Functional Path Training

Coaching Philosophy

In preparation for my presentation at the Global Coaching House in London next week http://www.globalcoacheshouse.net/ I have been giving a lot of thought to coaching philosophy and its implications for policy and practice. A coaching philosophy is the coaches guiding light. It is the cornerstone upon which everything else is built. Without a sound well thought out philosophy you will not be effective as a coach. The philosophy consists of certain foundational beliefs that you will never compromise. They are absolute and should never change.

My philosophy is governed by the following quote from George Bernard Shaw: " Some people see things the way they are and ask why?  Others see things the way they should be, and ask Why not?” The pursuit of excellence has it's own rewards. I am the coach of people not sports. Coaching sports is easy, that is the X's and O's. Coaching people is more complex; it demands understanding of what makes each athlete tick.

Know why you coach? Know why your athletes participate. Know your coaching style, that is the means of implementing your philosophy. The cornerstone of any effective coaching style is communication.

Coaching = Leadership & Communication

Harry Truman said that leadership is: "The ability to get other people to do what they don't want to do, and like it." Genuine leaders have an intuition and ability to visualize the big picture. They think long term. They grasp the relationship of larger realities, have political skills, cause change, affirm values, and achieve unity.

Just Enough

We are three days away from the culmination of four years of preparation for the Olympic games. I was reflecting on the final phases of preparation – what needs to be done to put the finishing touches on the training? It can be summed up in a quite succinctly – just enough! Do just enough work to allow the years of preparation to be applied. In the final phase of training what isn’t done may be more important that what is done. That last hard workout is in most cases not necessary, do just enough to get tired, calm the nerves and fine tune. Now is the time to reap the harvest of the hard work from the career buildup. Seldom if ever can anything be done in the final preparation stages that will directly impact performance in a positive manner. Be confident in your preparation and focus on competing. This is where the art of coaching is most important.

Coaching Classics

I think just like in literature and history there are classic books in coaching that you must read to be considered literate in your field. The books listed below played a huge role in forming my ideas and philosophy. I find myself going back to many of them for reference even though some are fifty plus years old; they have stood the test of time. The list is somewhat biased toward track & field because that is my background, but track & field training is the foundation for training in virtually all other sports – run, jump & throw. I recommend that all you young coaches just beginning your careers endeavor to read the books on this list, it will give a knowledge base that will put current research and practice in historical context. In order to know where you are going you have know where you have been. In addition I recommend at least one hour of current professional development reading a day ( Not the internet, books or journals) – make it a habit and you can do it.

The Inner Athlete by Bob Nidefer

Problem Athletes and How to Handle Them by Tom Tutko and Bruce Ogilvie

Psychology and the Superior Athlete by Miroslav Vanek  and Bryant J. Cratty

Scientific Principles of Coaching by John Bunn

What Research Tells The Coach About Sprinting by George Dintiman

Track & Field Omnibook (First, Second, Third or Fourth Editions) by Ken Doherty

Modern Track & Field by Ken Doherty

Modern Training For Running by Ken Doherty

The Science of Swimming by James E. Counsilman

The Mechanics of Athletics by Geoffrey Dyson

Better Athletes Trough Weight Training by Bob Hoffman

Hidden causes of injury, prevention, and correction for running athletes by John Jesse

Strength, Power, and Muscular Endurance for Runners and Hurdlers by John Jesse

Wrestling – Physical Conditioning Encyclopedia by John Jesse

Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation: Patterns and techniques by Dorothy Knotts and Margaret Voss

