Functional Path Training

Coaching That Matters

The coaching that matters is not the technical, tactical and training nuances; coaching that matters is what some call the intangibles. The ability to say the right thing at the right time. To be firm and fair. To let the athlete know the boundaries of what is acceptable and unacceptable performance and behavior. The ability to connect and communicate. Technical expertise is a given at the highest levels of coaching, what matters and makes the difference is so-called emotional intelligence. It is understanding the human element. Great coaches are not great by chance. I read where the great soccer manager Jose Mourinhno speaks to his players as a group in the language of the country where he coaches and when he meets with the players individually he speaks the players native language. Think about that. He sets a level of expectation for the players to know the culture and language of the country they are playing in and he connects with each player individually. If you want to be a great coach get beyond X’s and O’s, GPS data and heart rate variability and learn to connect with the athlete on a human level.

The Process

Training to improve performance in the athletic arena is a process. Here are the steps in the process as I see them:

Define the process – Lay out your goals and objects. Be clear on the ultimate destination

Trust the process – Get started, a journey of 10,000 miles starts with the first step. Proceed step by step with the destination clearly in mind.

Refine the process – Constantly fine tune and prototype.

Assess the process - Make adjustments and corrections based on the assessment and continue the process.

It is a process not a model because the body is complex, self organizing and highly adaptable. Focus on the process will help guide the athletic body toward the ultimate destination - optimum performance in the competition arena.

Errors of Commission, Errors of Omission

For as long as I can remember the prevalent thought was that injuries were the result of something that was not being done in training. Perhaps it was a lack of core strength, proper leg strength or a deficiency in proprioception. Over the past several years I have a distinct shift. I am seeing injuries occurring because of what we are doing. Ironically some of it is because of the so-called “corrective exercise” movement that consists of isolated movements designed to prevent injury. This is often done in lieu of training because these “deficiencies” that are being addressed supposedly would not allow normal training. Some of it is the selection and subsequent inclusion of exercises in the training program specifically designed to prevent injury, prime examples would be the so-called Nordic hamstring curl to address hamstring injuries or the throwers ten to address shoulder injuries. Neither exercise has prevented hamstring or shoulder injuries.

Maybe it is time to take a giant step back and look at the big picture to assess what we are doing and not doing, because we are not preventing injuries. In fact injuries at all levels of sport are off the charts. There is no substitute for a systematic, sequential progressive training program that is pedagogically sound. Injury prevention should be a transparent part of the training program. Remedial exercises are part of a sound training progression. In fact the key to all this is progression, doing the appropriate exercises based on the athletes level of development and fundamental physical competencies. There is no substitute for a sound training program. You have to walk before you run and you have to run before you sprint. Take a close look at what you are and what you are not doing.

Thoughts on Getting Better – Personal Improvement

Read good writing

Think good thoughts

Hang out with smart stimulating people. Listen and ask a lot of questions.

See with your eyes wide open

Listen more, talk less

Challenge yourself mentally and physically each day

Experiment/Prototype try new stuff

Orient to action, but do one thing at a time

Connect and link seemingly unrelated area and concepts. Go far afield.

Slow down to move faster

Focus Pocus – Have fun! Laugh a lot and don’t take yourself too seriously.

Thoughts on Plyometric Training – Part Three FAQ’s

The following are common questions and concern regarding Plyometric training.

How often is optimum? Two to three times a seven-day microcycle depending on the phase of the year and the sport is acceptable. Low amplitude remedial in place movements can be done daily as part of warm-up.

How complex should the exercises be? Start with simple movements in place and then add combinations as the athlete achieves mastery. As far as sequence and compatibility with other components, Plyometric training and strength training are very complementary. Plyometric training is also very compatible with speed development. Given this fundamental compatibility with other methods of high neural demand it imperative to take into account the overall stress on the nervous system when combining methods.

Where in the training spectrum does Plyometric training best fit? It must always be there! The number of contacts, the type of exercise and the complexity changes as the season progresses.

Where in the workout is best? Generally early in the workout before there is any fatigue.  With the younger developing athlete put Plyometric training before strength training and before sprinting. As the athlete advances in training age then the Plyometric can be blended with the strength training during certain phases and even follow strength training. The sequence is very training age dependent.

