Importance of a coach | Elin Härkönens blogg

Coaching is a huge part of me.

Help, inspire, motivate and sharing my knowledge are my favourite things to do and that's what I'm living for.

It's a big responsibility to be a coach.

You are the one they look up to, you are their role model, you are the one they trust and listen to.

You have a HUGE influence on the people you coach. " What you say is true"

Everyone is different and with saying that it means that one style of coaching is not suitable for everyone.

I have experienced that as an athlete and I'm trying to be very aware of it now when I am a coach.

" Be careful of what you say, how you say it and to who you say it."

I know how big influence a coach can have.

I know how much damage a coach can do to an athlete... Unfortunately I have that experience.

Some sides of my old coaches coaching style didn't fit me.

It made more harm than success.

I'm a really dedicated person and when I was an elite athlete I did EVERYTHING that came in my way to succeed.

If my coach told me to train 30 hours per week,

I did it.

No matter how much pain I had, how tired I was .

My coach told me things I needed to do to become the best, and if I didn't do it I would fail..

so of course I did it.

If my coach told me I needed to lose weight to get better technique, I did.

If my coach told me to train harder I did.

If my coach told me to skip the winter holiday with my family so I could stay home and train.

I did.

Today I hear how CRAZY all this sounds.

And I'm SO thankful I know better today!

Of course I'm sad I needed to go through it, but I can use this experience, and be a better coach myself. AND I know for sure that I will not treat my athletes like that.

Back then I didn't realize this was wrong.

I was too caught up in the life my coach created for me.

What my coach said, was true.

And I was blind.

I needed to stop. But noone could make me.

Not even my family (Even if they tried 1000 of times)

What would my coach say?!

"If I stop I'll not be the World champion"

That's what my coach had printed into my mind.

And I couldn't get rid of it.

~

I didn't stop until I couldn't move anymore.

I had broken my neck.

And it was the first time I was "allowed" to stop.

Sad but true.

I needed something dramatic to happen, to make me stop and wake me up.

And it sure did.

.

Today I see life from a different perspective.

I'm finally living a life worth living.

I love my life and I'm so thankful I'm still here.

Of course I miss my "elite life".. every day to be honest... But I'm just so happy to be alive and able to move, so nothing else matters