Young Coach or Old Coach

[Tony Dismukes]

If both gyms have coaches who have competed at the professional level, then they both have more than enough technical knowledge and expertise to guide you for a long, long time.

If one coach or set of coaches has more of a winning competition record, that doesn't necessarily mean they will be better instructors or have more technical knowledge. Very often, the difference between a top 10 competitor and a top 100 competitor has more to do with athletic attributes, natural talent, drive to win, or sometimes just luck and timing than it does to do with technical expertise.

What you're looking for in a coach is the ability to communicate knowledge and guide you in acquiring skills and attributes. That sort of coaching is a different skill from competition ability. There are plenty of top athletes who are mediocre coaches and plenty of top coaches who are mediocre athletes.

The age is mostly a non-factor. You can find great coaches in their 30s and in their 50s.

Just visit both gyms and see which one has the coaches who connect with you the best.

 

[Tony Dismukes]

I'll choose the young coach for the following reasons:

- You can spar/wrestle with him and learn personal experience from him.

I just turned 60 and I spar/wrestle with my students every week.

 

[Simfers]

What you're looking for in a coach is the ability to communicate knowledge and guide you in acquiring skills and attributes. That sort of coaching is a different skill from competition ability. There are plenty of top athletes who are mediocre coaches and plenty of top coaches who are mediocre athletes.

Spot on. The worst teacher I've ever had in martial arts was a world champion. Great fighter, obviously, but absolutely incapable of imparting that knowledge.

Doesn't mean that nobody can do both of course, but doing and teaching are very different skill sets.

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

I just turned 60 and I spar/wrestle with my students every week.

My last spar/wrestle when I was 69 (against 2 20 years old young wrestlers in the park). I'm not sure I can still do that when I'll be 79.

When I say old coach, I mean someone who is over 75 years old. IMO, any coach who is not 75 yet is considered as young coach.

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

My last spar/wrestle when I was 69 (against 2 20 years old young wrestlers in the park). I'm not sure I can still do that when I'll be 79.

When I say old coach, I mean someone who is over 75 years old. IMO, any coach who is not 75 yet is considered as young coach.

Op is referring to 50 year olds when he says old coach.

 

[Tony Dismukes]

Op is referring to 50 year olds when he says old coach.

Or as some of us would call them: “young whippersnapper coaches who need to get off my lawn”.

 

[Buka]

I’ve trained with a lot of instructors. Can’t remember any two that taught the same way, even if they were teaching the same thing.

Different personalities teach differently.

Different people who teach, might teach parts of their curriculum better or worse than fellow instructors in their dojo.

The same goes for inspiring students, some are better at it than others. An inspired student can reach great heights.

 

[Cri70]

Hello

I have choice between going to an MMA academy where the head coaches are age 50 and up or to academy where the head coaches are between ages 30 and 36. I was not sure which one to choose. Both academies have Tapology pages with wins and losses. I would say the academy with ages 30 to 36 coaches have better accomplishments based on Tapology. I was unsure of which academy to pick. Which academy would people in this community pick?

Regards
Kingofjong

Cus D'amato was training Patterson in his 40s and Mike Tyson when he was in his 70s, I think. Age alone means very little.