Functional Path Training

Stimulus Threshold

Stimulus threshold is the optimum training load required to elicit an adaptive response. There is a different stimulus threshold for each capacity, in the same manner there is a different time to adaptation for each capacity. There is an art and science to this. But the simple rule of thumb is that it is optimum not maximum that we are seeking.

Periodization – Some Thoughts Random and Otherwise

There is so much mumbo and confusion in this whole area I am not sure where to begin. Perhaps these thoughts will lend some clarity.

Lets start by defining Periodization, it is the planning and organization of training into a cyclic structure to develop all biomotor qualities in a systematic, sequential, and progressive manner for optimum development of performance capabilities.

Another way to look at it, it is the timing, sequence and interaction of the training stimulus to allow optimum adaptive response in pursuit of specific competitive goals. It is not about time, it is about timing. It definitely is not random, it is always undulatory in nature based on how the body adapts. You can write a linear program, but the body adapts in an undulatory manner. Despite all that is written about the difference between undulatory and linear periodization, in my opinion those are term of convenience, that confuse rather enlighten.

All components must be trained during all phases, only the proportion changes with the training age & stage of training.

There is synergy between all systems of the body and a synergistic relationship between all biomotor qualities. According to Olbrecht, different qualities have different curves of supercomensation (Olbrecht p.5). Because the various qualities have different times to adaptation and fitness decline much slower than fatigue it is possible to achieve continual adaptation.

I use this rule of thumb regarding adaptation time - Tasks that require complete recovery – Usually are high NEURAL demand. Tasks that can be trained with incomplete recovery - Usually are of high METABOLIC demand.

Wave Principle - Continuous alternation of increased and reduced training loads throughout the various training cycles to insure continual adaptation.

Steering Principle - Adjustments in training & competition based on the difference between the planned training & competition results and the actual achieved training & competition results. According to Olbrect ”Every loop provides feedback, which is used to plan the next cycle in order to fit in the training process with the individual trainability and so improve the training efficiency and return.”

Physical Competency Assessment – A Rational Approach

 

Over the course of my career I have used various forms of assessment to determine the athletes readiness to train and  compete. Sometimes they looked more like something you would see in physical therapy clinic and other times it was just pure end range jumping, throwing and running tests. I kept searching for an assessment tool that would give then information I was looking for. A few years ago someone suggested I look at The Functional Movement Screen, that did fit the bill for me. Too one size fits all and based on some questionable assumptions’ about the body and how it moves. I knew Kelvin Giles had started work on a Physical Competency Assessment when he was head of S&C at the Queensland Academy of Sport. It seemed to make sense, but I was missing the overview and explanation that I needed to begin to implement it. Then I met Kelvin a few years ago when we were both presenting to the English Institute of Sport S&C coaches. It was like a light went on. His physical competency approach to assessment was brilliant in its simplicity and the myriad of applications possible. It does not seek to predict potential injury, instead based on the level of the athlete’s physical competencies they are placed on an exercise continuum. It is adaptable to a wide range of sports and physical education. It is now used extensive in England and Australia. The point is that all the athletes have to reach the same destination but they will have different rates and means of progressing to that destination.

I will let Kelvin explain it from here.

“ I put the PCA stuff together not to be any kind of 'predictor' at all. I started to look closely at movement efficiency in squat, lunge, push, pull, brace, rotate and range plus other exercise modalities - landing, jumping etc to simply allow me and my colleagues to prescribe a more accurate program for the athletes we were coaching. My choices were confirmed by some of the great sports medical practitioners in Australia as being appropriate. There was a nice link back to the typical muscular-skeletal screening they were doing in the clinic environment as a back up.

The assessment was also put together for another 'strategic' reason - I needed some evidence that the 'basics' that were supposed to be being carried out at the earlier stages of the athlete's development simply weren't being done. Training at these early stages was mostly skill and tactical specific with a little bit of Olympic Weightlifting or 'madhouse' circuits being done. By showing the movement limitations (the radar graphs) to the coaches at the earlier stages I had some chance of getting them to change things.

'Prediction' stuff is daft - you can have all the evidence you like about an athlete and then tomorrow it all changes. I have some evidence that the more competent you are the less likelihood of suffering a 'controllable' injury you have. The assessment is used to 'ring warning bells' - e.g. can't squat - WATCH OUT!......can't land a Hop & Stick - WATCH OUT! It makes us more aware of exercise selection and program construction once we know some limitations. The assessment is there to make us stop and think.

