Functional Path Training

What is your filter?

I am currently reading Zucked – Waking Up to the Facebook Catastrophe by Roger McNamee, it is very revealing and disturbing. Naturally it got me thinking about my own filter. How do I sort through the tsunami of stuff available in the space of sports performance, athletic development, sport science and coaching? Wading through the training porn, misinformation and outright stupid stuff is not an easy proposition and I am very selective in who I follow and what I read. Training porn just like porn is seductive and addictive. It disturbs me to see so many coaches consume this stuff like it is gospel, especially if they find a research article to validate it. How are some of the things I do and people I respect do:

Start with well-defined and articulated core beliefs.

Have a working compass oriented to true north.

Be an informed skeptic - Ask well informed pointed questions?

Recognize that there are no absolutes – context is ALWAYS king.

Follow your gut instincts - If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.

Make sure you are not part of a filter bubble or an echo chamber – seek outside and diverse opinions to validate or invalidate the ideas.

Have go to experts that will give a straight answer. I have my own experts (In most cases world recognized) in Exercise Physiology, Biomechanics, Skill Acquisition, Coaching, Athletic Medicine and Rehabilitation. If they don’t know they will refer me to someone who does.

Everything old is new again – know history and know who the historical game changers were in your field. Much of what is portrayed today as new and innovative has been done before. Isometric training was used extensively in the early 60’s.

You are only an expert if you are willing to share your failures and your successes.

Last but not least what are they selling? When you see headlines like this: “The Money Lift: How a Top-Flight Trainer Discovered the Most Important Exercise Every Athlete Should Do.” Click off that page and barf.

Wake up! Don't be afraid to call bullshit on the bullshitters

Planning/Periodization – Several Random Thoughts

Recognize that periodization is concept not a model.

Why do we still teach antiquated models in our coaching education programs? They don’t work as advertised and never did. In addition the Eastern European models that are still portrayed as gold standard are based on drug cycles.

Recognize that Periodization is not about time, it is about timing of the application of each training stimulus.

Conduct a Thorough Gap Analysis - The difference between training and competition to develop a viable dynamic plan.

Ask yourself: Are you planning for continual adaptation?

How do you deal with and plan for extended seasons that are common in sports at all levels of competition?

How much is enough?

Straight forward question with complex implications for the development of an athlete. It requires a shift in thinking away from quantity to quality. It is not how much but how well the work is executed that ultimately counts toward performance improvement. Optimum load is the goal. Stimulus Threshold is the term I like to use, or the current buzzword Minimum Effective Dose is also very descriptive of what is necessary. The concept is to find the optimum training dose that will stimulate an adaptive response but will allow the athlete to recover sufficiently to train as necessary in subsequent training sessions. Along with this we need to recognize that training is cumulative, it accumulates day to day, week to week, month to month and year to year. Therefore, we do not have do it all now, it takes time and taking time will ensure development of a robust adaptable athlete who can handle the loads imposed by the competitive demands of their sport.

GAIN 2019 Information & FAQ’s

What is GAIN? This is a community of professional’s eager to learn and willing to share ideas and information. GAIN is not about more exercises, sets, reps and training methods it is about passionate people who pursue excellence with honesty, integrity and respect to make a difference in the lives of the people we coach and teach. It is not a summit, it is total immersion learning experience.

What is GAIN 2019 Theme? Building on the Basics – Step by Step

Who attends? GAIN is open to Strength & Conditioning/Athletic Development coaches, Sport Coaches, Physical Therapists, ATC’s, Chiropractors, Doctors and Physical Education teachers. Those who attend are professionals seeking career advancement & renewal through a networking experience and who are interested in getting out of their comfort zone.

When is GAIN? June 11 to June 15, 2019

Where is GAIN? It is held on the campus of Rice University in Houston Texas.

Where can I learn more about GAIN? Go to www.thegainnetwork.com/ or call 941-378-1778. You can also email Vern Gambetta at [email protected]

How do I apply? Go to www.thegainnetwork.com/ and complete your online application. We will let you know within ten days if you are accepted.

Why do I have to apply? Can’t I just sign up? Having people apply is part of what makes GAIN special. It would be easier to make it open for anyone to enroll, but that is not what GAIN is about. We are looking for people who are willing to share and challenge themselves and others to grow professionally. The people in the network with you are as important (maybe even more important) than the faculty experts. The connections and inspiration you get from those around you have a significant impact on the experience.

 Is GAIN a certification? No, it is not a certification program. It is a professional development network; there is no accreditation or certification associated with it.

Is GAIN a boot camp? No, it is not a boot camp. There is an active learning component that attendees participate in if they are willing and able but the focus is on teaching and learning through lecture, demonstration and discussion.

 Is the focus only on team sports? No, it is applicable to all sports, team & individual as well as speed /power and endurance sports and injury prevention and rehabilitation.

How much does GAIN cost? Tuition is $2,150. This includes breakfast, lunch and dinner each day, and lodging at Rice University.

