OK here’s a question. Does a good coach need to have “walked the walk” themselves? Or are there really good coaches who for whatever reason never had massive personal success as athletes?
No, I dont think so. Coaching is an entirely different skillset to performing.
Bob Bowman, no sporting background. Coached Michael Phelps
Brett Sutton… ok I know 
Kind of what I thought, after all I guess no racehorse trainer ever ran in the Grand National…
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One issue is some great coaches will never get the opportunities because they werent professional athletes. Many sports high performance programmes seem all to keen to keep everything “in house” .
Although he had his pro card, I don’t think Matt Dixon set the racing world on fire compared to his coaching ability.
Chris Standidge got loads of enquiries because he was AG 70.3 World Champion.
2017? Or was it 18…?!
Great reviews, he’s a pro now.
I’m going to have a go… I feel sorry for whoever already!
Lol
…which did?
eh?
It need not be that outcome, but the better outcomes in skill and performance* generally come in years 2 - 4.
After 4 years or so, the returns are often reduced, and it’s time to seek an alternative set of eyes and ears.
*Assuming the initial gains of consistent training (as H states) have already been achieved.
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no
Total Tri Training have over 100 athletes now with a few coaches and they seem to put out some great stuff.
I know a few of their athletes and they pretty much all love it. They have a little community too.
Is the best coach the one who takes someone on their journey at 6 and parts with them at 14 having developed all the skills required in the future, or the one who tops up the performance and gets the Olympic pass when they get the the big stage?
Is the better coach the one who takes an unskilled person and teaches them to do something they thought they could never do or the one who takes a really skilled person and bullies them into training more until they win?
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Im not particularly impressed with Matt Dixons coaching either, was what I was implying - his coaching hasn’t set the world alight either.
Perhaps you are asking a rhetorical question there explorerJC but it is kind of what I’m getting at. Guess I’d hope the good coach would have deep experience relevant to the task in hand.
Eg. If I was looking for a coach to train me for an ironman, but the coach had no long distance tri credentials, would I feel confident in them? Not sure.
Reason I asked the question is that I’m not sure if it works this way in reality?
Edit: unfortunately LCB out of my league on every level 
I would ask the question another way, would you trust the person who has spent years pool/trackside at club sessions largely voluntary and has seen the effect of sessions on a wide number of athletes, someone who has physically attended courses over those years giving up large amounts of time or the Kona qualifier/winner still competing at a high level who spent 13hrs doing an online Ironman university course and pays enough money each year to call themselves a coach to fund their lifestyle?
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Coaching credentials should come from the ability to coach rather than compete. Coaches do learn by participation but should put much of their experience aside when coaching. A word which comes up regularly in coach ed is empathy…this is a double edged sword…
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Actually I think this is a slightly different question, and the answer depends on what you are looking for - both have value.
I might choose the former for encouragement and technique, or the latter for inspiration and race insight.
Personally Id suggest the former would be better for weekly/monthly coaching.
I know football is a bit of a swear word to some on here but it is probably the most high profile/richest sport in the world and, on the whole, the best coaches weren’t great players.
I’m a Wolves fan and a story did the rounds when Glen Hoddle was manager. He’d set up some set piece exercises and was getting increasingly frustrated as the players couldn’t deliver the ball where he wanted it. After a while he pushed them out of the way and, in his 50s with no practice, stepped up and hit it inch perfect first time asking why can’t they do that.
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