Functional Path Training

My Learning Milestones

I have been thinking lately on who and what shaped and influenced my ideas over the years. It has been a process of searching for knowledge to get better at getting better. These reflections make me realize how fortunate I have been in my life to be in the right place at the right time. The foundations for this journey was laid by my parents and the education I received in parochial elementary and high school where we were taught to think. It goes without saying that the athletes and colleagues I have been able to work with were also a constant source of learning for me.

Theory of Track & Field class at Fresno State senior year spring of 1968 taught by Red Estes, who was assistant track coach at Fresno State. We had to show proficiency in each event and develop a training program for each event. The textbook was Modern Track & Field by Ken Doherty. Red lent me all the back issues Track Technique and Run/Run/Run by Fred Wilt which set me on the right path.

Fresno State Track & Field Clinic, January 1968 with Bill Bowerman, University of Oregon and Ken Shannon, assistant coach at UCLA. What a way to start a career. After hearing these two coaches for two days there was no doubt in my mind that I would be a track coach. Fifty plus year later I can close my eyes and hear Bowerman’s words and see Shannon film of pole vault training.

Theory of Basketball class at Fresno State senior year spring of 1968 taught by head coach, Ed Gregory. Coach Gregory went on the scout for many years with the Warriors. We had to scout and prepare a scouting report on a high school game and college game. I chose Fresno city college versus Pasadena City College coached by Jerry Tarkanian. After that game my head was spinning watching the speed that Pasadena played and their tenacious 1:2:2 zone defense. A preview of thing to come at UNLV years later. We also had to develop our own training system and playbook.

Foundations of Conditioning fall 1968 at UCSB. The class was taught by Sherm Button. Our class project was a year long training program for your sport. It really forced me analyze and think why I was doing what I was doing. I still have it.  Sherm was a great teacher and a mentor for me.

MTSAC Track & Field Clinic February 1970. This was an annual clinic attended by over 300 coaches. This was the first time I heard Tom Tellez speak; I became a disciple. He recommended two books that really opened my eyes – Mechanics of Athletics by Geoff Dyson and Science of Swimming by Doc Councilman. Arne Nytro, from Norway coach of Terje Pedersen, first man to throw 300’ in Javelin, he also spoke on distance training also presented. He was a generalist, which left a huge impression on me and forged my philosophy of specializing in being generalist.

1972 Olympic Trials and Clinic. During the Olympic Trials each morning there was a clinic on all the events presented by top coaches. A chance to network and meet other coaches and share ideas.

July 1972 AAU Learn by Doing Clinic in Sacramento. Organized by Fred Wilt. It lasted six days beginning at 8:00 in the morning going until 9:00 at night. The days were devoted to learning by doing at stations taught by top coaches. Evenings consisted of lectures, the first two nights were by Tom Ecker on biomechanics and last three nights by Tadeusz Starzynski, coach of Joseph Schmidt two-time gold medal winner in triple jump. His lectures were two hours with simultaneous translation from polish. They were amazing, extensive use of 16mm film of training exercises. No heavy weights, a lot of what a we today call coordination. Really opened my eyes. In addition, the interaction with the coaches who attended was tremendous. It was a who’s who of anybody and everybody who did anything in coaching for the next forty years.

Track & Field Omnibook by Ken Doherty – First Edition. This was an update on his previous books all assembled under one cover. I still go back through this book once a year. It is so rich in information that is timeless.

Grad School at Stanford 1973-74 was in many ways a dream come true. Just to be at Stanford and the people that was able to access was amazing. There was also a dance master’s program and having classes with them opened my eyes to new vistas in movement, all of sudden rhythm and tempo became part of my coaching repertoire. In addition, I coached the jumps and decathlon. I don’t know if it was an aha ha or aha shit moment before the first meet when I realized that a year before I was coaching La Cumbre Junior high school and now I was coaching in the Pac Eight.

UC Berkeley Exercise Physiology seminar in January 1974. The speakers were a who’s who of anybody who had done anything of significance in exercise physiology to the that time. The headline presenter was Per Olaf Astrand, a true iconic figure in the field. Needless to say, it was eye opening, educational and challenging. There were over three hundred people there, only a handful of whom were coaches. I felt it gave me an edge in training my athletes because I had learned cutting edge information from the best.

1976 Olympic Games – I was able to attend the Montreal games. I got there a few days before the start of track and field. I would go to the practice/warm-up track, arrive at 7:30 am and leave at 7:00 pm. I did not want to miss anything. It was an education. Seeing Juantorena go through a session. Seeing the East Germans for the first time. Trying to hear what the coaches were saying. It was an unforgettable and formative experience for me. You can learn so much by watching.

1978 Commonwealth Games Scientific Congress in Edmonton. First time hearing Frank Dick present. There were many good opportunities to interact with speakers and delegates. Certainly, another good learning experience.

