Functional Path Training

The Gap

The gap is the difference of where you are now in your training and where you need or want to be in your performance. Obviously the wider the gap the farther you have to go. Regardless of the width of the gap the training and preparation is always a process of working to close that gap. It requires constant vigilance so that one component of training does not get out of balance with other components and the necessary work that needs to be done to close the gap. It requires continual honest and realistic assessment on the part of the athlete and the coach to insure that progress is being made to close the gap. All of that being said in my experience it is a constant process of widening and then narrowing the gap.

Strength as a Skill

We need to rethink how we conceptualize strength. It would be helpful to conceptualize strength as a skill, a finely tuned skill at that. Think of it not as a sledgehammer that delivers a blunt blow. Rather think of it as a pinprick, a very high force concentrated in a very small area. To do that demands incredible coordination and synchronization.

Anyone can get measurably strong in the weight room fairly fast (A certain amount of that kind of strength is necessary, but not as much as we have been led to believe), but applying and using that strength is another matter. A huge aspect of performance is closing the gap between strength you can measure and strength you can apply. To better apply strength think of it as a finely tuned skill that is highly trainable in a variety of situations using the interaction of the body, gravity and the ground. You might not be able to measure it but you will quickly see the difference where it matters most, in the competitive arena with a healthier more mobile, adaptable ant-fragile athlete.

That’s what they do at the U

I continually and constantly see this – high school strength and conditioning programs that blindly copy university programs, especially in football. What they do at the U has nothing to do with what should be done with growing and developing athletes. At the U they are working with mature men and women who they got to select at the high school level you are working with a very heterogeneous population of growing boys and girls. Imitation may be flattery but the end results are not very flattering. In addition in these imitation programs you have male training programs imposed on females and you wonder why high school female athletes have the rate of injury they do. Imitating the U ignores the importance of developmental age. Where is the progression? At the U they usually have a fairly large staff that can supervise programs for various sports, at the high school this is not the case. The bottom line here is that if you are copying what they are doing at the U it is not for you. You can do better than that for your athletes.

Gravity - Think About it!

 

Use Gravity - Don’t abuse it

Tough to live with - Impossible to live without it

You can't see - But you know it is there

Enhance Gravity - Don’t chance it

Resist Gravity - It will persist

You can cheat Gravity, but it’s tough to beat it!

Thought for the Week – Marginal Gains

The majority athletes and coaches that are searching for marginal gains, that final one or two percent that get them to the top of the podium would be better served redirecting their effort to the first 98%. Get that right, know the basics master the basics and touch on the basics daily and the marginal gains will come. Nothing magic, no secrets, no special exercises just sound well planed productive work.

Being the Best You Can Be

If you want to be the best you can be then get started now, don’t wait. Commit and go for it. No holding back, no restraints, do everything that is necessary and do it now. No talk, just clear action oriented goals. Use setbacks as stepping stones, mistakes and failures as opportunities. Just like the Little Engine that Could, keep saying: "I think I can, I think I can" and YOU WILL!

More is Better Blues

Volume is a seductive trap. At younger training ages virtually anything an athlete does will make them better. The more they do, the better they get – up to a point. That point is something we recognize as the point of diminishing returns. But despite the diminishing returns it is very tempting to continue on that path because that is what got them to that point. This is where the more is better blues occurs in the form of stagnation, performance plateaus or injury. Now what? More is not better, better is better. The emphasis must shift to quality training and perfect effort.

Rethinking Cooldown

Let take a close look at the cooldown. Obviously it comes at the end of the workout. Too often it is an after thought consisting of some mindless activities to get rid of lactate or some such nonsense. Instead it should be considered an integral part of the training session. Don't think of it as the end of the current session, think of how you can use the time to set up the next training session. As an alternative to cooldown I have started using the term reset to better describe what I hope to achieve. A well thought out and structured cooldown will reset the system so that the next session can start at an optimum level. I structure the reset to be more active than passive. For example I would prefer hurdle walkovers instead of jogging, an orchestrated series of yoga poses rather than static stretching or left handed throws for a right-handed thrower. Look closely at activities that will help reset the nervous system, are a logical extension of the current workout and that will setup the subsequent workout.

Thought for the Week - Being Comfortable

Progress and learning do not happen when we are comfortable. True growth occurs when we are outside our comfort zone. High achievers, winners, are comfortable with being uncomfortable all the time and they make others uncomfortable as well. If you are comfortable maybe you need to rethink where you are if you aspire to be the best.

The Answer(s)

I am quite wary of someone who has the answer and even more wary of someone who has all the answers. I know there was a time early in my career when I thought I had the answers. However it did not take long to be humbled. I quickly realized that those who I was learning the most from and those who were most successful where not the people with the answers but those with the questions. As I have progressed in my career I have see this reinforced daily. I know now after 45 years of coaching and 68 years of life that learning is all about asking questions. Asking pointed intelligent questions will not always lead to answers but may lead to more questions and that is OK. That is the joy of discovery and learning to improve ourselves to make our athletes better. The words of Gertrude Stein come to mind: “The answer is there is no answer.”