Featured Coach: Martin Sheppard

With over twenty years experience, Martin Sheppard has established himself as one of Australia's leading High Jump coaches. Proudly working with athletes at all levels of the sport at Athletics Essendon, Martin's focus is on encouraging athletes to get the best out of themselves, with a strong focus on dynamic power and effective High Jump technique. 

Martin was nominated for September's Coach of the Month by the 2022 Australian All Schools U15 High Jump Champion, Maddox Wilson. 

"He's a magician, carer, rock, professional, dedicated, patient, understanding, empowering and selfless in his High Jump coaching at Essendon Athletics, Masters and Little Athletics athletes too! Martin has always donated his time despite a very busy work life, he's just incredible. Has also just taken on the club presidency! He also has an amazing supportive wife, let’s him travel the country following his athletes. All round much loved legend!"

Martin was kind enough to sit down and share his story about how he got into coaching and what makes it such a rewarding experience. 
 

“What makes me the proudest is when the kids come and say thank you for helping them achieve something that they never thought they could do”

How and when did you first get involved in athletics?

I started athletics when I was around 15 in the UK, on the Wirral at the local Athletics club and soon found that I wasn’t very good at my chosen event (1500m after watching the 1976 Olympic Games), so I tried other events until I found one I was ‘less bad’ at - high jump!

What I loved more than anything was the atmosphere that the athletes and coaches created.

I soon appreciated that with training a couple of times a week I become quite competent, but with no High Jump coach at the club we had to help each other out. There was an older boy at the club who was ranked in the top 5 in the country and so he helped me greatly. Over the years I progressed and won many County (equivalent to State Championships) and Silver at the British College championship, 5th in the Nationals and overall was a good club athlete.

Who inspired you to start coaching?

I had always admired a few of the key coaches and a couple specifically and they had coached a number of Great Britain internationals and had been really awesome athletes in their own rights. I moved from the Wirral to the South of England and tried to train but was too busy on the new job, so dropped out, then the club secretary kept asking and knocking on my door, and basically being a pain, so I said yes for a one off, and I was hooked!!! The rest is history.

Who are you currently coaching? What are your objectives as a squad?

I coach high jump and have a few long and triple jumpers too. We have an interesting group with athletes of mixed abilities, but I like to think that they have all learnt something about themselves. Their resilience, having fun, working hard and respecting the people around them. 

We want to group to be better than they thought they could be in what ever event they want to try. Specifically we have some good young juniors, Maddox Wilson (picutred) is 15  and won Gold in Schools and Nationals last year. We have encouraged the parents to join in as well, get fit and healthy and join the club and compete.

This last season 6 where ranked in the top 50 globally with three in the top 5, Richard Brophy, Mel Foster, and Kim Walsh. At our annual group awards we focused on the ‘oldies’ and it shocked the kids when I explained how we they were ranked and what time, distance or height they would have to do to be the same ranking. That was fun and a few parents were “cool” in front of their kids again, but maybe only for that night!

What has been your proudest moment as a coach?

What makes me the proudest is when the kids come and say thank you for helping them achieve something that they never thought they could do.

In terms of results, the group has won many junior and masters titles over the past decade and many stand out.

But to me it’s the intrinsic humbling that the kids bring to the coach… that’s why we do it, isn’t it?

What advice would you give to developing coaches – what lessons have you learnt from your experience?

Coaching is an art and a science… feel with your heart on how to connect with people and share their emotions and then you will be able to communicate more with them. The science we can all learn, focus on the human side of the relationship.

What inspires you to continue coaching?

It’s group and them trying to get me to High Jump again! I'm too old now, but they love seeing me running against them (even with a big handicap!)

How has being part of a club made your coaching experience more fulfilling?

The club has been very generous to the group and have bought new High Jump bags and stands and when some athletes needs bit of financial support they have stepped in. They are very athlete focused.

How have you worked with other coaches in your club to get the best results for your athletes?

We are just starting to write a new 3 year strategy for the club and I’m keen to have a Coaching Pillar. Without the coaches we won’t have the athletes so although we are athlete focused, that HAS TO BE UNDERPINNED with a Professional Development game plan for the next generation of coaches. I’m helping pull this all together and so in a few months we should have the starting point for a longer term strategy with the coaches.

Who has provided mentoring to you as a coach in your journey? How has this improved your experience as a coach?

The High Jump coaches are a very collegiate group and we are always chatting and bouncing ideas off each other. Sandro (Alessandro Bisetto) is great to catch up with, Matt Horsnell shares so much of what he is doing with Nicola, it's amazing and there's so much to learn there... and Alex Stewart must be one of the best coaches. We have some amazingly talented coaches in Australia who have a lot of great information to share. 

Have you been involved in developing younger coaches? How have you found that experience?

Yes, that’s fun, we had a couple of refugees who joined us 8 years ago who couldn’t speak any English. and he was jumping back over 2m again and is still involved in the group, and is qualified now to coach and helps me out.

One of our late teenagers has shown fantastic leadership promise and I’ve encouraged him to sit on the Club’s committee, so we need to bring the next generation through. It's so much fun to share that experience with them, something I didn’t have when I was 15…not that it would of made much difference on reflection!

As September's Coach of the Month, Martin will receive a Team Australia cap, one free year of membership, and be in the running for this season's Community Coach of the Year award to be announced on July 31, 2024. 

The next Coach of the Month will be announced on October 5, 2023.