2011 Lessons Learned - Lesson Eight

Lesson Eight – Those that ignore history are condemned to repeat it. In my experience there is no substitute for a historical context. This is one of the biggest deficiencies I see in today’s “new breed” of coaches. Go to the original sources and study them, don’t depend on interpretations. If you want to understand the “New Interval Training” you must go back and understand the old interval training. If you are interested in strength go back and study Tommy Kono. If you are interested in speed go back and study the work of Gerard Mach. If you are interested in endurance go back and study Igloi. If you are interested in applied sport science go back and read John Bunn and Doc Councilman’s works. Chances are the ground you walking on have been explored before so why repeat past mistakes, make new ones to grow and expand your horizons. In order to understand where you are going it is important to understand where you have been.