22 Jun Finding the Right Coaches and Sponsors
“Best” coaches right now (based solely on who is well known/renowned.)
Head Coach: Greg Jackson
Striking: Duane Ludwig
Grappling: Ricardo Liborio
S&C: Joel Jamison
Nutrition: Mike Dolce
Top Sponsors:
Reebok, Nike, Monster Energy, Bug Light etc…
So why not just reach out to the best and go from there? The key is to find the right coach/sponsor for your current level. When you start to have great results the offers to work with you from coaches and sponsors will be overwhelming, but you need to find the team that can get you there. Pursuing coaches and sponsors share some common themes that can be helpful to look at together.
For selecting coaching the key is to find individuals who you work well with, who can work together with the rest of your coaching team to bring you the desired results. A team that functions smoothly is better than the dream team of coaches that never speak to one and other. Once you have identified everywhere that you need coaching you can begin to look for individuals that will fit with the overall team vision for molding you as a fighter.
Sponsors are very similar in that the gear, products, or financial backing they provide will have a massive effect on your ability to be successful over time. Many fighters, especially young ones, completely miscalculate the value to the actual business. Sponsors are not paying for the exposure for their brand in supporting a young fighter they are looking for someone they want to be associated with and be a part of your journey. Therefore it is most important to deliver value through expressing your gratitude.
So in both cases you need to calculate what you have to give back to the individuals involved. If you are GSP, Conor McGregor, or another high profile fighter sponsors and coaches will line up to work with you because they get a lot of value back from you. Being associated with your name will make them look better. As you move down the spectrum that changes.
Coaches and Sponsors will be motivated by money, time, intangible value in terms of your association and relationship together. So in selecting a coach or sponsor to approach you have to turn your approach around and look at who you can provide the most value to and what resources you have to offer them. If you can pay for all the best coaches that is great but most athletes are not in that position so you need to find who will prioritize you and your training.
So now that you are looking at the needs of the coaches and sponsors, creating a plan with your Head Coach and approaching them appropriately here is the advice I would give to a fighter on pursuing each.
For Coaches: Find someone who can give you their time. The coach who will show up to your competitions and matches, make extra time for you, and give you everything they have. If you are not one of their top 10 priorities in terms of athletes then there is an issue.
For Sponsors: Pursue brands that are owned by a single owner. Talking with smaller brands means that there is only one decision maker to convince. Expect that you already have a connection to these people. Maybe they train at your gym or are related to someone at your gym, but they are probably already involved in your life somehow.