tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-966219458009671363.post7518821688267043505..comments2023-06-15T03:24:50.834-06:00Comments on FunhogSpins: Anyone can instruct, but being a coach must be earnedJennifer Sagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12335383817004452375noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-966219458009671363.post-50831853127279557602009-01-19T20:50:00.000-07:002009-01-19T20:50:00.000-07:00Hey Jen,I agree with the saying "Peopledon't care ...Hey Jen,<BR/><BR/>I agree with the saying "People<BR/>don't care how much you know<BR/>until they know how much you care".<BR/><BR/>It makes a difference when an<BR/>instructor/coach shows how much he/she cares about the class, about<BR/>the people. They know the difference. <BR/><BR/>Thanks for making a difference<BR/>in our lives!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-966219458009671363.post-63373218430213041232009-01-19T09:49:00.000-07:002009-01-19T09:49:00.000-07:00I agree Jen! I have been reading Melissa's blog t...I agree Jen! I have been reading Melissa's blog too. I told her what a great writer she is and that her class/friends need to take advantage of her talent. I wrote a long comment the other night but I was a little delirious so I deleted it. <BR/><BR/>IMO, I want to be a coach and be perceived as one but I must also possess sooooo many other intangible skills that "make" me a coach. The comment I deleted was about how coaching is like being in sales. However, I think it is applicable. In sales, you have to know your product better than anyone else, you have to be passionate, enthusiastic, determined, empathethic, humble, confident, a good listener, a good communicator, have good work ethic, and the list goes on. But, IMO, what makes you a GREAT sales person is your ability to build meaningful relationships with your customer. Things like trust, respect, dependable, likeable, honest, sincere, etc. You see where I am going? Being a coach is so much more than just possessing a certain certification or talent for whatever you are coaching. You have to have "it" or you are merely a coach in your own mind. It's not about me, it's about my class. It's not about what or how much I know, but how well I'm able to convey or share what I know to the progress and success of the student/customer! This is the challenge. One of the most important things I've learned over the years is that I need to determine the "why" behind things. Why am I instructing/coaching? What is the goal? Why are the students here? What are their goals? What do they need? How can I best meet that need?<BR/><BR/> I know I am preaching to the chior but just got a little caught up there. Thanks for your Blog Jen. It helps me be a better coach!Charleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14552690728412904236noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-966219458009671363.post-88568101270103428872009-01-18T12:20:00.000-07:002009-01-18T12:20:00.000-07:00Jennifer - I've been a lurker up until now. I've c...Jennifer - I've been a lurker up until now. I've checked out Pedal-On and InnerCycling as well as your blog here. Thank you! You, Ms. Supremo Biker Chiquita, are a truly inspiring coach! Your style of teaching and blogging is not only educational but motivational. Thank you! :) SarahAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-966219458009671363.post-12473461036407274862009-01-18T11:09:00.000-07:002009-01-18T11:09:00.000-07:00Melissa,thank you so much for your comments. By th...Melissa,<BR/>thank you so much for your comments. By the way, you write beautifully. I found myself reading your blog on your experiences in medical school and I was riveted, almost brought to tears! You have an incredible talent.<BR/><BR/>Your comments about coaching your class in Vermont shows the power of believing in yourself first and foremost. That's the subject of my next post (following my question of "Do YOU believe you are a coach") but I haven't been able to give it the time it deserves. It's an important subject.Jennifer Sagehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12335383817004452375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-966219458009671363.post-31483002862498419852009-01-18T11:05:00.000-07:002009-01-18T11:05:00.000-07:00Interesting suggestion robert. I guess there is al...Interesting suggestion robert. I guess there is always that one step higher, a type of "enlightenment" in coaching if you will.<BR/><BR/>For the moment, my hope is to inspire instructors to take one step at a time, moving towards motivating their students intrinsically rather than extrinsically. Many instructors/coaches reading this post will be at varying places on the coaching continuum, some making their first foray into it. No need to become a guru right off the bat, although for those who are already coaching their students, growth never ends. There's always more to learn. And to me, that is one of the greater aspects of life.<BR/><BR/>John Wooden, famous UCLA basketball coach said, "If I am through learning, I am through."Jennifer Sagehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12335383817004452375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-966219458009671363.post-41500924096724826822009-01-18T07:27:00.000-07:002009-01-18T07:27:00.000-07:00Great stuff!In my certifications class, one of the...Great stuff!<BR/><BR/>In my certifications class, one of the first things the master instructor said was, "Coaches coach and riders ride." This post takes that concept and expands on it.<BR/><BR/>Thank you for all your hard work to make us better coaches.Danahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17462642767692560632noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-966219458009671363.post-82230623217187069072009-01-17T15:58:00.000-07:002009-01-17T15:58:00.000-07:00Jennifer, this post was so meaningful to me. I thi...Jennifer, this post was so meaningful to me. I think about this distinction a lot. During my time in NYC, coaching was such a huge part of my identity. When I moved to Burlington to start med school (and started teaching a few IDC classes on campus), it felt "off." People seemed to dig the classes, but I hated them. I wasn't proud of them. I felt off. Though I did everything the same, I didn't feel like a coach; I felt like a mere instructor. It was so unrewarding. The energy was different -- and I didn't have the same connectedness, the rich relationships I'd treasured over the years. I recently decided that I've been attributing my lack of fulfillment to these new external circumstances, these relationships that would take time to build from scratch. I spent a lot of time thinking about this as we kicked off 2009, and came to the realization that I was looking at it all wrong. Being a coach is not defined by external circumstances; it's a state of mind, the belief that you really can help people inspire themselves to accomplish their goals... and to help them use their minds clearly enough to identify what those goals are. I believed in that in My Old Life, and it was just a matter of re-connecting with that in My New Life. Two weeks in, it's made all the difference. To me, that's what your post was about. Thank you for articulating it so beautifully.Melissa Marotta Houserhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16888355366191460693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-966219458009671363.post-38635043025071328862009-01-16T18:10:00.000-07:002009-01-16T18:10:00.000-07:00Thanks Gaia and Le, I appreciate the kind words.Le...Thanks Gaia and Le, I appreciate the kind words.