Why should you work with a performance coach? Well, it is one of the wisest decision you can make. I, have hired performances coaches myself over the years as an athlete. The reason is because I wanted to take my training and racing to the next level. There are performance coaches that charge a great deal of money for their services. For example, Steve Schull, a former professional athlete and NFL football player is a performance coach that charges $1500 USD per month to talk with him for 30 minute each week.
Of course, you can pay $14,000 USD up front to work with him annually. So, peak performance coaching can be an investment but if the profits in your performance rise than it is well worth it. I am a fitness performance coach. So, my focus is to help athletes get better results by training properly. The goal is to help the athletes that I work with to use leverage. Leverage simply means doing more with less. Have you ever known hard working athletes who still never seem to meet their time goals? I have. A major reason for this is too many athletes put too much volume in at too slow of speeds.
So, they are unable to sustain pace in the races they are competing in. It certainly is not a problem with desire or motivation. The problem lies in the approach and how they are setting up their training. So, my focus is to get the athlete to increase their weekly volume spent training at or below goal race paces.
What is Performance Coaching?
Mental focus is vital for success in anything you do. I always discuss the importance of mental rehearsal in videos that create the RunDreamAchieve YouTube channel. In addition, have been writing about the concept of mental training since 2011 here at RDA. I used mental preparation to help lower my marathon personal best from 2:43:36 down to 2:19:35. No, it was not easy and yes, mental as well as physical preparation, were involved to achieve this improvement.
So, peak performance coaching is finding out what we can do bring out the highest percentage of potential I can get out of the individual. There are many athletes who get great results working with team coaching. That being said, others want to work one on one with their coach. The goal with performance coaching is not to about teaching but helping the individual learn the methods to create the best results. I also consult with athletes seeking to start their own businesses as well. Below is a short bio of my educational background for your review. You can also learn more about my athletic and business background on the about page.
Bachelor of Arts (BA) – Physical Education – Malone University – Class of 2000
Master of Science (MS) – Sport and Exercise Science w/Sport Administration emphasis – University of Northern Colorado – Class of 2004
Master of Business Administration (MBA) – Purdue University – Class of 2020
Doctoral Candidate – Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) – University of Missouri-St. Louis – Class of 2023
CHECK OUT OUR RUNNING COURSESProfessional Performance Coaching
Coaching for peak performance is focused on learning rather than teaching someone to be great. People already have the ability to be great. The issue is finding out where the leak in their training is occurring so that we can correct that. My aim with the private coaching community here at rundreamachieve is do exactly that. The goal is to share knowledge and strategies that I have been fortunate to have been taught to help runners get new personal bests.
In addition, to help athletes overcome issues that have popped up in their training in the past. So, this process is revolved around feedback with the athlete and the athlete with the coach. Feedback is essential in order to see where the leaks are in the athletes preparation, correct it, and see the athlete surpass his or her fitness goals.
What Should I Look for in a Performance Coach?
A performance coach should be a good listener rather than just a talker. They should be someone who seeks out to answer questions you have but also listens to your concerns. A coach has to have the focus on the athlete or individual he is working with first. The objective is not to gloat about what the coach has done. The focus should be how to get the athlete or non-athlete who wants to hire a professional coach to surpass their goals. So, my job as a high performance coach is to guide and mentor.
A professional coach should have extensive background in the area you are seeking assistance in. The people that seek me out are either athletes or entrepreneurs. I have found that entrepreneurs come from athletic background. In addition, many people who get involved in business have a love for endurance sports. So, you have to have a desire to work with someone that has already done something you aspire to do.
My job as a coach is not to break someone's bank account. As mentioned above, performances coaches like Steve Shull charging $1500USD per month is quite high. In comparison, my monthly coaching here at rundreamchieve ranges in price from $27 to $147 USD per month. Of course, the level of coaching each athlete is seeking will vary. The athlete who wants their questions answered each month may select the $27 per month option. I have other athletes who want to jump on weekly zoom calls with me so they may want the $97 or $147 per month options.
You can learn more about the RunDreamAchieve private coaching community be clicking on the button below.
LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR PRIVATE, MEMBERSHIP COMMUNITYWhy is Performance Coaching Important?
It helps you to bypass the mistakes you or your competition has made in the past. Remember, time is precious so the goal is not to waste your time in your training. Again, if you run too many of your weekly mileage too slow how are you going to sustain race pace longer than your competition? So, the goal is to improve the athlete's lactate tolerance. In addition, minimize lactic acid accumulation by training in such a way to create that result. How? Well, we have to work on the athletes mindset as well as speed development.
