Functional Path Training

Functional Path Training Principles

These are the principles that I use to guide me on journey on the Functional Path:

# 1 Have a current accurate road map - Start with a plan, execute it, and evaluate it constantly

# 2 Think big picture - Build and rebuild the complete athlete

# 3 Fundamental movement skills must be mastered before specific sport skills can be acquired and advanced  training undertaken

# 4 Learn to use the ground - Build & rebuild the athlete from the ground up

# 5 Train the core as the center of the action

# 6 Train sport appropriate - You are what you train to be

# 7  Build a work capacity base appropriate for your sport

# 8  Train Linkage - Connect toenails to fingernails

# 9  Think Long-Term - Training is cumulative

# 10 The individual athlete is the focus - Recognize, train and rehab the individual

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.

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.

Some Thoughts From This Mornings Walk

How do you measure results? Wins & loses? Improvement? Perfect effort?

Different muscles perform different functions depending on the demands of the activities.

Bad training methodology enhanced by advanced technology and supported by sophisticated analytics is still bad training.

If you meet someone with all the answers walk away. Find someone with all the questions and you will learn something.

It would be interesting to ask Olympic champions in Track & Field what they were doing when they were 12 years old?

Evaluation of movement ability – look at the shapes, postures and positions you have to make in the sport and look at what you can do and then reconcile the two.

Common Sense of Training

Yesterday I highlighted the nonsense I have been seeing in training. Today lets talk about some common sense in training. Any effective training program is based on sound fundamental principles. There must be a clear progression. No workout can or should stand-alone. No component of training should be trained in isolation. All components of training should be trained at all times in different proportions based on developmental level of athlete, phase of the training, and training emphasis. Training should always be in context. Adapt the training to the athlete and make it sport appropriate. It is pretty simple and straightforward; no sensational or extraordinary methods just consistent well planned directed work. Training accumulates and takes time; there are no quick fixes.

 

 

Injuries

Change the focus from injury prediction to injury prevention. Make injury prevention a transparent part of a comprehensive training program that addresses sport demands & individual athlete needs on a session-by-session basis. Start simple with a multi-stage warm-up that prepares the athlete for the demands of the session – warm-up to train or play don’t play to warm-up. This should consist of foundational movements - basic movement skills leading into more complex movements. Second use training to prepare for the demands of the sport, do not duplicate the sport and add stress to stress. Third focus on what the athlete can do, not on dysfunctions and deficits. Fourth be sure to do all this in a systematic and progressive manner that will yield results over time. Training accumulates; Rome was not built in a day. Simplicity yields complexity.

Can Do

Instead of looking at ways to predict injury and search for hidden dysfunctions I prefer to spend the time looking at possibilities to determine their level of trainability. I focus on what the athlete can do and use that as a starting point. In most cases the athlete has made it to a certain level because of what they can do. My job is to enhance those abilities and minimize the weaknesses while addressing them in a progressive manner to enable them to progress further athletically. Recognize the wisdom of the body and it’s ability to figure it out by devising training programs that fit the athlete instead of fitting the athlete to the program. Start with what they can do and dial up the program as they progress and adapt. Ultimately the goal is to reconcile what they can do with what the must do to be ready to thrive as adaptable athletes in the competitive environment.

 

Meaningful Measurement

Just because it is convenient or easy to measure some physical quality does mean that the measure is meaningful. If you do measure it (whatever it is) make sure it is meaningful and will yield actionable results or don’t waste the time measuring it. Gathering random numbers that look cool on graphs does not make the athlete better. Remember a simple axiom I have lived by for years: Training = Testing and Testing = Training. The ultimate test of athlete’s abilities and capacities occur in the competitive arena and everyday in training. Pay close attention to daily training sessions, built in transparent “test” workouts or sessions that give you information as to the state of the athletes progress relative to the sport and position demands. Investing time and effort in this will yield consistent reliable results that will motivate the athlete by making them better.

GAIN VII - 2014

It seems like just yesterday that 22 of us gathered at the Holiday Inn Sports Complex in Sunrise Florida for the first GAIN. Today at Rice University in Houston Texas we start the seventh iteration of GAIN with 42 attendees (20 new attendees and 22 returning) and 12 instructors. From day one it has been special but it keeps getting better each year. Why? Because of the people, the amazing instructors and attendees willing to share and question to learn to be better at their craft. It has grown into a wonderful learning community. It is certainly the highlight of my year. The energy, camaraderie, knowledge and passion sustain me. I want to thank all of you that have made GAIN special, the attendees, Rice University Track & Field staff, the sponsors and above all my wife Melissa who does all the behind things that make it work. Hopefully you will join us next year.

GAIN VII Theme

Focus on the process of developing athletes from their first step in the sport to the step onto the podium.

The GAIN goals are:

Provide a career defining educational experience for all involved

Define the field of Athletic Development

Reinforce the concepts that:

Training = Testing and Testing  = Training

Training = Rehab and Rehab = Training

More Reflections & Recollections

Communication is the key – Master all modes, don’t forget non-verbal (Body Language) it may be the most essential.

Do what is right! Never compromise ethics and core beliefs to win.

There are no gray areas in regards to drugs – either you are a druggie or your not.

It is impossible to train ANY physical quality in isolation. You can design and write the workout that way but the body is smarter than that.

Many injuries are preventable – not through injury prevention programs or corrective exercise but through a comprehensive unbiased training program designed to fit the individual and that is sport appropriate.

Know the science, but remember it is the art of coaching that makes the science effective.

Being and expert on coaching is much more than having a website with millions of page views and expressing opinions not founded in practice. Somewhere you have to get your hands dirty and actually produce results at the level you coach.

Failure is an option – As long as you learn from it.

All training is brain training.

The body is smart – give it development appropriate movement problems to solve and it will figure it out.

Train speed in! You must train fast to be fast. Fast people need to train faster more often in small bouts of work or they will lose speed.

Anyone can work hard; the difference is how smart you work.

Drills and skills are not the same thing.

Instead of specific think appropriate.

No substitute for passion and heart, tough to measure, but easy to see.