How I onboard new athletes

When onboarding isn’t structured, coaches guess. When coaches guess, athletes pay the price.

Assessment first. Context always. Then, and only then, performance.

Here’s how I onboard a new athlete — and why skipping steps leads to coaching the wrong athlete.

Step 1 — Conversation before prescription

The first thing I do is book a Zoom call.

Not to talk training — but to understand the person.

• Athletic background and journey

• Previous coaching experience

• What they enjoy and what they avoid

• Daily routine, stress, recovery habits

• How training actually fits into their life

This creates context. Without context, training decisions are assumptions.

Step 2 — Movement before intensity

Next, the athlete completes a battery of movement assessments.

The goal:

• Identify imbalances

• Spot inefficient or risky patterns.

• Decide what needs attention before a load or volume increase.

If movement doesn’t support the demands, we don’t move forward blindly.

Step 3 — Testing before planning

Then comes a structured test week.

We establish:

• Key performance baselines

• Conditioning and strength markers

• Moderate to heavy lifts to assess technical execution

This provides objective data—not opinions—and shows what needs fixing now, not later.

Step 4 — Coaching starts here.

Only after all of the above do we:

• Discuss the competitive calendar.

• Map the season

• Decide when to push and when to build

At this point, coaching is informed — not reactive.

Let’s chat about your training programme.

Eddie,