Functional Path Training

Mental Toughness?

I abhor the term “mental toughness” and all the implications and baggage that comes with it. It is not part of my coaching vocabulary or practice. I want to help my athletes be mentally strong and understand why they are doing what they are doing. There are tough workouts and there are easy workouts all directed toward one goal: Preparing a robust adaptable athlete who is ready to thrive in the competitive arena. That requires mindful highly focused training that is done with intent and purpose. It means that the athlete has be there in mind and body every day with a clear focus on the task at hand. No puke workouts or punishment training because that is the fastest way to get the athlete to turn off their brain. Every workout demands intense concentration, so much so that the competition is easy. Be a coach and be a professional and help your athlete get better by guiding them and respecting them!

GAIN 2017 Theme

Each year for have a theme that serves as a focal point for our presentations and discussions for that year. This year our theme is:

Making Connections to Foster Meaningful Change & Innovation

The central focus of GAIN is the network of professionals to be able to connect and share, since this is the tenth meeting of GAIN and we want to emphasize the connections in the network more than ever. There is strength and wisdom in connections and it is through connections that meaningful change can and does occur. If you are interested in meaningful change and learning join us. To apply go: http://www.thegainnetwork.com/ 

Sports Science?

I see more gobbledygook and sciency stuff called “sports science” going on today that ever in my years as athlete and coach. Has anyone taken a step back and honestly assessed where we are going with all this? Everybody and anybody who administers a wellness survey or monitors some physiological function now calls themselves a sports scientist. Over the course of my career I have had the opportunity to work with some the greatest exercise physiologists, biomechanists, sports psychologists and motor learning/skill acquisition experts ever. I have seen how these professionals work as part of a performance team, backstage, not onstage claiming super bowl wins, world cup wins or Olympic goal medals. We were all part of a performance team with a clear goal working in one direction to make the athlete or team better. The great performance teams that I have worked in and seen work are coach driven. This demands that the sport coach be educated to ask the right questions and know how to direct the efforts.

What I see today with the use of this generic term “sports science” being thrown around alarms me. I see so called "sports scientists" directing programs, making crucial decisions on athletes trainability based on algorithm derived numbers telling coaches that athletes can not practice because they are too tired or too sore. Many so-called sports scientists have little or no practical experience outside of academia or some sterile training center environment where they have no real athletes to work so they can sit around theorize all day.

Sports science must be clearly defined, the so-called sports scientist needs to understand that they do not drive the bus. They must be at training sessions and actively involved with the coaches. They need to understand the culture of the sport and get to know the sport they are working with. They must help the coach to use the data they derive (Assuming it is valid data) by giving the data context. Applied sports science can be a valuable resource, lets get back to where it needs to be - a resource that is on tap not on top.

The 4R's

Frank Dick one of my mentors  shared this basic concept to give a context to debrief of training or performance.

Reason

Why are you doing what you are doing?

Reality

What exactly are you doing? Is that reconciled with the reason? 

Reflection

What did you learn from what you did? Be as specific as possible here.

 Response

What are you going to do differently? This should consist of specific actions based on the reflection.

This is a simple process that can be used to make your daily coaching more effective.

Motivation & Inspiration

Motivation by and through fear and hate is unproductive and shallow. The results are very short lasting and often destructive or counterproductive. Motivation through caring, concern and love is proactive, deep and long lasting.

The same hold true for inspiration. Inspiration through fiery rhetoric and loud bombastic proclamations stifles inspiration. The emotional letdown afterward is like the sugar low after eating a bunch of candy. True inspiration comes from depth and passion not emotion. It is meaningful and actionable.

As coach looking to lead look closely at how you motivate and inspire, if fact look closely at where you seek your motivation and inspiration.

The Answer

I am always very wary when someone has all the answers. I am more interested in being around and learning from those who have more questions than answers. I always come back to the words of Gertrude Stein “The answer is there is no answer."

The GAIN Story

GAIN started in 2007 but the genesis of GAIN goes back to the start of my coaching career in 1969. It is forged in my experience early in my career when I was able to gather in an Intense concentrated setting with bright inquisitive minds in one place to share and learn. It quickly became clear to me that anytime I could gather with professional colleagues to exchange ideas that my performance as a coach would improve. It started to come together for me in July 1972 at the first AAU Learning By Doing Track & Field Clinic. This clinic lasted four days from 7:00 AM in the morning to 9:00 PM at night and then there were the discussions about what we had learning that went late into the night. I came away from that experience vowing to repeat that experience wherever and whenever possible. It was career changing for me. I now had a network of coaches I could communicate with, I no longer felt like the Lone Ranger. Going forward into the 1980’s a group of us would gather at every opportunity, usually at National Championships or conventions with the express purpose to share ideas and cross check each others training programs.

In 1992 when I started teaching Building and Rebuilding The Athlete seminar which started as a two and one half day seminar and then after a couple of years it was shortened to two days. It was a broad overview of all the components of training and rehab for the athlete. The emphasis as the name indicated was on the complete athlete, making connection and emphasizing linkages.

