When the fine folks at TrainingPeaks asked me to write an article on athlete retention, I first asked myself, “What characterizes athlete retention?” I concluded that to keep it simple, and we could boil it down to two main aspects.
One aspect is the longevity of revenue from a given athlete. The other aspect is the longevity of “coach engagement” with a given athlete. I would characterize “coach-athlete engagement” as subjective criteria, consisting of good communication, good workout compliance, and the athlete generally being active and involved in the coach-athlete relationship, not a passive receiver of a training plan.
In the ideal world, “coach-athlete engagement” coexists with continued payment to a coach, but that is not always the case. Many coaches have stories of the athlete they’ve been working with for three years and feel they are not providing a service because the athlete is not actively engaged in the coaching process. I establish this distinction because I want to focus this article on how to build long-lasting “coach-athlete engagement.” In my experience, revenue continuity follows if the athlete is actively engaged in the coaching process.
What follows this verbose blurb is a list of processes that I have found successful in establishing the longevity of “coach-athlete engagement.” The caveat emptor I must preface this list with is that every athlete is unique at the end of the day, and different processes will successfully keep them engaged.
Coaches can develop a model of what they believe works, but at the end of the day, what will dictate their success, is their ability to adapt this model to different athletes.
I put the sentiment of catering to the individual as vital to creating an environment of athlete retention above anything else. That said, here are some things that have been key for me:
1. Keep the training protocols fresh for the athlete.
The effect of novel stimuli, both physical and mental, is massive. It is often said that overtraining in the clinical sense is extremely rare, and an “overtraining diagnosis” is often a product of mental stagnation.
Athletes are more likely to stay engaged if they feel they are part of an evolving process, not a stagnant program. Are there technique elements in which the athlete could use improvement? Is there a different style of training that could be incorporated? Are there mental barriers to an athlete’s performance that outweigh physical barriers?
These are all critical components of training that, by varying and progressing with time, can keep the athlete mentally engaged and guard against the athlete tuning out and passively going through the motions.
2. Involve the client in the coaching process.
OK, that is super broad, and I’ve already said it a few times. In action, the key to me is the athlete understanding that their subjective feedback on their training is just as important as any quantitative data.
I like to admit, right off the bat, that the way I coach relies on a particular element of trial and error and that only with the athlete’s feedback and involvement can we foster any hope of getting close to the ideal model.
Having athletes buy into the concept that with time, and their involvement, together a coach and athlete can get closer to the grail of ideal event preparation creates longevity immediately.
3. Set short-term and long-term goals.
The scenario is an athlete that signs on to a coach in November, citing a goal the following June. The coach does a great job, the athlete smashes the goal, feels they have accomplished what they set out to do, and ends the coaching relationship.
Not a bad thing, and sometimes this may be all the athlete is really looking for. However, I think a key to translating these short-term successes into long-term athlete retention is in the planning process.
It is straightforward to become focused on relentlessly pursuing the short-term that any idea of the long-term gets thrown out the window. That is good for many reasons, but a lot must be said for long-term progress.
I believe that actual progress only occurs on a multi-year scale. Anything else is just eliciting an optimal performance with what the athlete already came to the table with. Work toward the short-term goals, but constantly assess and push the significant objectives in the background.
4. Annually assess the season with your athlete.
Seek out criticism and input, and plan for the following year. An ever-evolving training process is the key to sustainability. Sustainability is the key to progress because progress takes time.
It is a wordy list and perhaps vague. Ultimately, everything circles back to involving the athlete in the coaching process. An athlete and coach can only hope to reach the model of ideal preparation—for an individual athlete—if they are incorporating not just quantitative data but an athlete’s subjective feedback on what they perceive to be driving success, driving mental enthusiasm, and what hesitations they have about how they have been training. Create an environment where athletes own their coaching relationship, and coaches will have created an environment of athlete retention.
Ready to improve your own coaching business? Check out the many educational resources available to our TrainingPeaks Coach users here.
