CFJ Starr PlatformCoaching, Sport, Crossfit
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JOURNAL
ARTICLES
A Platform for Great Coaching
Competition motivates any athlete to get stronger and faster.
Learning how the best “Platform Coaches” help their weightlifters win on game day
provides great lessons for trainers and competitors in any sport.
Bill Starr
An article about what’s involved in coaching athletes on the platform at weight-lifting contests—the job
title is “Platform Coach”—might not seem relevant to many CrossFitters at first. But think about it: compe-
tition works. That’s why I think lifting contests are essential to any athlete who is serious about getting
stronger. Once I teach aspiring Olympic lifters how to do full snatches and full cleans, plus jerks, I insist
that they enter as many meets as possible—right away. The same goes for those who express an interest
in powerlifting.
1 of 8
‰ CrossFit is a registered trademark of
Inc.
© 2009 All rights reserved.
Subscription info at
Feedback to
Great Coaching ...
(continued)
Of course, they all balk at the idea, stating that they aren’t
ready for competition yet. While it’s true that they aren’t
ready to win any trophies, they still need to get their feet
wet by lifting on a platform in front of a crowd—or more
likely, in front of a few family and friends. Competing
is beneicial in many ways. It allows the rank beginners
to observe the more experienced strength athletes, to
see how they warm-up, prepare for their attempts on
platform, and manage themselves while on stage. They
can pick up points on training, nutrition, rest, and form, all
of which can be used in their quest for greater strength.
On top of that, the energy and excitement generated
at the competition is contagious. Weights that they
struggled with in the gym suddenly feel much lighter.
Seeing someone of the same size lift poundages that
they haven’t even dreamed about also is quite inspira-
tional. I recall the feelings I had at my irst meet: If that
guy can do it, so can I. Contests force the athletes to focus
more keenly. With only three attempts per lift, there isn’t
much margin for error, so they learn how critical total
concentration is for success.
a lifter comes away from a contest rather unhappy about
his performance, he is still jacked up from the rush of
adrenaline he got when he walked out on the platform
for the irst time and felt that surge of satisfaction when
he did the lift successfully. There’s no other feeling that
can equal it, and he can’t wait to get back to his gym
the next week so he can train even harder. This is called
being bitten by the lifting bug. I can vividly recall the
moment it happened to me.
As part of the learning process,
every lifter will make mistakes, but
this is how he begins to assemble a
formula that works for him.
In 1958, encouraged by the Physical Director of
the Wichita Falls, Texas YMCA, I entered my irst
Olympic weightlifting meet, the Southwestern YMCA
Championships in Waco, Texas. I had just turned 20
years old. Like most other beginners, didn’t think I was
ready for competition, but I was curious to ind out just
what went on at a contest.
Prior to a contest, each lifter has to go through a strict
routine so that he’s completely ready when he starts his
warm-ups. If he’s had to make weight, he quickly inds
out what he can and cannot eat or drink. He has to make
decisions on how to train during the inal weeks before
a meet. As part of the learning process, every lifter will
make mistakes, but this is how he begins to assemble a
formula that works for him. He slowly puts together a
workable schedule through trial and error.
There were only six other lifters in attendance, but one of
them was Sid Henry from Dallas, a highly-ranked heavy-
weight. I strove to do my very best in front of him and
succeeded nicely. I pressed 185, snatched 180, and clean
and jerked 225 at a bodyweight of 181. All were personal
records and I made all nine attempts.
I was elated when I accepted the small medal in the shape
of Texas and realized that I felt differently than I did prior
to the meet. It was as if I stepped through a portal and
became a more conident, self-assured individual. I had
set goals and, solely through my own efforts and deter-
mination, had achieved them on the lifting platform that
Meets are gatherings where information about the sport
is freely exchanged. You ind out where others with
the same interest train; how a certain athlete gets past
sticking points; tips on dropping weight fast. Even when
2 of 8
‰ CrossFit is a registered trademark of
Inc.
© 2009 All rights reserved.
Subscription info at
Feedback to
Great Coaching ...
