Know when to stop training...
How routines can help be guardrails from overcoaching
QUOTE
“More is not better. Better is better.”
OBSERVATION
Continuing to build on this months discussion on training and routines, another opportunity routines can provide is to help consultants recognize more easily when to stop.
Most early consultants don’t over-coach because athletes need more. They over-coach because it’s hard to recognize when the work is done. You explain one more thing or add one more model to consider.
Ironically, this is where things start to break down. Not because the routine or the skill is wrong, but because there are too many moving parts. They can help refine where our work fits and to keep it SIMPLE for client development.
Routines aren’t just for athletes. They’re a guardrail for us.
ACTIONABLE IDEA
This week, use a routine as your boundary, not just your entry point as we discussed before.
Before a session, decide:
What part of this routine must stay automatic (a.k.a - I’m not touching)?
What single decision earns attention today?
During the session, coach only that decision. Resist the urge to improve everything else.
If you already taught a variation of a mental skill within a routine, than reflect on it, don’t change it.
If you are just starting out, then follow the discussion from last week or the talking points above.
Leverage the routine is the container of the conversation. Once the foundational education has been set, let the routine keep you from overcoaching too many skills or concepts.
Teach. Refine. Then get out of the way.
STOP WHEN
Stop when: the athlete can clearly state
“What par that they can trust/stay automatic and which part is the decision/focal points they want to stay focusing on.”
If you’re still talking after that, you’re probably coaching your discomfort, not the athlete’s performance.
Want more clarity and confidence in your work? Check out the support options at the mental performance institute.
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