The Ability to Train
By Haydn Ellis, founder of Brutal Training
You’ve gotta be able to train in order to train. Sounds pretty simple huh? Well I can tell you, as a full time coach of athletes in various sports, there is nothing more frustrating than athletes that want access to all sorts of advanced training methodologies but quite simply aren’t up to the task.
And here are some of the reasons why:
Focus
Some athletes are inconsistent in the level of focus and concentration they bring to training. I don’t expect you to perform at your best every session you train but I do expect that you bring an attitude of single-minded determination to training. Your job as an athlete is to listen and train as best you can with your mind on the job. If you can’t bring 100% of yourself to training, don’t come. This is an issue of intent here. If you train with a poor mental attitude, then you are training a poor mental attitude.
Feeling a bit off?
Some of the reasons why athletes are unable or unwilling to focus properly include:
- Poor sleeping habits
- Stress outside of training
- Poor diet / lifestyle choices – detoxifying during training
- Weak constitutions
I have been doing this long enough to see:
- Athletes crying during training
- Putting in half assed efforts
- Irrational displays of anger
- Self-indulgent introspection
- Vomiting up milkshakes
Oh the list goes on…
It is important as a trainer that you have a sympathetic ear when becoming familiar with various athletes. But once you see a pattern of poor behaviour emerging you must cut it off. Here are some of the ultimatums I have put to athletes in the past:
- When you have drunk 3 litres of purified water in the morning you can come to training
- When you stop drinking milkshakes you can come to training
- If you can explain to me how your irrational behaviour is benefiting your performance then you can come and train
You see there are plenty of athletes out there. There are plenty of punters wanting to train too. There aren’t very many good trainers though. Don’t fill your timesheet with time wasters. It is better to have quality clients and work nights washing dishes as you build your reputation than it is spending time with no hopers.
Let’s go back to our first list. Unable or unwilling to focus? This is what you have to decide as a trainer. Is your client using one of the above reasons as an excuse for poor concentration during training or are they genuinely giving everything but are suffering the effects of poor preparation? It’s tough to work out sometimes. But you have to trust your gut in the end.
For piece of mind as a trainer adopt this policy and you’ll train happily every day…
Ditch all the excuse makers no matter how gifted.
When you know your client is trying their hardest during training then they will tend to be the same clients willing to make changes to their diets or sleeping patterns in order to improve their performance. For me, when I train or go to a trainer, regardless of whether I’m tired or hungry or depressed I always bring my race face. I would rather die in training than train badly. This has a big impact on your ability to compete effectively on competition day.
As a coach or trainer the best thing you can do is set an example that your protégés must follow. Show them what you expect. Terrify them with your discipline, focus, stamina and energy. In most cases they are simply the product of a weak self-indulgent society. You need to give them a good hard reality check and show them what they’re really capable of. Then they are forced to choose to be soft or face what they might be capable of, which involves suffering.
Remember though, you are the catalyst NOT the cause so don’t buy into training wankers. Use your talents where they are best served. And train people the way you train yourself.