(continued)
afternoon. I was illed with pride that I had joined the
brotherhood of Olympic weightlifters and believed that
the sport would play a major role in my life. It turned out
that I was correct.
Basic Principles of Good Platform Coaching
1. All lifters aren’t created equal:
The irst step, and the one most overlooked, is that
you must deal with each lifter on an individual basis.
No two lifters respond to a situation in the exact
same way. The more you know about the athlete
you’re working with the better. How he deals with
pressure. How he handles big jumps. How many
keys can you give him? Only one or two or three?
How he reacts after a missed attempt, and so on.
Now, at that time, there were very few platform coaches.
The lifters coached themselves, often with the help of
fellow competitors. The most confusing part of the
contest for me was iguring out how to complete my
warm-ups so that I was ready for my irst attempts.
What I did was mimic another lifter who was starting
with the same weight as I was, or close to it. This didn’t
work out well, but it was the best I could come up with
at the time.
Understanding an athlete’s psychological makeup
and his demeanor and temperament at a competi-
tion is critical for the platform coach if he is going
to help the lifter do his very best. But, many have
argued, there isn’t always time for all that. I just
met some of the lifters for the irst time yesterday.
Then do a crash course. Within minutes, you should
be able to tell if the athlete is conident or overly
nervous. Plus a great deal more when you ask the
right questions. Get him to just talk about himself,
something everyone enjoys, and you’ll soon pick up
enough information to help you size him up quite
well in relationship to what you can expect when
encountering certain situations during the contest.
Over the years, I continued to pick up more and more
tips, partly from experience and also from talking with
the other lifters before, during, and after the contests.
Riding home from a contest with a group of lifters
always turned into a seminar. Various lifters’ styles were
critiqued, some criticized, others praised. By the time we
arrived home, we were all ready to get back in the gym
and move some iron.
So those lifters, like myself, who competed in as many
contests as they could, began to know more about
preparing for meets and lifting on platform than most
of the other athletes. That’s when we started acting as
platform coaches for teammates and fellow lifters.
2. Hang out together:
To facilitate the above point, the coach should be
in attendance while the lifter trains. That way he
can learn a great deal about how the athlete paces
himself, sets up for the heavy poundages, and his
ability to concentrate on what he’s about to do.
In addition, the coach can ind out what music he
enjoys, what else he likes besides lifting; girlfriends,
family, future plans, et cetera. In other words,
work up a proile of the individual, put meat on his
bones and you’ll be a step ahead in knowing what
to expect from him in the heat of battle and at the
same time you’ll greatly enhance his conidence in
you. Which, for some, is as important as the advice
itself.
3. Remember that
they
are the stars, not you:
Perhaps the greatest attribute a platform coach
can have is absolute dedication to his athletes and
3 of 8
‰ CrossFit is a registered trademark of
Inc.
© 2009 All rights reserved.
Subscription info at
Feedback to
Great Coaching ...
(continued)
understanding that this isn’t about him. It’s all about
the lifters. It’s quite dificult for many who were very
good lifters to set aside their egos and devote all
their energy to helping their charges do their best.
under great pressure. Some he would coax softly,
others he would push to get more out of them. He
would offer technical advice and suggest how much
weight to take next, yet he allowed the lifter to make
the inal decision. What made him such a great
platform coach was he honestly cared about each
lifter. He was 100% behind him and dearly wanted
him to do his very best. That is a proile of what it
takes to be an inluential platform coach.
4. Require a warm-up and respect the lifter’s
preparatory rituals:
Maybe the most important function of any platform
coach is to be sure his lifter is warmed up properly,
so that when his name is called, he’s totally prepared
for his irst attempt. I’ll get to a system of warming
up that I utilized when I competed and have taught
to many lifters through the years that is quite simple
but extremely effective, but this deals with varia-
tions on the number of warm-up attempts different
lifters use.
This is why some top lifters are not good at coaching
others. They’re used to being in the spotlight and
still want a healthy share of attention. They’re easy
to spot. They’re unusually loud with their instruc-
tions and make sure that they’re easily seen near
the platform when their lifters are performing.
