Many of you have heard, or seen the term ‘Fly Man’ used, not to refer to the beauty of a person but the fitness they have acquired under one man.
You will find these fly men, scattered all over the globe, cutting through all sports disciplines. From Daniel Adongo who plays for the Indianapolis Colts, to Collins Omae who will be representing Kenya in the upcoming Commonwealth games, not in rugby but in the 200 meters, to William Ambaka who recently helped his LOU side gain promotion into French rugby’s top flight.
I also recall as though it was yesterday the electric atmosphere on that chilly evening as we set out for our warm up to play in our first ever IRB series finals….still gives me goose bumps to this day.
To madam Perris Mukoko, the first female IRB educator in Kenya. This list is endless. The above and many more have one thing in common, they have been trained by one, Geoffrey ‘Kim’ Kimani, the fly man in chief.
A strength and speed conditioning specialist, Kim currently handles several top flight sides. Most notable the Kenya sevens where he teams up with Graham Bentz. He also handles Kenya cup side Kenya Harlequins, and KPL side Tusker FC.
He was the strength and conditioning coach when the Kenya sevens made it to their first cup final in 2009, and went on to finish fourth in the world cup. Kimani holds an IRB level 2 Strength and conditioning certificate, in fact he was top of his class of 2014. He is also holds an IAAF/USATF Level 3 certified coach in sprints and hurdles, I could go on.
Today we sit down with the fly man in chief, to get to know him better and speak on a few issues. We start from that name, ‘Fly Men’, I ask how it came along..
Most of the greatest photo shots of speed athletes are whilst they are in full flight and off the ground…hence Flying in the air albeit briefly, and thus Fly Men!
Who is Geoffrey Kimani?
I believe that no human being can be summarised in one word, rather a trail of words that help trace one’s journey and inform or shape ones destination. In that regard I am A, Son, Father, Husband, Catholic, Coach, Teacher, Mentor…in that order.
I fumbled, mumbled, sweat through my first coaching session in front of a group of high school kids..
When did you venture into training/coaching?
I went into coaching in 2005, after retiring from competitive running, my first stint was a baptism of fire of sorts.
I was privileged enough to start at a high performance centre in Atlanta where I was based at the time, I fumbled, mumbled, sweat through my first coaching session in front of a group of high school kids, luckily they were more interested in my background as former Kenyan athlete than the session that was on hand.
Easy at it seems, it takes a lot of courage to stand in front of a group of athletes leave alone finish an hour session.
What led to you to start coaching?
When I ventured into sprinting I realised that there was lack of guidance in terms of coaching expertise and our goals as sprinters then were just but a mirage.
I vowed to immerse myself into this not so ‘Kenyan’ event and started buying books and videos in order to acquire as much knowledge as I could. To cut a long story short, my big break came in 2006 when teams world over started consulting speed coaches with the view of getting their teams fitter and faster.
I was lucky to have been at the right place when Pro-NFL players started frequenting the facility that I worked at in pursuit of the same. The experience I gained in terms of applying the science of speed on all sports was invaluable. My next progression was obviously and definitely going to be coaching
You handle athletes across all sports, do you have a favourite sport?
I wouldn’t say that I have a sport that I could call a favourite, I specialise in speed and power training and it’s quite exciting and mind refreshing when designing programs that cut across all sports.
However I must add that Sevens rugby is quite fascinating as it encompasses all three pillars of athleticism namely Speed/Power and Agility.
You look into their eyes and see a mixture of desperation and hope, to think they have put all their trust on you is very deep.
What are some of the highlights in your training/coaching career so far?
My coaching highlights will definitely be with the Kenya Sevens team especially in the 08/09 season. Beating SA and New Zealand for the first time was really special and going on to qualify for the Sevens world cup and finish superbly as we did was quite emotional.
I also recall as though it was yesterday the electric atmosphere on that chilly evening as we set out for our warm up to play in our first ever IRB series finals….still gives me goose bumps to this day.
We were an amateur side that only trained 2 days in a week but were still able to go against the odds and claim some good historic scalps and performances. The unity of purpose and pride from the technical bench and players was phenomenal, there wasn’t much to go around but the boys gave their bodies and hearts in all the games.
Going in at half time and looking at their bloodied lips and battered bodies was quite tough, it hurts me when people trash/question their commitment at times. They literally bleed for that jersey and flag.
I have also been privileged to handle the Kenya 15s and Kenya Harlequins teams that won cups unbeaten, I can tell you that there’s no greater feeling. Kenya 15s winning the Elgon & Victoria Cups 2010, with Quins winning the Kenya Cup in 2010.
Your proudest moment to date would be?
There are many, getting athletes back on their feet especially after injuries/surgery is quite fulfilling, most come as physical and emotional wrecks, fearful of their prospects in returning to competitive sports etc., you look into their eyes and see a mixture of desperation and hope, to think they have put all their trust on you is very deep.
