Functional Path Training

The best exercises for …

It drives crazy to see posts that list the best exercises for ______ , you fill in the blank. This holds back good training. It is never about the exercise. Rather it is about the movement. Understand the movements necessary to prepare the athletes for the demands of their sport, then select the exercises that meet those movement criteria. Not complicated, very basic.

Reflection and Thank You

In the coaching profession it is said that the measure of a coach is the ability to have their athlete or team ready on the day. I can’t say enough about the job coach Brent Arckey did getting Emma Wyant ready for the 400 IM at Olympic Trials. Not only did she win but also swam a lifetime best – that is being ready on the day! I am thankful to Brent to having me work with Emma and being able to make my small contribution. As an old guy I could not help but reflect on how fortunate I have been able to work with coaches like Brent and athletes like Emma throughout my career. A special thanks to Emma for bring so much joy to this old man, you are special and will go far in life.

After the race I was thinking about Nort Thornton, who passed away this spring and how much he would have enjoyed Emma’s race. Nort had a huge influence on what I do with swimming dry land and my ideas about training in general. I miss our phone conversations. I am sure Jack Simon was watching from his retirement home in México, but Jack was the one who got me interested in swimming close to fifty years ago.

Another great coach that I was thinking about was as I watched USC perform at the NCAA track meet was the late Tony Wells. USC’s performance had Tony Wells written all over it. Carol Smith Gilbert was coached by Tony and mentored by him. What a tribute to a great man and coach. I sure miss picking Tony’s brain about sprints and hurdles. We had some great times teaching at development camps in the 1980’s.

Coaching is special. It has never been a job for me. I just am so thankful to be able to still keep at it. ONWARD AND UPWARD!

Stop and Think?

Why do we persist in prescribing exercises that isolate individual muscles? Instead, we should be focusing on the coordination of movements and muscle synergies that involve those muscles. What is important in human movement is how everything is integrated into the kinetic chain to produce smooth, rhythmic flowing movement. Lest we forget strength training is coordination training with appropriate resistance. Isolating individual muscle just creates neural confusion. Training movement's not muscles gives you more bang for buck in terms of efficient use of training and biomechanical efficiency.

What is Your Filter?

What is your filter for differentiating “Sports Science Fiction” from valid & valuable sports science research & content?

What is your filter for differentiating “Training Porn” from valid & valuable content on training athletes?

Just Thinking – Some Random Thoughts on Training and Life

The higher you progress in sport the faster everything happens. When they talk about the speed of the game it is true. You have significantly less time to make decisions and act of react.

Forget barriers, they are artificial, mental contracts that hold you back. Instead think of frontiers to conquer. Keep pushing into the unknown, unexplored territory.

Stay essential - Focus on what will make you better. Getting tired is not training.

In sprinting forget segmenting the sprint stride into front side and back side instead focus on the reciprocal cyclic scissor action of both legs. Can’t separate front side and back side.

“Attitude is a choice” Ron Adams Assistant Coach, Golden State Warriors

Don’t think less of yourself, think of yourself less.

Don’t let school interfere with your education.

Unlearning may be just as important as learning

“The note next to the one you think is bad corrects the one in front.” Miles Davis

Also write your training plan in pencil.

Three Great Books!

I have been doing an unusual amount of reading lately. As many of you know I am a voracious reader but of late it has bordered on the ridiculous. Since April 28 when I went to California through to today, I have read fifteen books. The books pictured stand out. Each of the authors is among my favorite authors. All three books are meticulously researched and very timely. One dealing with the pandemic, one with gene editing and one with America’s place in the world. All three read like novels. I would go so far as to say of the couple of hundred boos I have read in the last two years these are all in the top ten.