Online Coaching
James Goddard
trying this out and am looking for recommendations of good programs. Here
are some of the ones I found interesting:
James
Competition Zone
CTS Coaching
EMail Coaching
Mark Allen
National Triathlon Academy
TRI Trainer
Tri-E-Coach
TriCoaching
Phil Squire
He's fast, authoritative and cheap. Though his schedules can be a little
unrealistic. I was working part time and didn't have any kids.
Phil
James Goddard <jgod...@my-deja.com> skrev i
diskussionsgruppsmeddelandet:gOVy7.87473$aW5.1...@dfw-read.news.verio.net
...
Joel Filliol
If you have any questions about my programs I'd be happy to answer (coach at
competitionzone dot com). I do have experience with CTS, whose triathlon
program is now driven by Lance Watson, with whom I work everyday in my "day
job" at Canada's National Triathlon Training Centre. Lance is an excellent
coach, if slightly pricey (based on the CTS site). I'm not certain whether
you'd actually work with him unless you get the most expensive program.
I wrote an article with some thoughts on choosing an online coach
(http://www.competitionzone.com/tips-choosing-a-coach.htm), basically there
are two different type of programs out there: template or database driven
programs which put together programs and workouts primarily based on your
goal race and variables like heart rate, and then completely custom designed
programs, which are usually more expensive and more flexible to individual
situations.
Regards,
Joel Filliol
NTTC Development Coach
www.CompetitionZone.com
Triathlon Coaching and Consulting
"James Goddard" <jgod...@my-deja.com> wrote in message
news:gOVy7.87473$aW5.1...@dfw-read.news.verio.net...
Dan Empfield
Goddard" <jgod...@my-deja.com> wrote:
> Does anyone have any experience with online coaching? I am interested in
> trying this out and am looking for recommendations of good programs. Here
> are some of the ones I found interesting:
[snip]
i don't think there's a well-established set of parameters -- yet --
that make it obvious who's offering a good service. one thing i keep
hearing over and over is that when a person starts to fork out
reasonably serious dough -- say over $100 per month, and up to four
times that -- he expects to get more than, say, "here's a schedule, call
me in a month" (or three months, whatever).
when i cull various coaches for answers to some pretty meaty questions,
i'm gratified by the fact that they most-all come back with good answers
(which agree with each other). the problem is when it gets down to the
execution of working with somebody who's paying hundreds of dollars a
month. in particular, the lack of quick replies to questions. it's the
nuts and bolts where many of these guys fall down. they don't return
emails in a timely basis. customers are left hanging.
i also think a prospect must face the fact that it's probably not
anybody particulary good that's going to be coaching you if you're
paying less than $250/mo., and in some of these organizations, even that
price gets you the entry-level pimply-faced teenager who might otherwise
be working airport security.
i suppose i sound harsh, but i seem to notice a lot of money changing
hands without a ton of value given.
slowman
Glenn Cook
Laurie Quinn
recommend
http://www.tri-ecoach.com
New to triathlons, I had been attempting to read articles about training and
train on my own, but I was not effective.
I work full time, and also spend a lot of time on outside projects. I needed
to prioritize my time spent on workouts. I decided to try a coaching
program. I settled on tri-ecoach, as the
training is customized, and you deal directly with the coach.
My performance continues to improve, injury free. And
my time is balanced.
It's a lot of fun, especially when your time is spent well.
Try it, it's a really good idea.
Good luck,
Laurie
"James Goddard" <jgod...@my-deja.com> wrote in message
news:gOVy7.87473$aW5.1...@dfw-read.news.verio.net...
Jason O'Rourke
>i also think a prospect must face the fact that it's probably not
>anybody particulary good that's going to be coaching you if you're
>paying less than $250/mo., and in some of these organizations, even that
>price gets you the entry-level pimply-faced teenager who might otherwise
>be working airport security.
further on that, I wonder if any email based coaching is going to be worth
the price paid. A coach can't examine your form over the computer. Nor
can equipment issues be well resolved. All he or she can do is give you
training programs and answer questions about nutrition.
