Urban Ninja Coaching

I offer personal coaching for Ironman, Half Ironman, Xterra and Olympic Distance athletes.

How did I get to coaching? I personally went through the process of trying to find a coach a few years back, after having a unsatisfactory performance at Ironman SA in 2006. I felt cheated by the information I had, the coaching methods I was told to follow, and, especially, the protocol leading into the race.

After speaking with various coaches I found them to be very uninformed about what it took to ENJOY the preparation and participation in an Ironman. I fully believed in the dream of having a great, energy filled build up with a great race that has me smiling all day. I am a driver of the word “economy”.

But there were no coaches here preaching that. They all spoke of killing yourself in training, preparing for your girlfriend to leave you, and forgetting about your friends.

Not ideal.

So I went to study myself. I enrolled in a TrainingPeaks Level 3 coaching course, and studied roughly 500 hours of material, techniques, books, etc above and beyond that and spoke with every smart person I could.

I came out with a solid philosophy of what it takes to complete an Ironman, which for me means running the entire marathon, with a smile, even if its masking the pain. Again, I am all about economy of movement.

In terms of a coaching philosophy, I coach off the 4 pillars that Joe Friel & Gordo Byrn use, which for me are the underlying success factors in your preparation for ALL triathlon racing, not just Ironman. I coach Xterra, Olympic Distance, 1/2 Ironman and Ironman athletes. Here are the foundations;

1. Recovery
2. Aerobic capacity
3. Flexibility
4. Nutrition

So where does the speed come from? From being well fed, from having slept enough, from having an aerobic super engine to train speed off, and from being injury free, which comes after you are flexible.

I have had almost more success as a coach than I have as an athlete. I have advised 4 athletes going to Kona this year. I have 2 athletes going to Xterra Worlds in Maui.

I have had 2 girls complete their Ironmans this year with smiles on their faces, only months after telling me they could never do it. For me, that’s as big an achievement as the Kona & Maui guys and girls who I have helped too. I coach all levels, from beginner to expert (no pro’s yet).

I help your entire lifestyle, your time management, and your outlook on life. As triathletes, we tend to be overly serious and super intense, which is not necessarily a good thing. Our obsessive behavior translates to our eating habits, our sleeping habits, and how we treat other people.

I am coaching people to age gracefully, as well as smash their own perceptions of their abilities, in the interim.

I offer monthly programs from R500.00 paid in advance and all programs are custom designed around your specific needs.

For more, please inquire via the contact page.

Thank you. If my own achievements mean something to you, I placed 12th overall and 2nd South African overall at Ironman South Africa 2010 in a time of 9h11 min.