This is the initial meeting we will have with the athlete, which will usually take place at a public meeting area for ethical reasons, and in the presence of a parent or guardian in the case of a junior athlete. During this interview we will get to know the athlete's background and run through the details that they have filled in on a rider profile that would have been completed prior to the interview. Such details as past training, experience in the sport, goals and available training time will be discussed. It will also give the athlete a chance to get to know us and about the Patterson Training ethos as well as what to expect from Patterson Training.
2. Needs Analysis
The Needs analysis is where we break down the critical features of the athlete's chosen sporting discipline and asses what the athlete requires in order to achieve their goals. This may include the use of written questionnaires to measure psychological skills and motivational orientations or video analysis of the athlete participating in their sport. During this discussion we can draw up a suggested plan of the intervention and a report of costing for the intervention.
3. Evaluation and Assessment
Depending on your chosen sport, and with information from the needs analysis, we will design a lab or field based testing protocol to assess your performance that will be as specific to your chosen sport and as ecologically valid as possible. The results from the testing will be displayed in an easy-to-read feedback report, which will highlight strengths and areas that need to be improved, along with comparisons to normative tables from athletes of your age and ability and implications on future training.
4. Goal Identification
With the information from the test results we can agree on some specific, measurable, realistic, time-phased and exciting goals that are both outcome-oriented focusing on race results, and process-oriented focusing on training techniques and practices. These goals will not be set in stone, they are constantly changing and being re-assessed as your training unfolds in order to help keep you motivated and focused on key training and racing issues.
5. Agree Intervention
Once all the test results have been understood and we have agreed on your goals we will set out your structured training, which will be individual to you and specific to your sport. Your input during this phase helps us to tailor your plan and optimise your training time, ensuring that the training is challenging and achievable.
6. Apply The Intervention
Coaching is sent to you either by e-mail or first class post in a monthly block, with weekly training plans clearly setting out the training for each day. The training plan is very much a fluid and dynamic aspect of the scientific support intervention depending on your feedback each week as you progress through the programme. Contact with the coach can be as often as you like with no extra fee, as we firmly believe that good communication is a major factor in the success of the coaching process.
7. Outcome Evaluation
At the end of each meso cycle, which can be between 4 - 6 weeks, we will evaluate the effectiveness of the training plan with respect to your training goals. This may include further testing that is not included in the monthly coaching cost. This testing is optional but is very much encouraged in order to ensure that the training is effective and to aid with the prescription of future training plans and goal setting.
Coaching Packages and Costings
Sportive Training Package Example
The popularity of certain cycling events can change from year to year. At present the events that draw thousands of riders are the ultra endurance cycle sportives such as the Gran Fondo Campagnolo, La Marmotte, L'Etape Du Tour, Tour of Fanders or the off road ultra endurance events such as the Saab Salomon Mountain Mayhem and the UK Marathon Series. A wide range of people are drawn to these events, from the club participation rider who wants a significant challenge in some of the worlds most spectacular scenery, to the elite rider who wants to go for a shot at getting a high placing or is using the event to peak for a major race. The one factor that is the same for everyone who participates in cycle sportives is that they are long and hard and they take a significant amount of training to ride without the need for rest breaks, and to complete some of the gruelling climbs without getting off and pushing.
With the large spread of abilities taking part in sportives, organisers of certain events require medical certificates to show that participants do not have any physical condition that may result in serious injury during the event. This basic physical check up is useful but will not however, show that you can ride over three mountain passes at an altitude of two thousand meters in forty degrees centigrade. Cycle sportives are a great challenge and can be very rewarding, but they can also be quite a shock, as the long sustained gradients and intense heat along with the long distance is something that can not be experienced in the UK. If you can arrive at the event with set pacing strategies and mental plans and the knowledge that your preparation has ensured that you are in the best physical condition, then the event will be a much more enjoyable experience. That’s what we can offer with our comprehensive and delux coaching packages.
Our structured coaching will be specific to the demands of the event and to your individual physiological make up. With the aid of performance testing we can ensure that the prescribed training is actually improving the performance criteria of your chosen event. Along with training the "engine" (physical conditioning) we will train you to be more tactically aware, advising you on pacing, how to be more economical with biomechanical analysis of pedalling and bunch riding skills, along with improving your mental skills such as coping strategies, focus and motivation. This sort of package can be set up as a 3 month crash plan or a 6 month plan with the delux option including power meter rental. Prices are listed below.
Basic Training Package Example
The wide spread of athlete's goals and the choice of sporting activities that I may be required to coach, from general health and fitness to World Championship races requires a flexible and varied set of coaching packages. For the beginner or novice athlete their primary goal may be to increase fitness. For this athlete the main emphasis of the initial training will ensure that what they are doing is structured, progressive, enjoyable and most of all safe. The basic monthly training plan listed below with one initial performance test would be ideal for this athlete. With this package I can assess the fitness and ability of the athlete with the initial blood lactic incremental test and maximum aerobic power if required. This will allow me to give the athlete feedback on how their current fitness compares to other athletes and sedentary individuals, I can prescribe training zones and evaluate the test results and feedback to the athlete the key areas that will bring the greatest fitness increase.
If in the future this athlete wants to progress to some performance or task goals such as to improve their lactate threshold power by 5-10 %, or ride the local 50 mile sportive in a silver standard time then they can either add on extra performance tests to better monitor the effectiveness of the training. They could also upgrade to a more comprehensive coaching package that incorporates one to one training sessions, biomechanical analysis or the use of a power meter. Coaching packages can always be tailored to the individuals needs based on the set packages below, coaching is a fluid and dynamic process so our coaching packages and services reflect that.
Costings
Costings for the coaching packages will vary according to the demands of the athlete. Coaching is a dynamic concept where no two athletes require the same from the coach, therefore from January 2008 pricing for coaching will be on application. Cost of performance testing is a set rate and is also available on application.