--
Jason O'Rourke j...@best.com www.jor.com
Rec.scuba strokes pics page: www.jor.com/strokes
Aquashot page: www.jor.com/dive/aquashot
El Patron
of my wife I researched ad nauseam and have gone with Rod Cedaro
(http://www.tri-training.com.au/). He has a whole team whom I have been
working with. I am EXTREMELY pleased! I've sent pictures of my position on
the bike, we discuss heart rate training issues and my one injury from
pushing a double baby jogger for my 12 mile run (not his suggestion). And
the price is reasonable. He usually responds within hours of my messages
and I like his workouts (all HR based after testing and with intermittent
testing). I too was skeptical, but plan to keep working with Rod.
Research well, talk with them on line, look at prices. People who took two
or three days to respond to my initial inquires I did not consider any
further.
Good luck!
E
"Glenn Cook" <TriRo...@att.net> wrote in message
news:366dbb25.0110...@posting.google.com...
Dan Empfield
(Jason O'Rourke) wrote:
> further on that, I wonder if any email based coaching is going to be worth
> the price paid. A coach can't examine your form over the computer. Nor
> can equipment issues be well resolved. All he or she can do is give you
> training programs and answer questions about nutrition.
i think i'd agree with you up to a point. swim stroke and things like
that, you can't do that online. as for bike bike set-up: on paper it
makes sense that you can do that better in person, but speaking frankly
-- haughty tho this sounds -- i can effect a better position via email
(for a triathlete, on a tri bike) than 98% of the "experts" who do it in
person (altho i'd rather be there in person). so what intuitively seems
better might not actually end up that way. a good remote coach is
better than a mediocre coach who's present.
when it comes to judging a person for signs of overtraining, a good
coach can easily detect that from the other side of the planet, on the
assumption that the coach is in contact with the athlete regularly, and
coach and athlete get and recieve feedback quickly, as needed, and upon
request. that's where the execution breaks down.
i'll give you one example. my wife is talking to a pro female right now
about coaching her for next season. this athlete gets a schedule once
every three months from her current coach. now, as a practical matter,
unless this woman doesn't get her cycle, when she gets it will determine
the adjustment of her hard v easy weeks. no way you can give any
athlete 3 months worth of workouts, and especially not a female.
so i'm with you, but only halfway. i've had coaches who i see every
day, but who have less sensitivity to overtraining, and for tailoring a
training schedule to an athlete's particular strengths, than a good
online coach. a good coach is a good coach, regardless where they live.
slowman
Phil Squire
Dan Empfield <slo...@slowtwitch.com> skrev i
diskussionsgruppsmeddelandet:slowman-D0DA29.13415516102001@news...
SNIP
>
> i also think a prospect must face the fact that it's probably not
> anybody particulary good that's going to be coaching you if you're
> paying less than $250/mo., and in some of these organizations, even that
> price gets you the entry-level pimply-faced teenager who might otherwise
> be working airport security.
>
charges a lot less than $250 and is very good.
Time requirements aside.
Phil
Superdave
would be a good benchmark. But my coach, Frank Senders,at
www.stapsport.com, charges allot less than $250/month, and I am very
pleased with his service.
I have been working with Frank for over 2 years now, and have been
very pleased with his service, response, and overall knowledge. It
has made the sport "fun" for me b/c I have the 3-week schedules in
front of me, and there is no stress about "what should I do
today....am I doing enough....too much?" I know that if I follow his
schedule, when I toe the line, I am ready to race.
His programs are totally personalized and he takes great pains to
analyze your daily life-restraints, and to build a schedule that
maximizes your time without interfering with you life. I love it!
The money I spend on his services is the best money I spend each
month.
Good luck in you search!!
Best Regards,
David W. Buntin
"Phil Squire" <phil.squi...@telia.com> wrote in message news:<TR7z7.731$Z_1.1...@newsc.telia.net>...
El Patron
of my wife I researched ad nauseam and have gone with Rod Cedaro
(http://www.tri-training.com.au/). He has a whole team whom I have been
working with. I am EXTREMELY pleased! I've sent pictures of my position
on
the bike, we discuss heart rate training issues and my one injury from
pushing a double baby jogger for my 12 mile run (not his suggestion). And
the price is reasonable. He usually responds within hours of my messages
and I like his workouts (all HR based after testing and with intermittent
testing). I too was skeptical, but plan to keep working with Rod.
