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North West Coach Spotlight-April

Published:

This month, Head Coach of Manchester Triathlon Club, Kate Offord tells us about her coaching philosophy and why she got into coaching triathlon.

Name: Kate Offord

Age: 36 


Who do you coach: Head Coach Manchester Triathlon Club - I have overall responsibility for the club Annual Training Plan and training decisions. We have between 400 and 500 members and one of my main objectives is to be visible as Head Coach and accessible for all of our members.  I am always looking at whether we have the right balance of sessions available to meet the needs of our members.  We have around 18 Level 2 or above coaches and we currently run 11 swim sessions, 2 spin bike session, 1 watt bike session, 2 run track session, 3 strength and conditioning sessions and Sunday group rides.  I coach mainly Intermediate and Development Runners and Swimmers, plus Juniors on all three disciplines. I coach triathlon a minimum of 5 hours per week plus another 4+ hours as Assistant Head Coach at Altrincham Swimming Club.

Qualifications: BA Honours Politics, 2:1 University of Nottingham, BTF Candidate Level 3 Coach, ASA Level 2 Swimming Teacher, National Rescue Award for Swimming Teachers and Coaches, Safeguarding and Child Protection


Brief competing history: Swam to a National level as a teenager.  Took up triathlon in around 2004. Competed in a range of local sprint and Olympic distance triathlons whilst dodging a number of old swimming injuries!! Had a break in 2009 to have 2 children and broke my elbow badly.. so currently trying to make a return to all three disciplines.
 

Why I coach: I took up coaching triathlon during 2012 during the Olympic build up and I would like to think it is part of the Olympic legacy. Having been out of the sport for a couple of years I felt that I had a lot of knowledge and enthusiasm to share.  I am really dedicated to making people into the best athletes that they can be, whether this takes a performance route or a participation route.  I am passionate about keeping people active and healthy and triathlon is an amazing way to change your lifestyle and to give you confidence to attempt things that you may never have thought were possible.  Coaching gives me a massive buzz and I hope that I share this focus and enthusiasm with my athletes


The best thing about coaching: The best thing about coaching is meeting such a wide range of people.  Every athlete has very different strengths and weaknesses and coaching is all about tuning into what each athlete needs to help them improve. 


My coaching philosophy: Coaching is all about reading people; reading body language, listening to verbal cues.  Once you understand the individual you can tap into what will help them to reach their potential. My coaching philosophy is about building confidence. Confidence leads to enjoyment and enjoyment leads to consistency.  Consistency is king in triathlon. 


Biggest challenge: Currently, my biggest challenge is to help 'non swimmers' become proficient in front crawl so that they can meet their goals in triathlon. 


Funniest moment in coaching: Unfortunately this resulted in pain for the participant, but in a bike skills session, a really keen and gung ho gent took a rather exuberant flying mount.  He ended up leaping so fast and so high in the air that the journey down onto the saddle took a significant amount of time. He landed on the saddle with such force that we were grateful that no long term damage was done!  He had an excellent sense of humour and once we knew he was ok, he shared in the joke.


A word of advice: Plan for the long term. Build your training up over time, let one season build on the previous season. Don't rush it, don't fall for fads, and don't over do it. Be consistent.


Coaching hero/influence: Locally, I have been lucky to learn from some great mentors and coaches, Tony Jolly and Paul Savage.  I am a big follower of Joel Filliol and his athletes, and am always really interested in his new thoughts and approaches.

Favourite drill and why: Swim Smooth's Bubble Bubble Breathe is an amazing drill which encourages smooth exhalation, bilateral breathing and a great swim rhythm.


The Transition Game

Why use it Use it with younger juniors to introduce the concept of transition, and taking on and off helmets and equipment.


Set-up (ie what equipment you might need, such as cones, etc, and if relevant the size of the area to do the activity in) 3 or 4 teams, cones to mark mount/dismount lines, cones to run around.  Swim hats, goggles, helmets,running trainers.


How to do it

- In teams, the first person puts the hat and goggles on, then sprints to the first cone. At the first cone they take the hat and goggles off and put on the helmet. They run with the helmet round the next cone. Take off the helmet and then run to the far cone and all the way back to tag the next team member.

Technique (in the form of bullet points)

- Develop a system of how to lay out your kit

- Prepare for each stage

- Less haste more speed

- Work as a team

 

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