What “High Performance Coach” actually means

The top accreditation in Australian triathlon coaching, and what it changes for the athlete on the other end.

Level 3, High Performance, is the top accreditation in Triathlon Australia's coaching framework. You don't apply for it. You're invited, after years of coaching athletes at the sharp end of the sport. I was re-accredited in January 2025, and only a handful of working coaches in Australia hold it today.

I list it because people ask. A badge doesn't make anyone a good coach. But it does tell you something about the work behind it, so here's what it means in practice.

What it means for you

I plan in seasons, not weeks.

High Performance coaches are trained to plan across a full four-year Olympic cycle. You probably don't need a four-year plan. You get the same thinking anyway: each block sets up the next one, and nothing lands in your week without a reason.

Your program is built around you.

The accreditation is about building individual programs for athletes racing internationally. I coach everyone that way. Your sessions fit your life, your body and your goals, not a template. I've written about why cookie-cutter plans fail.

I watch, then adjust.

Regular reviews are part of the job. I read your sessions, not just your numbers, and the plan changes when you do.

Racing gets planned too.

Race strategy is its own skill. Pacing, fuelling, what to do when the day goes sideways. We work it out before you're standing on the start line.

I know where my lane ends.

Part of the role is knowing when a problem belongs to someone else. When you need a physio, a sports doctor or a dietitian, I'll send you to people I trust.

Where it comes from

I raced as a professional from 1993 to 2004, long course and IRONMAN. I took on my first athletes in 2000, when a local bike-shop owner asked me to look after his squad. I've coached full-time since 2005.

Along the way I've coached Tim Reed, IRONMAN 70.3 World Champion, and Tim Van Berkel, multiple IRONMAN champion and a top-ten finisher at Kona. The professional names get the attention. Most of my work has always been with age-groupers who have a day job and a 5am alarm, and they get the same coaching.

Since 2016 I've also trained as a clinical hypnotherapist and strategic psychotherapist with the Australian Institute of Psychology. That's the mental side of my coaching, and it's the part a coaching certificate doesn't cover.

Working together

If this sounds like the coaching you're after, it starts with a 30-minute chat. Book a time →