Chinese Bamboo Tree and Coaching

When it comes to coaching, I often talk about building your coaching skills. Many people in our profession today are self proclaimed experts. These gurus are great at marketing, but haven't actually developed their coaching skills in the trenches with real athletes, but they're still happy to tell you how to do it.

This year I will be turning 40 and I am really looking forward to it. With the New Year, it’s been a time of reflection and I’ve been thinking about where am I actually heading, where do I want to go now, and what do I have to do to get there?

True sports performance coaching isn't just about results today, its about developing complete athletes. When it comes to developing speed, whether its young athletes or pros, it takes consistent, quality work, to bring about change.

Some years ago, I heard this story about how Chinese Bamboo Trees grow. I thought it was very insightful and really underlined much of what I believe about developing both coaches and athletes.

“Energy and persistence alter all things.” - Benjamin Franklin

1st Year - You plant a bamboo seedling and give it proper sunlight, water, nourishment and in the first year except for a tiny sprout, there is no growth.

2nd Year - During the second year you care for the bamboo in the same way. You give it constant attention, watering, sunlight and maybe you even throw in some praying, but still the bamboo does not grow. You were told it might take a while to grow, so you keep soldiering on.

3rd year - Another year goes by. You give the bamboo the same love and care. You keep giving it the best fertilizer, sunlight, water, but again much to your amazement, nothing happens. You start asking yourself, why isn’t this thing growing? It’s at this time many people just throw their hands up and give up, but no that’s not you. But how discouraging is it that you’ve waited patiently and cared for this bamboo only to have nothing happen?

4th Year - During the 4th year, you care for it, fertilize it, and give it proper sunlight. You take a look around the garden and realize that all the other plants are blooming and teeming with life and vibrancy. But your poor bamboo seed has nothing to show for. For four whole years, you’ve been patient and truly tried to help this seed grow. Except for a tiny sprout, your bamboo is no bigger than it was during the first year.

5th Year - It is not till sometime in the fifth year the bamboo tree will start to grow. And when it decides to grow, what happens in the next 4-6 weeks is astonishing. The tiny bamboo sprout you cared for will grow as much as 3 feet in a day until it reaches as high as 90 feet. Many people see this success and think its amazing for a tree to grow like this in 4-6 weeks. It didn't, it took 5 years of persistence plus 4-6 weeks.

While in the first through fourth years, the plant was not growing above ground, it was actually growing below ground. It was developing miles of its intricate root system which would eventually help propel its massive upward growth in year five. The bamboos’ intricate root structure takes four years to prepare itself for the growth it will experience in its 5th year.

Becoming a great coach is very much like the growth of the bamboo tree. You can do everything seemingly right, but still not have the recognition of the internet gurus, or the coach from the winning team, or the big pro job you want. Just remember, although you may not be growing above ground, you just might be developing your root system. The system of art and science of being a great coach. Hopefully it will one day ultimately propel your growth. Keep persistent and never give up.