For some sports it has allowed some decision makers to track the athletic development of squad members nationwide which assists in the fight against sole tactical / technical development with the developing athlete so I guess there is another little use for it.

So...nothing clever at all in all this - certainly never created to be a panacea or another spell potion or gadget,  just a simple  tool for a teacher / coach to make a smarter decision. Some people got interested so I wrote as much down as I could and took some pictures and made a manual for them. Got fed up with difficulties in measuring so worked out the Gauges on my kitchen table with by brother-in-law.

Don't overestimate it's role - you've got to be able to coach / teach in the first place! I use it to get the basics right first - not as a 'new' approach. I just want to know 'where are they now?' before making training decisions - nothing flash at all.”

You can purchase the Physical Competency Assessment manual and gauge on my website www.gambetta.com The teaching of this methodology of assessment is an integral part of the GAIN Apprentorship program. In addition we will be doing workshops on the Physical Competency Assessment later in 2010. Keep checking the web site and blog for sites and dates.

This Warmed My Heart

I was sent this link to a story about the revolutionary changes in the Seattle Mariner's conditioning program. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/marinersblog/2011184657_mariners_completely_overhaulin.html I do not know the the guy who is implementing it, but I tip my hat to him. As I read it I could help but compare to what we were doing twenty years ago with the Chicago White Sox. We were doing all of this and more. In fact Don Wakamatsu, the manager of the Mariners was a player in that system whose career was revived and saved by what we did. The first day of spring training was devoted to testing. In the morning it was physical tests in the afternoon it was physical therapy evaluations. From the testing over the years we developed a database to physically profile each position in baseball. This enabled us to design a development plan for each player. In addition we used these profiles in the identification and drafting process of the players. We used biomechanical analysis to devise and revise our pitching conditioning program and design programs that met the needs of the individual pitchers. We biomechanically analyzed the starting position and running mechanics for baseball and came up with unified teaching methodology. Every player and pitcher in the minor leagues was required to workout. The program was periodized based on the phase of the season. This eliminated the staleness factor. The pitchers program was set-up in revolving five day cycles for starters and a revolving seven-day cycle for the relievers.  We had a pitchers and catchers mini camp in January to assess those players and make any adjustments necessary for spring training. We had a sport psychologist working with us and used the TAIS test to help identify the coaches and the players’ attentional strengths and weaknesses. We had a nutrition program, although I will say this part of the program lagged behind the rest of the program. We trained vision early on with many of the things that people are calling cutting edge today and found them not as effective as we were led to believe. Skill and physical development were developed concurrently. After the A ball level each player had a plan to allow them to develop their abilities. There are two players from this system still playing in the Major Leagues today, Maglio Ordonez and Mike Cameron. They are poster children for what a development program can accomplish.

I only had one assistant and he focused on rookie ball. That was important to get the players oriented into the “White Sox” way of physical and mental preparation for baseball. The trainers (ATC’s) were also the conditioning coaches. I was in charge of the minor league trainers and supervised the rehab. All the rehab of minor league players was done in-house in Sarasota. We set up a complete system for tracking injuries and productivity in terms of player days and pitcher days missed. Over the years were able to show significant reduction in injuries and lost days due to injuries. In nine years we only had five hamstring pulls and six groin pulls that caused players to miss days. Look at that in the context of today’s injuries and you can see we must have been doing something right.

Why did this program work? Over the years I certainly have reflected on this. It worked because the general manager Larry Himes who hired me and Al Goldis his farm and scouting director gave unconditional support to the program. They involved me in the scouting process, sending me to evaluate players along side the baseball scout. It worked because I had control of the minor league trainers and was considered equal in the organization to the uniform field coordinator.  It worked because Steve Odgers was the Major League conditioning guy, so that the major league players were on the same page, in other words there was continuity. It worked because Dewey Robinson our pitching coordinator believed in the program and made supervision of the pitchers conditioning part of each pitching coaches responsibility. Above all it worked because the players were sold on it. They worked their butts off.

Finally this all begs the question - What happened? A change in administration brought a return to a old school philosophy. They wanted me to cut back at a time when we on the cusp of a real breakthrough, so rather than compromise I resigned the position. Sometimes I look back nostalgically on what our team of professionals was able to accomplish in a very traditional sport, in a sometimes hostile environment and I smile. I wish the Marnier program all the success in the world. I will be following their progress with great interest.

