Be an Elite Coach, Build Elite Athletes

Things to develop your coaching and have a greater impact on your athletes. You define what your “elite” is!

By Isaac Leung, Athletic Skills

Hey reader,

In today’s newsletter, I have reflected and tell you my 6 main learnings from creating a coaching business! These will apply in any setting, whether that is Sports Coaching, S&C or Personal Training!

I then discuss one common problem I see in peoples coaching programmes… Planes. And not the one that takes you on holiday you may be thinking.

As always, reply with any questions or want more support on anything in your coaching. Let me know any topics you’d like me to cover!

Be an Elite Coach:

My 6 Learnings in Developing a Coaching Business Doing What I Love!

1. I Tried Helping Everyone and Doing Everything!

   • Generalist vs. Specialist: One key learning was realising that being a generalist can dilute your perceived expertise. If you’re a specialist—an expert in delivering specific outcomes—you can command higher fees and be recognized as an authority in your field. For example, you could be the go-to expert for fat loss in men over 40, perfecting a tennis player’s backhand, helping a bowler achieve speeds over 80mph, or coaching a footballer to score 20+ goals a season. Don’t try to be the person who works with everyone and guarantees any outcome; this approach can devalue your services.

2. I Lost All My Social Hours to Coaching

   • Work-Life Balance: Coaching can be a draining profession, especially when you’re on your feet all day and working long hours. Many sessions happen on weekends or evenings, and I reached a point where I started to lose some social connections. That’s when I realized I needed to take more control of my schedule. This changed when I began charging higher fees for certain hours of the day and offering remote programming options.

3. I Didn’t Share My Wins or the Value I Was Providing

   • Visibility Matters: Word of mouth can be powerful, but visuals and testimonials showcasing your coaching success can offer potential clients the reassurance and understanding of why they should work with you. Don’t be shy about sharing your achievements and the value you provide.

4. I Saw Other Coaches as Potential Competitors, Not Friends

   • Collaboration Over Competition: It’s common to view others in your field as rivals, competing for the same clients. My mindset shifted when I started seeing these relationships as partnerships. Collaborating with other coaches can promote both parties and provide even more value to your audience. As they say, there’s plenty of fish in the sea. Leverage the expertise of others in your field for mutual support.

5. I Tried Going Solo

   • The Importance of Mentorship: Business, marketing, and sales were alien to me, having only focused on coaching. I made mistakes early on, missed out on opportunities, and didn’t really stand out to my audience. Then, I got a business mentor. In the last six months, I’ve learned so much, started making an impact, and began building the knowledge base I needed to put my vision into action.

6. I Thought I Knew What My Audience Wanted

   • Listening to Your Clients: With experience in this field, I initially assumed I knew what my audience needed from me. But I was wrong. My initial offers and programs didn’t appeal to the people I was working with. I realised I needed to listen to them. They are the experts on their own needs. By listening, I was able to create bespoke programs and sessions tailored to what they actually wanted. For example, this led to offering a mix of 1-on-1 sessions and group-based sessions because my clients thrived in a community-oriented, competitive environment.

Now, these are my learnings from starting a coaching business and earning a living doing what I love—something many aspire to do, whether in sports coaching, S&C, or personal training. These lessons apply across the board!

Reply with BUSINESS if you want more support or have questions about starting your own journey in business.

Build Elite Athletes:

Many programmes I see are in one plane of motion. Usually forward and back/up and down.

But if you are coaching an athlete, or any person in fact, they need to be exposed to movements in all planes to get the best out of their development.

There are 3 main planes:

1. Sagittal Plane

• Description: Divides the body into left and right halves.

• Movements: Movements in this plane include flexion and extension. For example, walking, running, squatting, and broad jumps occur primarily in the sagittal plane.

2. Frontal Plane

• Description: Divides the body into front (anterior) and back (posterior) halves.

• Movements: Movements in this plane include abduction, adduction, lateral flexion, and side-to-side motions. Examples include side lunges, skaters, shuffles and shoulder Raises.

3. Transverse (Horizontal) Plane

• Description: Divides the body into upper (superior) and lower (inferior) halves.

• Movements: Movements in this plane include rotation, pronation, supination, and horizontal abduction/adduction. Examples include twisting movements like cable rotations, med ball throws, throwing a ball, and golf swings.

When creating your training session in the gym or the field/court, pick movements that require those to move in different planes and directions!

Want more support? Hit reply with any questions and let’s chat!

Speak soon,

Isaac 🙂 

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