1978 I became editor of Track Technique, at the time the premier technical journal in track and field. This gave me access to a worldwide network of coaches, athletes and scientists. The information that I received was priceless. Some was published in Track Technique, but much was material I used in my coaching and is still in my library. I was able to get TAC to make Track Technique the National Governing body technical journal. I was removed for the editorship because of my outspoken stance of the drug abuse in track & field.

Shriners Hospital in San Francisco biomechanics lab with John Hagy. From 1977 to 81 I got exposed to film analysis, EMG and use of force platform. Was able to do research on my athletes as they were used as “normal” subjects in some landmark gait studies.

Visit with Tom Tellez at University of Houston in January 1982. After a conversation at a convention in December Tom invited to spend three days in Houston. During those three days he took me through his technical model for every event. We studied film of each event. He went through cues for each event. We probably spent twelve hours a day going over every detail. I watched workouts with Carl Lewis and Tom talked me through what they were doing. It was an education. It got me back on a simpler path, I was making things too complicated and confusing my athletes. My athletes saw immediate progress from the lessons I learned. As a team we finished second at nationals and had two individual national champions. I still apply the lessons I learned then.

Project Gold leading into 1984 Olympic Games. Worked with Anne “Betty” Attwater and Ralph Mann on biomechanical analysis of sprints and hurdles. During this project getting to know Mel Rosen, Coach at Auburn and Ed Temple coach of the famous Tigerbelles and listen them talk about sprinting and training was a priceless experience. They weren’t the loudest voices in the room, but when they spoke you listened. They may not have been scientific, but they were oh so wise.

Meeting Dr. Lois Klatt head of performance lab Concordia University in River Forest Illinois. A lady way ahead of here time. Lois made me understand three planes of motion and importance of training movements not muscles and multi joint actions. The work with her was a seminal moment in my career. I now looked at movement, training and rehab with new eyes.

ASMI Pitching research with Dr Chuck Dillman and later with Glen Fleisig. I had known Chuck from when he was with USOC. It was very special experience to be on the ground floor of this research. Chuck came and met with our pitching coaches (White Sox) and asked them what they needed to know. That was why he was such a special sport scientist, His approach spoiled me. We are able to have the majority of our pitchers from 1987 to 1996 filmed and analyzed during my time with the White Sox. It helped me to clearly define what we needed to do in training. We had significant reduction in injuries as a result.

Starting Building & Rebuilding the Athlete seminar in 1992. Putting everything together in a systematic manner that I could teach in a sixteen-hour seminar. I taught this periodically until spring of 2005

First visit to Australia 1996 and the AIS in its heyday and John Pryor and Mark Andrews at Sydney academy of sport. Subsequently I have been to Australia thirteen more times and each trip has been an amazing learning experience working with great coaches and applied sport scientists.

Starting GAIN in 2007. GAIN is a community of professionals for professional development. At this stage of my career this now become my focus. It is an incredible learning community that inspires me every day and challenges me to keep learning and leading. If you have a passion for leaning, please join us https://thegainnetwork.com/

These represent the highlights. Every day for me the process of learning continues.

Herb Elliott – Some Quotes & Thoughts

I don’t have many heroes in sport, but from the time I first saw this picture in Life magazine of Herb Elliott and his coach running the sand dunes at Portsea he became my hero. Here are some thoughts and quotes from a presentation he recently did in Australia. He is 82 years and sharp as a tack. He retired from running at age 22 and has never looked back. I think there are many lesson todays coaches and athletes can learn from Herb Elliott.

“Turn yourself into a better human being through sport”

He related that he ran to exhaustion 4 days a week, the other two days he just ran for the pure joy of running. As a note most of this time he was working an eight-hour day!

He related a workout on a very windy day when his main competition in Australia, Merv Lincoln was also doing a workout at the same track, as it turned out it was almost the same workout. He observed that Lincoln chose to run with the wind while he ran into the wind. Herb said he knew could beat Lincoln after that day because he was ok with being uncomfortable.

For all you complexifiers out there this is a gem:” Running is so bloody simple – you are born, you walk, then you run. Don’t make it complicated!”

Team Speed

When I the so-called experts talking about team speed and all they emphasize is acceleration, I just scratch my head. Are you watching the same game I am? Top end speed, max speed is important for team sport players and must be trained. The key concept is that in athletics you accelerate to top speed, in multi-directional sports you accelerate to optimum speed.  Top speed obviously assumes more importance depending on where you play on the pitch/field. If nothing else, it will inoculate you against hamstring pulls. I plan on expanding on this in a future episode of the GAINcast, it definitely will be a topic of discussion at GAIN.

