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.