About Coach

Coaching

Philosophy

A philosophy of coaching is not the same as a philosophy of training. It helps if a coach not only has a clear picture of how the physical training should be conducted, but also reflect on the coaching philosophy at large. Below is the key components in Oscar Gidewall’s coaching philosophy.

▫️ The athlete is first and foremost a human being. If life outside of sports is problematic, it significantly hinders the opportunities for development. All the help that the coach can contribute in daily life can be more valuable than hundreds of hours of training. The athlete need to find balance in life. The sport must play a significant and central part of an elite athletes life, but should still not occupy the entire life 24/7. However, as an athlete you can’t do everything in life, you need to get your priorities right. It is also important that the elite athlete always strives for independence and control over his own life situation. In order to be able to develop as an elite athlete, a great understanding from his or her environment is required. This understanding from family, friends and partner etc is rarely self-evident and must therefore be created by the athlete. As an elite athlete you need to surround yourself with people that understand your priorities and passion for the sport.

▫️ The good health of the athlete is the key for any long term development. The focus is always on staying healthy, both mentally and physically. No training should be executed with abnormal fatigue regardless of the reason (e.g. suspected infection or mental issues). Training is meaningless if the body cannot (super-) compensate, it will only break down the athlete and the risks of injury is significantly higher. Recovery is just as important as training. Training (or competing) with infection may also have serious medical consequences and should always be avoided. The athlete must learn how to stay healthy, learn to listen to the body’s signals and rest when needed. Practical measures to avoid infection and injuries (e.g. hand hygiene and recovery measures etc) must be learned and implemented.

▫️ Shortcuts will never be acceptable regardless of context. The desire to win is important in sports, but can never be worth the risk of damaging the good health of the athlete. There are no shortcuts to success. Doping is not only cheating but deceiving yourself and your fellow competitors. Dietary supplements should only be used in case of documented deficiency. Supplements can be contaminated and should be avoided. It is my firm conviction from personal experience that it is possible to win medals at the world stage without using any performance-enhancing agents or nutritional supplements. Without this believe I would not be involved in elite sports.

▫️ A well-planned, well-thought-out and individually tailored training plan is a prerequisite for long-term success. But even a perfectly designed training program does not automatically bring success. The training program is never a static paper construction. Flexibility and cooperation between athlete and coach is what gives effect and progression. The training process is constantly adapted to the conditions that prevail at the given moment. Evaluation of the training is an ongoing process. The coach must always interact with the athlete, mentoring and act as mental support. Continuity and long-term commitment is essential.

▫️ The training process is a constant balancing between science and art. All facts, both empirical and natural science, must be taken into account, but not without critical examination and carefully considering the individual. No athlete is identical to one another and all athletes therefore needs to train and focus on different things. No single method or specific training regime is the key to success for everyone. The art is finding training methods adapted to the individual athlete.

▫️ The athletes own thoughts and free will must always be taken into account and are worth more than the pressure of others. However, the coach must try to motivate and enthuse the athlete to take the ”right” direction. Progression and development takes place through an interaction between the athlete and the coach. Argumentation between coach and athlete is part of this process and you can always learn from each other.

▫️ The aim is that the athlete learn how the coach reasons and thinks and than be able to reason independently about specific problems that arise. Knowledge within the training group should also be taken advantage of. All members in the training group have specific knowledge that can be helpful to other group members. All members of the group should therefore be able to both take/give instructions to/from each other in the group. Furthermore, the training group provides an important social and mental support.

▫️ Mental training is part of the daily training process. Preparations, such as competition routines etc, are important to train. Thoughts and concentration during competition should therefore be imitated during certain training moments. Independence and self-awareness are keywords.

▫️ Training must always feel rewarding. If the training does not feel meaningful, it is rarely fun, especially if the training is also demanding. However, all training cannot always be fun, but if the coach can make the athlete understand that it’s part of a process, it can feel very satisfying and rewarding nevertheless. The feeling of progress and development can be fun in itself. The the long term driving force and motivation for the athlete must come from within, the coach can only give temporarily support. The love for the sport in a broad context is often the best motivator.

▫️ The driving force in coaching is to develop and support people, primarily in terms of sports, but also in a wider human sense. In the process of supporting others, the coach is constantly forced to develop himself (or herself). This personal development is part of the driving force.