Ummm... Not sure...Originally Posted by Itchysoles
What if I squat to depth, but my trainees don't? Which says more about my coaching abilities?
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Coach References Vancouver BC
Ideally, I'd like to go in to an SSC in person having seen some of their best lifts and examples of them coaching (if not on the platform then giving online form checks). Maybe you guys are so in demand that you don't need to do it, but I feel like an online video "portfolio" of sorts would be nice for selecting a coach. Is that an unreasonable level of due diligence? Like, if I don't see a guy ever hitting depth on his squats, I'm going to assume that he's one of the few SSCs to slip through the cracks.
Any of you want to reply here or DM me and give references for the SSC listed in the directory for Vancouver? If that doesn't work out, yes, I know there are some good coaches in Seattle once they let me cross your border again.
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Ummm... Not sure...
What if I squat to depth, but my trainees don't? Which says more about my coaching abilities?
Member
There's quite a few SSC's that have social media accounts like youtube/instagram/facebook that they post training footage to. Just search their names on those sites.
Problem with that approach, however, is that a coach's personal success with lifting is not indicative of his coaching ability. They can easily be better or worse for you than they are for themselves. There's a reason why hall of fame coaches in sports were not hall of fame players.
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Fair point. But I'd more gladly pay for a coach if I've seen evidence of both.
Unlike a lot of other coaching designations, "SSC" is valuable, but I don't even trust "MD, PhD, CEO" without references if I can help it.
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Itchysoles: [While having a heart attack, to a paramedic] "Wait!......let me see your references."
Itchysoles: [Dies of a heart attack]
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Coaches are human too. You will see them miss their lifts due to depth (or any other form breakdown) just like the rest of us.
I've been trained by 2 different SSCs and have seen 2 others teach someone the lifts. The teaching progression and methods were all very similar. Any variance I saw was due to physical capability (can the trainee get into a low position, can they stand up from a seated position, etc.).
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haha, thus the "if I can help it." Maybe choosing a financial advisor is a better comparison-- did their clients get rich, and if they are rich themselves but not at the expense of their clients, that's gravy.
And, yes, I wholeheartedly agree that their coaching results are more important than their personal lifting results.
And yes, plenty coaches sufficiently use social media as a portfolio; good job, y'all. I was asking because this particular coach basically does not exist at all on the internet.
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I agree that the ability to correctly implement technique and programming with one's own training is entangled with one's ability to help someone else with his or her own technique and programming. This is why one of the criteria for becoming a SSC is that one have run his or her own LP and can demonstrate the SS model on the platform. If you haven't done this stuff for yourself, it is impossible to connect with your client when he or she is struggling under the bar, or elsewhere.
BUT, if I had to choose between two coaches, one who's form is stellar, golden, exemplaraly, flawless, etc. but who's client's are not so much, and another coach who's form is merely "passable," but who's clients have had great success, well...I'm going with the latter.
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If you're thinking of Craig Bearss, just go and see him. You won't be able to "vet" him behind a keyboard. Go see him, pay the fee for a session, see if he can fix your form errors. Judge accordingly.
Another thing to think about is how badly you need a coach. If you've been filming yourself and tweaking your form every session and have a good grasp on what proper form looks like, a coach may not help you in a very drastic way. You can treat your coach like an occasional visit to the doctor if you want.
Then again, if you haven't been checking your form or if you've just started, a coach will be a very valuable investment.
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A coach isn't just for form checking.
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