Needless to say it was not in-depth, the volume of information and format only allowed us to scratch the surface. Each seminar someone would ask me if I ever was going to something beyond Building and Rebuilding. Because of various factors I was unable to until 2007 when we had our first GAIN at the Holiday Inn Sports complex in Sunrise Florida. There were twenty brave souls in attendance (that included faculty and staff); I don’t think any of us had a good idea what it would be. We are now looking at beginning GAIN X this June. It has evolved and grown into the career changing experience I hoped it would be. We have highly motivated attendees who are professionals in their various areas and a superb faculty who are high-level practitioners who have their skin in the game, they know through practice based evidence what it takes to achieve at the highest levels of sport.

Join us in this learning journey of professional development. To apply go to http://www.thegainnetwork.com/. There is no experience like this total immersion for five days with highly motivated professionals. I am only a facilitator, a catalyst - the strength is in the network & the subsequent connections into a learning community of highly motivated professional eager to challenge ideas, generate new ideas and take a different look at old one.

GAIN Mission/Philosophy

The GAIN Network’s goal is to provide a global platform for education, innovation and motivation in Athletic Development.  We focus on developing and strengthening the connection between all elements of the sports performance team to produce adaptable athletes that are prepared for optimum performance.  

GAIN 2017 Theme

Making connections to foster meaningful change and innovation

Past Participating Organizations

English Football Association

Rugby Football Union (RFU)

Texas Tech University

University of North Carolina

Pace University

Rice University

Houston Rockets

Portland Trailblazers

Milwaukee Bucks

Washington Capitals

Phoenix Coyotes

Philadelphia Flyers

Australian Institute of Sport

US Skiing

Northampton Saints (Rugby)

Arsenal Football Club

West Ham United Football Club

Everton Football Club

Scottish Rugby

Scottish Institute of Sport

New South Wales Institute of Sport

Queensland Academy of Sport

FBI

Leicester Tigers (Rugby)

Queensland Reds (Rugby)

Manhattan College

ACT Brumbies (Rugby)

Essenton Football Club

University of California Berkeley

Collegiate School, Richmond Virginia

North Shore Country Day School, Chicago

Philadelphia Union Soccer Academy

Westmont College

University of Minnesota

University of Arkansas

University of Illinois

Scottish Athletics

University of Oregon

Arsenal Football Club

Philadelphia Eagles

The Journey Continues – 48 Years & Counting

This week starts my 48th year of coaching. It has been a journey of discovery that God willing I hope will continue for a few more years. My coaching role has evolved to more mentor coaching rather than being on the track or in the weight room day to day. This better allows me to share my experiences with younger coaches to learn from my mistakes and successes. I still am and intend to be hands on as much as is practical because as I learned from one of my mentors that if you don’t have skin in the game you quickly lose touch and credibility.

As I reflect back over the years it is hard to find words to express the joy and excitement those experiences have brought. I have had the great fortune to work with great people both as athletes and coaches. There have been championships and records as well as big failures. Frankly it took me a long time to understand how to balance the ups and downs. It has never been about the trophies or rings for me, it has always been about seeing the athletes grow as people, sometimes it was easy and joyful and other times it was painful. For those of you starting out in coaching it is a great profession filled with immense responsibly, keep learning, work at your craft daily and never forget it is not about you, it is always about the athletes.

Go Analog and Start Coaching Now

Try this for one week. When you go out to coach leave your cell phone and iPad in the office. Put the Go Pro away. Turn off the GPS. Watch the athlete, see how they more, how they accumulate those numbers you ponder over. Don’t measure bar speed instead watch the lift. Oh and by the way don’t forget that all training is velocity based. Put the wellness questionnaire in the drawer and greet your athletes and ask them how they feel, look them in the eye, watch their body language – you will learn more than a questionnaire. Forget triphasic workouts and go back to basics – all movement requires an isometric, concentric and eccentric muscle action.

STOP! LOOK! LISTEN!

Heighten and sharpen your observation skills. Listen for rhythm and tempo. Watch from as many perspectives as you can. Talk to the athlete. You will be surprised at what you have been missing. Use technology to complement your coaching skills, not to supplant them. Know yourself, practice self reflection and never forget that we coach people not robots.

What exactly is professional development?

Here are some of my thoughts on professional development:

First: I do not count time on the Internet reading training porn written by keyboard cowboys with no skin in the game, time on the Internet on sites like Ted, Seth Godin do count. They challenge you and make you think.

Second: Read books and research articles in and out of your field. Read authors that challenges your thinking. I try to read 100 books a year. I spend close to one thousand dollars on subscriptions to periodicals and scientific journals a year.

Third: Find a mentor not a guru someone who can be your bullshit filter and who will guide you and challenge you. 

Fourth: Interact with other professionals, attend conferences, and take trips to observe other professionals you respect.

Fifth: Invite other professional to come and evaluate your work, they will see things you miss.