My Favorite Conversations
My favorite type of interaction is to receive criticism.
Maybe that says (negative, unhealthy) things about my perspective on life, but maybe it shows that all I really care about is getting better. Absent enough criticism, I go looking for faults in my own work. It’s not that I’m nitpicky (though I am), but that I want every possible opportunity to capture an improvement. Given enough criticism, I stay laser-focused on the next step in the process, on the next tiny gain, on the next skill to master.
So when a long-time athlete asked me, “what’s your experience with court sports?” I got really excited. She started to rationalize the question, preparing, I think, to add something like, “it’s not that I doubt you could help me but…”
Nope, stop right there. I love this question. You want to know my experience. You want to know what my assumptions are based on. You want to know if and how I can help you. I’m honored that you would ask.
See, a little skepticism means you actually care about getting better. A bit of curiosity about my coaching resume means you actually want to invest in this process. And asking it openly, frankly, and early in the conversation means you have a real interest in working with me.
So thanks for the question. If that particular athlete is reading this, I hope my answer was adequate.
No One Cares About That Certificate
The other thing I like about this question is it cuts right through all the fitness and sports industry bullshit.
See, my athletes have never cared about my credentials. Not a single one ever asked, “so what aspect of your CSCS preparation will help you design this training program?”
That would be a stupid question.
But they have asked, “have you built programs like this before?” They have asked, “how did other athletes do on this program?” They have asked, “why do you think doing X is better than doing Y?”
Those are good questions from self-interested, committed athletes. Those are questions from people looking for proven methods and logical thinking. I can provide that!
But the fitness and sports industries get hung up on selling certifications to “professionals” who have never gotten results and have rarely taken on serious personal challenges. With a large enough stack of certifications, you really can feel like you are qualified to lead someone down the training path. You know, on that note, with a new, full-suspension, long-travel mountain bike and enough body armor, you can feel like you actually know how to ride a downhill track.
After 4 years of crashing, clipping trees, striking pedals, spinning out, stalling on features, and death gripping my way down mountains, I can attest that nothing beats experience.
Well, almost: nothing beats practice and feedback, which are how experience develops. Therefore, nothing beats criticism. The trouble with most certifications is no one criticizes the would-be professional who paid a couple hundred bucks to attend and, ostensibly, to learn.
Professionals vs Amateurs
Pardon my arrogance, but I consider myself a true strength professional, despite my credentials or lack thereof. I am a professional, if for no other reason than that I find the people who are more skilled than me and I actively expose myself to their thinking and scrutiny so I can get better. That and I try all my ideas on myself first!
So when a current or a potential athlete comes to me asking about my qualifications, I love it. It’s the promise of future criticism — either I can answer your question or I can’t; either my program delivers or it doesn’t; either you thrive under my coaching or you go elsewhere.
You’re hungry to get better.
So am I.
So keep the questions coming.
P.S.: Two certifications that I think are distinctly NOT bullshit are StrongFirst SFG-1 and Functional Movement Systems FMS-2. There are eyes on you all weekend, the expectation that you arrived having read the material and practiced the movements, and the requirement that you continue refining your own practice after you’re “certified.” The standards get higher every time you come back to re-certify. Just as they should.