Research well, talk with them on line, look at prices. People who took two
or three days to respond to my initial inquires I did not consider any
further.
Good luck!
E
"Glenn Cook" <TriRo...@att.net> wrote in message
news:366dbb25.0110...@posting.google.com...
ESchwar55
under $250. My top price is less than $250, and I coached the top American at
Powerman Zofingen, as well as the top US age group male at long course Du
Worlds, and neither of them paid me $250/month. Both are very talented
athletes, but they have each made significant improvements over the last year.
Higher prices are usually associated with longevity, which may or may not be
associated with intelligent coaching.
Dan Empfield
esch...@aol.com (ESchwar55) wrote:
> I would seriously question the assertion
> that you can't get a good coach
> for under $250.
it's certainly possible to get a good coach for less than $250. you can
get a good coach for free. i'm just saying that, in general, those
coaches who've generated a reputation for knowing what they're doing,
who've been at it awhile, and all that, must charge quite a bit to make
a living.
think about this for a minute. there is a certain max number of
athletes a coach can accommodate. a good coach must put up with a LOT.
any coach worth his or her salt will also be a little bit therapist, a
little bit marriage counselor, a little bit travel agent, a little bit
bike repair trainer, blah blah. this may not be true if the coach is
working only with pros. but when a coach is working with age-groupers,
you see certain themes, like the spouse who doesn't share in his/her
mates enthusiasm, or the athlete who travels a lot and has to have
his/her schedule constantly adjusted to accommodate work schedules.
Age-groupers are MUCH more time-intensive to work with than pros.
personally, i think the max is about 20 age-group athletes. you can't
coach more than that UNLESS you in some way automate, or franchise, or
find some way to lay off the "personal touch" on some flunky or on some
computer. i'm waiting for the day some of these online coaching
services start off every personal interaction with "have you read the
FAQ?" that's what it's coming to, and i know this because when a
prospect fills out my wife's online questionnaire i often read them with
her, and some of these well-known coaching services take days and even
WEEKS to respond to queries from their athletes.
so personally, i think that 20 athletes is a lot to coach. my wife cuts
it off at 12. but take 20 as an example. multiply that times whatever
it is you're comfortable earning for a living, and that's why GOOD
coaching is expensive.
when you say your TOP service costs something less than $250, i'm
assuming that this is because you've got a BOTTOM service out there, and
in general i think that the day is coming or maybe is here now when a
prospect could go to slowtwitch or trinewbies and get most of the
cut-rate service for free.
but hey, there's other points of view than mine, for sure. it's just
that i see it as a supply and demand thing. good coaches who've proven
themselves have a waiting list, and they charge. my wife charges $250,
huddle charges (i think) $340, and carmichael (himself) only takes 6
athletes -- period -- and charges something into the thousands to each
one of them (lance being one). i'd love to have huddle as a coach. as
to whether i'd like one of huddle's, or one of carmichael's, franchisees
as a coach, well, huddle's name travels as far as huddle, to me. it
doesn't travel down to one of his franchisees or employees. smith or
jones isn't huddle, even if huddle employs him. fortunately, huddle
seems to ALSO employ as a coach some people for whom i have a high
regard (like riccitello). but in that case, i couldn't give less of a
shit what corporate coaching name was over the door. i might like to
have riccitello as a coach, not because he works under huddle, but
because i want to be coached by riccitello.
then there are other coaching services that aren't quite as picky as
huddle when it comes to who they hire as a coach.
i guess it's like a bike frame. you can get one that has the same
"features" as a kestrel or a litespeed, but costs much less. maybe it's
good, maybe it's not. i don't want to entrust myself to a coach that
doesn't come with a reputation for superior results, who has the time to
spend on my personal coaching needs, who has the diligence and work
ethic to take care of me properly, who's been where i want to go, and
who knows what the hell they're talking about. the hard truth is that a
lot of pro athletes are nearing or experiencing retirement and have
nothing to fall back on, so they coach. many were amateurish in their
business relationships while they were pros, and their attention to
detail will likewise suffer in their new occupation, except this time
they'll be fucking other people up instead of just themselves.
i don't consider you in that group, as you've obviously proven you are
more than a cut above by virtue of duathlon.com, which is one of (what i
consider) the top 3 or 4 tri-related sites online. but as for the rest
of those who make up this mushroom cloud of burgeoning online coaches, i
think a newbie must choose wisely.
slowman
Frank Senders
that most of us triathletes are wise and intelligent athletes that
can/and will make their own decisions. But saying "for a fact" that
you can't find a good online Coach for under $250…….. is
too much for me.
