Functional Path Training

The Podium Set

Mr. Kuehl, my high school basketball coach used to tell us that we do the whole the whole practice to get the last the last two minutes because that was where the games would be decided. He emphasized that it was the last two minutes that we worked for, that is when we were tired and we had to execute. It was the time to find that little bit extra. This idea has had a huge influence on my thinking over the years. Today I call it the Podium Set – the last set in the weight workout, the last run of an interval workout, or the last play in a team practice. Everything in training leads to that moment. This is where the practice really counts; it is where you execute when you are physically and mentally fatigued. This is where you draw on the foundation of technique and that you have established. The Podium Set should put the exclamation on that days training. It is setting you up for the next session. It is what your body remembers – make it count! This is where you practice what it takes to stand on the podium.

More Training Do's and Don'ts

Know your strength and weaknesses as a coach. Accentuate your strengths and minimize your weaknesses.

Define yourself do not let others define you

Design training sessions that foster and encourage discovery. Do not create robots or athletes completely dependent on the coach.

Do not try to reinvent the wheel, chances are that if you do your homework someone has done something similar before and you can build on that.

Never lose sight of the fact that training is a means to an end, not an end in itself. Training is preparing to compete.

In season training is essential. To train extensively in preparation and not train in-season can be worse than no training at all

You are never ready, put it on the line. How else do you know where you are? Test yourself. Without risk there is no reward.

Thinking About Strength

In athlete development, with the obvious exception of the preparation of a weight lifter or a power lifter, strength training should be a means to an end. At times it will be the absolute focal point of training and at other times it will play a subservient role. It is important to be constantly aware of where it fits and how it supports and interacts with other training components. In order to see things differently it is imperative to broaden the focus and be constantly aware of the concept of the spectrum approach to strength training.  The spectrum encompasses a range from very heavy and slow movements to light fast ballistic movements. As the athlete moves through the spectrum the goal is strength that the athlete can use, strength they can apply to their respective sport. It takes at least .6 of a second to generate maximum strength. Most sport performance takes place in less that .3 of a second. The main goal is to reconcile the difference. Sometimes this is very measurable in terms of pounds lifted, number of reps, etc.; at other times it will manifest itself in less tangible ways. In order to develop appropriate applicable strength requires a vigilant approach so one does not get caught up in one method. It requires a thorough understanding of the demands of the sport from strength and power perspective, the pattern of injuries and the qualities of the individual athlete.

The Big Picture

We see what we are trained to see. The message here is to learn to see with different eyes. Broaden the perspective. Work to eliminate bias. Always keep the big picture in mind. Once the big picture is lost then it is very easy to lose control of the whole process. The training then becomes a ship without a rudder. Big picture thinking demands that everything always be kept in context. Use the analogy of the symphony. All sections must be in harmony and that is the key to effective functional path training. No global motor quality can stand-alone; it must be supported by the others to achieve results. Trying to work on a component or quality in isolation will ultimately limit the ability to develop that quality to its fullest extent. All physical qualities are related and in many respects interdependent. Take full advantage of that interdependence to develop the optimum training program.

Training – The Process

Training and preparing athletes for competition is a process. It is not a framework, model and definitely not an algorithm. Each athlete is a case study of one. There is no set formula for preparing the athlete, there are principles and guidelines, but the process demands coaching, being there with the athlete or team day by day, session by session to make adjustments and refinements to keep the training on track toward the ultimate goal. The training plan is a guide that must be constantly adjusted. Training accumulates from session to session, day-to-day, week-to-week and month-to-month. Each athlete will adapt at different rates, some are fast responders and other are slow responders. The coach must guide the process with input from all members of the performance team with the most important feedback coming from the athlete. Invest in the process and the results will come.

Some Training Do's and Don'ts

With the young developing athlete – Keep it very FUNdamental.

The can do and want to do are quite different, do not be a hurry.

The female athlete - Recognize the differences and coach the differences.

Training is an accumulation of prior work both positively and negatively

With the elite athlete – Recognize what got them to that level and build upon that.

Recovery is important only if the training that has been done is stressful enough to necessitate recovery

Work with purpose and direction

Train fast to be fast.

Use it or lose it - Law of Reversibility

Thoughts on Function

Function is meaningful movement, it is not an isolated event, and it is movement that is leading toward something not an end unto it self. Movements that are less functional are movements that repeat themselves and are isolated. For example the leg extension or leg curl repeat themselves, they are essentially an end in themselves. Contrast this to the lunge that is progressive and can lead to many variations. The body is a link system and movement involves the timing of the movement of the links of the kinetic chain. It is helpful to visualize the process as total chain training moving from toe nails to fingernails. The outcome is functional sports training which incorporates a global systems approach to training & rehabilitation.

