Coaching High Performance Athletes

By Roger Barrow

National Coach Rowing South Africa

17th November 2012

Themes

• Finding the rough diamonds

• Building motivation in athletes

• People involved in process

• Principles - rules

• Creating a winning environment

• Have a plan

• Understanding the athlete

• Definition of high performance

• Olympics

Find a home

Finding the rough diamonds

• Olympic athletes in squad and backgrounds

o Lawrence Ndlovu (age 31) rowing since 1997

o Matthew Brittain (age 25) rowing since 2001

o James Thompson (age 25) rowing since 2001

o John Smith (age 22) rowing since 2006

o Naydene Smith (age 23) rowing since 2009

o Lee Persse (age 23) rowing since 2004

• What else do we have?

Young Up and Coming Hungry Athletes

Medaled at every International Regatta this year

• Henley Royal Regatta (Gold) • Junior World Championships (Silver) • Student World Championships (Gold & Silver) • U23 World Championships (Silver) • Olympic Games (Gold)

Building Motivation In The Athletes

• Doing it for the right reasons

• Adopting an all encompassing approach

• Believing in a system • Building confidence in the squad

• Backing the process and training programs

PEOPLE

THIS IS THE

People involved in Process

• CHARACTER • EXPERTISE • PASSION • TRUST

• LOVE FOR WHAT THEY DO – NOT ABOUT

THE MONEY

Support Team Coaches

• Roger Barrow • Paul Jackson • Dustyn Butler • Andrew Grant

Consultant Mentor Coach • Gianni Postiglione

High Performance Admin • Nicola Macleod

Sports Science and Medical • Physiologist – Jimmy Clark • Doctor – Danielle Brittain • Strength Trainer – Nicola Macleod • Physiotherapist – Garreth Bruni, Corli van

der Watt, Andri Smuts • Psychologist – Monja Muller

Main Points of Focus

Technique

Development

Training Methodology

Selection Evaluation

Psychology

Principles

• Make it simple

• Choose a training philosophy

• Same rules apply for all athletes

Basic Rules

• Common goals • Good at saying no • Difference is a must • Belief in ourselves

• Ambitions must be based on things we can do something about • Cooperation is based on trust and respect

Creating a competitive environment

• Healthy • Rivalry everyday – controlled! (World Class ) • Getting the best out of training • No excuses • Ranking • Information for Coaches • What did we learn in training • Mistakes are shown

Have a Plan Basic Preparation World Cups Olympic Games

1 2 3 4 5 6

Rowing x 5 x 7 x 7 x 9 x 10 x 10

Ergo x 5 x 4 x 4 x 2 x 1 x 1

Gym x 3 x 3 x 3 x 3 x 2 x 2

Run x 3 x 2 x 3 x 3 x 2 x 2

Cycle x 2 x 1 x 0 x x x

Pilates x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2

Total 20 19 19 19 17 17

Aerobic 20/m 14 13 12 11 9 8

Aerobic T 24/m 4 4 4 4 3 3

Anerobic T 26-30/m SR 24 S Time 2 SR 26 S Time 2 SR 26 S/L Time 2 SR 28 L Time 2 SR 28 M / Time 2 SR 30 M / Time 2

Sprint Max 0 1 1 2 2 2

Vo2 Max 30-32 0 0 0 1 2 2

Total 20 20 19 20 18 17

PS 20 1 20 1 24 2 1

CYCLE W DATE

Cycle 1 8 26 Sep - 20 Nov2011

Cycle 2 8 21 Nov - 15 Jan 2012

Cycle 3 8 16 Jan - 11th Mar 2012

Cycle 4 8 12th Mar - 6th May 2012

Cycle 5 7 7-May - 24 June 2012

Cycle 6 7 25 June - 5 August 2012

Understanding the Athlete

(Johnny) (Greek)

Key Point in Managing Athletes

Resource limit

Stress capacity

Typical Physical Stress

“Stress Reserve” used by:

•Physical (increased training...)

•Psychological (studies, work...)

•Emotional (selection worry...)

•Social (conflicts, pressure...)

Minimize these

Typical Recovery

“Recovery Reserve” made by:

•Physical (sleep, nutrition...)

•Psychological (recreation...)

•Emotional (support, comfort...)

•Social (harmony, pleasure...)

Maximize these

Monitoring and Tracking of Athlete

• Daily tracking of athlete

• Weekly stress questionnaire

• Every 6 weeks physiological test (Keep standard)

• Monitoring with stop watch

• No surprises

What Does the Elite Athlete Know or Should they Know

About training? The system?

About politics? About money?

Athlete

Rowing Rowing fast

Definition of High Performance

• Winning

• Percentages compared to world best

• Commitment to training and program

• High performance lifestyle

• Responsibility athlete takes

High performance can be defined as achieving at a superior and exceptional level, reaching the highest possible international

standard. It requires a complete commitment to achieving at an elite level.

Olympic Games London 2012

• Pre- Olympic training camp

• Control the controllable

• Routine

• Stick to the plan

Pre- Olympic Training Camp

3 weeks Ebenezer 1350m 3 weeks Tzaneen

700m

Olympic Villages

Main Village Rowing Village

Olympic Village Food Hall

Routine • Regular eating times

• Regular training times

• Stretching and warm up routine

• Intake of food post sessions

• Good frequent Physio and stretching

• Prevention of illness and injury

Sticking to the plan

• Trust the process

• Believe in the training program, Stick to it!!!

2012 - 2016 Strategy

• Learn from mistakes

• Get the best people for the job • Build on what has been established • Keep the hardness and be relentless

• Attention to detail • Take responsibility

THANK YOU