I agree completely with Phil Squire and also with ESchwar55 it is not
the money you pay/ask for that will make you a good Coach. I think
Coaching is the same as triathlon itself, once you have the bug; it is
a part of your life. Coaching is not about money only; it is the love
for the sport and the love for the athlete. What makes a Coach a good
Coach? Is it the more money you pay for a Coach the better the Coach
is? Is it a former top-athletes that walked the walk and talked the
talk?? Is it the Coach that has the opportunity to coach a very gifted
Athlete???? Or is it the guy who knows what he is talking about; has
a proper education (not a one week-end seminar) that has feeling with
the sport? You choose!
As ESchwar55 I Coach Top athletes and don't charge that much money. I
don't even work with a top price, because I think when an athlete
chooses me as a Coach he/she is entitled to my full service. I have my
own coaching business since 1989 (new on the us market since May this
year stapsport.com )and all of my athletes pay less than $ 250. Does
that make me a bad Coach, well I don't think so. After all I Coached
all level of endurance athletes. Top 10 finishers in an IM, Riders in
the Tour the France (even stage winners), National champions, European
champions, World champions and even Golden medal winners in the
Olympics. And that for less than $ 250 per month.
The most important thing in online coaching is the personal touch.
Even through email and phone you can have a personal touch and
personal coaching. There are no two athletes the same, different needs
and different goals so there are no two schedules the same.
Down site with online coaching is that the athlete does not see right
away what he is up against. Beautiful website and lots of promises,
should he/she sign up or not? Get in touch with that coach, email him
and see what the response is. How long does it take to get back to
you? Ask him questions about his coaching every day of the week and
see what his response is. Is that too much for him it is not worth one
dollar to sign up.
And you deserve the Coach you signed up for. So if you are paying for
Mark Allen be sure he is the one that makes your "personal" training
plan and schedule.
>>Dan Empfield wrote: So personally, I think that 20 athletes is a lot
to coach. my wife cuts
>>it off at 12. but take 20 as an example. multiply that times
whatever
>>it is you're comfortable earning for a living, and that's why GOOD
>>coaching is expensive.
That is still a lot of money, in my opinion. But than again I am from
Europe and this is twice what a normal workingman with a 40 workweek
earns. So back to the fees, this is not an advertisement to get more
fee for coaching. A Coach must be able to make a living, but coaching
should be affordable for the average age -grouper. After all triathlon
is an expensive sport!
>>Dan Empfield wrote: but hey, there's other points of view than mine,
for sure. it's just
>>that i see it as a supply and demand thing. good coaches who've
proven
>>themselves have a waiting list, and they charge. my wife charges
$250,
>>huddle charges (i think) $340, and carmichael (himself) only takes 6
>>athletes -- period -- and charges something into the thousands to
each
>>one of them (lance being one). i'd love to have huddle as a coach.
as
>>to whether i'd like one of huddle's, or one of carmichael's,
franchisees
>>as a coach, well, huddle's name travels as far as huddle, to me. it
>>doesn't travel down to one of his franchisees or employees. smith
or
>>jones isn't huddle, even if huddle employs him. fortunately, huddle
>>seems to ALSO employ as a coach some people for whom i have a high
>>regard (like riccitello). but in that case, i couldn't give less of
a
>>shit what corporate coaching name was over the door. i might like
to
>>have riccitello as a coach, not because he works under huddle, but
>>because i want to be coached by riccitello.
Sometimes I question the waiting list, is there a true waiting list if
you are willing to pay $ 800 or more (I don't know??). Or do you just
get another Coach appointed to you without even knowing. I don't know
and I don't want to tri this. The statement of Dan is right on the
spot, and I know that one will hurt but it is true.
What I do know is that there are a lot of good, honest, well-educated
Coaches out there. Good Coaches with love for the sport and love for
you as an athlete and they don't cost you the $250.
Just mail them and see what happens?
Frank www.stapsport.com