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Here is my training secret. The secret is there no secret. No potions. No fads. No Frills. No Gimmicks. No Quick Fixes. No Crash programs, because you end up crashing with those programs. Just basic principle based, focused training designed to meet sport demands and fit the needs of the individual athlete. My approach is very minimalist, work with the tools you have. When I started coaching track & field 42 years ago we did not have a track, so we laid out a track on the grass. Two year later five junior high kids under five minutes in the mile. As I get older and maybe just a bit wiser I am so thankful that my roots in coaching are deeply embedded in track & field. In track you can’t hide. If you do stupid stuff it shows up quickly. Fads and gimmicks don’t work. The simple accountability of running faster, jumping higher or faster and throwing farther demands that you reduce training to its essence.
In my younger days just like many of you I thought there were secrets. I searched high and low, far and wide trying to find the secrets. After 12 years of searching I came to realization that there just weren’t any secrets. All the great athlete’s and coaches that I observed and studied did not try to hide anything. It was right out in the open. They trained consistently with a clear training philosophy that guided them. Some were more scientific than others, but they all arrived at the same point. They were all consistent, patient and methodical. They were innovative, they were constantly fine-tuning and adjusting, but they never flip-flopped their approach or deviated from their core training principles.
So some words of advice, forget searching for secrets, there aren’t any. If someone try’s to tell you otherwise, I would become very suspicious, especially if they were trying to sell their secrets. Know the basics coach the basics and build on the basics and success will follow. It is process, building a complete athlete takes time. Invest the time and you and your athletes will reap the rewards.
It is so easy to get caught up in the exercises, sets, reps, runs, and jumps and lose sight of the goal, which is making the athlete better. If the exercises, sets, reps, runs and jumps do not fit the athlete and are not sport appropriate then we are not going to accomplish our goal. Many years’ ago I remember Frank Dick saying the coaching is not something you do to the athlete; it is something you do with the athlete. The athlete must be an active participant in the process, providing feedback and input. In that vain we must know what our athlete’s strengths and weaknesses are relative to their sport and train accordingly. Accentuate their strengths and gradually work to eliminate or at least minimize the weaknesses. Forcing them into training that they are not ready for based on their training age and stage of physical development is like forcing a square peg into a round hole. Another way to say to say this is that one size does not fit all. You can have two athletes in the same sport, who play the same position, are the same age, height and weight and need to have two very different training programs. It is so trite to say that every body is different, but it is so true.
I know it is hard individualize in team sport and large group setting, but it can be done. You need to have revolving groups based on the athletes varied needs. For example for acceleration the athlete may be in group one, but for agility in group three. For this to work requires detailed organization and the involvement of the athlete. The athlete needs to be ”there” and aware, they can’t just be zombies going through the motions. It can be done and it must be done to optimize our athlete’s improvement. It is being prepared by having a plan; a good daily contingency plan and by using what you see, feel and hear to coach each session and each athlete.
To paraphrase the old country western song if you work your fingers to the bone all get is boney fingers. Doing hard work is not really that hard to do. Doing work that matters is much harder and it is how you get results. Don’t get me wrong I believe in working hard, but I believe more in working smart. At young training ages any work will pay dividends up to a point. As the athlete accrues training experience they cannot get away with just hard work, it must become specific to their needs and the sport they are preparing for. Instill and teach a work smart ethic so they know their bodies, how to eat, and how to get proper rest. Teach them good technique and help them understand why and how they should train. Learning how to train smart from the initial stages of training will allow them to optimize their training throughout their career. The genesis of many injures that occur later in athletes career are do to improper training early in their career. At younger training ages, especially in the male athlete the anabolic advantage from growth and development covers up many training errors. They can get away with mindless hard work. Use this anabolic advantage positively. As coaches we need to recognize that training must have a purpose beyond getting them tired and sore. Training must be directed work in pursuit of a specific objective. We must know the individual and have a plan to develop their abilities over the long term. Progressing in a stepwise manner, building upon each previous step. Train smart to get better.
Take a close look at this pictureof Chuck Berry in his classic stance. Do you think Chuck Berry is thinking about where his knee goes? Of course not, he is just playing the music like he has done for sixty years. Don’t worry where the knee goes as long as it goes there with control. The knee needs to go past the toe for efficient movement. Don’t worry about where the knee goes, in sport and life there is not enough time to think about it. Prepare the body for what it has to do, last time I checked the knee was part of the body and just play the music like Chuck Berry!