As I mentioned, some of the best platform coaches
achieved little success in the sport when they lifted.
Ironically, one of the best I was ever around had
never competed at all: Dick Smith, the long-time
trainer for the York Barbell Club. I once wrote that
when “Smitty” worked with a lifter, he could count
on an extra 20-to-30 pounds on his total. Smitty was
always cognizant of the lifter’s needs and willing and
ready to do whatever it took to satisfy them. Need
some muscle rub applied to your back? Smitty was
there. Need a muscle cramp massaged? Smitty
was your man. Smitty knew the lifters well, their
strengths and weaknesses, and responded accord-
ingly. He also knew their individual temperaments,
which helped him deal with them when they were
Two of America’s best, Mike Karchut and Phil
Grippaldi, both liked to do a great many warm-ups,
a dozen or more, often twice as many as their
opponents. At the opposite end of the scale were
Bob Bednarski and Bill March. They needed just a
4 of 8
‰ CrossFit is a registered trademark of
Inc.
© 2009 All rights reserved.
Subscription info at
Feedback to
Great Coaching ...
(continued)
few warm-ups before going on the platform for their
opening attempts. This was a direct result of all the
demonstrations they held for Bob Hoffman at York,
sometimes as many as three a week. The crowds
at these exhibitions weren’t interested in watching
strongmen handle light weights. They wanted to
see heavy iron moved, and that’s what they got. Two
warm-ups for the press and they could elevate 350.
March was particularly adept at this. In fact, he was
able to press 350 off the rack without any warm-up.
I know this because I saw him do it may times and
a lot of people in the York Gym lost money on his
unique ability.
These, of course, are extreme examples. My point
being that if a lifter is accustomed to warming up in
a certain way, he should not be swayed to change
his approach at a contest. When a coach tries to
alter the number of attempts in the lifter’s warm-up
routine, he disrupts the normal mental pattern,
which can have a negative effect on the athlete’s
performance. Even when the coach is convinced
that the warm-up schedule is ridiculous, he still
should not attempt to change it at a contest.
Those lifters who began making noteworthy progress
soon gravitated to a gym where there was a coach. This
was a huge plus. The coach would help plan workouts,
give form tips, offer encouragement, and serve as
platform coach at contests. Some of these coaches also
lifted in meets, but most had hung up their lifting belts.
Yet they still had a love for the sport and were delighted
to be able to share their knowledge and time in helping
others.
This is exactly what happened at the ‘70 Worlds in
Columbus, Ohio—or, rather, would have happened
had I not stepped in. John Terpak was the Head
Coach and I was his assistant. Smitty, thankfully,
was the team trainer and, in truth, it was he and
I who did all the coaching. Terpak rarely showed
his face at the training hall, which was ine with
the lifters since they were well aware that he knew
virtually nothing about coaching. The only coaching
advice he ever imparted was “just pull the hell out
of the bar.” Not really all that bad, but there’s a
bit more to the job than that phrase. The primary
reason why Terpak was such a crappy platform
coach was because he didn’t really care for lifters.
Seems odd, right, yet it’s the truth. Actually, he
resented them for reasons I will not get into, but the
lifters understood how he felt and avoided him as
much as possible.
However, merely having an affection for the sport and
a background of competing over a long career does not
necessarily make for a good platform coach. Just as
there are exceptional and mediocre coaches in football,
basketball, and other sports, so it is in weightlifting.
Some of the best train lifters in a home gym and never
receive much recognition, while some of the worst have
a long list of credentials behind their names and have
obtained positions as team or national-level coaches,
yet they are actually poorly-equipped to coach lifters at
major contests for the simple reason that there’s a lot
more to knowing how to prepare an athlete for his inal
training weeks, how to warm up properly, and perform
up to the best of his ability than having won a national
or international title. In truth, some of the very best
platform coaches were unexceptional liters.
However, it wasn’t possible to avoid Terpak
backstage at the meet. While everyone knew his
was no more than a political position to make
5 of 8
‰ CrossFit is a registered trademark of
Inc.
© 2009 All rights reserved.