Mental training is vital. The athlete has to envision what they want in their mind first before it can ever become reality. I visualized myself hundreds of times breaking the 2 hour and 22 minute marathon barrier. A marathon time that fast comes out to 5:25 per mile or 3:22 per kilometer. What would occur if I spent 95 percent of my weekly mileage running at 7:30 mile pace? Do you think an athlete running 100 miles a week running at 7:30 mile pace will break a sub 2:22 marathon? No. Yes, the athlete will have built a great deal of endurance. That being said, the athlete will not be effectively prepared to sustain that goal marathon race pace.
I see this mistake made routinely by athletes. I also have some background with this because, I, too, made the mistake. There were some key strategies I used to lower my marathon best from 2:43:36 to 2:19:35. So, performance coaching is important because you work with someone who can help correct flaws you have made in the past. In addition, it speeds up the process toward success.
Characteristics of a Successful Coach
The International Olympic Committee recently set out a list of traits that effective coaches have. Below are a few for your review.
- An effective coach must leads by example
- Values the relationship they have with athletic or business client
- Has a strong background and understanding of the sport or topic they focus on
- A successful performance coach is a visionary and dreamer
- Works to share knowledge and helps to inspire and motivate
- Focuses on learning rather than placing high emphasis on teaching
- Is a listener rather than talker
- An effective high performance coach focuses on motivating his clients
- Has a high passion for sport and business
- Shows empathy and helps his clients use leverage to get better results
So, a mental performance coach can also help people get beyond what is holding them back. I work closely with athletes as well as entrepreneurs who are seeking better results. These professionals are already motivated. So, my job isn't necessarily to motivate them but to find out what leaks are present in their preparation. The end goal is to remove these flaws in their preparation to ensure better results occur.
Is Performance Coaching Right For You?
Performance coaching can certainly be a huge asset to you if you are seeking to speed up progress in what you are doing. For example, self-made professionals seek out a business coach so that they can increase profits. How? They study what made the coach successful and duplicate the coach's strategies.
Senior leaders or managers of corporations may have a fitness problem with their personnel. They may hire a performance coach to come in and help create a fitness plan to encourage motivation and better health for their teams. Are you an athlete seeking to run a Boston Marathon qualifying time? Do you want to earn an Olympic Trials qualifying standard in your chosen event? Working with me as your performance coach can help set you up for success.
Are you a military member trying to get into great shape to run faster on your physical fitness test? As a former member of the US Army world class athlete program I can certainly help assist with this. Yes, I am more of a long distance runner but did run 9:27 for 2 miles. So, do understand what it takes to run at faster paces over distances ranging from the 800m to the 50k run.
What is High Performance Coaching?
High performance coaching really comes down to how can you get the best results by working the smartest. No, the hardest working athletes don't always get the best results. Are you interested in being more effective at work? Would you like to have more time with your loved ones but never seem to get ahead financially? Does it take money to make money? Does money really not grow on trees? A performance coach can teach you how to grow a money tree. One that, once grown, will continue to feed you without you having to show up to warm a seat for 8 to 12 hours per day.
Again, the hardest working people are not always the most successful. People that use leverage often do more with less. So, if you are an athlete, higher mileage is not a guarantee that you will succeed. Would you rather run 100 miles a week and miss your goal or 50 per week and set a new personal best? The answer is easy right? Why do so many work so hard and yet never reach their fitness or life goals? A flawed philosophy that they have been taught by other people following the same pattern.
So, hiring a performance coach can help you bypass these mistakes. I have been competing for over 30 years and ran at the elite level. No, it wasn't a overnight process. That being said, I understand what it takes to get results in athletics and in business. My objective is to help my clients surpass their own entrepreneurial and athletic goals.
Closing Thoughts
I hope this post on why hiring a performance coach is so vitally important to your future success. Again, it helps take the guesswork out of your preparation. More importantly, working with someone who has been exceptional at what they do can help prevent mistakes you otherwise may have made. Again, our time is precious and we can never get it back. So, if you are going to do something then do it right from the start, if at all possible.
Of course, we all make mistakes and success comes about through trial and error. That being said, the key is not to duplicate those errors but to increase your return on time investment. In addition, get the results you are looking for to help improve your health, lifestyle and running performance. My hope is that you will consider the high performance coaching available here at rundreamachieve.com.
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