The Principles of Great Coaching: What Six Triathlon Legends Have in Common

Over the years I've been lucky enough to sit down with some genuinely exceptional coaches. People who between them have coached athletes from absolute beginners all the way through to Olympic champions and Ironman world record holders.

When I went back and listened to those conversations recently, something struck me. They were all saying the same things. Different words, different experiences, different athletes, different levels of the sport. But the core principles kept coming up again and again.

This episode pulls those threads together. Six coaches. Eight principles. And one idea that runs underneath all of them.

THE SIX COACHES

Joe Friel - author of the Triathlete's Training Bible and Fast After 50, one of the most widely respected voices in endurance coaching.

Chris Jones - head coach for British Triathlon at the Sydney Olympics and one of the most influential coaches the sport has produced in the UK.

David Tilbury-Davis - professional triathlon coach who has worked with elite athletes across the world.

Mark Allen - six-time Ironman world champion and one of the most thoughtful people about training and performance I have ever spoken to.

Jack Maitland - builder of the Leeds Triathlon Centre and coach to the Brownlee brothers from the beginning of their careers.

Jim Vance - American coach with extensive experience across both elite and age-group athletes.

8 KEY PRINCIPLES

Individuality is the first principle. There is no plan. There is only a person and a plan that fits them.