Functional Path Training

USOC Training Design Conference

Enjoyed day one of the conference. At these things it really isn't so much about the speakers it is the people who are attending. Had some great side discussions that carried on back to the dorm. I was so overstimulated with ideas I could not sleep. Always great catching up with a group like the All Black staff that are here. Coyle gave a good presentation, not great. Basically rehashed his book. Looking forward to catching up with some old friends today. I am sure many posts will be sawned from the ideas generated from the discussions at this conference. Overall impression from Day #1 is that the concept of planning is still pretty foreign in US, but getting better.

Mental Toughness

Mental toughness is a cop out. I believe mental discipline trumps so called mental toughness all the time. All the champions I have been around had incredible mental discipline. Making someone puke in a workout or running someone until they drop does not build mental toughness. Find out who will do the workout when no one is there to make them do it. Find out who shows up and brings their “A” game every day no matter what the conditions and what the circumstances. Those are the people who have mental discipline; those are the people I want on my team.

Kettlebell Training

I do think some of the claims made for kettlebell training are a bit over the top. I see no need to go get tortured for a weekend and pay all that money to get certified, don't do it. I know I will probably have the remnants of the KGB living in the US hunting me after this post. Isn't it unreal how quickly these former communists caught onto making money by selling "secret" Russian training methods or even Russian convict training. Amazing isn't it.

If you are training to do more reps with a kettlebells or to express more strength with a kettlebell in a kettlebell competition then by all means just train exclusively with a kettlebell, if not look at the kettlebell method as one method among many that you can utilize. There are no “Russian Secret” kettlebell training methods, as current marketing hype would lead you to believe. Kettlebells were a staple of training in gyms and physical education in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century in the United States and in Europe. Just like medicine balls, climbing ropes, Indian clubs and various other forms of apparatus training they fell out of favor as physical education changed and moved away from movement gymnastics toward team sports. There has been revived interest in the last ten years as kettlebells have become commercially available for purchase and somewhat affordable. The ease of availability has been a major factor in their resurgence. It was a mode of training I have been familiar with since the beginning of my coaching career, but it was not a viable option because we could not get kettlebells. They were either unavailable or too expensive to ship from Europe.

Use the method, don't abuse it. Works well in certain situations with certain athletes. Personally I use kettlebells in my own training and with my athletes as another viable mode of resistance. Certainly that is not all we do.

Dartfish TV Channel

If you get a chance check out my Dartfish TV Channel http://www.dartfish.tv/gambetta Presently the content is fairly limited, but over the next two months I will be adding more content. Dartfish is a sponsor of my GAIN Apprentorship program. It is a great coaching/teaching tool. I was actually the fist S&C coach to purchase Dartfish. If you don’t use Dartfish, check it out www.dartfish.com

What is Your Major?

In Frank Forencich’s new book, he was talking about how when you were in college meeting someone you did not know, the icebreaker inevitably was: What is your major? He found it was good to say pre-something, that way you never had to commit and you could on something that made you sound really smart. So from now on when someone asks me what I majored in college instead of Social Science with an emphasis in Latin American History I am going to answer that my major was pre–something. When they ask pre-what? I am going to answer, not sure what yet, but I think I will audit this time around and next time go for the grade. The other option is to take it pass/fail but that is too committed.

Where the Knee Goes

I saw this picture on the NY Times Sports page this morning; at the risk of being sued for copyright infringement I am using it here. For those of you that advocate not letting the knee go beyond the toe, take a close look. I will give you a small clue; the knee goes where it has to go. The key is to train so that it goes go where it has to go with control. Creating artificial training environment where the knee never goes past the toe does not prepare the knee for the forces generated in this movement.

Time

If I only had more time for training? There is never enough time? How often have you said or thought that? I know I have. Maybe a better question is what are you doing with the time you have? My experience has been that more time means more wasted time, more fluff, more nice to do rather than more need to do activities. In the excellent book Teaching As Leadership by Steven Farr he speaks to this point regarding class management. If a teacher wastes two minutes a day taking role, another three minutes handing out assignments and then three minutes collecting assignments, that is 8 minutes out of a 50 minute class. The gym, pool, filed or track is your classroom. Use every second. Time is precious, use it, optimize it. Organization and planning are key to effective utilization of time.

