Jason Lane, WAIS/Australian rowing team
Jason Lane
WAIS/Australian rowing team
10 years as coach
WABN: What techniques do you use to motivate players?
JL: “Some athletes need to be encouraged and given short-term measures of their progress towards a goal. Others need the fear of failure to motivate them into action.”
WABN: What is the best piece of advice you can give someone who wants to motivate a team?
JL: “Know how the team will measure their success. Once this is established goals can be set along the way in order to motivate the team to achieve their goal and ultimately success.”
WABN: What has been the biggest mistake that you have made in your role as a coach and what did you learn from it?
JL: “I didn’t recognise the level of stress an athlete was under at a regatta. This stress and nervous energy negatively impacted on their performance and ultimately lead to a poor result. I learnt it is important to monitor each athlete as an individual and devise appropriate strategies to cater for individual needs so they have the best possible opportunity to perform to their potential.”
WABN: What other profession do you most often seek advice from with respect to you team’s performance and why?
JL: “Psychologists, when competing at national and international regattas. All athletes have similar equipment, follow similar training programs and have techniques that resemble one another. The difference between crews will ultimately be there mental attitude to training and racing. Those athletes with the correct mental skills training and ability to implement them when necessary can attain the winning edge.”
WABN: How do you manage player egos?
JL: “Player egos are kept in check so they never get to big. It is important to remind athletes that no matter how good they think they are, there will always be someone else training harder and looking to be a better athlete than they are. Athletes need to be confident in their own ability but never over-confident; if this occurs it is the first step to failure.”
WABN: How do you manage off-field player conflicts?
JL: “The most important elements in the process are openness and positive communication. All players involved must be open with their communication and receptive to compromise for the sake of the overall team goals.”
WABN: What currently frustrates you about your sport and what would you do to change it?
JL: “There is a general lack of funding for sport in Australia, especially for those athletes who are still developing. Athletes train up to 30 hours per week but still need to work in order to fund day-to-day living expenses and the costs of travel.”
WABN: How important is it for players to develop skills outside of their sport? What do you do to encourage it?
JL: “It is extremely important for athletes to maintain a balanced lifestyle. Pursuing interests or study breaks up the monotony of training and provides some variety in their life. Training can become very routine and boring, so an outlet outside of sport is therefore important. Athletes are provided with a flexible training program to help them pursue other interests. I also try to have an active involvement in the progress of their study/work.”
WABN: What music do you listen to for motivation?
JL: “Music with a general Australian theme. Especially when involved with the national team I listen to music that epitomises what it means to be Australian is very motivating.”
WABN: What sport, other than the one that you coach, do you do to relax?
JL: “I enjoy cycling; it is a good form of aerobic training and gives me time to think and process my thoughts.”
WABN: What sporting identity do you most admire and why?
JL: “Lance Armstrong. I admire him because of the adversity he overcame to succeed.”
WABN: Who has influenced you professionally?
JL: “I have been fortunate to work with a wide variety of experienced coaches. I have taken knowledge from all these coaches and moulded a style based around their experiences. There is not one single person that has influenced me more than another.”
