What Not To Do That's all you hear about as young coach. "Avoid...
Pat Basil@pbasilstrength
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Dec 21, 2025
~1 min read
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What Not To Do
That's all you hear about as young coach.
"Avoid these mistakes"
"Don't do that"
"This is a no-no"
How are you supposed to know if you're doing something right?
I'd bet you're doing more right than wrong without realizing it.
Here are five things I did right as a new coach starting out:
1. Emphasized The Basics
I didn't know what the hack to high performance was (there isn't one), but I knew I couldn't go wrong building a program around the fundamentals.
I didn't know how right I was.
2. Tried Things Myself First
Before I gave anything to my athletes I did it in my own training first.
I need to see how it goes and how it feels before I program it.
This is the most valuable daily learning you can do.
Not training yourself as a strength coach is unacceptable.
Period.
3. Listened To The Vets (Mostly)
I knew I was no guru, so I listened to veteran coaches and took their advice.
Although I was pretty biased in who I listened to. I fixed that later on.
4. Asked Questions
I was lucky to have a mentor who knew my Non-Exercise Science background.
I felt 100% comfortable asking dumb questions.
I was lucky to have that. So I'm happy to answer your questions if you have any.
5. Took Any Chance I Could To Gain Experience
Private sector, local neighborhood gyms, interning, site visits, cold call conversations.
Anything I could do to make myself uncomfortable and maybe make some side income I did.
I gained valuable experience and friendships I wouldn't have otherwise.
Be At Ease
If you're doing these you're on the right track my friend.
If not, you know what to do.
Take action now.
That's all you hear about as young coach.
"Avoid these mistakes"
"Don't do that"
"This is a no-no"
How are you supposed to know if you're doing something right?
I'd bet you're doing more right than wrong without realizing it.
Here are five things I did right as a new coach starting out:
1. Emphasized The Basics
I didn't know what the hack to high performance was (there isn't one), but I knew I couldn't go wrong building a program around the fundamentals.
I didn't know how right I was.
2. Tried Things Myself First
Before I gave anything to my athletes I did it in my own training first.
I need to see how it goes and how it feels before I program it.
This is the most valuable daily learning you can do.
Not training yourself as a strength coach is unacceptable.
Period.
3. Listened To The Vets (Mostly)
I knew I was no guru, so I listened to veteran coaches and took their advice.
Although I was pretty biased in who I listened to. I fixed that later on.
4. Asked Questions
I was lucky to have a mentor who knew my Non-Exercise Science background.
I felt 100% comfortable asking dumb questions.
I was lucky to have that. So I'm happy to answer your questions if you have any.
5. Took Any Chance I Could To Gain Experience
Private sector, local neighborhood gyms, interning, site visits, cold call conversations.
Anything I could do to make myself uncomfortable and maybe make some side income I did.
I gained valuable experience and friendships I wouldn't have otherwise.
Be At Ease
If you're doing these you're on the right track my friend.
If not, you know what to do.
Take action now.