Changing Technique - Quick Fixes

It is always interesting at this time of the year at the start of spring training and with the NFL combine to read the stories of how people have changed their technique. I have been following the Tim Tebow story with great interest. Apparently he has a team of “experts’ who have completely revamped his throwing style. He is not going to unveil his new technique at the NFL CONbine, but will wait for another three weeks, choosing a more controlled environment for the great unveiling. Let's look at this with what we know of motor learning and skill acquisition. First of all he acquired his old patterns and grooved them for twenty plus years. You cannot unlearn and relearn a new technique in six weeks. You can make some style changes, but to go from a side arm slinging motion to a classic “overhead’ action will take years. The other factor is all this has been learned and practiced in a non-pressure environment. What will happen in the chaos of the game where everything is in fast forward mode? I wish I could be a fly on the wall on this one. Was there a baseline biomechanical analysis of his old throwing motion done? By that I mean 3D analysis. How much real time video analysis and feedback is he getting? To make real changes takes thousands of hours and directed practice. I maintain that the changes he is making are probably very cosmetic and he will revert to his old patterns under game pressure. For years I watched our pitching coaches when I was with the White Sox work on pitching mechanics. We had the advantage of biomechanical analysis as a baseline, but in still took time and thousands of repetitions and constant cueing. It can be done, it just can’t be done in six weeks!

Functional Training - Where to Start

Functional training is training. All training is functional, it is just that some training rates higher on a continuum of function than others. If you are not sure how to make your training more functional here are a few tips that should guide you. This not rocket science, I think you will see when you analyze successful long term athletic development programs that all these elements appear in some way, shape or form. Incorporate fundamental movements and build on them. Walk, jog, run, sprint in all directions from varied starting positions and with varied rhythms. Pull and push. Bend and reach. Lift and drop. Creep and crawl. Start and stop. Hop, jump and bound. Put and throw. Roll and tumble. Do all of these movements in all planes of movement, change speed and rhythm, add or reduce resistance and systematically vary the mode of resistance. Explore all dimensions of movement in a mindful manner. Master each element. Gradually increase the complexity of the movement problems the body must solve. Combine all of this into a systematic approach that has a clear progression to a specific goal - excellence in the competitive arena.

A Snapshot or a Movie

When people post video of an exercise or a description of a workout that is just a snapshot of a feature length movie. The snapshot has no context, Where? When? How? Who? Most importantly of all – Why? I notice when I do presentations and put a workout on the screen people will frantically scramble to write it down before I go to the next screen. The same with the video clips. Everyone wants copies of the clips because that it is a cool exercise. I can’t tell you how many “cool exercises” have blown up in my face. Why because I tried to use the “cool exercise” arbitrarily without taking the time to put it in the context of the system. For example I just saw a clip of Daron Robles, World record in 110 meter hurdles, doing a series of drills over one hurdle in place. It was poetry in motion, one of the coolest series of hurdle drills I have ever seen. I took a deep breath sat back and starting thinking with whom, how and where would I use it. Certainly with no one I have ever coached. This drill was obviously something he had grown up with and mastered as part of his whole routine. Therefore I filed it under very cool exercises in my library. For all you middle distance and distance coaches the current infatuation with GS – General Strength exercises and random medicine ball  drills would fall under the same category. Why are you doing what you are doing when you are doing it? I see coaches finding another way to make to make the athlete tired rather than systematically addressing specific needs for the various distances. As I have implored you many times in this blog think, think think! It is always more than an exercise or a drill.

Athletic Intelligence

What is it? It is the athlete knowing their body in respect to their sport. Knowing how to push the envelope in order to get better. Are you born with it? Some are innately better than others but we know from research and best practice that everyone can get significantly better. Tough to measure drive and determination, the athlete with supposed limited physical abilities who can just a find a way to get it done. Look around you and read the sports pages, you will see examples of this all the time. It is definitely not genetic; it is also the environment, if you don’t believe me read Talent Code. The athlete with an insatiable desire to succeed coupled with guidance in the form of good coaching and teaching will prevail. You can significantly raise you athletic intelligence through specific directed practice. It is not easy but the path has been traveled before, you must learn to read the road signs along the way. Gaining athletic intelligence and expertise is not mindless; it is a very mindful process. Everything must be connected to the desired end result. It is not a robotic process; it is a process of tuning into the wisdom of the body, respecting the body and all its self-organizing capabilities. It is not focusing on what we cannot do; it is optimizing what we can do by a focus on the process. It all comes down to the three R’s: Routine, Repetition, and Refinement.

