Hey there,
I live up in the DFW area and I’ve been looking into getting coaching. What would be an expected cost/session that I can expect to pay? What should I expect the coach to teach/tell me? Trying to get faster through practice so far, but kinda feels like I’ve plateaued a bit so figured I would unlearn some bad habits with some coaching.
Also looking for recommendations for coaches in the DFW area, of course.
Go to an NTK or DKC race and start talking to people in tents that look like a team. MSL, Arcane, KRS. Don’t judge a team by the size or how pretty their tent space is. Ask some of the drivers how long they have been with the team and see if they are getting results in the regional series.
There are a few teams in Houston too.
I’d suggest, if you just want to dip your toe into driver coaching, you could try KorsaSport owned by @tjkoyen.
Thanks Nik. I do online coaching via GoPro and data reviews occasionally. If you’re interested, shoot me an email or PM here for more info. I do a lot of in-person coaching as well but obviously we are quite far apart (I’m in Wisconsin).
Basically I take a look at what you’re doing in your video or data, give you an in-depth breakdown on what I see that could be improved, and if necessary we can schedule a video call or something after the lesson to further clarify or discuss things.
Also feel free to take a look at my YouTube channel where I have a few in-depth lessons on driving and tuning etc.
A good coach is going to concentrate on fundamentals over learning your local track. Probably spend a fair bit of time on driver ergonomics too. If you don’t sit in the kart properly, exert the necessary forces, move the body correctly, look far enough down the track, etc - then where the brake point and apex is doesn’t matter much.
That said, driving your track properly isn’t irrelevant, it’s just not the biggest bang for your buck.
Exactly. I always emphasize that we aren’t out there just to find the right apex point for each corner on a track, but to figure out WHY we are apexing at those points and how our actual technique is influencing our pace.
Coaching costs can vary a lot, seems to start at around 250 a day plus expenses. But that seems to be the minimum for a competent coach at times. A good coach will almost always go in depth and explain the nitty gritty of why something works, and why something else won’t. As well as data/video analysis.
A more experienced coach will also be able to get a handle on how you and your opponents driving/kart differ from watching trackside. I do coaching as well, and would be happy to talk and help however I can. That said I am not local to Texas.
Coaching is the best use of money you could possibly make IMO. It will gain you more laptime per dollar than any investment in better equipment.
I find videos from my kart and my coach’s kart (lead and follow) are very important to me. Sometimes I need to see things demonstrated more than once to really grasp the difference between what I’m doing and what my coach is modeling for me. I like watching the footage back over and over again and taking notes by myself days later after the lesson has passed, and then I try to apply it the next time I’m practicing alone.
I pay my coach $350+/day for private lessons, depending on whether or not he is also doing mechanical work/repairs on my kart that day.
I heard from others at my track that Ryan Norberg charges $800/day, but that is just a rumor and IDK what services would be included for that price.
Several people offer coaching at the tracks in Denton (NTK) and Caddo Mills (DKC). Check out North Texas Karters FB group and ask there. Racers from both tracks are active in that group.
I would stay away from KRS at NTK for coaching. Massimo Sanchez Lara with MSL is excellent. Chris Williams is very good with beginners (but his time is often tied up with being chief mechanic with Wheels America now). Jake French offers some tuning instruction and coaching sessions at NTK somewhat regularly as well.
So how much is the coach price in the us?
I charge about $300/day for in-person.
To the usefulness question…
Im not the fastest guy in the world but I found coaching to be $ really well spent. You can’t see yourself drive, really, and what you think you know may not actually be correct or what you are actually doing. It’s hard to recognize one’s errors/misconceptions and more often than not I persist in those over and over again, further ingraining them.
Having fresh eyes that aren’t hindered by one’s ego on your driving makes a huge difference, imho. Just wish I could do more of it.
Invaluable. You don’t even know where you can gain time or what to do different/better as a new driver without coaching. As an experienced driver good coaching can help you refine and shave off those fractions of a second you are chasing.
Our shop charges $150 for an hour of track time (3-4 sessions), $250 for a dedicated half day and $400 for a dedicated full day.
Plus $25 per lead/follow session in a 206 and $50 in a KA.
Honestly think most drivers get the most out of multiple short days than one long day.
Agree, I find after 2 hours or so, usually we’ve covered what we need to cover and then it’s about pounding laps and building up the foundation. I always suggest 2 hours to start and then follow ups later in the season to refresh.
Plus driver gets physically and mentally overloaded with information they can’t retain anything.