The Benefits of 6 week holiday as a S&C Coach!
This blog article comes from current mentee Jordan Welsh. Jordan is a strength and conditioning coach based in New Zealand, but originates from Scotland. So, you can imagine the distance between work and home creates barriers to balancing life with family and life at work. Here he shares the benefits of taking time away from coaching and the impact it had on him…..as well as demonstrating the world didn’t fall apart without him being around to coach!
Having studied and worked as a Strength and Conditioning coach for 8 years, it always seems that your holiday break comes at the same time each year and lasts only for a short period. In the past, I found that I rarely switched off, my brain was always ticking, thinking of ideas. I always feared not working hard enough and not progressing in my career. I am incredibly lucky to have learned from my family about hard work, which is a big part of my philosophy. So, even considering a prolonged period away came with fear…
Moving to New Zealand means being 18,000 km from home and with a 11+ hour time difference, it is challenging to visit home for just 2 weeks. We moved here for a great opportunity, and with that, both we and our employers understood the need for a longer break than usual. This year, my partner and I took a 6-week break from work and headed back to Scotland. It was a busy period with 3 weddings to attend, planning our own wedding for 2025, and spending as much time as possible with family and friends.
Jordan is pictured here opening his gym doors to another collaborate Sports Mentee Nigel Goh from Australia - at Collaborate Sports we connect you with those who are driven for growth in the same way you are!
This 6-week break came with both excitement and nerves. As a coach, you are there for your athletes, and your job is to support them in becoming better. Without their regular coach present—someone who knows how they like to be coached and what alternatives or exercises work for them—it was a nerve-wracking period. I work across multiple sports, and often, at least one athlete is peaking towards an event.
“Was I going to let my athletes down by leaving for a 6-week period right when their pinnacle event was approaching?”
I had to overcome this fear and put in all the necessary work with my athletes before the 6 weeks. I met with all my athletes, discussed key dates and training schedules, and began planning their programs. I wanted to make this process easy for our other staff so that, in case only minor changes were needed on a day-to-day basis. To up and leave without doing this would have been completely negligent, and as a coach, I always strive to be the best and give my athletes the best opportunity.
I spent long hours preparing my programs and plans for my athletes and staff before I jetted off. In reflection, I think there is only so much you can prepare for and make notes on. I trusted the staff and athletes to act on any eventuality that may arise. We are all wired differently, and having another perspective is invaluable. Sharing ideas and having others review your work is crucial in coaching, as we can get stuck in our ways, and ultimately, others will have valuable input. This process was useful for me to see that.
The 6 weeks at home flew by with weddings, catch-ups, dinners, and family time. My partner and I were exhausted by the end of the 6 weeks, but we couldn’t have asked for a better time at home.
Arriving back in New Zealand I had to prepare myself to get back into work mode and reflect on what these 6 weeks had given me, personally and professionally. It allowed me to review my work and created excitement to jump back into coaching.
These are my reflections from 6 weeks of stepping away from coaching:
“Stepping away and coming back, I was able to really reflect on the aspects of my coaching that were my strengths as a coach, but more importantly, the areas I felt I needed to develop and upskill in. That time and distance from coaching allowed me to not have to think about “tomorrows” jobs, and take some time to deeply evaluate myself. “
My focus areas as a coach and practitioner were re-evaluated, and so I created clear goals and areas I now want to improve in. The strengths I knew existed remained the same, but I knew these had to stay consistent and not slip after this time away, so I found myself auditing the standards I set in these strengths too. Was I exhibiting them daily? Could I use my strengths to a more consistent higher standard, each day? I want to be known for my adaptable coaching style and data-driven decision-making. These strengths are core to effective coaching. I thrive in busy sessions, engaging with athletes, adapting my approach, and driving their development. Adapting on the spot is a strength others often notice in me.
“Taking a step back reminded me of those overlooked, valuable exercises and variations that can be essential in high-performance settings. While using the same routines isn’t negative, I realised I’d been missing out on some great alternatives that I had seen other coaches use with my athletes during my time away. It helped me relaise I need to break the habit of sticking to the routine and start nurturing my curiosity again.”
I realised that in sessions with fewer athletes, I often lost energy and focus. After reflecting on how little time I spend with each athlete, I recognized that every session, regardless of size, deserves the same energy. To improve, I’ve refined strategies like getting fresh air before sessions, setting small targets, and staying active to maintain my engagement. I feed off energy, so I needed to figure out new ways of gaining this and creating a good environment for our athletes.
Jordan taking his athletes through some profiling work that he reflected was something he needed to bring to his practice from his take away from coaching
“I knew the areas that I needed to improve and what I believed would be beneficial for my athletes. ESD development was lacking for several reasons. But I started to become more curious and understand that with no control of “sport” sessions, could I implement small dosages of ESD in the gym. With guidance from Dan, we put other thoughts together and created a simple testing procedure utilising a prominent piece of kit…the Wattbike. Growing my own curiosity and knowledge, I could justify my reasons to athletes, coaches and staff. Increasing their buy-in to what would we be for some is pretty Alien, I think there is real growth and positives. “
Taking time to step back, evaluate, and seek guidance from Dan has fuelled my curiosity and growth. This project has already enhanced my skills, broadened my knowledge, and added new tools to my toolkit. Although it's central to our role, we often overlook or lack a deep understanding of it.
Now, after being back for a couple of months, I feel my coaching has improved, and I am applying those areas of improvement to my daily work. Using those reflections, I am now implementing strategies and interventions to address these gaps.
When you’re in the thick of it and working long hours, it’s sometimes hard to see what works and what could be better. Not everyone has the luxury of taking time away from coaching, but I can say that, for me as a coach, this was perfect in allowing me to challenge myself and plug the gaps.
Writing these reflections and fully understanding the impact of this time has been hugely beneficial. Most pleasing was that my athletes continued to improve and their world didn’t fall apart without me present, because of course, like every S&C coach, I put the plans in place tohelp them keep progressing, even without me there,
So, if you get the opportunity to take time extended time away, do it. It was the best period of my career that I have been able to truly switch off from that “next job” at work, and hone in on reflection to make myself better.
A huge thanks to Jordan for taking the time to reflect on this bold step to take time out from coaching. If this resonated with you, this reflective blog came as a result of the bespoke coaching work Jordan has done with Collaborate Sports. We now have group mentorships available for many different skill gaps, so use the link below to see what Group Mentorship is and what it involves! Reach out if you have questions!