Scientific Principles and Methods of Strength Fitness.  By Patrick O’Shea

Total Body Training by Richard H. Dominguez and Robert Gajda

Kinesiology by Gene Logan and Wayne C. McKinney

Skill In Sport By Barbara Knapp

Acquiring Ball Skill – A Psychological Interpretation by H.T.A. Whiting

The Thinking Body by Mabel Todd

Run Run Run by Fred Wilt

How They Train by Fred Wilt

Mechanics Without Tears by Fred Wilt

No Bugles, No Drums by Peter Snell

The Unforgiving Minute by Ron Clarke with Alan Trengove

Run to the Top by Author Lydiard

Franz Stampfl on Running by Franz Stampfl

The Jim Ryun Story by Cordner Nelson

Another Hurdle by Dave Hemry

Run To Daylight by Vince Lombardi and W.C. Heinz

Track and Field Dynamics by Tom Ecker

Championship Track and Filed by Tom Ecker

Biomechanics of Athletic Movement by Gerhard Hochmuth

Sports Physiology by Edward L. Fox

Interval Training – Conditioning for Sports and General Fitness by Edward L. Fox and Donald K. Mathews

Biomechanics and Energetics of Muscular Exercise by Rodolfo Margaria

Biomechanics of Sports Techniques by Jim Hay

Introduction to Biomechanic analysis of sport by John W. Northrip, Gene A. Logan and Wayne C. McKinney

Principles of Sports Training – Introduction to the Theory and methods of Training by Dietrich Harre

Fundamental of Sports Training by L. Matveyev

Sports Training Principles by Frank Dick

Training Theory by Frank Dick

Track Speed – Hurdles, Sprints and Relays by John Le Masurier

Track and Field – Textbook for Coaches and Sports Teachers Edited by Gerhardt Schmolinsky

Olympic Track And Field Techniques by Tom Ecker, Fred Wilt, and Jim Hay

International Track and field Coaching Encyclopedia by Feed Wilt and Tom Ecker

Track in Theory and Technique Edited by Thomas P. Rosandich

The Hurdlers Bible by Wilbur Ross

Mechanics of the Pole Vault by R.V. Ganslen

The Triple Jump Encyclopedia by Ernie Bullard and Larry Knuth

Tendinitis: it’s Etiology and Treatment by Sandra Curwin and William D. Stanish

The Sweet Spot in Time by John Jerome

Weight Training In Athletics by Jim Murray and Peter V. Karpovich

Weight Training in Athletics and Physical Education by Gene Hooks

Circuit Training by Manfred Scholich

Circuit Training by R. E. Adamson and G.T. Morgan

The Miracle Machine by Doug Gilbert

The System of Physical Education in the USSR Edited by G. I Kukushkin

The Soviet Road To Olympus – Theory And Practice Of Soviet Physical Culture And Sport by N. Norman Shneidman

1000 Exercises d’ Athletisme by Kurt Murer and Walter Bucher

Winning Volleyball – Fundamentals, Tactics and Strategy by Allen E. Scates

The Pursuit of Sporting Excellence – A Study of Sport’s Highest Achievers by David Henry

The Athletic Revolution by Jack Scott

Meat on the Hoof – The Hidden World of Texas Football by Gary Shaw

Out of Their League by Dave Meggyesy

Are You Ready?

Between the dawn of civilization and 2003 there was a total of five Exabyte’s of data collected (One Exabyte = One quintillion bytes). In 2012 five Exabyte’s of data was collected every two days!  It is projected that in the very near future data will be collected at the rate of five Exabyte’s every few minutes!! (Source Don Tapscott – Designing Your Mind in This Will Make Your Smarter – New Scientific Concepts to Improve Your Thinking, edited by John Bockman) How are you preparing to handle this tsunami of information now? What is your plan for the future? How will you filter the need to know from the nice to know? There is an upside to this and a downside to this. In order to stay current and on the cutting demands an information management plan and strategy. I am working on mine now, what are you doing about this information explosion?

Timing Not Time

The whole process of adaptation to training takes time. Adaptation does not occur overnight. That being said it actually may be the timing of the application of the training stimulus that is more important than time to adaptation. It is timing - when the training stimulus is applied - both in terms of when in a career and when in a training year. Essentially it is when you do what you do that will ultimately determine the success of a training program. There is a time for everything and it all takes time. Slow down and give the body time to use it adaptabilities and inherent wisdom.