Why is Coaching Education Important?

As I write this, my thoughts are centered on Track & Field, but coaching education is important in every sport. I was fortunate  to be the first graduate of the UCSB Coaching Minor program in 1969. The professors who developed that program put together a curriculum that has been my model for the ensuing 41 years. They recognized and taught us that the coach was the foundation of the sport system. We learned that you need to have a good foundation in applied sport science, pedagogical principles and methods and above all practical field experience of hands on coaching under experienced mentor coaches. That experience certainly molded my thinking.

Over the years as I have had the opportunity to travel to many countries and work with various sports it is very easy to see who have developed coaching education programs. The coaches speak a common language, they have a foundation in good methodology and they know how to learn. Coaching education is only the beginning; it must inspire the coach to keep learning and improving. In this country swimming has a good program, soccer both through US Soccer Licensing program and a separate program provided by the National Soccer Coaches Association do a good job. They could be better but they get the job done. There are other programs in our country that are developing coaches.

It just seems that in our culture the coach does not have the same value as in other countries. I am not sure why that is, but I do know that without coaching education it would impossible to compete on the international and produce consistent results. Look at Great Britain in the late 1970’s, 80’s and early 90’s in Track & Filed. Their chief national coach at the time, Frank Dick, made coaching education the basis of the whole system. During that period Britain rose to be one of the powers in the world in events they had been never been strong in before. It was because of coaching!

Look at it a slightly different way. The career of an athlete at the international level is very short, on average three to four years with a few notable exceptions. Someone had to guide them to that level. That someone was the coach. The coach’s career is long, chances are that coach will continue to produce athletes at a high level for years to come. In other words for every dollar invested in coaching and coaching education the return on investment accrues over the years. Some countries will not fund athletes unless they are in a formal coaching program; they understand that without coaching the athlete has less chance of success. Coaching is the key, it is not very sexy and glamorous, but it is the foundation for athletic excellence.

All coaches should be concerned about the recent events in the USA T&F Coaching Education program. I view the recent events as a devaluation of coaching, essentially an attack on the integrity and importance of coaching. If you are coach you are special. You lead, you teach, you inspire. Coaching education keeps challenging us and making us better teachers and leaders.

No Pain, No Gain?

No pain, no gain was a very prevalent attitude when I began coaching in the late Sixties, surprisingly it continues to persist today in certain circles. I have never been able to figure out the appeal of this approach. Proper training in the weight room or on the field demands that the athlete be pushed to test their limits at various times in training. Some workouts are very difficult and other workouts will almost seem easy. This ebb and flow of hard efforts interspersed with easier efforts is essential allow for proper adaptation. The no pain, no gain approach is a direct outgrowth of the fact that historically Strength & Conditioning was a field driven by football. It was the football strength & conditioning coach who set the tempo for the programs because they were often the head strength coach. The mastodon mentality that pervaded football in the fifties and the sixties served to reinforce the no pain, no gain approach. In those days players were not allowed to take their helmets off during practice and not allowed to drink during practice. The more it hurt, the more pain the better. The whole goal was to make the players tough, so without pain there was no gain! So they thought.

I know this approach does not work; it makes you tired but not better. It is totally Darwinian only the strong survive, and no one thrives. I do not know about you, but I want my players ready on game day. That should be the goal of training.To achieve that, the training load and intensity must vary.  A thoroughly conditioned athlete who is supremely confident in his or her physical preparation will be mentally and physically tough. Physically and psychologically an athlete can only go to the well so many times before it will begin to deplete their reserves both physically and psychologically. There is no doubt in my mind that a good sport coach or a strength and conditioning coach can get athletes to train and perform beyond levels that the athletes ever thought possible. To achieve this does not mean you have to inflict pain. Pushing the envelope is uncomfortable. Athletes in training learn over time to get comfortable with a certain level of discomfort through gradual adaptation to stress. Train your athletes to thrive in the competitive arena by training intelligently.