At what age is the appropriate to begin Plyometric training? There is no physiological reason why the young developing athlete cannot do Plyometric training. The intensity should be low and the drills and exercises should be play like. Games like hopscotch and jump rope are very appropriate as training and as lead-up activities. How is it best to assess intensity if it is so important? Wherever and when ever possible measure, time, video, watch and listen.

What about progression? When problems do occur it is often because of a lack of progression, too much too soon or an inappropriate selection of exercises. Also poor technique in the actual execution of the exercises can create inappropriate stress. Strength deficiencies either in the lower extremities or the core coupled with the previous two deficiencies can be a major factor in injury.

 

In summary if properly applied Plyometric training can be a tremendous training tool. Use it progressively and always make sure it is always considered in context with the whole training program.

 

Plyometric Training Step by Step

                Learn to land

                    How you land determines how you take-off

                    Use as many joint as possible to

                    reduce force

                Learn to take-off

                    Triple extension – Use as many joint as

                    possible to produce force

                Learn to use the ground

                        Progress from 

                            Two foot landing

                            One foot landing

                            Alternate foot landings

                Get Vertical

                        Project and displace up

                Get Horizontal

                        Project and displace out

 

 

Mom

Today is Mothers day, but for me everyday is Mothers day. A day does not go by where I do not think of my mother and say a silent prayer to thank her for all she did for me. Her desire to give me the opportunities that she never had, to get an education, to have a better life motivates me everyday. Thanks Mom, even though you have been gone for 22 years you are in my thoughts everyday. Happy Mothers day.

Mom

Today is Mothers day, but for me everyday is Mothers day. A day does not go by where I do not think of my mother and say a silent prayer to thank her for all she did for me. Her desire to give me the opportunities that she never had, to get an education, to have a better life motivates me everyday. Thanks Mom, even though you have been gone for 22 years you are in my thoughts everyday. Happy Mothers day.

Lest we forget!

Lest we forget our jobs as Strength & Conditioning/Athletic Development coaches is to prepare the athletes we work with to be injury free and ready to perform in their sport in the competition arena. In addition we must prepare them to handle the day-to-day workload in training and practice. What we do is a means to end, not an end unto itself. It should support and prepare the athlete. Faster 40 times, big bench press and squat numbers that do not translate into performance do no good. I urge you to take another look at what you are doing? Why are you doing it? When are you doing it? To whom are you doing it with? Is it sport appropriate? Are you entertaining them or training them? We have a responsibility, as coaches to coach the athletes to be better – Are you doing it?

Thoughts on Plyometric Training – Part Two

The prerequisites for effective use of Plyometric training are coordination, balance, body control and awareness. Core control and core strength are also very important to maintain good dynamic posture during the movements. Leg strength relative to the level of the athlete’s development is a must. It is not necessary to be able to squat a certain amount of weight, rather it is necessary to exhibit a certain degree of functional leg strength. If these prerequisites are at an acceptable level then the athlete is ready to start into a basic progression. Progression is essential to minimize injury and optimize training adaptation. Lead up activities done in a playful, game like environment are a very important part of progression as well as good preparation for the young developing athlete.

The key to progression is to teach landing first. Foot position is the key to effective landing. The landing is on a full foot (mid foot contact), not on the ball of the foot or a completely flat foot. A mid foot landing will set the foot in a position to shock absorb and set up the utilization of the elasticity of the muscles up the kinetic chain. This will teach how to absorb shock and set up the readiness for the any subsequent take-offs on multiple response activities. After landing, then teach take-off which is triple extension of ankle, knee and hip, the summation of forces.

Plyometric training is classified descriptively based on the projection of the center of gravity. The In Place Response is characterized by vertical displacement of center of gravity. The Short Response is characterized by horizontal displacement of center of gravity and ten contacts or less. The Long Response is characterized by horizontal displacement of Center of Gravity with speed and more than ten contacts.

To help the coach get a better command of the process of putting the classifications into a coherent program the Plyometric Demand Matrix (Adapted from Radcliffe page 42 High Powered Plyometrics) was developed to govern progression. The progression variables can be manipulated moving down the column or across. The suggested range of sets, repetitions and or distance appears in each box.

