Weightlifting Coaching: A Roadmap of The Different Roles

Published: 2023-08-03

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From time to time, it might serve coaches well to review the roles of the personnel involved in providing the knowledge required to train weightlifters. The training process is much more easily facilitated if all the participants understand their roles. To aid in this, I’d like to review these roles and hopefully demystify some aspects that might inhibit the comprehension of the process.

Science Educators

There is a certain body of scientific knowledge with which coaches must familiarize themselves and, in fact, master making effective decisions during the latter programming and coaching processes. Science educators, not necessarily researchers, should be skilled at conveying the principles of physics, which will lead to a sound comprehension of biomechanics. Chemistry and biochemistry will enable the prospective coach to comprehend the processes involved in physiology, while anatomy will provide an understanding of the organism's physical structure. All of this knowledge may not be immediately comprehended as being relevant to sports performance, but expert coaches will gradually realize the value of this knowledge. Developing coaches will also develop an understanding of the scientific methods to understand better the research results and how they may apply to the athlete development process.

Sport Scientists

Sports scientists, like all scientists, are responsible for documenting the empirical truths of the physical universe. In many cases, they may explain how the mechanisms involved are functioning. For instance, a sport scientist may evaluate the biomechanics of a given lifting technique and document the specific events that are taking place. A study might explain why the technique is better or worse than most lifters. Another study might determine whether a certain rep/set scheme is more effective at altering certain physiological markers.

The primary function of sports scientists is to document the truths about coaching, training, and the responses of the athlete bodies to those approaches. They may also study such data as the percentage of successful second attempts at a continental championship instead of a world championship.

Sports Coaches

Sports coaches occupy a position as bilingual translators between sports scientists and athletes. Coaches must be scientifically literate enough to converse with sports scientists about their research and apply that information to athletes. Athletes do not need to understand scientific training principles or are not educated. Coaches must make training approaches digestible to athletes and must explain them in a common language.

Thus coaches must understand the physiological principles governing the athlete training process and devise training strategies that will ensure progress.

Thus, each participant group has a specific range of tasks and duties, and if the system is to work properly, each group of practitioners needs to stay in their lanes. Of course, it is necessary for the groups to interact and discuss common problems. This interaction often leads to new research, refinement, or application pathways.

Watch Bob Takano and Harvey Newton on weightlifting coaching

Coaching Educators

Coaching educators can be veteran weightlifting coaches, mentors, or dedicated coaching educators. Their primary goals are to ensure that new coaches develop properly and stay committed to the coaching mission. Their primary focus is not to develop athletes but to develop coaches so that the principles, goals, and culture of proper coaching are maintained and progressed.

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