Functional Path Training

Coaching is Teaching

How do you teach? How you reach determines you effectiveness as a coach. It was drilled into me when I was in college and student coaching that coaching was teaching. Fortunately early in my career I was mentored by and coached with some great teacher /coaches. As I reflect on that I realize how fortunate I was to have those influences. When I look at young coaches today I don’t see the same emphasis on teaching. I see tremendous technical knowledge, which is wonderful, but can you impart to the athlete? As coaches our classroom and laboratories are the track, fields, courts or the pool. Everything we do as coaches is based on our ability to teach. Make you goal to be a better teacher and you will be a significantly better coach.

 

What Matters

In life and in coaching it is important to focus on what matters. What matters most is relationships – people – the human element. It seems like this has been an ongoing theme in the blog this year. In today’s world of fast information and big data it is easy to forget that the numbers, data, scientific measurements are one-dimensional – we coach people who are multidimensional. They are not machines, they respond to care and concern. Good coaching is about developing trust and working together with the athletes to guide them to grow athletically and personally. Every truly effective coach I have known knows what matters and focuses on what matters. They are astute observers and sharp listeners. A simple guideline to help focus on what matters is to remember the 3 C’s connect, convey, and convince.

2013 Books of the Year

So far in 2013 I have read 124 books (Still a week to go so I probably will end with 127). Needless to say I am a confirmed serial bibliophile. I did not include any novels in this list, no particular reason. I am a big Michael Connelly fan, saving his new book, The Gods of Guilt, for next week. Also have just started reading Lee Child, good escape reading. Next year my plan is to go back and read some Mark Twain, Hemingway and Steinbeck, get back to the American roots. These are the ten books I enjoyed the most in 2013.

1) The Sports Gene by David Epstein

Key to understanding nurturing nature in many ways this is the anti Gladwell. Reads like a novel.So good I read it twice.

2) The Unwinding by George Packer

Read this if you want insights into the United Sates today, the haves and the have-nots. Not always a pretty picture.

3) Practice Perfect by Doug Lemov, Erica Woolway and Katie Yezi

This is a must read and needs to be a constant reference to insure quality teaching. Full of practical hints.

4) The Guns at Last Light by Rick Atkinson

Tremendous detailed research on the last European campaigns of WWII; this may be the best of the trilogy.

5) The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown

Sport in a whole other time and place. Very inspirational.

6) The Icarus Deception by Seth Godin

This is the latest in a line of classics by the master, just full of great thoughts and ideas.

7) Classic Track & Field Tales by Larry Knuth

If you are track fan you have to read this. Brings back so many memories of the halcyon days of he sport

8) Therapeutic Stretching by Eyal Lederman

A must read for every coach. Lederman understands function.

9) The Story of the Human Body – Evolution Health and Disease by Daniel Lieberman

Terrific and though provoking  insights into today’s human body from an evolutionary biology perspective.

10) Mastermind – How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes by Maria Konnikova

Many great insights in thinking differently and looking for solutions.

USATF Coaching Education Program – 30 Years Later

Yesterday when I working on two chapters for the new and revised Level One Coaching Manual to be published by Human Kinetics I realized that thirty years ago this past week was when we had out first instructor training school and curriculum development meeting. We gathered at Cal State University, Long Beach. Ron Buss was the women’s track coach there and he graciously took care of all the facilities and organization. There were around fifty of us (Somehow the records have been lost as to the exact number – another story for another time). It was an amazing week! Each aspect of the level one curriculum was presented and critiqued and revised onsite. The last two days we had essentially our first level two for those instructors, it was very high level presented by coaches like Ken Foreman from Seattle Pacific and top sport science people. The highlight of that segment was Dr Joe Vigil then of Adams State talking for three hours on the most intricate details of exercise physiology with no notes. It was vintage Joe Vigil.

No one was paid a cent. They received their travel and room and board. The whole program was started with $3,000 seed money from the Men and Women’s development committees. From that $3,000 has grown arguably one of the most successful programs ever undertaken by USATF. It proves that drive, determination and dedication with heavy doses of idealism can succeed. We refused to take no for an answer. Gary Winckler, Joe Vigil and myself with the tremendous support of Berney Wagner in the national office somehow got it done. On Sunday afternoon when we finished Gary Winckler then at Florida State, Scott Brady-Smith from Acalanes High school and Kevin McGill who was at Columbia University went back to my house in Irvine and worked non-stop the next two days to get the curriculum ready for the first the Level One Schools to be held the first weekend in January 1984. Remember there were no computers, my wife had to type everything and we had to get it off to the school directors for duplication. Somehow it all worked and the schools went off without a hitch.

This program is a shinning light in a sport that needs help. The answer to reviving track and field and giving it the respect it so deserves lies with improving the quality of coaching. I am proud to have played a small part in getting this started, now we need to unify our efforts and all get together and make the program even better. Just writing this has stirred so many fond memories of the dedicated people that worked so hard to get this program off the ground in the first five years. I thank all of you.

My wish is that the breakaway faction in the track coach’s organization would get back together with us to improve the program and make the sport better. Track & Field needs unity not division. We need to put egos and personalities aside and do what is right for the sport, Invoke the spirit of all of those who started the program with no compensation just unlimited passion and knowledge coupled with a love of the sport. Lets get together and make the next thirty years even better.

