Sneak peek coach Ivo

A new month, a new blog! This month, we’re taking a look at Coach Ivo’s approach, his values and standards as a coach and for the team.

If we had to describe Ivo’s coaching style in a single word, it would be: individualisation. He is convinced that every athlete must be approached differently, but also guided differently. That way, every athlete can realise their full potential. Every athlete has different strengths and weaknesses, and depending on their goal, the focus is placed on different aspects.
 

We’ll let Ivo speak for himself:
 

The team comprises various disciplines: Vanessa, who focuses on the 400m and 800m; Isaac, who focuses on the 5,000m and 10,000m; Jolien, who focuses on the 3,000m steeplechase; Diego, who focuses on the 800m and 1,500m; … This makes it very interesting as a coach. For most athletes, the basis of the training follows the same general direction, but it is tailored individually in terms of how these sessions are structured, the total training volume, short or long tempo runs, the athlete’s training history, their current level, … Not only is the training itself tailored to the individual, but the psychological approach to the training sessions also differs for each athlete. Some athletes need precise and strict guidelines, whilst others need more freedom. Sometimes I don’t even give specific times, and yet the training is carried out perfectly. At the start, it took a bit of trial and error to work out which approach works best for which athlete. I also apply this approach to competitions.

The five values I hold dear are as follows:

1.     Scientific basis

Everything we do must have a scientific basis. Progress in sport is down to new scientific insights. If you can interpret and apply these, you will make progress. Here, too, a personalised approach is essential. Not everyone responds in the same way to certain stimuli. Scientific insights are important and interesting, but putting them into practice is another matter altogether. These insights are highly relevant not only to training, but also to nutrition and recovery. To keep up to date with the latest findings, I work closely with scientists and athletes are regularly tested in the lab.

2.     Working as a team

This has various connotations. The athlete-coach relationship is essential, as it allows us to trust one another, but so too is the relationship between athletes within the team. The team is made up entirely of motivated athletes, and it is crucial that the atmosphere within the team is positive. Only then can everyone reach their full potential. The spirit of mutual support, backing each other up in difficult moments – having a group you can rely on. Last year, we experienced almost nothing but highlights, with records and medals. That’s fantastic, of course, and you can see that it motivates the other athletes. But that won’t always be the case. Vanessa has been going through a difficult period with her injury, but she still came to group training sessions for the atmosphere and to cheer on her teammates. That’s the essence of being a TEAM.

I also enjoy working alongside other experts in their respective fields. Psychologists, physiotherapists, osteopaths, strength coaches, sports doctors, and so on. They all play a part in supporting the athletes and are therefore part of the team. This collaboration and interaction is also important for the athletes’ progress.

3.     High performance mindset 

There’s a reason our name is 2-Boost Performance. We want to help every athlete reach the highest level. That level is different for every athlete, but I do want the athletes to do what they need to do to reach it. As a coach, I can do everything in my power to create the best possible training programmes, but if the athlete doesn’t have the mindset to give it their all outside of training, then that’s where it ends for me. As an athlete, you’re largely responsible for your own performance, and having the right mindset is a key part of that.

4.     A healthy body in a healthy mind 

The high-performance mindset is sometimes confused with the ‘no pain, no gain’ approach. I would like to make it clear that this is certainly not what we are aiming for. A healthy athlete is a strong athlete – both physically and mentally. This means that nutrition, sleep, mental well-being and training load must all be tailored to the individual athlete. To this end, we work closely with the experts who support our team.

5.     Being open minded and keep on learning

As a coach, it’s important to believe in what you’re doing, and above all to know what you’re doing. But the biggest mistake you can make as a coach is to become stuck in a rut with certain training methods, or, conversely, to rush straight into applying every new training method. Science is evolving so rapidly and new insights are coming at us at breakneck speed. If you keep changing tack or trying new things all the time, you can no longer draw conclusions about what does or doesn’t work. On the other hand, by failing to evolve alongside new methods, I believe you miss out on certain progress.

Approaching new ideas with an open mind and continuing to learn, whilst also remaining critical. This is my philosophy behind how the team and the athletes operate. Of course, I could write a whole book about my training philosophy, but that will have to wait for a future blog post.

Ivo