As I noted in my blog this past Saturday, last week Mike the Intern finished up his internship at IFAST. I think he’s well on his way to becoming a fantastic coach, and I sincerely hope his time at our gym was beneficial for him.
Since we get a ton of questions about our internship process, I figured I’d write up a quick blog about what we do, as I think the answer might surprise you.
Obviously, when getting an intern in at the facility, you have no clue what their background education is like. It’s interesting, as every school has different requirements and standards with regards to the educational process. Some are quite strong in the basic sciences (chemistry, physics, anatomy, etc.), while others leave a lot to be desired.
Before coming in, we have a “Required Reading” list that I want all of our future interns to work throug. (If you’re interested, many are already listed on my Resources page.) This not only makes sure they have at least some science and foundational material, but that they also have an idea of how Bill, Wayne and I feel philosophically as well. With school, jobs, and social lives they may not make it through all of the materials, but they’re already light-years ahead of their peers before they ever step foot in the door.
The next step is also probably the hardest one: To get them thinking for themselves. Quite often, Bill and I will challenge them on even the most trivial thoughts. Much like Morpheus’ proposition to Neo in the movie “The Matrix,” they need to decide on whether they’re going to take the red pill or the blue pill.
Do they want to be spoon-fed information for their entire coaching career? To be blissfully ignorant in their future coaching pursuits?
Or, do they want to take the reins, learn as much as possible, and then critically evaluate how any piece of information can help improve their training of clients and athletes?
Quite simply, with critical thinking we are engaging them to start developing their own training philosophy.
Luckily, each of our interns thus far has chosen the latter. It’s not as easy as reading an article and “doing it.” Instead, you have to read everything with a critical mind. Keep in mind I did not say a pessimistic mind, because that’s short-sighted. Rather, you need to always critically evaluate the role of new methods or means into your training program. You don’t simply do it because so-and-so said so.
By the end of their internship at IFAST, interns are competent at taking a new client through an assessment, writing up a training program, and taking them through individual training sessions.
They aren’t perfect, but then again, neither am I. The goal is to get them a core level of competency, from which they can build upon going forward. Just as you need a solid foundation for your physical development, you also need a solid foundation for further coaching development as well.
Most importantly, I hope we give our interns the ability to think critically when reading articles or attending seminars. These critical thinking skills, along with the basic competencies they develop, start to build their own, unique coaching and training philosophy.
It may not be the easy way, but in my opinion, it’s definitely the right way.
Stay strong
MR