 

GAIN 2014

The Gambetta Athletic Improvement Network (GAIN) is a community of professionals interested in learning and sharing to improve their abilities and enhance their professional status.

GAIN 2014 will take place June 17 to 21 at Rice University in Houston, Texas. The program isopen to sport coaches, conditioning coaches, physical education teachers, athletic trainers, physical therapists, chiropractors and doctors. Go to http://www.thegainnetwork.com/joingain.htmlto download the application form, submit your application now, enrollment is limited. Professional tuition is$3,800 and scholastic tuition is $1900 (High school, junior high school, elementary school teachers and coaches are eligible for the scholastic tuition). Tuition includes breakfast, lunch and dinner each day, and room. Please call me at 941-378-1778 or email mail me at [email protected] if you have any questions.

Be a leader and an innovator! Apply now and join a select group of professionals at GAIN. Our goal is to define the field of Athletic Development by educating professionals in foundational principles and methodology as applied to coaching, physical education and rehabilitation. This program is intense, intellectually challenging and demanding. We combine theory and practice in a five-day residential coaching school format. This is an opportunity to observe, participate, question, and explore the application of the Gambetta Method - Systematic Sport Development Model of training, teaching and injury rehabilitation.

The coaching school represents just a beginning of an incredible professional development opportunity. The graduates of the program can continue to participate via the secure web site, and continue to attend the GAIN coaching school for the duration of their careers if they so choose for no additional cost.

Our faculty is experienced professionals who combine their knowledge, experiences and passion for teaching to help guide you. They are leaders in their respective fields who are in the trenches working in the field of athletic development.

For those who have attended it has been a career changing experience. Take a giant step forward to enhance your professional development. Apply now for GAIN 2014; don’t miss this opportunity for professional advancement. Go to http://www.thegainnetwork.com/joingain.htmlanddownload the application form and apply now.

Benefits

• Athletic Development Handbook
• T-Shirts and Backpack
• Continuing Education Units
• Career long access to GAIN Forum and library
• Career long attendance at GAIN Coaching School

 

John Wooden – Master Teacher

Coaching is teaching and no one epitomizes that more than John Wooden. He was a teacher of basketball and life; his classroom was the basketball court. It is no coincidence that many of his ideas about coaching were forged in the classroom as a high school English teacher. He was not a complexifier, he kept things basic and fundamental. The emphasis was on repetition and mastery of basics. He carefully planed his practices down to the minute, spending up to two hours a day planning the training sessions. In a study done on his coaching by two psychologists, Ronald Gallimore & Roland Tharp originally done in 1975 and updated in 2004 (Read more at http://tinyurl.com/mhskpr9) they observed 2,636 acts of coaching: 6.9% were compliments, 6.6% were expressions of discipline, and most importantly 75% was pure information! The comments were short, punctuated, numerous and rarely longer that 20 seconds – no lectures! John Wooden was Twitter coach before Twitter. Coach like John Wooden coached, know your message, communicate the message and do it in 140 characters maximum.

 

 

Twitter Coaching

As you know the goal of Twitter is get you message across in 140 characters or less. Over the years as I have observed great coaches I have seen what I call Twitter coaching. Great coaches are great teachers who get their message across in a very succinct on point manner. Seldom do great coaches speak in paragraphs, they speak in sentences that are very direct and intended to elicit a specific behavior. Be a twitter coach and improve your coaching effectiveness. By the way follow me on Twitter @coachgambetta. The great John Wooden was a Twitter coach before Twitter, more on his coaching style tomorrow.

 

Lest We Forget

We coach people, not football players, tennis players, swimmers or jumpers! Remember athletes are not data points on a graph, Chris McCormack, Ironman Champion said it best: "We’re athletes. We’re not integers in a formula.” Coaching is something we do with the the athlete, not to the athlete. It is a collaborative process. Focus on the person and the athlete will prosper and achieve their potential.

Coaching Classics

I know I have published this list of coaching classics before but there are many new readers to the blog and followers on Twitter @coachgambetta and friends on Facebook http://tinyurl.com/lezv8tr and Google Plus who have not seen it. These are classic works that I think every coach should read. They span a range of areas from scientific and technical to sport sociology. Just as with any classic they are timeless. They are rich with knowledge. There are many works in this list that I go back and review each year, they never get old. Challenge yourself and see how many of these you can read in the year, if you do you be a more knowledgeable and well rounded coach for doing 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 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

 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 Arthur 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

 

Practice Breaker – Lectures

Starting practice with a long lecture is a surefire way to ruin the training session. Coaches are good at talking and love to talk, but the start of practice is not the time and place. Recognize that the athletes are there to train, not to listen to a lecture. My rule of thumb is three minutes of talking that consists of very specific instructions pertaining to the training session. We know how long we can hold someone’s attention - not long - so use that knowledge. Make it short, sharp filled with action words that are directed to the desired actions during the training session. It should be information rich and positive. If you don’t know what to say then don’t say anything. Think of it this way: Know your point, make your point, stay on point and summarize with a clear call to action based on the points of emphasis. Coaches like to talk, that does mean you should. Some of the best advice I got early in my career was to remember that we have two eyes, two ears and one mouth for a reason. Watch and listen more and talk less.