Communication!
... is so fundamentally important in the coach athlete relationship for progression and success to stand a chance. Athletes and coaches from day one begin a journey, and on that journey through observation and responses create a level of communication between each other. It's the start of a very testing time, where a lot is asked from both sides - trust / belief and understanding needs patience, but with good communication can be managed well if both parties understand the tasks that they ahead. From day one the athlete should be very open and honest to what their goals and targets are, but it is just as important to understand whether you are capable, and whether your expectations are realistic to stand any chance of successful performance in the future, so once again this needs to be communicated from your coach. Writing out the training plan is the start of the communication, in this relationship from day one we watch listen and learn about the individual and what their needs are, so through writing and talking we gain a level of communication but also its the body language that’s normally forgotten, this can give you when you’re on deck the greatest of feedback without even saying a word. Reading and observing your athlete’s without even speaking to them takes a level of understanding, observation, skill and time to get right; but through various different responses your communication is key to achieve the right balance and the best athlete mentality possible. Every individual athlete is different in what type of communication they need and what type they respond to best. What is also key to all progression in the athlete coach relationship is how as a coach you respond to the athlete’s reaction as it’s also very important to understand when and how to force an action to get a reaction. We all respond differently and our characters give off different reactions. However observation and making the right response back and forth is fundamental in the ongoing development in your relationship. As every athlete is different it's important to be able to use and adapt different methods of communication and strike a balance to what's needed and when, it's important to understand how to manage the character and develop a style for each individual by observing, listening and learning. Having my own squad I know all too well the level of communication is very important for the dynamics, progression and success of every athlete in it. I’m forever learning about each individual and in observation of body language my understanding to where each athlete’s mood is, from session to session day by day is ongoing. Also not forgetting using different communication skills knowing no one athlete is the same is important, as my actions as a coach have a major impact on the reaction not only to the individual but to the whole squad.