“WHAT’S the training scene like in a developed country?” and “How is it different from ours?” are questions most people ask me. Today, we’re going to find out.
Our guest contributor is L Palabrica. L graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Therapy from Velez College and finished his Exercise Science degree from the University of Sydney. He is a Level 1 Australian Strength and Conditioning Association strength and conditioning coach. He is now an assistant strength and conditioning coach at Athlete’s Authority Sydney. The field is ultra-competitive to get into, and I am glad that L has chosen to share his thoughts with us.
“Here are some lessons I learned here:
Professional standards. You can be a great coach without finishing a degree. You can also have a degree and be a bad coach. But in order to become the best coach for your athletes, you have to have theoretical knowledge, people skills and practical experience. In Australia, you don’t often see a physio who did not do an undergraduate in exercise and sports science. In the Philippines, it was a no-brainer to do Physio straight away because people felt like it was a ‘waste of time’ to do sports science.
Physical therapy is not athletic development. This, I think, is one of the biggest misconceptions that physical therapists tend to have back home. To complicate this a bit more, ‘strength and conditioning’ is a specialty, while ‘sports science’ is more general.
Systems. Probably what sets Athlete’s Authority apart is the training system developed by Lachlan Wilmot. A system is built on a foundation of principles that is adaptable to any scenario, but not one that you keep changing as a coach. This is what separates great coaches from average ones.
Value. Another reason why the strength and conditioning industry is successful here in Australia is that athletes and clients place a high value on coaches. Strength and conditioning coaches are respected here in Australia. Remember, the higher value you put on coaches, the better their service in return. It is the same with any profession.
These are the top three things that pop in my head after coaching here for a while. There are obviously more in the art of coaching but for today, I’m just going to mention the big rocks that guide the Australian strength and conditioning profession.”