This next week I am going to visit Air Force Academy and spent time with Matt McGettigan, Head S&C, he has a very brief window of time to train, no option, he has to get it done. I want to watch how he uses his time in off season training. I watched an in-season workout two years ago and it was amazing. They got more quality training done in 30 minutes than most places do in an hour.

Use the time you have, but it is not really about time, it is all about timing, how much do you spend doing what you need to do. A crucial function of coaching is training session management. How you organize and set-up the workout is the key to how you use your time. I spend 15 to 20 minutes setting up each training session. You have to do this. I have 55 to 60 minutes. I want that 60 minutes to be focused quality training where each session is a step toward the ultimate goal. I want total involvement and focus. Rest must be active, no sitting, just quality movement. If you working in pairs or in a group you are expected to coach your teammates, that will insure full involvement. Make time your friend, it is precious, use it wisely.

The Training Session

The individual training session is the cornerstone of the entire training plan because it is the point of implementation of the long-term plan. A long-term plan is a succession of linked individual training sessions in pursuit of specific objectives.

The training session should occupy the greatest emphasis in planning and execution.

Each session should be carefully evaluated and subsequent sessions adjusted accordingly.

Each training session should a have general theme.

This general theme in turn should be supported by specific and measureable objectives for each component in that session.

When planning an individual training session carefully consider:

          How does that session fit into the bigger picture?

          What is the time available for training and recovery?

The actual design of the session should carefully consider:

Progression /Sequence

Training time available & time allocation

Integration of skill with work to develop physical capacities

Size of the facility or training area relative to the number of athletes training

Equipment available

Coaching personnel available as well as the number of athletes that will participate in the actual training session. 

Group Think

Do you do it because it is easy or because everyone else is doing it? That is a fast track to mediocrity. Why are doing what you are doing? The Functional Movement Screen is a great example. I asked someone the other day why they were doing it. The answer was quite succinct – It is convenient and it is easy. I asked the same question of someone about kettlebell training – they said it was really tough - the answer was slightly different but in the same vain. I asked someone why they use Crossfit with their baseball team – the answer - it is easy, I just go online and get the workout of the day. What they are telling me is they are willing to take the path of least resistance. Everyone else is doing so I need to do it. They are like a mindless flock of lemmings heading off the cliff. Think for yourself, if you are following the flock you are using all your capabilities as a coach. Think for yourself, analyze and devise methods of assessment and training that do what you need them to do for the sport or situation you are working in. One size does not fit all. Lead don't follow.

Growing into an athlete

Yesterday during training I had a some time to step back and observe the athletes, not just my athletes but the football players and wrestlers who were in the weight room at the same time. On my drive home from workout, about twenty minutes, I reflected on what I saw with more focus on my Volleyball players. (The drive home is my time to reflect on the just completed workout and begin planning for the next session). I realized that what I saw unfold before me yesterday was the growth process of an athlete. In my group there are ninth graders just starting the journey to rising seniors who will be play at a high level in college. They all workout, why don’t they end up in the same place? Well we know that many are called and few are chosen – Right? Actually wrong – many are called and few choose. Yes you read it correctly not many choose to excel. It is clear to me after all these years there are three stages in the growth process into becoming a real athlete. I saw it all unfold before my eyes yesterday.

First Stage – You do the workout. Nothing more, nothing less, you get tired, you are satisfied. At this stage anything you do makes you better, so you see some improvement. Many never move beyond this stage.

Second Stage – You realize you must do something more to continue to improve so now you work the workout. You put more into it mentally and physically. You realize just doing the workout is not enough, you must have good technique and concentrate, you must push yourself. many stop here.

Third Stage – This is where the big dogs play – you have train the workout. That is a whole new level of commitment and concentration. You must prepare mentally and physically in advance for the workout. You have be at your best everyday. In my experience this is a select group. They see the results, the fruits of their labor because they consciously choose to train the workout

In many respects the growth of a coach reflects the same three growth stages as the athlete. I think we all choose where we want to be. To be the best means being uncomfortable all the time. Making sacrifices and doing things no one else is willing to do. Where do you choose to be? Chances are where you choose to be will be reflected in the athletes you coach.