In many ways function defies a strict definition because it always must be defined in the context of the end result. We certainly can see it and feel it. Common sense will direct us to activities that are related to what we are ultimately training for. Since it is about movement it should be instinctual. Unfortunately in the search for quantification and technological advancement we have, at times, outsmarted ourselves. I look at relatively simple criteria; if I am getting too far away from the body and fundamental movement then in all probability what I am doing is not highly functional, it won’t transfer.

Factors to Consider when Developing a Plan

Here are some factors to consider when developing a comprehensive training plan. This is not rocket science, but each factor must be carefully considered and factored into the plan.

Demands of the sport and the position or event

The qualities of the individual athlete

Pattern of Injuries relative to the event

“24 Hour Athlete” Concept - What are they doing when they are not training?

Gender - Female athletes must have different training programs

The time frame available to execute the plan

Specific goals of the training program

Developmental Level

Novice/Beginning

Emerging/Developing

Advanced

Elite

Current state of fitness

Current level of technical development

Competitive Schedule

     Qualifying Format

Championship Format

Recoverability

Adaptability

Fast Adapter

Slow Adapter

 

Why Use FMS?

I have been outspoken in my criticism of the FMS over the years; I first evaluated the FMS back when it started. My initial evaluation and opinion based on my experience and study has not changed as it has grown in popularity. It is a borderline waste of time that generates random numbers without transfer to real life situations. Stop and think, stop sheep walking and doing something because everyone else is doing it. One argument recently presented to me was that it is used at NFL Combine. And the NFL also still uses isokinetic testing. If we use the NFL as our example of a thought leader we are in bad shape (see their enlightened response to the concussion crisis).

I have heard the rationale for the selection of the FMS movements; as far as I am concerned they do not hold water. If you force the body to conform to unusual, strange, often uncomfortable positions – Is that a valid assessment? Stop and think! In assessment I need to reconcile the shapes they have to make in their sports with the shapes they can make and then determine an appropriate training program for that athlete. I want to see how the athlete can make connections and transitions not get in positions that are mentally convenient and easy to measure. By the way because it is easy to measure does not imply it is meaningful.

I am interested in injury prevention not injury prediction. The goal is to test/assess/screen the athlete to determine what they can do, not what they cannot do. The assessment must give me actionable information, a “Trainability” assessment that offers guidance as to their ability to train at an appropriate level to their physical competency. In this approach there is no need for special corrective exercises, it is all transparently incorporated into the athletes training program. To do this requires some thought; it is not a neat package that you learn in certification seminar. It demands an understanding of movement. Much of what is necessary has been around for years in the physical therapy world and in physical education. It also comes back to the fundamental concept that Testing =Training and Training=Testing, each training session is an ongoing evaluation and constant adjustments must be made. In summary I urge you to stop and think critically in regard to using the FMS, you can do better.

The GAIN Story

GAIN started in 2008, but the genesis of GAIN goes back to the start of my coaching career in 1969.It quickly became clear to me that anytime I could meet with professional colleagues to exchange ideas that my performance as a coach would improve. It all started to come together for me in July 1972 at the first AAU Learn By Doing Track & Field Clinic. It went for four days from 7:00 AM in the morning to 9:00 PM at night and then there were discussions about what we had learned that went late into the night. I came away from that experience vowing to repeat the experience wherever and whenever possible. It was career changing for me. I now had a network of coaches I could communicate with and I no longer felt like the Lone Ranger. Going forward into the 1980’s a group of us would convene at every opportunity, usually at National Championships or conventions with the express purpose to share ideas and cross check each others training programs. These occasions were uplifting and sometimes quite challenging when you did not hear what you wanted to hear.
 
In 1992,I started teaching the Building and Rebuilding The Athlete seminar. It started as a two day seminar consisting  a broad overview of all the components of training and rehab for the athlete. The volume of content and format only allowed us to scratch the surface. Each seminar someone would ask me if I ever was going to initiate something beyond Building and Rebuilding. Because of various factors, I was unable to do so until 2008 when we had our first GAIN at the Holiday Inn Sports complex in Sunrise Florida. There were twenty brave souls in attendance; I don’t think any of us had a good idea of what it would be.

Seven years later, GAIN has evolved and grown into the career changing experience that I hoped it would be when I started it. We have highly motivated attendees who are professionals in their various areas and a superb faculty who are high-level practitioners who have their skin in the game. They know through practice based evidence what it takes to achieve results at the highest levels of sport and they are willing to share.
 
Join us in this learning journey of professional development. There is no experience like this total immersion for five days with highly motivated professionals. I am only a facilitator, a catalyst - the strength is in the network and the subsequent connections into a learning community of highly motivated professionals eager to challenge ideas, generate new ideas and take a different look at old ones. Go to http://www.thegainnetwork.com/ and apply now.