It’s no secret that I enjoy the art and science of cooking. Today this seems to be the case for many Americans as we watch more shows than ever about cooking and restaurants. People are watching chefs, following them on social media, and trying to eat and cook like them.
Hopefully, this popularity can help people understand some kitchen concepts we can use elsewhere.
I often use the roles in a professional kitchen as an analogy for the coaching profession. Here’s something that’s part of being a chef that every coach can benefit from.
It’s called Mise en place.
Mise en place is a culinary practice that can be extended to help even those of us who aren’t top chefs.
Translated from French mise en place means; “put in place.”
It’s a phrase for the practice of gathering the ingredients and arranging tools needed for cooking. It’s a practice, coaches need to do as well.
Far too often I see sessions go awry becasue there was not the necessary preparation. Embracing this culinary practice, and bringing it to training will pay dividends.
What is Mise en Place?
The way a kitchen is organized is important.
It’s how they facilitate getting many dishes finished well, quickly, and simultaneously. All of that happens in a busy and crowded environment, with open flames, hot pans, and sharp knives.
In a restaurant, cooks are assigned to different stations. Each has a specific function. A line cook may spend their whole shift just chopping and sautéing vegetables over and over again. Another may be grilling, and another making soups. Each cook is focused on one component of a given dish, not the whole thing.
For each cook, mise en place is about setting up their station. Ensuring all the ingredients and their tools are ready and within reach. This minimizes wasted movement, time, and extra steps.
Containers of chopped herbs, diced vegetables, onions, garlic, oils, and more are all laid out within easy reach. Alongside are the knives, tongs, whisks, and spoons, they will need.
A summary of the steps of mise en place is:
- Read the entire recipe and list of ingredients — what will you need to make your dish
- Prepare the workspace
- Prepare the equipment
- Gather the ingredients
- Prepare the ingredients
- Begin to cook
- Clean as you go
In the kitchen, it’s all about efficiency as things move fast. Mise en place serves this goal:
Mise en place serves the goals of an effective and efficient kitchen.
- Saves time by having everything ready to combine.
- Ensure equipment is available and ready to go when needed
- Eliminates the chance of culinary disasters that occur from lack of preparation
- Save space on counters
There is another goal that may not be apparent. Its what others can tell about an individual’s professionalism.
The rest of the kitchen staff, including the leader, have an easy way to see if each cook is prepared. They can see if the cook understands their role and has everything ready to go.
The same is even apparent to an outsider. Although we can’t tell if they have the right ingredients and tools, we can quickly see that they have prepared and are a professional.
Mise en place for coaches.
So how does this apply to coaches? Well, I’d argue it does on several levels.
The first is the simple concept of preparation. A cook needs to read through the recipe and make sure they understand what they will be doing. A coach needs to read through the training plan and make sure they know what they are doing.
The next steps are all about getting things ready for the work ahead.
Gathering the needed tools and ingredients before cooking is no different than a coach needing to gather training equipment before a session.
Just as they prepare their cooking station in a kitchen to be safe and efficient, a coach must prepare the weight room or training ground for the same reasons.
Cleaning as you go is not just practical when running multiple sessions, it helps keep your athletes safe in the space.
Unstored weights falling on toes or broken Ipads are better avoided when you’ve set up ahead and cleaned up as you went.
Perceived Professional Preparation
While this type of preparation is key to a good session, there is an often-overlooked benefit. The impact of visibly get your training session ready. It affects the perception of both your athletes and other coaches.
I feel far more confident in a young coach’s readiness when I can see they are prepared ahead of time because space is set up and the equipment is ready. In a crowded weight room or training center, it can also help other coaches see where you will be and what you’re using.
It also sends a message to your athletes when they arrive.
If they walk in and see things set-up, there is both a sense of anticipation (or maybe dread) of the training session to come.
When it is not the equipment they expect, it can pique their curiosity about what’s to come. Imagine that Tuesday afternoon is usually a squat day with your team, but when they walk in the turf is setup with hurdles and other equipment. Athletes wonder; what’s going on?
It also tells them you have a plan. You are prepared.
You are a professional.
A good coach who used to work for us would always make sure to mop the floors in the gym before the 5:30 am or 9 am sessions. Our business manager one time ordered and new cleaning solution.
The coach promptly requested to get back the cleaner with the pine scent. When asked why this was so important, he told her, “because when the first clients of the day walk in and can smell it, they inherently know I’ve prepared and that the facility is clean for them.”
Genius!
Setting up everything, every single thing for your athletes may not be necessary (or may rob them of involvement). Still, it’s an important tool when you want to have an impact on them walking in the door.
Mine en place can be a tool in how you create engagement and buy-in with your athletes.
Using Mise en place as a coach.
It might not always be necessary to set up everything you will use during a training session ahead of time, but it is always necessary to prepare. Any professional coach should make this effort just like it’s expected for the kitchen staff to use Mise en place each service.
Mise en place corollaries for coaches;
I encourage every coach and facility to consider what the right preparation process looks like for them. Just as it is important in a kitchen, it’s important in the gym.
