Functional Path Training

Carmel Swim Club Visit

I spend last week with the Carmel Swim club in Carmel Indiana. My biannual visits to Carmel are highlights of my year. It is so uplifting to be totally immersed (no pun intended) in an atmosphere where excellence is a habit. The coaches are great, willing and eager to learn, share and challenge me. I always come away from my time there brimming with new ideas.

Three years ago when I was first brought in to consult the object was to develop a total program from age eight to eighteen to improve overall athleticism, obviously to improve performance and prevent injuries. It has been very gratifying to see the objectives met and be exceeded. Performances have improved tremendously with 14 swimmers qualified for Olympic trails this year compared to two swimmers four years ago. From an injury perspective there are no shoulder injuries, this is unheard of in a swimming environment. The program is predicated on working on connecting all links in the kinetic chain, with the shoulder just one link in the chain. The injury prevention aspect is a transparent part of the total dryland program. A little hint -  no pull-ups and push-ups are done with the hands fixed on a bar, they are done using rings or handles that allow the hand and arm to move thus alleviating stress on the shoulder and preparing for the demands of swimming. The little ones starting out are taught body awareness and coordination and some strengthening with their bodyweight in a playful environment. As the youngsters progress culminating in the High Performance group including those going to Olympic trials the program grows in complexity. This kids know how to work, it is neat to see them go about their work with a real sense of purpose.

I want to thank head coach Chris Plum and his staff for the opportunities they have given me to work with the club. The success that Carmel has enjoyed is a real tribute to the dedication of the coaching staff, a great group of people.

Here are some pictures of various aspects of the dryland training program.

   

Swim Coaches Bible – Volume II

If you are a coach, not just a swim coach this is a must read. It is a compilation edited by swim coaching legends Dick Hannula and Nort Thornton. I was privileged and honored to write a chapter on Dryland Training.  I am going to start reading it on my flight today. This is truly a coaching bible, it is right there with Ken Doherty's Track & Filed Omnibook, as a masterwork. I want to thank Dick & Nort for all their work in assembling  and editing it. A terrific addition to their legacy as coaches.

Technique

Technique must be the servant not the master. Within reason teach the athlete WHAT to do, not HOW to do it. Give them enough information and direction to allow them to solve the particular movement problem, then get out of their way and let them discover the way that works for them. Don’t turn them into robots by forcing them into a specific technique. Help them achieve good technique with being overly technical. Provide just enough direction and correction to spur their creativity.

Remember the story of the centipede:

A centipede was happy quite, until a toad in fun
Said, “Pray, which leg comes after which?”
This raised his doubts to such a pitch
He fell distracted in the ditch
Not knowing how to run.

There is no one "correct" technique, each athlete will have their own way of expressing the technique demanded by the sport - that is called style. Everyone has a movement signature or a movement fingerprint that makes their movement unique, recognize that and build upon it to achieve the required technical competence.

Been There, Done That

I have been a lot of places and have been fortunate to have done a lot of things in my career, but I have not stopped learning, adapting and changing. How many times have you heard someone who has been coaching for a while say that they have been there and done that? If you notice once that is said all conversation stops. They send a message that they know it all and there is nothing new to learn or experience. So what if you have been there – what if there was no there there?

You may have been there twenty or thirty years ago but times change and people change. I know for sure that the young developing athletes of today do not bring the same the movement literacy skill set to the table that the young athletes did forty-three years ago when I started coaching. That does not mean that what I did back then is not valid now, no it simply means that I need to build on that and modify and use my past experiences as a reference point in some cases and as a starting point in others.

I look at coaches like Frank Dick, Anatoly Bondarchuk and Joe Vigil with over fifty years coaching in track and field and see how they continue to challenge themselves to learn and grow. They have not grown complacent, nor do they think they know it all, certainly they have been there and done that but they are here now looking ahead to move their athletes forward and advance. They use the past as a reference point and use their cumulative experiences to continue to produce. So challenge yourself no matter how many years you have coached, keep learning, keep growing, keep experimenting. Everyday and every workout is an opportunity to learn and see the world with new eyes. If you have been there and done that then you can do it again only better.

Pretty Simple Stuff

The purpose of strength training is to prepare the body to resist or overcome gravity as demanded by the sport or activity and to use the ground effectively to reduce and produce force. There are many means and methods to achieve this with the key choosing a method or means that is appropriate for the sport and the athlete. Conceptually this is quite simple, but complex in application. Don’t try to make it more complex, make simple incorporate the fundamental movements of pulling, pushing, squatting and all it’s derivatives, rotating, reaching, bending, and bracing. Allow time for adaptation and you will have strength you can use in your sport. What more can you ask?