	Low Impact	Medium Impact	High Impact	Shock
In-Place Response	3-4 sets 10-20 reps	3 sets 10-12 reps	2-3 sets 8-10 reps	2 sets 10 reps
Short Response	3 sets 10-12 reps 10-20 meters	3 sets 10 reps 10-20 meters	2-3 sets 8-10 reps 10-20 meters	2 sets 10 reps
Long Response	3 sets 10-20 reps 20-40 meters	2-3 sets 10-15 reps 20-40 meters	2-3 sets 10-12 reps 20-40 meters	NA

For the athlete of advance training age the numbers can be pushed up slightly as long as quality is not compromised. Keep in mind that this matrix is only a rough guideline and it must be adapted to fit the sport and the individual athlete.

Thoughts on Plyometric Training – Part One

Plyometric training is based on the naturally occurring physiological phenomenon of the stretch shortening cycle of muscle action. It is training the stretch shortening cycle of muscle action to enhance the subsequent concentric action. The utilization of the stretch shortening is essential for efficient human movement. It is a quality of the muscle action that is highly trainable and adaptable. Over the years much confusion has arisen about this method of training. Much of the confusion has come from the name itself. It first appeared in coaching literature in the late 1960’s, but that is not when it was first used in training. Jumping, hopping, and bounding activities have been used throughout the ages, although it was not until the mid twentieth century that the use of these activities was systematically applied to athletic performance enhancement. It is scientifically accurate and more descriptive to call this method elastic/ reactive training but that is cumbersome, hence the term plyometrics is more commonly used. Elastic/ reactive training is certainly more descriptive of the goals of the training method and the physiological demands, because essentially we are training the elastic properties of the muscle to be more reactive to the ground.

The goals of Plyometric training are threefold: 1) First and foremost to raise explosive power. 2) To learn to better attenuate ground forces regardless of the event or sport. 3) To learn to be able to tolerate and use greater stretch loads, in essence to increase muscle stiffness.

The last point demands a bit more explanation. Musculotendinous stiffness is the key to elastic/reactive training. It is highly related to the body’s ability to store and reuse elastic energy from running and jumping. The concept of stiffness is sometimes confusing because we tend to equate stiffness with a lack of flexibility, for explosive movements this is not the case. Essentially a stiff muscle will develop a high degree of tension as it is stretched. This is very desirable to raise explosiveness. Conversely a non-stiff muscle will collapse and absorb elastic energy; it does not react as actively to the ground, therefore it will produce significantly less explosiveness. A simple analogy to help to understand stiffness is to compare a soft rubber playground ball and a golf ball. If both balls were dropped onto a hard concrete surface the golf ball would react rapidly and the playground ball would react slowly to the ground. In plyometic training in order to optimize ground reaction forces we want the golf ball type reaction. A stiff muscle is able to produce optimum amounts of reactive force in a short period of time.

Plyometric training is not a stand alone training method; it is highly compatible and significantly enhanced by strength training. It is also closely related to speed development. Most importantly it is NOT a conditioning tool! Because of the explosive nature of the work it is of high neural demand, therefore it should not be used for conditioning. It should almost never be trained in a climate of fatigue, with a few notable exceptions. Those exceptions are sports that demand power endurance like soccer, rugby, basketball, 400 meters or 400 meter hurdles. In those sports the fatigue element is only introduced after the technical component of the exercise is mastered. This will minimize risk of injury. The stimulus for adaptation is not volume it is intensity. Nothing should ever compromise the intensity of the movements. Too much emphasis has been placed on volume in terms of the number of contacts. Over the years as with a better understanding of the application of the method, the number of contacts in a training session and a microcycle has been significantly reduced. In the past it was not uncommon to see 300 – 400 contacts in a session, today a high volume session is in the range of 90 – 120 contacts with a range of 250 - 400 contacts for a microcycle. More is definitely not better. If used properly it is a highly effective tool to stimulate the nervous system, but if used improperly it can have the opposite and dull, if not deaden the nervous system.

Plyometric training consists of three very basic movements. Jumping characterized by two foot landings is the most fundamental. Hopping is characterized by one foot landing. Due to the fact that body weight is supported on one leg on landing makes hopping more stressful. Bounding is characterized by alternate leg takeoff. This is also quite demanding because all the bodyweight is supported on one in the landings. The complexity in Plyometric training comes from combining these movements and their derivatives.