London 2012 – Global Coaching House

I am privileged to be in London to be part of the Global Coaching House http://www.globalcoacheshouse.net/ If you are going to be in London during the games stop by, it would be great to visit and share coaching ideas and experiences. I will be doing two presentations and moderating a panel as part of the program. It is a wonderful opportunity to interact with coaches from around the world and exchange ideas. It is a great program most of which is free. Hope to see you there. I will be in London from July 26 through to August 6.

One Leg At A Time

The cornerstone of function is the gait cycle. Movement occurs off one leg onto the other. Movement in sport and in life in general for that matter  require the body to reduce and produce force in multiple planes in a myriad of permutations of the gait cycle. The commonalities are that movement is off one foot onto the other in one-foot landings and takeoffs based on the interplay of triple flexion and triple extension.

The training implications should be quite obvious. Train on one leg, train off and on one leg, and train both legs. The proportion of which is determined by the demands of the sport and individual needs. The single leg squat both from a standing and seated position is the foundational exercise. That is the remedial movement. The lunge done in all three planes is the centerpiece. The step-up done on a   lower box with alternating legs and high box with single leg is another essential movement. Finally the double leg squat, although less functional is another general strength exercise. Start with bodyweight at one rep per second rate of execution and progress from there.

The single leg and reciprocal leg movements with appropriate resistance will bullet proof the athlete and build a great foundation for sprinting, landing, planting and cutting that is done off one leg onto the other.

3 P’s of Training

Any good productive training program meets what I call the 3P criteria. Is what you are planning to do practical, personal and proactive?

Practical – Can you do it in the context of the time, facilities, equipment and personnel available? Does it fit within the context of the whole training program?

Personal – Does the training fit the person or are you trying to make the person fit the training?

Proactive – Do you have a plan and contingencies to fit situations you might encounter?

Apply the 3P criteria to your training and 99.9% of the time you will be spot on.

Possibilities

When I hear people talk about problems and what can’t be done it turns me off. I prefer to focus on what can be done – possibilities. I am not naïve, I know there are problems and obstacles to change but over the years I have seen it where the focus was on the problems and the obstacles and where the focus was the possibility, the solution. The later approach works, the former approach makes the problem worse. If someone tells me it can’t be done, you better believe I will find a way to get it done. There are no limits to human performance beyond what is self-imposed. Look forward and upward, if you stumble and fall brush yourself off get up and keep going. You can do it if you move forward step by step. Sometimes the steps are so small that they are almost imperceptible, no matter progress is still moving forward.

Look for opportunities, not limitations. Find someone to help you and support your endeavors. I used to think that if it was to be it was up to me. Now I understand that it is to be it up to WE. Roger Banister did not break the four-minute mile barrier by himself, he had help and support to do it. You can get it done, get going now, don’t wait. Tune out the naysayers, focus on the possibilities. You can find a way.

Athlete & Coaching Development Pathway

The past two days I was in meetings reviewing the USA Track & Coaching Education program. A discussion with my friend and mentor Dr. Joe Vigil  got me thinking about the process of athlete and coach development. We often focus on the process of developing the athlete that we forget the role the coach plays in the process. Athletes and coach development are parallel pathways. Coaches grow and develop the same as athletes grow and develop. Coaching is the cornerstone of athlete development. The athlete grows and develops as they move forward on their pathway to high performance. It is imperative that the coaches grow and develop along with the athlete to lead the athlete. The model is not very complex Frank Dick outlined it in his book Sports Training Principles thirty years ago.

Step One – Basic Conditioning and all that implies

Step Two - Basic Technical Model

Step Three – Appropriate Advanced Conditioning

Step Four – Specific Advanced technical Model

There is no definitive timeline to accomplish this. It is not about time; it is about timing, the mastery of various landmarks a long the path as stepping stones. The coach is the guide in the journey. At the beginning it is the coach who lights the spark that excites the athlete to begin the journey. The role of the coach changes in the process and eventually changes to the role of a mentor. As coaches we must challenge the athlete to grow and develop and eventually achieve independence. Systematic athlete development demands parallel coaching development. The coach must continually challenge themselves to be better the same way they challnge the athlete to be better.