<BR/><BR/>Le, you're right in that with a beginning class, you probably have to stick a little more to "instructing" - it's kind of like Maslow's hierarchy of needs! They need the basics, they need the how - the more advanced advice will just go over their heads right now. Yes, a little motivational coaching is helpful to get them through the tough parts, but it's when they move past that beginner stage that you can really start developing them mentally and emotionally as Gaia said.<BR/><BR/>I love that comment "people don't care how much you know until they know how much you care." So true!Jennifer Sagehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12335383817004452375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-966219458009671363.post-15038611458619655402009-01-16T12:58:00.000-07:002009-01-16T12:58:00.000-07:00Jennifer- I have a question for you... Do you find...Jennifer- I have a question for you...<BR/> Do you find that when you prepare your students for a ride, and when they can expect what is happening, they are less motivated?<BR/><BR/>I had a friend who hated to go to Spinning classes that featured loops or any type of repeating pattern. Once the first loop was done she knew what to expect and instantly became bored.<BR/><BR/>I feel that when I explain the upcoming ride (or the next section of road) it gives my students the correct mind frame on how far and hard to ride and what they need to save their energy for. They are more than happy when I tell them to push it a little harder because a flat road is coming up.<BR/><BR/>I just wondered what your opinion on this was, and if you have ever dealt with students who become "bored" with a loop/repition set ride and how you coached them through it....Lizzyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06718946946092327668noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-966219458009671363.post-9177170953246082142009-01-15T19:40:00.000-07:002009-01-15T19:40:00.000-07:00Hi Jennifer,You surely made us do some thinking an...Hi Jennifer,<BR/>You surely made us do some thinking and self-assessment. I am sure most of us want to be perceived as a coach. <BR/>Based on you definitions, I think I can be perceived as one or the other depending on:<BR/>-when I teach a level 1 class (45 min) which always has some beginners show up--who would be my priority of attention--I think I am an intructor because I have to do alot of demonstration, cueing more in techniques, form...than as a "real" ride.<BR/>-But when I teach level 3 class (1hour), I think I am a coach because my cueing is more in to intrinsic coaching--asking questions instead of telling them what to do and let them find the answers to motivate themselves as they ride...<BR/>I also based on their comments at the end of the class to evaluate my role on that day. Maybe I should do a survey (?) :>)<BR/>One of the presenters at the CFP conference gave his advice which I took it to heart: "People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care"<BR/>Thanks COACH! Following your guidance, I believe I can be a great coach to my participants.<BR/>LeAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-966219458009671363.post-19201319942111832262009-01-15T02:55:00.000-07:002009-01-15T02:55:00.000-07:00As much as I agree with the fact that one must ris...As much as I agree with the fact that one must rise above the "barking orders" type of instructor, I wonder whether you're describing a trainer, rather than coach. A case of semantics, maybe, but I see another step higher than what you describe - maybe there's another word for it.<BR/><BR/>All the learning, the knowledge, the ability to empower and inspire is all excellent stuff, to which everyone should aspire. But to change one's own perception towards others (and viceversa) is to put aside one's ego, the self, and serve the best interests of the rider(s). "Serve" is a very apt word here - maybe that's the next step up from a coach... a servant!<BR/><BR/>Imagine a ride where an individual is going "against the grain" and doing their own thing. An instructor would bark louder or turn up the music, demandd that they follow the leader. A trainer would try to communicate by explaining why they should be following, for their own benefit. A coach would allow for individuality (empowerment), so long as it was safe. A servant, IMHO, would go one step further and find out the cause of that individuality - prejudices, experience of bad instructors, training for a different purpose (e.g., track cyclists can hold 140rpm without problem).<BR/><BR/>Sorry to ramble but I do think there is that extra extra quality to take what you said yet another step higher. Who knows, maybe there's yet another step after that? I haven't found it yet but that doesn't mean it's not there!Roberthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14758363718696299614noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-966219458009671363.post-87414476059705229442009-01-14T21:15:00.000-07:002009-01-14T21:15:00.000-07:00Thank you so much for this, Jen! I've been followi...Thank you so much for this, Jen! I've been following your blog and would like to let you know I appreciate all that you've been unselfishly sharing with everyone. Yes, coaching requires you to develop your "athletes" not just physically, but also mentally and emotionally; educate, inspire and encourage them to be at their best. I have had the wonderful opportunity to work with a great coach who did just that, and it has changed the way I approach coaching (aside from Spinning, I also coach a local college distance running team). Again, thank you so much! A great article, as always!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com