Functional Path Training

Give Credit Where Credit is Do – Do The Right Thing

Do the right thing. If you use someone else’s ideas give them credit, giving credit to others does not weaken or diminish your status, in fact it strengthens it. In today’s world with the proliferation of information it is even more necessary.  There is no excuse for not knowing, if you think you have an original idea do a Google search and see if someone else has used it. That is not unreasonable. I learned in the first clinic that I attended as a senior at Fresno Sate in 1968 how important it was to give credit. Bill Bowerman was the speaker he gave credit to Arthur Lydiard, Gosta Holmer and others who influenced him in the development of his system of training runners. That left a huge impression on me. This guy was the best and he had no trouble giving credit to others. I am very concerned with the stealing of ideas and lack of credit that is being given today. It seems to be a generational thing especially among those that have grown up with the Internet. When you use someone’s ideas or training methods give them credit. It is not hard, just a mention in a speech, a name on a slide, or  a credit on a DVD. It is common courtesy. In some cases there are legal ramifications, I will not go there, to me it is just a matter of doing what is right. Go the extra mile and give credit where credit is do. Honor and respect those who have come before you. Above all be honest, most of all be honest with yourself.

WOD – Fundamentally Flawed

WOD is an acronym for workout of the day. Is a cornerstone of a popular fitness craze that needs to be totally re-examined in light of the injuries caused by it and the number of people put in the hospital with Rhabdomyolysis (That is for another blog at another time) Let’s look at WOD in the light of what training should be. The workout, the individual training session is the building block of a comprehensive training program. No one workout is an end unto itself; each workout is a means to an end.  Yesterday’s workout should seamlessly flow into today’s works and today’s workout should set up and connect with tomorrow’s workout. That is sound training - simple and effective. In addition each workout is not designed to be as hard it can be. There is a rhythm, a flow of alternating hard and easy workouts all designed to achieve adaptation to the desired training stimulus. Each workout should be designed to fit the demands of the sport being trained for the needs of the individual athlete. Pushing to the edge and beyond and puking in every session is not training, it is stupidity, in fact it is abusive. That is what I see the WOD concept do. No workout is connected to another workout, every workout is to the max everyday. There is no time to allow for adaptation. This results in the survivors getting very fit and those that do not survive get injured. Training should not be a survival contest; it is about adaptation and cumulative training effect over time to achieve the desired training goal. Training should fit the individual one size does not fit all. When you log on to get your WOD ask yourself why you are doing the same thing as everyone else is doing? That should be your first clue that something is wrong. Also it is important to remember that it does not always have to be hard and grinding to get results. Training accumulates over time. Give yourself a chance to get progressively better by making sure that each workout is part of an overall plan with specific long, medium and short-term goals. Plan your training and work your plan to achieve your goals.

The S&C Wasteland

Now is the time to take a step back and look at the approach to Strength & Conditioning as it has evolved. Basically what we see happening is that we have the means to an end (Strength Training) become an end unto itself. Instead of having sport demands and qualities of the individual athlete drive the training the emphasis is on chasing numbers in the weight room. One or five rep maximum has little to do directly with sport performance. In fact many times the emphasis on one quality, strength, is developed at the expenses of other qualities. The end result is less athleticism and also more injuries of the type we are seeing today. We need to wake up and redefine what strength & conditioning is all about. S&C coaches need to be performance based, to see the big picture to prepare the athlete for the demands of their sports. In the last two weeks I have spoken with three different swim coaches and two soccer coaches at the collegiate level that do not want their athletes to go near the existing S&C programs because they are not meeting their athletes needs. To me this is alarming; it is a call to action that we must heed. You can say that this is the exception, but I see it more as the norm. All of us need to look in the mirror and re-examine why we do what we do or we will go the way of the dinosaur.

The Basics – Mastery Nothing Less!

If you don’t get the basics right then everything that follows will be compromised. In my experience the difference between good and great is that that the great ones always pay attention to the basics and have flawless mastery of the basics. They never stray far from the fundamentals; in fact no matter where they are in their career they touch the basics everyday. Sure it is mundane, some have called it boring, but to be the best requires mastery of the basics. Advanced skill and technique is built upon sound fundamentals. The most basic of the basics are fundamental movement skills – pull, push, squat, bend, extend, rotate reach, step, leap, starting, stopping, jump etc. It may not be as exciting as trying to master some more complex movements or technique but it will serve you well in the short and long run. The great John Wooden felt that most mistakes under pressure in games was caused by weaknesses in fundamental basketball skills. Each day in each of his practices a significant amount of time was devoted to proper execution of fundamentals.

A base of fundamentals is the foundation for more complex skills and creativity in movement. Keep it simple, link and connect basic movements to achieve advanced skill and training. If you don’t know the alphabet you can’t spell a word, if you can’t spell you can’t write sentences, if you can’t write sentences then you can’t compose paragraphs or write an essay much less write the great American novel. Master the movement ABC’s and go higher faster and stronger.

Getting There – Being The Best

The process of getting to be the best is not a straightforward linear path, it is a process and it takes time. In my forty-four years of coaching I have seen that many are called to walk the path but few actually choose. Yes you read that correctly. Many are called but few choose. The opportunity is there for many but few will make the choice because it is a difficult path that requires moving out of their Comfort Zone.