Subscription info at
Feedback to
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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JOURNAL
ARTICLES
A Platform for Great Coaching
Competition motivates any athlete to get stronger and faster.
Learning how the best “Platform Coaches” help their weightlifters win on game day
provides great lessons for trainers and competitors in any sport.
Bill Starr
An article about what’s involved in coaching athletes on the platform at weight-lifting contests—the job
title is “Platform Coach”—might not seem relevant to many CrossFitters at first. But think about it: compe-
tition works. That’s why I think lifting contests are essential to any athlete who is serious about getting
stronger. Once I teach aspiring Olympic lifters how to do full snatches and full cleans, plus jerks, I insist
that they enter as many meets as possible—right away. The same goes for those who express an interest
in powerlifting.
1 of 8
‰ CrossFit is a registered trademark of
Inc.
© 2009 All rights reserved.
Subscription info at
Feedback to
Great Coaching ...
(continued)
Of course, they all balk at the idea, stating that they aren’t
ready for competition yet. While it’s true that they aren’t
ready to win any trophies, they still need to get their feet
wet by lifting on a platform in front of a crowd—or more
likely, in front of a few family and friends. Competing
is beneicial in many ways. It allows the rank beginners
to observe the more experienced strength athletes, to
see how they warm-up, prepare for their attempts on
platform, and manage themselves while on stage. They
can pick up points on training, nutrition, rest, and form, all
of which can be used in their quest for greater strength.
On top of that, the energy and excitement generated
at the competition is contagious. Weights that they
struggled with in the gym suddenly feel much lighter.
Seeing someone of the same size lift poundages that
they haven’t even dreamed about also is quite inspira-
tional. I recall the feelings I had at my irst meet: If that
guy can do it, so can I. Contests force the athletes to focus
more keenly. With only three attempts per lift, there isn’t
much margin for error, so they learn how critical total
concentration is for success.
a lifter comes away from a contest rather unhappy about
his performance, he is still jacked up from the rush of
adrenaline he got when he walked out on the platform
for the irst time and felt that surge of satisfaction when
he did the lift successfully. There’s no other feeling that
can equal it, and he can’t wait to get back to his gym
the next week so he can train even harder. This is called
being bitten by the lifting bug. I can vividly recall the
moment it happened to me.
As part of the learning process,
every lifter will make mistakes, but
this is how he begins to assemble a
formula that works for him.
In 1958, encouraged by the Physical Director of
the Wichita Falls, Texas YMCA, I entered my irst
Olympic weightlifting meet, the Southwestern YMCA
Championships in Waco, Texas. I had just turned 20
years old. Like most other beginners, didn’t think I was
ready for competition, but I was curious to ind out just
what went on at a contest.
Prior to a contest, each lifter has to go through a strict
routine so that he’s completely ready when he starts his
warm-ups. If he’s had to make weight, he quickly inds
out what he can and cannot eat or drink. He has to make
decisions on how to train during the inal weeks before
a meet. As part of the learning process, every lifter will
make mistakes, but this is how he begins to assemble a
formula that works for him. He slowly puts together a
workable schedule through trial and error.
There were only six other lifters in attendance, but one of
them was Sid Henry from Dallas, a highly-ranked heavy-
weight. I strove to do my very best in front of him and
succeeded nicely. I pressed 185, snatched 180, and clean
and jerked 225 at a bodyweight of 181. All were personal
records and I made all nine attempts.
I was elated when I accepted the small medal in the shape
of Texas and realized that I felt differently than I did prior
to the meet. It was as if I stepped through a portal and
became a more conident, self-assured individual. I had
set goals and, solely through my own efforts and deter-
mination, had achieved them on the lifting platform that
Meets are gatherings where information about the sport
is freely exchanged. You ind out where others with
the same interest train; how a certain athlete gets past
sticking points; tips on dropping weight fast. Even when
2 of 8
‰ CrossFit is a registered trademark of
Inc.
© 2009 All rights reserved.
Subscription info at
Feedback to
Great Coaching ...
