The Nice Thing...

"Let a hundred flowers bloom; let a hundred schools of thought contend." - classic Chinese poem borrowed by Mao Zedong, ca. 1957

Athletes who identify themselves as part of a training group can be divided into three categories: Those who buy into their coach's plan, those who ascribe to an eclectic plan (their coach and one or more other coaches), and those who ascribe to their own plan.

As an athlete/coach, I'm not so certain which category I fit. Then again, it's not so much about me (I have three coaches; one for my running, one for strength and one for swimming) as it is about you.

My knee-jerk reaction is to suggest you get with one coach and trust them implicitly. My religious cult-survivor reaction is to suggest you have a coach, but take an active role in your training. Read. Ask questions. Talk about how you're feeling in between workouts. Lay out your plan, then get feedback. Adjust as necessary.

Should the athlete/coach relationship be beer and skittles? I don't think so. There's always an underlying clash of wills, IMHO, when a good athlete and a good coach come together. Think Cerrutty and Elliott, Bowerman and Prefontaine, Warhurst and Webb, Bowman and Phelps.

Most of my athletes were formerly teammates, so I'm not as much of a hard-@$$ on them as I could be. In many ways it's a benefit; they know I won't assign a workout I haven't tried myself. They know exactly what I'm doing day in and day out; some train beside me three, four, five days a week. Others I know know their body better than I; I'll recommend, take their input, suggest...and often sit back and say "did I tell you?" when they realize the (easier) effort I assigned would have done the trick.

The goal of training with a coach is to get an outside influence (point of view) while you're learning what works best for you. Since great athletes are known (more often) for switching coaches as their needs change, it's not unrealistic to expect you won't need to move on to another coach over time. Just make certain it's one at a time...most coaches are a jealous lot.