Coach Ben
Seth Tom set a Snatch American Record and tied the Total American Record in his first international competition representing USA at the 2017 Youth World Championships. It was an incredibly grueling qualifying process so being one of the top eight boys named to the team was a feat in itself. He walked into my gym, Hassle Free Barbell, when he was eight years old. Seven years later, he is the 5th best 17 and under youth in America.
I could go on and on about how great I think he is, but I think it’s more interesting to talk about how he got to this position. More specifically, what we decided philosophically as coaches would support him the best to continually compete at higher and higher levels.
- Seth’s a kid; make sure it’s fun. When Seth was eight years old and still sometimes now, we prioritize having fun over following some specific program. This meant we were very loose with his training and made sure the environment was never too suffocating. We also invited any and all of his friends so he didn’t feel out of place with the older lifters around him.
- Empower Seth with his successes and failures. Children are extremely passionate and it’s important to let them reap the rewards of their success while also learning from their losses. Especially in a sport like weightlifting, it’s valuable for them to accept the results they earned and figure out a way to do better next time. Seth is always in the driver’s seat.
- Make Seth build sweat equity. While money is always valuable, we want Seth to understand the contributions beyond dollars that’s required around him to support the team. In the same vein, he needs to pull his own weight and work even when it’s not convenient.
- Set some rules for Seth, but not all the rules. These rules are set to help him succeed and it’s important for him and us to remember that. We also try not to set all the rules because growth requires decision-making. When it comes to situations where he might be “breaking a rule”, he needs to learn to discern right from wrong.
- Give Seth tangible goals throughout his life in and outside of weightlifting. Trust is a vital part of any athlete-coach relationship. He needs to know that we believe in him beyond weightlifting. When he knows we want him to succeed in every endeavor he is passionate about, he will allow himself to completely buy in.
While this was the guideline we used with Seth, it’s certainly not the only one we have for our athletes. Our lifters are an extremely unique bunch so it’s important we adjust accordingly. Take some time and think holistically about what it takes for you to reach your goals. Write it down and keep yourself accountable.
Coach Ben
