Who is a trainer and what do they do? The task of a trainer or coach is to train sports people in certain sports. As a rule trainers will have been active in the past in the sport they are coaching.
What are the activities of the job? Planning and organising the overall preparation of sports people – coaching certain skills, some techniques basic to the sport in question, developing the ability of sports people to increase and maintain their own fitness is the work of the trainer – analysis of the achievements of individual sports people and of whole teams and managing their training accordingly – motivating sports people for ultimate achievement – selection of sports people for attendance at races, meetings, matches and other events – giving advice to participants in the course of sporting events – reporting back to the staff members and managers of clubs, possibly also to representatives of the media – searching for new talent – cooperation with medical experts and psychologists.
Where is it done and under what conditions? Sports stadiums of various kind – from gymnasia and sports halls through open air stadiums, courts, swimming pools to long distance runs and ski jumps etc. Prolonged absence from home and in some cases adverse (varying) weather conditions must be expected.
What tools/equipment do they use? Appropriate instruments and equipment for the given sport, special exercise simulators, stop watches and other measuring devices, video recorders for the analysis of matches and training achievements.
What do you need to succeed? You need university studies in the appropriate speciality on the faculty for physical fitness and sports or to have successfully completed corresponding courses – there are several classes of trainers and one of the criteria of classification is the degree of professional training they have gone through. Trainers must also have sufficient authority, they must be able to deal with people, especially young ones, they must have organisational talent, ability for rapid decision making, physical fitness and, of course, experience in the given sport.