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Looking back at the Olympic Cycle

Charles van Commenee Former Head Coach British Athletics Frankfurt, 23 November 2013. Looking back at the Olympic Cycle. Medals in athletics?.... impossible without:. Excellent genetics Proper coaching M edical support The right environment (altitude, indoors etc.)

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Looking back at the Olympic Cycle

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  1. Charles van Commenee Former Head Coach British Athletics Frankfurt, 23 November 2013 Looking back at the Olympic Cycle

  2. Medals in athletics?.... impossible without: • Excellent genetics • Proper coaching • Medical support • The right environment (altitude, indoors etc.) Other issues are of secondary importance (sport science, clubs, comps, education, selection, marketing, research etc.)

  3. Our job: To build an environment for success • Culture comes before performance • Daily Training Environment (DTE) • 1st Question as a Head Coach/ Performance Director: ‘Is a quality talent working with a quality coach, spending enough quality time together based on a quality programme?’

  4. Quality coaching: Produces improved athletes, who perform with reliability, at the right time.

  5. ‘Better coaching, better sport!’ In performance terms…….. ‘Better coaching, more medals!’ Consequently…….. coaching cost us medals as well!

  6. Sunday PM: Expected recommendations • Work together! Exchange best practise… coaches! • European-wide strategy to raise standards in track events (sprints/hurdles/endurance!)… coaching! • Education opportunities and support programs for coaches (planning ,peaking) • Prepare endurance athletes for tournament-style races...coaching! • Athlete development pathway (comps) • Effective leadership

  7. However……….. Athletics coach’s DNA: • Not a natural team player • Feeling undervalued • ‘I’ve become successful in spite of the federation’

  8. More complicating factors • No clarity about ‘ownership’ of the athlete’s talent • Tension between centralisation vs. regional/individual support • In the 80’s/90’s Europe had more competent coaches than now • Consensus is impossible in our sport

  9. Athletics in Britain 2008 • Talent • Sufficient budgets • Facilities good enough • Proper team logistics • Excellent administrators + senior staff • Excellent CEO + board • Plenty of passionate intuitive coaches • Tradition and love for athletics

  10. 2008……. • Underperformance after 2000 (2005: 3 medals, 34 points!) • Very high injury rate • Coach education neglected for about 10 years • No clear expectations and accountabilities of athletes and coaches • Too many athletes emotionally too dependent on coaches • No proper debriefs after season/championships ; no athletes meetings • 7 national centres (4 High Performance Centres)…..but no excellence • No integrated support teams, and individual staff members not always good enough • Unhappiness, pessimism, no sense of team • Complaints about lack of communication • No time …only 4 years to go till the Home Games!!!

  11. British Athletics 2008 onwards:4-Pillar Strategy: • 1 Excellence through ‘centralisation’ • (Bring together best athletes, best coaches, best services in best facilities) • 2Coach driven programmes instead of management driven

  12. Management Driven Programme PHYSIOTHERAPIST DOCTOR SOFT TISSUE THERAPIST STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING COACH PSYCHOLOGIST PHYSIOLOGIST BIOMECHANIST PERFORMANCE ANALYST PERFORMANCE LIFESTYLE Athlete/Coach Performance Manager

  13. * Head Coach* Agent* Sponsors* Centre Director* Chief Doctor* Head of Sport Science Athlete Centred Programme Nutritionist Assistant coach S + C Expert Performance Analyst Athlete /Coach Physiotherapist Massage Therapist Doctor Psychologist Exercise Physiologist Biomechanist

  14. * Head Coach* Agent* Sponsors* Centre director* Chief Doctor* Head of Sport science In too many cases... Nutritionist Assistant Coach S + C Expert Performance Cnalyst Coach Physiotherapist Athlete Massage Therapist Athlete Doctor Psychologist Exercise Physiologist Biomechanist

  15. Elite sports programme • Performance focused (winning) • Athlete centred • Coach driven • Services supported

  16. The program is not: Medically driven Management driven Agent driven Athlete driven Coach driven programme

  17. But is that always the right thing to do? • Coaching spectrum from directing to counselling • Depending on maturity of the athlete? • Depending on maturity of the coach • Make the athlete accountable for the right coaching!