Who are the faculty? We have a faculty with a tremendous breadth of experiences and a track record of excellence in their chosen fields. They know how a performance team works, how all aspects of athletic development complement each other and most importantly they understand the process of developing athletes. To see this year’s faculty go to: https://www.functionalpathtrainingblog.com/2019/02/gain-2019-faculty.html

How does the network work? The GAIN annual meeting is just the beginning. Participants have access to a secure website that offers access to an online forum and library including video of past GAIN Annual Meetings. There are periodic scheduled hangouts for GAIN members. In addition, GAIN members are eligible to come back each year at a reduced rate.

Are there CEU’s? We provide documentation so you can apply for CEU’s from the relevant body.

 

The Passion Paradox (A wake up guide to using your passion)

I know Steve Magness and Brad Stulberg; they are two passionate people, so it seems appropriate that their new book is about the paradoxical nature of passion. I knew they were working on a new book but had no idea what it was about until it showed up in the mail. It was particularly timely as I am at the stage in career/life where I am transitioning and redirecting my passion. For fifty years my passion has driven me, most of the time it was good sometimes it was bad when I lost sight of true north. I am redirecting my passion away from day to day coaching and interaction with athletes to coaching coaches and consulting. It has been a struggle because my passion has been to see people grow and develop day to day and week to week.

I have always said passion is like a high-octane fuel, it is explosive if not handled correctly. Steve and Brad underscore this with meticulous research on the whole area of passion. They clearly portray the upside and the downside of passion, hence the title of the book: The Passion Paradox - A Guide to Going All In, Finding Success, And Discovering The Benefits Of An Unbalanced Life. Personally, I have struggled with colleagues and athletes who did not share my passion. After reading the book, it was comforting to learn that this is not uncommon and is often the cause of mental and physical breakdown and the demise of many relationships. By the way it also made me feel feel better that sometimes life balance is unrealistic and damn near impossible

This book is a user’s manual on how to use passion and what to do when it gets out of control. They have done a super job of weaving the psychological research with stories and personal anecdotes. This book is not a self-help book in the traditional sense of a self-help book, but instead it is a guide and I said earlier a user’s manual on handling that high octane fuel called passion. It sure would have been great to have this resource about fifty years ago. The path might have been a bit smoother, but never too late to learn. Get this, read it, digest it, and take it to heart and passion will be your fuel.

Free the Kids – Let Them Play

I do not know Nick Willis, but he is a current athlete that I hold in high regard both for his accomplishments on the track, longevity and willingness to share his thoughts/lessons learned throughout his career. He posted this on Twitter yesterday, needless to say it really resonated with me:

“I trained 3 times a day from 7 to 17 years old. Just so happened that 99% of it was playing intense (and I mean intense) games of pick-up sports with school mates.” @nickwillis

In 1971/72 I had five ninth graders run under five minutes in the mile, with the best at 4:33. They trained five or six day a week maybe 28 miles for the highest mileage week. But most importantly they had daily physical education that was physical and educational and they played pick-up basketball or touch football at lunch. They were fit as a fiddle because they played, they rode their bikes, and they had paper routes. That year we also beat York High School in the Track & Field News National Postal two mile. York ninth graders were training six or seven days a week upwards of 75 miles a week.

Oh, for the good old days – when are we going to wake up and realize what we are doing to kids with early specialization and formal high intensity training. It is ruining kids, taking the joy out of it. Let them be kids and play. Champions and age group record holders at eight or nine years old don't have a good track record in fact they most often disappear by age sixteen. Not too hard to figure this out.

Achievement Triangle

Training Speed Appropriately

Plow Horse, Quarter Horse or Thoroughbred (Race Horse) you can’t train them all the same. They all have different inherent qualities that must be taken in consideration. Too often I am seeing Thoroughbreds being trained like Plow Horses with extreme workloads, heavy sleds & heavy lifting. Never forget we are what we train to be. Also, something I learned many years ago – It is much easier to make someone slow than is to make them faster. I was a master of that early in my coaching and with myself as an athlete. You must train fast with high quality to be fast!

Good Eats in Sarasota

These are two places that I frequently have lunch. A little of bit of Mexico and Berlin in Sarasota and they are two meters apart in the Sarasota Commons Shopping Center. Honestly best tacos I have had since I worked in Guadalajara in 2005.

 

 

 

 

Today’s Reality in Coaching

As coaches today we face many different challenges than I did when I started coaching in 1969. Data is growing faster than ever before with 2.5 Exabytes being produced each day! That is the equivalent of 250,000 Libraries of Congress of new information created each day. We can’t ignore that and do what we have always done. The world has changed dramatically and is changing faster than we can imagine therefore we must adapt, not by compromising our standards and lowering expectations but by being more professional and reaffirming values that can be learned through sport. We must learn how to get better at getting better and we must get better every day. As a coach, you are a change agent. Therefore, we must lead change, not follow or react to change. That is the supreme challenge we face today as coaches.