Functional Path Training

GAIN Coaching by Design Workshop Designing & Implementing an Effective Athletic Development Program December 14 & 15, 2024,

GAIN Coaching by Design Workshop

Designing & Implementing an Effective Athletic Development Program

December 14 & 15, 2024,

Notre Dame High School, Sherman Oaks, California.

Register now: https://thegainnetwork.com/events/gain2024/

At the end of the workshop the attendees will be able to put together an effective athletic development program appropriate for the athlete or the team they are working with.

Workshop will consist of 20-to-30-minute presentations followed by practical’s & White Board sessions. The White Board Sessions with all the instructors at the white board bringing ideas together to design an effective training program and interact with question from the attendees

                  Saturday

                              7:30 to 8:30 – Registration

                              8:30 to 12:00 – Presentations

                              12:00 to 12:45 – Whiteboard Summary/Discussion

                              12:45 to 2:15 – Lunch

                              2:15 to 5:15 – Presentations

                              5:15 to 6:00 – White Board Summary/Discussion

                  Sunday

                               8:00 to 12:30 – Presentations

                               12:30 to 1:15 – Whiteboard Summary/Discussion

The topics will focus on the 5S’s – Speed, Strength, Stamina, & Skill and how they connect into an effective training system:

The GAIN System – Coaching by Design

Training Quality – Volume is NOT a biomotor quality

Effective Warm-up & Preparation

Elements of Speed Development - Technique and Training

Mach Drill Revisited

Effective use of Sprint Assistance & Resistance

Agility – Stopping, Starting & Change of Direction Progressions

Foundational Strength Training - Concepts and Application

Plyometric Progressions – Integration into a Training Program

Power Development using Plyometrics

In-season Training

Bondarchuk method applied

Medicine Ball Training beyond the core

Applied Pedagogical Concepts - Getting Better at Getting Better

Sport Specific Endurance

Field Tests & Interpretation

Our faculty has a tremendous breadth of experiences and a record of excellence in their chosen fields. They know how all aspects of athletic development complement each other and most importantly they understand the process of developing athletes.

Vern Gambetta – Founder, GAIN Network

Jimmy Radcliffe – Head strength & conditioning coach, University of Oregon

Brian Fitzgerald - Sprint coach at Ventura College. Formerly head coach at Rio Mesa high school where he coached numerous state champions and national record holders in the sprints.

Nick Garcia – Head strength & conditioning coach and assistant track coach at Notre Dame High School. Nick works with all teams at Notre Dame – 16 sports in total. He knows how to organize and coach the developing athlete.

Register now join our community of professional’s eager to learn and willing to share ideas and information. https://thegainnetwork.com/events/gain2024/ If there any questions please call 941-378-178. Don't miss out on this career changing experience.

Focus on Function

The body is a system. It is a system like no other. It is a completely open system, that is highly adaptable. The whole of the actions that the body can achieve is greater than the sum of its parts. When the body needs to solve a moment problem it is almost magic what it can do. Never sell the body and its capabilities short.

If you want to understand function start with walking gait. Gait is very basic but incredibly complex when you put it under a microscope. Gait is the basis of function. The legs and arms move in opposition and the shoulders move in a counter rotation to the hips. There is constant loading and unloading from toenails to fingernails in response to the ground and gravity. Running adds another degree of complexity because of the flight phase but the principles are the same. Learn to look at movement with new eyes. Look at gait as the basis of throwing, jumping and freestyle swimming.

Searching for symmetry is contrary to how the body is constructed. The body is fundamentally asymmetric. The heart is on one side, one lobe of the brain is slightly larger than the other, there is a dominant foot, leg, arm, hand, eye, and ear. Because the body is smart this fundamental asymmetry is proportional and has no negative effect. Today because we are able to measure more, there has been a tendency to look at these asymmetries as something that must be corrected. If fact these perceived asymmetries may actually be what makes the athlete able to perform at their best injury free. We must also remember that as an athlete accumulates training age in a particular sport that the body will adapt and favor a limb or a side of the body.

