{"id":21329,"date":"2023-11-23T10:20:22","date_gmt":"2023-11-23T10:20:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/?post_type=article&p=21329"},"modified":"2025-12-15T05:11:05","modified_gmt":"2025-12-15T05:11:05","slug":"i-hated-having-a-female-coach-but-here-i-am-coaching","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/articles\/i-hated-having-a-female-coach-but-here-i-am-coaching\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018I Hated Having a Female Coach \u2013 But Here I am Coaching\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n
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\n 23 Nov 2023 <\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>Articles<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

\u2018I Hated Having a Female Coach \u2013 But Here I am Coaching\u2019<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n \n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Category<\/div>\n Coaching & Development<\/a> <\/div>\n
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https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/articles\/i-hated-having-a-female-coach-but-here-i-am-coaching\/<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/section>\n\n\n\n\n
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Emma Trott explains that she can do her best work with her young female riders once she has created a supportive, trusting environment.<\/p>\n \n \n \n

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By John Portch<\/h6>\n
\u201cI remember when I was a rider,\u201d says Emma Trott. \u201cI had a female coach, I hated it, I never wanted another female coach ever again \u2013 but here I am now sat here coaching.\u201d<\/h6>\n

Trott, who has since stepped down as Women\u2019s Junior Endurance Coach at British Cycling, was speaking at September\u2019s Leaders Meet: Driving Step Change in Female High Performance at Manchester\u2019s Etihad Stadium.<\/p>\n

She had essentially just crossed the road, as British Cycling\u2019s HQ happens to be a stone\u2019s throw from the Etihad.<\/p>\n

With a short journey behind her, she took to the stage where she spoke alongside Danny Kerry, the Head Coach of the Canada women\u2019s field hockey team, about coaching provisions for female athletes.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve spoken about the importance of having female coaches within the organisation,\u201d adds Trott.<\/p>\n

The challenge of coaching teenagers continues to evolve. \u201cI think social media is not helping. It [offers] instant gratification of their view; put a picture up and you get a like. Talking to my group, there\u2019s been a massive boom across women\u2019s sport. We\u2019ve got riders turning pro younger and younger.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat actually creates problems within the rest of the group because they think it\u2019s normal that you should be turning pro at 17 years old but, actually, you still need to develop; and everyone\u2019s developing at different stages. How do you get that across? Then, for me, it\u2019s the parent piece as well. What are they saying? What are they hearing you<\/em> saying?<\/p>\n

\u201cTeams are now set up specifically for the women. They may be connected to the men\u2019s team just as women\u2019s football teams are, but they\u2019re not there to necessarily do the same thing as the men\u2019s team. It\u2019s about how we can get the best out of these people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Here, we explore Trott\u2019s approach to coaching young female athletes as she set it out for Leaders Performance Institute members in Manchester.<\/p>\n

Ensure their heads are in the right place<\/strong><\/p>\n

Firstly, as Trott explains, British Cycling must reconcile individual and team goals for its riders. She says: \u201cWhen we\u2019re working as a team obviously we\u2019ve got one common goal and we need to be at the coaching session for that common goal, although everyone is working on different things behind the scenes. That\u2019s where things will deviate. but we also need to make sure their heads are in the right place.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s one of the key things for me, the emotions of the group. I work with 16, 17, 18-year-olds, which can be quite challenging at times; making sure their heads are in the right place at the right times. For riders it\u2019s really hard because who are they? Where are they going?\u201d<\/p>\n

It is important for Trott and her riders to understand their mutually agreed commitments. \u201cIt means you\u2019re effectively two people at major competitions,\u201d she continues. \u201cBecause you are the coach that\u2019s there for those guys, but you\u2019re thinking three competitions ahead for the others.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018The others\u2019 to whom she refers are those not selected for certain competitions. \u201cThe people at home still have their training and you\u2019re messaging them to show them that they are just as important \u2013 because they are \u2013 and it might be that their goal isn\u2019t the Worlds. It might be the Euros; and the Euros just happen to be after the Worlds. I always talk about \u2018this is the plan, this is what we\u2019re doing, this is why you haven\u2019t been selected for X but you will be selected for Y. I think females work really well with that process.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, she allows them to grieve when necessary. \u201cI allow them to be upset for two or three days because that\u2019s important. It\u2019s important to express our emotions and allow that to happen. Once we\u2019re over that then we can start the conversation about performance again.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tune into the environment, try truly listening<\/strong><\/p>\n

Trott feels that the skill of listening is often misunderstood and undervalued. \u201cPeople don\u2019t listen all the time,\u201d she says. \u201cWe hear what we want to hear and [the reason] we hear what we want to hear is because we\u2019ve already made a decision of how we\u2019re going to impact something rather than listening to what is actually being said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd actually taking it deeper as well. It\u2019s that question, isn\u2019t it. \u2018Are you OK?\u2019 \u2018Yes, I\u2019m fine.\u2019 \u2018OK, what does that really mean?\u2019 You really find out more [that way] and that\u2019s the key thing for me. Females and males say a lot but I think you\u2019ve got to dig a bit deeper to understand what the message really is.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trott and her colleagues use British Cycling training camps to connect with their riders, but as they are all based in different parts of the UK, they will also hosts regular online check-ins. Each presents its challenges and opportunities. Sometimes in camp the solution is to take a step back.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe other thing is that I use my group. If you create the environment where they trust you, you build the strength of the group. If there is an issue happening I won\u2019t rush straight to the cause or the person immediately. I would actually use one of my more senior riders, an 18-year-old, to get a snippet of what the problem is. I can them go to that person and use this myself and hopefully help them. The key thing is to listen. I don\u2019t think we listen particularly well.\u201d<\/p>\n

It’s OK to fail \u2013 so enable clear, honest feedback<\/strong><\/p>\n

Failure presents a learning opportunity and that is never truer than at underage level. Trott will place a lot of trust in her riders as they develop as people and athletes and she promotes the idea that \u201cit\u2019s OK to get things wrong\u201d. She says: \u201cThem knowing that, it comes back to that environment where, if we\u2019ve created the right environment, then they\u2019re not failing \u2013 it\u2019s a learning opportunity that then takes them to the next level.\u201d<\/p>\n

This learning goes hand in hand with leadership because, as Trott says, \u201cOnce I\u2019ve sent them off on the bus it\u2019s over to them.\u201d Inevitably, leadership comes more naturally to some than others but each rider must be given the tools to develop their ability to lead. \u201cIf they don\u2019t get the opportunity to [learn] then they won\u2019t perform. They\u2019ll never lead because they\u2019ll be scared to lead, but once they realise they can do that they learn, they grow, not just in sport but in management, business, wherever they end up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Know when to cut athletes some slack<\/strong><\/p>\n

The conversation turned towards female-specific issues, such as the menstrual cycle and their impact on training schedules and competition. \u201cIt\u2019s something I\u2019m aware of,\u201d says Trott, who recognises the challenge and admits she would not want to have five riders on the same menstrual cycle. \u201cI remember having a conversation with a gym coach around this. If we move certain sessions and decrease certain parts at certain points it just makes the rider feel better.\u201d It has changed the philosophy around a training session. \u201cIn essence, in that session, what we\u2019re trying to achieve isn\u2019t 100 percent what we\u2019re trying to achieve but, from a mental stance, it\u2019s actually better for the rider at that point.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n <\/div>\n \n \n \n <\/div>\n

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