Coaching - It's a beautiful thing

So it's been a long time since I posted last. Probably about three years to be more exact!
So much has changed in that time... So here's a brief rundown of some of the things that happened, and how my focus in life has shifted.

Well in my last post I was hoping to make Regionals (The CrossFit equivalent of the European Championships), and I did it! What an experience this was. I got to mix it up with some of the biggest names in the sport and compete on the same floor as them - It was nothing short of amazing!

Since then I have taken a step back from competing to coach. I use the term coach lightly, as being a 'coach' encompasses so many things.

The ladies hanging around after a hard but fun session!

The more I delve into this journey, the more I realise how complex it is. The way I see it is if you look at a coach from the outside, its like a duck (yes one that goes quack). You see the duck sat on top of the water floating away, paddling to it's hearts content, catching all the breadcrumbs and basking in the midday sun - you get the picture. Only underneath the duck is frantically paddling like fuck trying to avoid drowning and being eaten by all the nasties that are out there.

It may seem like a strange extreme analogy, but sometimes this is how it feels - the more I learn, the more I realise I don't know. And what I thought I knew - I question.

Is this the way that most coaches feel? I don't know, I can only speak for myself. Most coaches out there look like the have their shit together. But I do believe that if one ever proffessed to know everything I would be 99% sure that they would be lying. Yep dam straight - It's just not possible.

Concepts are changing, ideas are being remodelled, and there is always a flip to an argument.

And that's just the theory side to coaching! Which from my experience is only part of the job. After all this profession is dealing with people, not machines.

Unique intelligent people, who often let their emotional brain get the better of them. We have all been there, your rational side tells you why you should eat the food that is going to be most beneficial to you in the long run, but your emotional brain tells you that you just NEED that extra slice of pizza (check out the following blog post if you are a pizza lover) despite being full to the brim - sound familiar?

So when it comes to coaching we need to be empathetic, understanding, good communicators and listeners, mind readers, support workers and friends.

It's a challenge, but when everything comes together and you find that sweet spot of knowledge that is passed across to a client, is interpreted, understood and most of all is beneficial - It's a truly beautiful thing.

Everybody needs to know their coach is on their side.