  18. Nutritionist Assistant Coach S + C Expert Performance Analyst Physiotherapist Athlete COACH Doctor Psychologist Exercise Physiologist Biomechanist Coach as Senior Advisor? Athlete

  19. Nutritionist Assistant Coach S + C Expert Performance Analyst Physiotherapist Athlete Massage Therapist Doctor Psychologist Exercise Physiologist Biomechanist Place of the Head Coach? Head Coach Coach Coach Athlete Athlete Athlete Athlete

  20. Nutritionist Assistant Coach S + C Expert Performance Analyst Physiotherapist Athlete Massage Therapist Doctor Psychologist Exercise Physiologist Biomechanist Or? Head Coach Coach Athlete

  21. British athletics 2008 onwards: 4-Pillar Strategy 1 Excellence through ‘centralisation’ (Bring together best athletes, best coaches, best services in best facilities) 2 Coach driven programmes instead of management driven 3 Accountability (athletes, staff, HC, etc.)

  22. Accountability employed coaches: • Clear job descriptions and individual targets • Appraisals every 6 months: • 1 Performance • 2 Professionalism • 3 Event Development • 4 Personal development (CPD) • Performance bonus system (for all coaches)

  23. British athletics 2008 onwards:4-Pillar Strategy 1 Excellence through ‘centralisation’ (Bring together best athletes, best coaches, best services in best facilities) 2 Coach driven programmes instead of management driven 3 Accountability 4 Coach Education

  24. Coach development 2008- 2012 • Almost non-existent for a decade • 100 national coach development events (and 500 local) each year • 250 coaches in national coach development programme • 8 full-time apprentice coaches • CPD for every employed coach £ 1500 pa • Regular coach meetings for employed staff • Website for coach development

  25. How to bring injury rate down? • Sound mechanics (pro-active)... • Coaches • Appropriate loading (pro-active) ... • Coaches • Great treatment (reactive) ... • Medics • And...better integration of these 3 aspects!... • Coaches and medics

  26. Integrated approach coaching staff – medical staff – other support staff • Regular case conferences • Meet and report formally • Spend time trackside • Athletes need to have one integrated programme • Absolutely vital in our sport!

  27. Teamwork: Embrace diversity • All boxes to be ticked

  28. Coordinated Approach to Support • ‘There is a coordinated approach to the provision of coaching and other types of support in my sport’s WCP’ • 2010 • 2009 • The majority of Athletes (73%) agree that there is a coordinated approach to • the provision of coaching and other support • this compares to less than half (48%) in 2009 • Q12: Who answered: (2009: 60, 2010: 75)

  29. Results 2008-2012 • Hit all performance targets every year • indoors and outdoors • (EC 2010 and WC indoors 2012 best ever results) • Higher number of medal contenders • 2012 was a very good year………

  30. 2012 was a good year • Events with national records (Olympic program): 2009: 3 x 2010: 2 x 2011: 7 x 2012: 11 x (no Farah 2x!!) • Top 10 in the world (Olympic programme) 2009: 9 2010: 7 2011: 13 2012: 19 (no Farah 2x!!)

  31. Results 2008-2012 • Hit all performance targets every year, indoors and outdoors (EC 2010 and WC indoors 2012 best ever results) • Higher number of medal contenders • 2012 was a fantastic year……… but we had too many underperformers at the Olympic Games (despite 6 medals including 4 golds) !

  32. Results 2008-2012 • Hit all performance targets every year, indoors and outdoors (EC 2010 and WC indoors 2012 best results ever) • Higher numbers of medal contenders • 2012 was a fantastic year……… but we had too many under-performers at the Olympic Games (despite 6 medals incl. 4 golds) • Significantly lower injury rate in the 2011/2012 season……… but not in July/August! • Better performance culture • Athletes much happier, a number of staff not • More optimism; pride is back • Bright future with talented athletes on their way to Rio

  33. Conclusion It takes more than one Olympic cycle to build or change a system (all main stakeholders to live up to new expectations) and to reap the benefits from it.

  34. Any Questions?

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