To understand function in the body and how to train it don’t forget to look under the hood. You must understand muscle function which in most cases is significantly different that what is taught in traditional anatomy courses. We do not live in an anatomical position; we move all joints through multiple planes of motion heavily influenced by gravity and the ground. The brain does not recognize individual muscles, it recognizes muscle synergies and patterns of motion, therefore it is futile to isolate individual muscles. Isolating individual muscles results in neural confusion. Train the linkages and connections and the links will take care of themselves. The goal in training movement is to link, connect, sync and coordinate to produce efficient flowing athletic movements.

The solution is quite simple -  take advantage of the bodies wisdom and construction to train and rehab movement using multiple joints, working through multiple planes of motion in a proprioceptively enriched environment. Never lose sight of the fact that each athlete is a case study of one and will respond slightly differently so it is important to base training on principles and can be adapted to each individual.

Hopefully this post has raised some questions and will stimulate thought and discussion. The longer I coach, the more I am in awe of what the body can do. Just like I present movement problems for the athlete to solve, each day as they solve those movement problems raises more question about what I need to do to make the athlete better. It’s a process!

Set-Up Concept

Nothing we do in training occurs in isolation. Everything we do is related. Training is cumulative. No one workout can make an athlete, but one workout can break an athlete. Therefore, keeping those two axioms in mind no training session should stand alone. Each workout should be linked to the workout that preceded it and to the session that follows. There may not be research to substantiate this, but I have a large body of practice to underscore the validity of the concept in my system. What I have found is that I can effectively use workout A to setup workout B and so forth. It takes detailed planning and record keeping. It demands coordination with the sport coach if you are an athletic development coach. Using the set-up concept separates the nice to do from the need to do. In the realm of physical preparation, the training session are more in concert with what is happening in the sport practice, therefore insuring a better degree of transfer. Play with the concept, I think you will see a benefit.

Why, Why Not?

Why does the Newtonian, mechanistic reductionist approach that focuses on minutiae and the parts persist? Why not a quantum approach that focuses on relationships and connections, flow and rhythm. The former is comfortable because it allows people cleaner definitions and seemingly straightforward solutions, in some ways it simplistic because all you have to do in that approach is be a technician. If you understand how all the muscles work, what inhibits, what lengthens, what you need to activate and then what you need to integrate it all fits into a neat clean little box. Just follow the algorithm and push a few buttons and everything is fixed. Unfortunately, or fortunately it is not that easy. The body is a self-organizing chaotic system that is highly adaptable. It responds both negatively and positively to use and disuse. It is definitely not a machine. As coaches, trainers, therapists and doctors we must recognize the wisdom of the body and train or treat accordingly. The best way to understand and assess movement is to get the body moving. Closely observe and feel how things connect and how they disconnect. Explore the dimensions that the wisdom of the body offers. As coaches we must prepare the body for the demands of the sport. We do that by stressing the body up to and beyond its limits at times. If we do that in a systematic and sensible manner the body will adapt and be able to thrive in the competitive environment.

Never Forget Gravity

Use Gravity - Don’t abuse it

Defy it - But you can’t deny it

Enhance Gravity - Don’t chance it

Resist Gravity - It will persist

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

GAIN Swimming 2017 - Join us in September

 

 

Coaching Athletic Development for Swimming

From Design to Implementation

 

The GAIN swimming network is part of the GAIN network whose goal is to provide an experience that will significantly enhance participant’s expertise by sharing information with other professionals in a setting that encourages an open exchange of ideas. GAIN Swimming follows a workshop format consisting of lecture, discussions, hot topic panels, team spotlight presentations, practical learn by doing participation and demonstration. If you are sincerely interested in advancing your professional development as a swim coach apply now.

Mission Statement

To instill a culture of daily physical preparation that grows & nurtures adaptable swimming athletes who understand the wisdom of their bodies, its ability to self-organize and solve movement problems.

Goal

At the end of the journey all physical limitations are eradicated and the swimmer is ready technically, tactically, physically and psychologically to compete to win.

 

What is Dryland training?

It is more than just another workload that you impose on your swimmers. It must be highly correlated with the objectives of the water workout to achieve optimum results.

