I recently attended a formal training to become Triathlon Adult Community coach. I already started coaching road bike training sessions for my tri club, ZEUS Triathlon last year.
Workshop Definition
Triathlon Canada advertises this course as :
This workshop is for both beginner and experienced coaches who are currently coaching, or intend to coach athletes 18 and older. Through this two-day workshop, coaches will learn how to plan safe and effective practices, make ethical decisions, and learn basic technical skills.
Theory
We took some time to discuss Why? Why people practice sports in the first place. I never asked myself this question as I (almost) always practiced sports : I started ice skating at 4 years old, played soccer from 5 to 10, moved to baseball from 11 to 13, commute by bikes, ... Except for going to the gym sporadically, I stopped being active upon moving to the adulthood and settling down in my first real job. A few years later, at 27, feeling overweight and unhappy, I went to a road cycling training camp in Cuba, it opened my eyes as how much effort one could put on training. Then I trained my ass off to run my first half-marathon. From there, things kept rolling and I never asked myself Why was I training, I just moved forward since training improved my life on every level.
That discussion made me realize knowing why the athlete we coach does it makes all the difference in the world on the approach we will use and even the words we will use with her/him. That part was eye opening for me.
Security
With no surprise, emphasis is made on security. Ethics is also a large part of coaching duty. That is what we discussed for the most of the first morning.
Technique
Then we discussed the best techniques for the 3 sports + transitions. That was the meat of the weekend since it is most of our work; making sure the athletes we coach start with good form and techniques before getting intensity/volume. Getting technique right significantly reduce injury risks. Also, as a coach, choosing what to correct first and what flaws to let go is another key.
Planning
Workout / Weekly / Periodisation / Annual plans were discussed. A coach needs to be keen on developing training plans for a multitude of athletes of different level of fitness and time availability for training.
Practical Workshops
Running Drills
Saturday before lunch, we gathered in a unused part of the Bike/Triathlon show floor. We learned and practiced lots of running drills.
Swim Evaluation
Sunday morning before 9AM, we gathered around an endless pool on the show floor. Three coaches, including me, swam in the pool and got evaluated by 17 other coaches! I took a lot of notes from my own evaluation which I will bring back in my own tri training!
Technical Bike Drills
Sunday afternoon, we brought our bikes next to the show floor and with our water bottles, created a few technical courses. That’s where I realized women were more scared then men with the superman fly mount!
Conclusion
Time and money well spent for coaches who want to grow in the sports of triathlon. Here is the link for Canadian tri coach interested in taking Adult Community stream level 1 course.
