especially negative ones) made in front of the squad. A phone call is preferred over texting to avoid confusion with the tone of the comments. I want to hear from my athletes heaps, how they feel, how their work out went, how they are physically and emotionally, how they respond to the training…
If I don’t hear from them and I don’t get feedback, then an online generic program may be better suited to you.