Dates & Site

September 8-10, 2017: Carmel Swim Club, Carmel, Indiana

Benefits

Access to GAIN Swimming Forum on secure web site

Access to the GAIN Swim library including videos of past GAIN Swim Conferences

Cost of Attendance

In Network - (Those that are currently using GAIN swimming services) $750 for three coaches, $100 for each additional coach

Individual - $750

Outside Network - $1500 for three coaches plus $100 for each additional coach

Location

         Carmel Swim Club, Carmel Indiana

To Register

https://www.teamunify.com/MemRegStart.jsp?team=incsc&event_id=791825

Deadline for registration is September 1

For Further Information

Please contact Vern Gambetta at [email protected], Chris Plumb at [email protected] or Ian Murray at [email protected] You can also contact the Carmel Swim Club directly at 317-575-8244.

The Faculty

Our faculty is experienced professionals who have been in the trenches working in the field of athletic development for swimming.

Vern Gambetta - Founder of GAIN Network, pioneer in dryland training for swimming

Chris Plumb - Chris Plumb is the Head Coach/CEO of Carmel Swim Club.

Ian Murray - Associate Head Coach of Carmel Swim Club

Chris Webb – Head Coach, T2 Aquatics in Naples Florida

Tentative Schedule

Friday September 8

Registration – 3:00 to 4:00 PM

Opening Session – 4:00 to 7:00

Saturday September 9

Early Morning - Observation of Carmel Dryland – 6:00 to 8:00

Breakfast - 8:00 to 9:30

Morning Session – 9:30 to 12:00

Lunch – 12:00 to 1:30

Afternoon Session - 1:30 to 5:30

Evening Dinner & Social (No Host)

Sunday September 10

Morning Session - 8:30 to 1:00

Rules to Travel the Functional Path

Have a Plan, Execute It & Continually Evaluate & Adjust It

Build the Complete Athlete - All systems work together – Integrate don’t isolate

Train all components all the time - Use It or Lose It

Fundamental Movement Skills Before Specific Sport Skills

Train Sport Appropriate - You Are What You Train To Be

Build the Athlete from the Ground Up

Train Postural Strength as the Basis for All Training

To Be Fast You Must Train Fast

Build a Work Capacity Foundation Appropriate For Your Sport

Train Toe Nails To Fingernails

          Train Movements not Muscles

          Train Multi Joint & Multi Plane Movements

Training is Cumulative

Win the Workout

Bastardization of Functional Training

Unfortunately the concept of functional training as it has evolved and been co-opted by the “fitness industry” has been bastardized and compromised into a weird amalgamation of crazy exercises without any logical progression or justification. It is more than exercises; it is a systematic sequential and progressive approach to training for the rigors of competition. There is no magic or mystery, just application of basic principles that are proven and have stood the test of time. It is more than just a bunch of exercises thrown together that are different; it is variety with a purpose. The key to a good sound functional training program is progression. You must carefully assess where you are at the present time and carve out a step-by-step progression to achieve specific realistic training objectives. Know where have you been and where are you going. Then fill the gap with a logical functional progression that will move forward only when the previous step has been mastered.

The "Complete" Adaptable Athlete

To thrive in the performance arena demands a versatile highly adaptable athlete whose training reflects the demands of the sport and the needs of the individual athlete. We must recognize that for the body to execute movement, whether it is a sustained endurance activity, explosive bursts or fine motor skill that all parts and systems need to work together in harmony. Movement is a symphony not a solo. You can’t do a “cardio” workout, just like you can’t do a “neural” workout. All systems of the body work together at all times with the demand on a particular system determined by the intensity of the activity. To continue the symphonic metaphor a section of the orchestra is featured or highlighted while the other parts of the orchestra are still playing, albeit in the background. Let's also give credit to the conductor; the brain, the muscles and all systems of the body are slaves of the brain. It is the brain that drives, connects and controls movements to enable us to accomplish the desired task. To use Tim Noakes term the brain is the "central governor." So we can’t lose sight of the whole, the big picture in the desire to understand the parts. Give the body credit for it’s inherent wisdom and it’s ability to learn to link, sync, connect and coordinate in order to play the beautiful movement symphony we call sports performance.

What is Functional Training

Functional training is a label for a concept. As with any label it is subject to various interpretations. I originally conceived it as multi lateral training integrating various training modalities (medicine ball, stretch cord, weight training, dumbbells, body weight etc.) to produce significant adaptation in specific performance parameters. It trains all systems of the body while recognizing and respecting the wisdom of the body. The end result is a highly adaptable athlete who is able to perform without limitations in the competitive environment. Contrast this to biased one- sided training that results in adapted athletes who are inconsistent in performance and prone to injury.