Cross Training – Method or Madness

Every time I hear the term cross training I just shake my head in wonder. What are you talking about? Doesn’t good training involve utilize a variety of methods to elicit adaptation? Lets look at cross training and see if there is any method or if it is just madness. Hawley & Burke (P. 31) define Cross Training as: “… is when an athlete undertakes training in a discipline other than their main sport for the sole purpose of enhancing performance in their primary event.” It has been primarily used as a method for retaining training adaptations. What we are really talking about here is transfer of training effect. It has been my experience that those who utilize cross training the most are those who already have a tendency to chronically overwork and are looking for another way to punish themselves. I feel that this is another training myth that has actually detracted from sound training. It certainly has very little foundation is sports science research. For a runner to get in the pool for anything more than a recovery session is time ill spent? The same is true for biking, that time would be better-spent strength training or working on flexibility, both areas that tend to be ignored. Most of the time they are ignored because the runner feels they do not have enough time to fit it in. Yet those same runners can find the time to swim for thirty minutes or bike for an hour. It is all a matter of priorities. Cross training may be OK for the recreational athlete seeking to relive the boredom of training, but for the high level athlete it is virtually useless. “Specific exercise elicits specific adaptations, creating specific training effects.” (McArdle, Katch & Katch P.394)

McArdle, William D. Katch, Frank I. & Katch, Victor L. Fourth Edition. Exercise Physiology – Energy, Nutrition, And Human Performance. Williams & Wilkins, Baltimore. 1996

Hawley, John and Burke, Louise. Peak Performance – Training and Nutritional Strategies for Sport. Allen & Unwin, St Leonards, NSW Australia. 1998

Running Mechanics

Running Mechanics are a key aspect of running performance. It seems like everyone pays close attention to correct mechanics up to the 400 meters and then it is as if it does not matter anymore, when in fact it actually could be as important. Good sound running mechanics can go a long way toward preventing injuries, optimizing stride length and stride rate for more efficient utilization of energy stores. Improving running mechanics involves specific strengthening of the involved muscles, the postural muscles as well as the legs. Technique practice in the form of specifically prescribed drills should be part of daily training. Constant awareness of good running mechanics must be stressed during each run.

What does good running mechanics consist of? It consists of good posture, which is erect carriage of the trunk. Then good arm action. The arm carriage should be low so as not to cause undue fatigue, the shorter the race the greater the amplitude of the arm action. The leg action should be short and controlled. High knee lift and excessively long strides are not rewarded. Efficiency is the end result of good distribution of effort and sound running mechanics.

Speed First

Most people agree that speed wins, then why if that is the case isn’t it made a priority. You must work on speed first and foremost.  You must incorporate some elements of speed from the first training cycle through to the peak competition. That is true if you are training for a marathon or 100 meters, basketball or rugby. It must be part of every training cycle. I find it quite amusing when I hear a coach say that we have been working on base work, but I have not started speed work yet. What are you waiting for? The problem with that approach is that they are not training to be fast, they are training to endure, and then magically they hope that the fast will come. They are essentially training speed out that is easy. The inevitable result is undue soreness and greater risk of injury because of the abrupt change in the training program when they do start to emphasize anything fast. The key is to never get too far away from running fast. Always train speed in.  It should be part of the first training cycle of the year and be a part of each subsequent training cycle. Speed development work can be as simple as sprint drills, light acceleration drills, or for a distance runner simply finishing each run with 8 –10 x 100 meter fast strides, but it must be there all the time. Speed first to be first.

More On Functional Assessment

Sport is a fluid, dynamic, challenging, unpredictable combination of movements all taking place in a chaotic environment. A sound functional assessment looks at the key elements that we can identify and measure and then matches those up with the physical competencies. Determine where each individual stands and design an appropriate training program that prepares for the demands of the sport. Not everyone is created equal, not everyone will start at the same place on the exercise progression continuum. That is where the assessment is most valuable, it helps to place the individual at the appropriate starting point based on their physical competencies. Use this as an advantage to meet individual needs. There should be little or no need for so called “corrective exercise” because the training is designed to take advantage of the individual’s strengths and minimize their weaknesses.

The actual assessment should not be sterile and artificial. It should incorporate a variety of movements in multiple planes that will give a clear picture of the athlete’s physical literacy. It is not designed to generate random numbers with no context and therefore no meaning. Count what counts and then make it count with appropriate training that provides measurable and visible results. Don't get caught up in nuance, cut to the chase. Determine key performance indicators. Assess exactly what needs to be assessed to determine the status of the individual relative to the key performance indicators. Periodically reassess to determine progress and gains in functional movement literacy. Modify training to reflect adaptation. At the conclusion of the training program based on the functional assessment you should have a highly adaptable athlete completely prepared to perform in the competition arena.

Happy Easter

Happy Easter to all regardless of your faith and beliefs. Please take a minute and pray in your own way for an end to war, hatred, prejudice and intolerance. Let all be thankful for each other and world we live in imperfect as it may, it is ours.