european athletics high-performance conference charles van commenee former head coach british...

European Athletics High-Performance Conference

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• Medical support• The right environment (altitude, indoors etc.)

Other issues are of secondary importance (sport science, clubs, comps, education, selection,

marketing, research etc.)


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?’


Quality coaching:

Produces improved athletes,who perform with reliability,at the right time.


‘Better coaching, better sport!’

In performance terms…….. ‘Better coaching, more medals!’

Consequently……..coaching cost us medals as well!


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


However………..

Athletics coach’s DNA:

•Not a natural team player•Feeling undervalued•‘I’ve become successful in spite of the federation’


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


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


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!!!


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


Management Driven ProgrammePHYSIOTHERAPIST

DOCTOR

SOFT TISSUE THERAPIST

STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING COACH

PSYCHOLOGIST

PHYSIOLOGIST

BIOMECHANIST

PERFORMANCE ANALYST

PERFORMANCE LIFESTYLE

Athlete/Coach PerformanceManager


* Head Coach* Agent* Sponsors* Centre Director* Chief Doctor* Head of Sport Science

S + C Expert

Nutritionist

Assistant coach

Performance Analyst

Massage Therapist

Psychologist

BiomechanistExercise Physiologist

Doctor

Physiotherapist

Athlete Centred Programme

Athlete/Coach


* Head Coach* Agent* Sponsors* Centre director* Chief Doctor* Head of Sport science

S + C Expert

Nutritionist

Assistant Coach

Performance Cnalyst

Massage Therapist

Psychologist


Doctor

Physiotherapist

AthleteAthlete

In too many cases...

Coach


Elite sports programme

• Performance focused (winning)

• Athlete centred

• Coach driven

• Services supported


Coach driven programme

The program is not:

• Medically driven• Management driven• Agent driven• Athlete driven


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!


S + C Expert

Nutritionist

Assistant Coach

Performance Analyst

COACH

Psychologist


Doctor

Physiotherapist

AthleteAthlete

Coach as Senior Advisor?


S + C Expert

Nutritionist

Assistant Coach

Performance Analyst

Massage Therapist

Psychologist

Biomechanist

Exercise Physiologist

Doctor

Physiotherapist

Athlete

Place of the Head Coach?

AthleteAthlete

Coach

AthleteAthlete

Coach


S + C Expert

Nutritionist

Assistant Coach

Performance Analyst

Massage Therapist

Psychologist

Biomechanist

Exercise Physiologist

Doctor

Physiotherapist

Athlete

Or?

Athlete

Coach


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.)


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)


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 driven3 Accountability

4 Coach Education


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


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


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!


Teamwork: Embrace diversity• All boxes to be ticked


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)


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………


2012 was a good year • Events with national records (Olympic program):

2009: 3 x2010: 2 x2011: 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!!)


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) !


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


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.


Any Questions?

european athletics high-performance conference charles van commenee former head coach british...

Documents