Neither Necessary Nor Sufficient

There’s a figure of speech that goes on to say that some things are “necessary but not sufficient.” That which meets this criteria are qualifications that are mandatory, but don’t give license in and of themselves. When it comes to coaching movement, for example, it’s my view that elite level performance is neither necessary nor sufficient for elite level coaching ability. My opinion on the topic of coaching isn’t a popular one. If you ask me, coaching is a craft in and of itself. While that’s not a disagreeable statement, the point of differentiation comes with my lack of assigned authority to athletic qualifications. I won’t assume fast people can teach speed in the same way that I won’t assume a brilliant boxing trainer can kick my ass.

Of course, it would only make sense that you could do the things that you coach others to do, but how far do we need to take this to be an excellent coach? My hypothesis is simply that it’s not nearly as far as we often think. I’d like to propose that beyond a very low threshold of competency, the coaching craft and the athletic craft sharply diverge (in a wood) into two notably different directions.

When I started coaching strongman on a larger scale, for example, I could feel the rumblings in the purist strongman world about my disposition. “You’re not even a strongman, what gives you the right?” Well, I thought my understanding of the movements and my ability to, not only practice them but also, communicate them to others gives me the right, but maybe I was wrong. So, reluctantly, I competed. After competing in some strongman shows here and there, winning some events, and competing at the national level, do you know what changed?

Nothing changed.

Well, I guess the resume that I don’t have changed, but let’s not pretend I magically came off the competition floor with ability to coach that I didn’t have before. That’s for certain. Since I won a competition, am I a better coach than if I took ninth? You see where this goes (or, doesn’t go for that matter). In addition, based on personal interaction, my cup of respect for my fellow competitors was overflowing. I definitely wouldn’t hire a coach from that bunch, though. In this instance, it was clear to me that their performance was neither necessary nor sufficient to coach remarkably well.

Just weeks ago, I was coached by a world champion in a completely different discipline. I was honored to share the room with him. I cannot underscore that enough. His accomplishments both precede him and speak for themselves. Also, it’s key to recognize, he was not a satisfactory coach. He was a superlative athlete who walks the walk, but an unsatisfactory coach. There’s nothing wrong with that, except if you assume that one thing equals another.

Now, before you misunderstand what I mean. I’m not here to claim that coaches should be posers and are no longer responsible for pursuing their craft as an athlete. This is not license to talk about things you don’t understand. In fact, it helps students justify listening when their coach walks the walk. It’s amazing when students are inspired by their coach’s achievements. Furthermore, “walking the walk” can make a coach better, however, beyond a surprisingly low level of competency this is neither necessary nor sufficient. Sure, my experiences competing are not erased from my mind when I coach. They make up the mosaic of experiences that I call upon to teach others, but I believe the critical characteristics that make up my ability to coach others specifically in strongman have origins outside of my competitive experience. Most students who want to learn from a coach with the right resume are shopping for the wrong amenities, in my opinion.

What are the implications of this opinion of mine? Well, I think more coaches should respect their career choice and the craft of coaching. Your athletic career doesn’t make a stable crutch to lean on so heavily. Furthermore, students should be fans of coaching rather than hire coaches they’re fans of. After all, you cannot get fit by osmosis, people. Lastly, let’s celebrate excellence rigorously and separately. Confusing mastery in one arena doesn’t afford a hall pass for mastery in another. Separate the two and crush them both, but let’s force the excellence we deserve out of movement coaches. After all, what’s necessary and sufficient to be an excellent coach is, well, to be an excellent coach. Don’t forget that.

 

Logan Gelbrich

@functionalcoach