(continued)
afternoon. I was illed with pride that I had joined the
brotherhood of Olympic weightlifters and believed that
the sport would play a major role in my life. It turned out
that I was correct.
Basic Principles of Good Platform Coaching
1. All lifters aren’t created equal:
The irst step, and the one most overlooked, is that
you must deal with each lifter on an individual basis.
No two lifters respond to a situation in the exact
same way. The more you know about the athlete
you’re working with the better. How he deals with
pressure. How he handles big jumps. How many
keys can you give him? Only one or two or three?
How he reacts after a missed attempt, and so on.
Now, at that time, there were very few platform coaches.
The lifters coached themselves, often with the help of
fellow competitors. The most confusing part of the
contest for me was iguring out how to complete my
warm-ups so that I was ready for my irst attempts.
What I did was mimic another lifter who was starting
with the same weight as I was, or close to it. This didn’t
work out well, but it was the best I could come up with
at the time.
Understanding an athlete’s psychological makeup
and his demeanor and temperament at a competi-
tion is critical for the platform coach if he is going
to help the lifter do his very best. But, many have
argued, there isn’t always time for all that. I just
met some of the lifters for the irst time yesterday.
Then do a crash course. Within minutes, you should
be able to tell if the athlete is conident or overly
nervous. Plus a great deal more when you ask the
right questions. Get him to just talk about himself,
something everyone enjoys, and you’ll soon pick up
enough information to help you size him up quite
well in relationship to what you can expect when
encountering certain situations during the contest.
Over the years, I continued to pick up more and more
tips, partly from experience and also from talking with
the other lifters before, during, and after the contests.
Riding home from a contest with a group of lifters
always turned into a seminar. Various lifters’ styles were
critiqued, some criticized, others praised. By the time we
arrived home, we were all ready to get back in the gym
and move some iron.
So those lifters, like myself, who competed in as many
contests as they could, began to know more about
preparing for meets and lifting on platform than most
of the other athletes. That’s when we started acting as
platform coaches for teammates and fellow lifters.
2. Hang out together:
To facilitate the above point, the coach should be
in attendance while the lifter trains. That way he
can learn a great deal about how the athlete paces
himself, sets up for the heavy poundages, and his
ability to concentrate on what he’s about to do.
In addition, the coach can ind out what music he
enjoys, what else he likes besides lifting; girlfriends,
family, future plans, et cetera. In other words,
work up a proile of the individual, put meat on his
bones and you’ll be a step ahead in knowing what
to expect from him in the heat of battle and at the
same time you’ll greatly enhance his conidence in
you. Which, for some, is as important as the advice
itself.
3. Remember that
they
are the stars, not you:
Perhaps the greatest attribute a platform coach
can have is absolute dedication to his athletes and
3 of 8
‰ CrossFit is a registered trademark of
Inc.
© 2009 All rights reserved.
Subscription info at
Feedback to
Great Coaching ...
(continued)
understanding that this isn’t about him. It’s all about
the lifters. It’s quite dificult for many who were very
good lifters to set aside their egos and devote all
their energy to helping their charges do their best.
under great pressure. Some he would coax softly,
others he would push to get more out of them. He
would offer technical advice and suggest how much
weight to take next, yet he allowed the lifter to make
the inal decision. What made him such a great
platform coach was he honestly cared about each
lifter. He was 100% behind him and dearly wanted
him to do his very best. That is a proile of what it
takes to be an inluential platform coach.
4. Require a warm-up and respect the lifter’s
preparatory rituals:
Maybe the most important function of any platform
coach is to be sure his lifter is warmed up properly,
so that when his name is called, he’s totally prepared
for his irst attempt. I’ll get to a system of warming
up that I utilized when I competed and have taught
to many lifters through the years that is quite simple
but extremely effective, but this deals with varia-
tions on the number of warm-up attempts different
lifters use.
This is why some top lifters are not good at coaching
others. They’re used to being in the spotlight and
still want a healthy share of attention. They’re easy
to spot. They’re unusually loud with their instruc-
tions and make sure that they’re easily seen near
the platform when their lifters are performing.