Indeed I have successfully returned over 12 players back into competitive shape from various injuries that have required surgical procedures, or good strength training programs, some have gone on to regain their positions in various national team sports.
I am also very proud seeing teams/players reaching their desired goals/results, it’s the reason we exist as coaches I also encourage and share on the successes of all my athletes off the pitch especially in their academic endeavours and family lives.
It’s never just about making them ‘mean machines’ but positively impacting on their lives after they are done with sports and into various spheres of life, lessons learnt and hard work put in training should be transferred into their work places and families. Every graduation, walk down the aisle, Pro contract, new baby is always a proud moment for me as a coach.
My advice to rugby players would be to seek out good qualified professionals to guide them through their respective sports and goals.
Do you think that Kenyan sport has begun to appreciate the importance of Strength and conditioning, especially rugby?
Definitely, the gap between performances in different teams has narrowed quite fast, teams that took off early in introducing such programs enjoyed a monopoly of good results for some time, but as others started implementing their’s, we have seen great improvement in results and a few upsets here and there.
Did you ever play any sports back in the day?
Of course, I was a good goal keeper in high school, winger on the rugby pitch which eventually led me into track and field.
As an athlete my highlight was winning the national junior 100 meters dash in 1991,school athletics then was dominated by Rift valley and Nyanza schools (St Patricks Iten/Cardinal Otunga), winning my category whilst representing Nairobi was quite special.
In your opinion, what is the biggest mistake athletes make in terms of strength and conditioning in rugby?
I think most mistakes are not attributed to the athlete but rather to the coaches/trainers that the athlete seeks help from. There is a misconception that ‘Big’ is automatically strong and fast!
If that was the case then body builders would have made great rugby players, there is so much that goes into transforming an athlete into a strong, powerful player with respect to position of play and the philosophy that their respective coaches carry.
Good strength and conditioning programs build specific work capacity for the event/sport one is training for.
Its not a one-Size-fits-all affair, the athletes training age, position of play, energy system demands, history of injuries etc. Are key indicators on how/what the program will emphasise on.
My advice to rugby players would be to seek out good qualified professionals to guide them through their respective sports and goals.
What is your take on foreign coaches handling our teams?
No man is an island! Modern day sport keeps evolving with new studies and ways of training changing by the minute.
It therefore follows, that we ought to learn as much as we can from outside our comforts and I believe that’s where the foreign expertise comes in. I will hasten to add that a successful local coach is as good as the support he/she gets from the respective federation.
Paul Treu is meticulous in terms of planning and all training aspects have to merge into the bigger picture/plan.
You recently got back to handling the Kenya sevens, what would you say is the biggest difference between this tenure and the last?
The set up now is much better as everyone is tasked with a job that they execute without interference.
Paul Treu is meticulous in terms of planning and all training aspects have to merge into the bigger picture/plan. All players need to be able to play at any position hence a re look of the speed and power programming so as to accommodate this new philosophy.
Vuyo Zangqa brings a whole new energy and freshness in terms of the approach of attacking patterns for sevens rugby which in effect translates to a broader and more incisive look into programming for speed and agility.
What do you make of last season’s performance by the Kenya sevens in the IRB circuit?
As you are aware there was a change of guard on the coaching front, every coach has a philosophy that informs their style of play and conditioning demands.
The new team joined in season hence didn’t have the luxury of a pre-season where they could get the players ready to play their kind of rugby. I have no doubt however that the team will bounce back in the coming season.
Most players are now either in their off season, or preparing for the sevens circuit, what would be your advice to these sets of players?
Those on off season should ideally be enjoying their rest, rehabilitating any injuries picked from last season or doing some form of cross training to keep the ‘rust’ off.
Those preparing for the sevens season should be in the weight rooms getting that lean muscle on whilst combining with skill work. This is the most important time of their preparations as the work put in here determines the kind of form they will be in going into the first games and ultimately the season. It is actually time to ‘make that hay’ as we put it in FlyMen terms!
What plans do you have for the future, as far as your career goes?
I intend to continue coaching for the time being whilst mentoring as many young trainers as I can, I have also ventured into the next phase of coaching which is lecturing.
At the just concluded C.A.R Women sevens competition I was privileged and honoured in presenting a 2 day Conditioning lecture to the visiting coaches who were at the time sitting for their level 2 coaching certification.
I would like to extend this by doing S&C clinics for clubs out of Nairobi and high schools. Live, Learn, Share
It is clear that we have barely touched base with the Fly Man in chief, as you can tell, he has a lot of great insights to offer to all athletes. We hope to have him here more often and maybe even get him a column.
If you would like to get in touch with him, visit his Facebook page Here or twitter here
For now though a big thank you to him…
KWISHA…Nimeruka Nje!!!