At each step of development there are clear-cut choices that must be made. Some of the choices are conscious, like doing something different in training and others are subtle almost unconscious like pushing through a pain barrier or finishing a workout that seems too hard. You must be guided by clear SMART goals that help to guide you to your destination. SMART goals are goals that are:

S = Specific

M = Measurable

A = Attainable

R = Realistic

T = Time

The goal is where you want to go, where you want to end up, it is the beacon of light that guides you. Most athletes start in the Comfort Zone and stay there. They are good at their sport and satisfied with where they are. They make easy choices; they never go the extra mile. They do only what is expected, never more. Athletes in this zone take no risks; there are no champions here. If you aspire to be a peak performer then you will quickly have to move out of your comfort zone to the Performance Zone or you will never achieve your goals.

Athletes in the Performance Zone have a greater commitment. They take some risks and they will go the extra mile when necessary. They occasionally are uncomfortable. They usually win as much as they lose.

From the Performance Zone the next step is the High Performance Zone. As the athlete chooses to do what is necessary to move up from one zone to the next there will be less people in of the higher zones.  The athletes in this zone are willing to risk and get very uncomfortable. In fact they are uncomfortable more than they are comfortable and they win more than they lose. They will always go the extra mile.

The pinnacle, the Peak Performance Zone is where the champions live, train and play. This is a special place. It is as far from the comfort zone as you could imagine. Athletes here are the best of the best and they are comfortable with being uncomfortable because they know what it takes to be the best. In fact they are uncomfortable all the time and they make others uncomfortable with their intensity and drive. The path is clear you must do the work daily with ICE - Intensity, Concentration and Effort. You must win the workouts if you expect to win the competition.

Make the choice to be the best. Set your goals and start acting on those goals now. Be comfortable with being uncomfortable all the time.

Olympic Gold Medal Coaching

I have been fortunate in the time since the Olympic games to spend time with seven coaches of Gold medal winners in Athletics (Track & Field) from the London games. In two instances I got to watch workouts and spend significant time with the coach and athlete. These are the commonalities that all shared:

Passion – In most cases they wore their passion on their sleeves.

Technical Knowledge – They knew the basics and didn’t stray far from them. None of them made what they did overly complicated.

Emotional Intelligence – They know their athletes and themselves. They listened to the athlete.

Systematic – Nothing by chance, thorough plans, but still built flexibility into the system

Humility – Not overly impressed with themselves, willing to credit others and seek help. Did not go it alone.

Paid their dues – All except one has been coaching for quite some time; they were not always coaching gold medal winners.

Interestingly enough these are the characteristics I see in great coaches at any level. These characteristics are what it takes to be an effective coach.

Exercises, Drills & Stuff

Yesterday afternoon I was in Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port of Spain Trinidad watching over three hundred track & field athletes of all ages train but I could have just as well been in London, Brisbane or back home in Sarasota. What I saw was a bunch of drills and exercises; it was obvious in most cases the drills were just imitations of what someone had seen on YouTube or learned at a workshop. Drills and exercises without purpose and context are nothing more than busy work, just stuff. If you use drills know the purpose of the drill. Know why you are using the drill or exercise at this time with these athletes. Just doing work and getting tired is not training. There must be a purpose and direction to everything you do to prepare the athlete for the demands of competition. Drills often get the athlete better at the drill and do not transfer to the actual event. I have learned over the years that less is more. Fewer drills and exercises done with a specific purpose that the athlete clearly understands are more effective that a bunch of stuff wishing and hoping they will work.  Training with direction, intent and purpose will produce results.

Going Through The Motion

Just getting in hours will not do it. Anyone can go through the motions, huff and puff and look like they are working. Just doing work is not good enough; you must train with ICE – Intensity, Concentration, Effort. If you consistently achieve a high ice score eight to ten on a ten-point scale. A score of ten being frigid, ice cold then you will the workout. If you can consistently win workouts then you give yourself a chance to perform in competition, remember there are no guarantees. Champions are champions everyday, when there are no crowds, no coaches, and no teammates, just you against the clock or the weight. It is all about the will to prepare.

Coaching Out of Your Comfort Zone

We talk a lot about having our athletes get out of their comfort zones to move forward and progress. How about us? As coaches we all have our comfort zones. Some of us are good in certain areas. Some of us can prepare an athlete for a league or a district meet and then are out of our element when we have to prepare for a state of national competition. In short we all have our comfort zones. Step back and do an honest evaluation of where you are as a coach. What are you comfortable with? Where are you uncomfortable? Is where you are comfortable holding you and most importantly your athletes back? I know I am pushing myself to get out of my comfort zone in certain areas. After 44 years of coaching it is tougher to do but I know it must be done. It may mean little things, but a succession of little things could make a big difference. What are you going to do today to get out of your comfort zone to help make your athletes better?

The Training Puzzle

Start with a clear picture of the finished puzzle, the picture on the cover of the box. What do want the athlete to look like physically and performance wise at the end of the training program? Keep this picture in mind all the time. This is the ultimate goal of the training puzzle. Build from the corners and the edges in to the middle. Take of advantage of the straight edges the easy things to achieve those will provide the structure to fill in all the pieces. Once you have done this the pieces will begin to fit logically into place.