As I mentioned, some of the best platform coaches
achieved little success in the sport when they lifted.
Ironically, one of the best I was ever around had
never competed at all: Dick Smith, the long-time
trainer for the York Barbell Club. I once wrote that
when “Smitty” worked with a lifter, he could count
on an extra 20-to-30 pounds on his total. Smitty was
always cognizant of the lifter’s needs and willing and
ready to do whatever it took to satisfy them. Need
some muscle rub applied to your back? Smitty was
there. Need a muscle cramp massaged? Smitty
was your man. Smitty knew the lifters well, their
strengths and weaknesses, and responded accord-
ingly. He also knew their individual temperaments,
which helped him deal with them when they were
Two of America’s best, Mike Karchut and Phil
Grippaldi, both liked to do a great many warm-ups,
a dozen or more, often twice as many as their
opponents. At the opposite end of the scale were
Bob Bednarski and Bill March. They needed just a
4 of 8
‰ CrossFit is a registered trademark of
Inc.
© 2009 All rights reserved.
Subscription info at
Feedback to
Great Coaching ...
(continued)
few warm-ups before going on the platform for their
opening attempts. This was a direct result of all the
demonstrations they held for Bob Hoffman at York,
sometimes as many as three a week. The crowds
at these exhibitions weren’t interested in watching
strongmen handle light weights. They wanted to
see heavy iron moved, and that’s what they got. Two
warm-ups for the press and they could elevate 350.
March was particularly adept at this. In fact, he was
able to press 350 off the rack without any warm-up.
I know this because I saw him do it may times and
a lot of people in the York Gym lost money on his
unique ability.
These, of course, are extreme examples. My point
being that if a lifter is accustomed to warming up in
a certain way, he should not be swayed to change
his approach at a contest. When a coach tries to
alter the number of attempts in the lifter’s warm-up
routine, he disrupts the normal mental pattern,
which can have a negative effect on the athlete’s
performance. Even when the coach is convinced
that the warm-up schedule is ridiculous, he still
should not attempt to change it at a contest.
Those lifters who began making noteworthy progress
soon gravitated to a gym where there was a coach. This
was a huge plus. The coach would help plan workouts,
give form tips, offer encouragement, and serve as
platform coach at contests. Some of these coaches also
lifted in meets, but most had hung up their lifting belts.
Yet they still had a love for the sport and were delighted
to be able to share their knowledge and time in helping
others.
This is exactly what happened at the ‘70 Worlds in
Columbus, Ohio—or, rather, would have happened
had I not stepped in. John Terpak was the Head
Coach and I was his assistant. Smitty, thankfully,
was the team trainer and, in truth, it was he and
I who did all the coaching. Terpak rarely showed
his face at the training hall, which was ine with
the lifters since they were well aware that he knew
virtually nothing about coaching. The only coaching
advice he ever imparted was “just pull the hell out
of the bar.” Not really all that bad, but there’s a
bit more to the job than that phrase. The primary
reason why Terpak was such a crappy platform
coach was because he didn’t really care for lifters.
Seems odd, right, yet it’s the truth. Actually, he
resented them for reasons I will not get into, but the
lifters understood how he felt and avoided him as
much as possible.
However, merely having an affection for the sport and
a background of competing over a long career does not
necessarily make for a good platform coach. Just as
there are exceptional and mediocre coaches in football,
basketball, and other sports, so it is in weightlifting.
Some of the best train lifters in a home gym and never
receive much recognition, while some of the worst have
a long list of credentials behind their names and have
obtained positions as team or national-level coaches,
yet they are actually poorly-equipped to coach lifters at
major contests for the simple reason that there’s a lot
more to knowing how to prepare an athlete for his inal
training weeks, how to warm up properly, and perform
up to the best of his ability than having won a national
or international title. In truth, some of the very best
platform coaches were unexceptional liters.
However, it wasn’t possible to avoid Terpak
backstage at the meet. While everyone knew his
was no more than a political position to make
5 of 8
‰ CrossFit is a registered trademark of
Inc.
© 2009 All rights reserved.
Subscription info at
Feedback to
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]