In our latest student story, MSc in Performance Coaching graduate Prajwal Bhat provides insight into his career as an S&C coach and his experience of studying with Setanta College.
Background
Having initially qualified with a degree in Mechanical Engineering, Prajwal outlines how he was always drawn to sports and fitness.
“My heart and soul were always in sports and the weight room. Most of my time in college was spent in the gym or playing sports alongside a passionate group of people where I realised I was more suited to helping the younger people who were interested in learning and getting into strength training.
I soon moved to the city and started working in a professional setup with an experienced and well-renowned mentor. I was lucky enough to get a lot of opportunities to work with youth academies, professional, and elite athletes, which later helped me grab the opportunity to pursue a master’s from Setanta that further elevated my career.”
Current Roles
Currently working as an S&C coach with OGQ (Olympic Gold Quest) India, Prajwal’s role is to support India’s Olympic hopefuls. “Nine of the 15 Olympic medallists of India were supported and trained by OGQ”, he outlines. Prajwal has also supported Paralympic athletes on the road to Paris 2024, explaining how “every athlete has unique abilities, requiring different training approaches and methods, innovative loading methods and alternative strategies to achieve the same result always needs to be in place to ensure peak performance.”
He combines these roles with freelance S&C consulting.
“Most of the work in OGQ involves short spans of travel to different locations hence the freelance work as of now is online and remote support through programme design to athletes who I had already worked with previously and have a sound understanding of their movement patterns and behaviour.”
Coaching Philosophy
Throughout his career Prajwal has worked with a variety of athletes from the general population to elite-level athletes, gaining a strong knowledge of the differences in training both groups. “In elite athletes, there are more factors than just training in the weight room or field. Along with a strong sports science understanding, management skills are crucial. There are more uncontrollables at the elite level and significant stakeholders whom we need to consider in the bigger picture.”
“At the elite level, it is very important to understand and respect the athlete’s perspective and philosophy. As a coach, we need to build a programme that is evidence-based and proven, taking into consideration this philosophy to an extent. At the youth level and with academy players, a lot of value can be added by building the programme around developing the fundamental qualities and taking command. At the elite level, it’s contextual and a balanced approach often works best.”
When asked about his overall philosophy for strength and conditioning training Prajwal shared, “the priority is only the athlete, their training, goals, and results. Keeping this at the top, everything else needs to be managed around these priorities. The intention of the coach needs to be pinpointed to this sole purpose”.
Studying with Setanta
Prajwal was keen to keep up to date with the latest knowledge and practice and this led him to pursue an MSc in Performance Coaching with Setanta College. “As a working professional which demands constant knowledge upgrade and updated practice, the course allowed me to constantly learn and apply the latest practices in sports science and coaching pedagogy, which helped immensely. Along with adding valuable experience in the field, it also provided me with the opportunity to work in big organisations like OGQ.”
During his time at Setanta, Prajwal learned a number of valuable lessons. “Interactions with stalwarts in the field who visited India for the residentials were invaluable. Understanding and learning from their experience comes in handy during challenging situations.”
Advice for Aspiring Coaches
Prajwal offers practical advice for those looking to pursue a career in strength and conditioning coaching. “The biggest asset of any coach is a lot of on-field experience. Instead of only chasing theory-based knowledge, try to create a balance between these two and not be afraid of taking on tough challenges. Another important quality of a good coach is the ability to be rational and not blindly believe in anything that is out there.”
