Functional Path Training

Big Picture

Never ever lose sight of the big picture. It is easy to get bogged down in small meaningless details and minutiae and lose sight of the ultimate objective. This is particularly the case in this age of uber specialization. Instead look for connections, step back and take a look at the rhythm, tempo and flow of the movement. It is not about individual muscles or small parts of a movement, it is about how everything links, syncs and connects in a coordinated manner to produce smooth flowing movement. Respect the wisdom of the body and put it in position to make the required shapes and change those shapes as needed. Movement is a symphony and you the coach are the conductor.

Step by Step

Adaptation to various training stimuli take time. You can’t force adaptation to happen faster than the athlete’s current level of trainability and physical capacity. You must be willing to go step by step. Sometimes it is small baby steps forward, sometimes there are steps back and sometimes there are giant leaps forward. Have a system that defines the process, then trust the process and take it step by step.

The Art of Coaching

We must recognize that coaching is a creative process. What differentiates a good from a great coach is the ability to see the same athlete, the same skill, the same movement and see what others cannot or have not seen yet. Coaching is constant iteration, prototyping, tinkering to get it right for the athlete. The coaching process is not a reductionist paint by numbers algorithm. A creative coaching process recognizes that the body is smart and as coaches we tap into the wisdom of the body to help the athlete get better. Have a basic technical model and a defined system of training and then fit and adapt that model to the athlete. Too often we try to fit the athlete to the model and the system, more often than it results in the athlete not reaching their potential. As coaches we learn to see the shapes the athletes needs to make and then reconcile the shapes they can make. That requires a careful blend of art and science. The coach must know the science but that must never be a constraint. A good coaching eye informed by science but not limited to science will make the athlete significantly better.

More or Less?

Does it have to be a binary choice – that in training you have to do more or do less to stimulate adaptation? Ultimately the goal is to get progressively better. I find it interesting that the default usually seems to be how much more needs to be done? I seldom see the option of doing it better. In my experience, more often it is about better. Instead of a search for more and defaulting to volume as a stimulus for adaptation, I implore you to think about what can be done better. Emphasize quality and recognize that quality is a measure of perfect. Look carefully at your training programs and look for the areas that can be done better. If you are training for 90 minutes are your athletes getting 90 minutes better or are, they just getting tired? I think you find that less is more.

Chet Diemidio – A Great Coach

I received word on Saturday that Chet Diemidio, a great friend and coach had passed way. Fortunately, I was able to speak to him last Wednesday. I called him from Zurich Switzerland because I got word, he did not have many days left. His last words to me were “I love you.” Chet was an amazing man. He started coaching with the White Sox the same year I did in 1987 after a career as a Philadelphia policeman. He continued to coach up to four years ago when he was well into his eighties. Chet would get the complex between 4:30 and 5:00 am every morning to workout. He had a strict routine that he followed accompanied by the songs of Frank Sinatra played on a cassette tape recorder.

He was a great coach and I do not use the term great frequently. He was knowledgeable about the sport of baseball, schooled and grounded in fundamentals. Just like any great coach he was a great communicator, patient and selfless. He would work one on one with a player to get them better no matter if they were a first-round draft pick or fiftieth. His signature became the baby carrots he had in a small plastic bag in back pocket that he would give to the players, along with a handy pat on the back. He was a big supporter of the conditioning program at a time when what we did was out of the norm in baseball.

I loved being around Chet. He was always so positive and uplifting. I never heard him raise his voice or speak ill of anyone. After I left the White Sox, I would visit him at various times in Philly, that was always the highlight of my trips to the northeast.

He influenced many generations of young White Sox players. Only a small number of whom made it to the big leagues, but Chet helped them all become big league people. Chet, we miss you already. The world is a better place because of you, and I am eternally grateful for your friendship and that smile to start our days with the White Sox. Chet, I love you - RIP