The Art and Science of Coaching

Jason Hettler of Hettler Performance has written a nice blog on the art and science of coaching, a topic that always creates debate and discussion on Art vs Science, when of course coaching is a continual process of testing and evaluating hypotheses, so it's not either or by any means.

The following quote nicely sums up my view on art and science in coaching:

“That being said, coaching is more than its individual parts – the sciences. It is the fluid, dynamic and ever-evolving interplay of these parts that create the whole. A whole which cannot be reduced to one element just as a cloud cannot be reduced to one particle. The art comes from blending these sciences into working with inherently individual athletes and maneuvering through any and all obstacles that will arise on a daily basis. The art comes from experience.”

Read Jason's full article

Reflections about coaching, strength and conditioning and the emergenceof cargo cult science in sport

Dr. Marco Cardinale has an interesting blog on the intersection of coaching and sport science, based on his experiences first as coach, then as a sports scientist. Here are some highlights:

“I still see enormous improvisation in the coaching community, with far too many people not having a programme and a structured approach to assessing what works and what does not work. There is still a lot of improvisation in too many places. Coaches turn up and do something, completely unstructured, with not much clarity and knowledge over the implications of their sessions and unclear ideas about progressions. In many cases, I see coaches picking “sessions” in random order and with limited control over loading. ”

“Coaches should be great at coaching and teaching as well as creating positive environments for athletes to improve.”

“My advice to you working as a coach, as a strength and conditioning specialist or as an “ologist” with athletes at any level is to avoid the “Nessie Phenomenon” and try to critically analyse any information coming your way. Do not accept what you hear or what others tell you. Go and find the information, try things yourself, try to assess what works and what not, document your experiences, reflect. Only in this way you will be able to separate the wheat from the chaff.”

Read the linked PDF paper: "On the reception and detection of pseudo-profound bullshit"

Read Dr Cardinale's full post here