Free the Kids – Let Them Play

I do not know Nick Willis, but he is a current athlete that I hold in high regard both for his accomplishments on the track, longevity and willingness to share his thoughts/lessons learned throughout his career. He posted this on Twitter yesterday, needless to say it really resonated with me:

“I trained 3 times a day from 7 to 17 years old. Just so happened that 99% of it was playing intense (and I mean intense) games of pick-up sports with school mates.” @nickwillis

In 1971/72 I had five ninth graders run under five minutes in the mile, with the best at 4:33. They trained five or six day a week maybe 28 miles for the highest mileage week. But most importantly they had daily physical education that was physical and educational and they played pick-up basketball or touch football at lunch. They were fit as a fiddle because they played, they rode their bikes, and they had paper routes. That year we also beat York High School in the Track & Field News National Postal two mile. York ninth graders were training six or seven days a week upwards of 75 miles a week.

Oh, for the good old days – when are we going to wake up and realize what we are doing to kids with early specialization and formal high intensity training. It is ruining kids, taking the joy out of it. Let them be kids and play. Champions and age group record holders at eight or nine years old don't have a good track record in fact they most often disappear by age sixteen. Not too hard to figure this out.

Movement is a Symphony, not a Solo

For the body to execute efficient athletic movement all parts and systems of the body 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. It is impossible to isolate various systems of the body. All systems of the body work 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.

GAIN 2019 Faculty

Our faculty is a very special group with a tremendous breadth of experiences and a track record of excellence in their chosen fields. They know how a performance team works, how all aspects of athletic development complement each other and most importantly they understand the process of developing athletes. The faculty and their willingness to share and interact make GAIN special. They know how to connect the dots and still stay grounded in the basics. They completely live the GAIN Mission which is: To focus on the possibilities for enhancing human movement with no limits or limitations and emphasize connections and links between all disciplines in the same manner we emphasize connections and linkages in the body.

With each faculty members short bio, I have included their presentation topic and a link to their episode on the GAINcast, many have also been guests on the HMMR media podcast.

GAIN XI is June 11 to 15, 2019 at Rice University in Houston Texas. Apply as soon as possible. For more information & to apply go to http://thegainnetwork.com/

THE Faculty

Vern Gambetta, Founder of GAIN Network, Currently Director of Gambetta Sports Training Systems. Vern brings 50 years of experience having worked with sport at all levels of competition. Vern will do a morning session on the Multi-Stage warm-up, a presentation on Leg, Legs, Legs – the Foundation and a wrap up presentation on Reflections & Recollections.

Peter Vint, PhD, is an internationally recognized expert in sport science, performance technology, and sport analytics. He has served as a trusted advisor, consultant, and educator with leading sporting organizations including the US Olympic Committee, UK Sport, Titleist Golf, Nike, and a number of professional sports teams in the NBA, NFL, MLS, MLB, and The Premier League.

In 2016, Dr. Vint was hired as Academy Director for Everton Football Club in the English Premier League. During that time, Vint and his leadership team launched a number of initiatives to support improved health, wellbeing, and athletic development of Everton’s 160 Academy players who range in age from 9-21. Prior to his work in the UK, Peter served the United States Olympic Committee for more than a decade as Senior Sport Technologist, Director of High Performance, and Senior Director of Competitive Analysis, Research and Innovation.

Dr. Vint holds a Ph.D. in biomechanics (sport science), completed a post-doctoral fellowship in Motor Control and Motor Learning, and has completed executive leadership studies at the Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management. Peter will do two presentations: Deterministic Model – Theory and Application and Living with Analytics GAINcast Episode 80: Performance Team (with Peter Vint) 

John Pryor, Former conditioning coach Japan Rugby, now the conditioning coach for Fiji Rugby and The Brumbies in Super Rugby. John has developed a system for blending speed and strength development based on his experience and incorporating the concepts of Frans Bosch that apply to all sports. He is not afraid to challenge conventional thinking. John will do a daily Breakout/Workshop on Elements of Robust Running. GAINcast Episode 135: The anatomy of agility – part 1 (with Frans Bosch and John Pryor) GAINcast Episode 136: The anatomy of agility part 2 (with Frans Bosch and John Pryor) 

Jim Radcliffe, Head S&C Coach University of Oregon, a pioneer and a true master of the profession. Jim Radcliffe joined the Oregon athletic department in August 1986 and works as the head strength and conditioning coach. Radcliffe is one of the most overlooked elements in the success of Oregon student-athletes and not only plays a significant role in the Ducks’ football program as the designer of the year-round conditioning calendar, but also has been quick to aid the athletic development of athletes in the sports of baseball as well as men’s and women’s track & field.

While he has long been one of the integral components to the program’s success – as often credited by both past and present Oregon student-athletes – his work and innovation are now recognized as one of the overwhelming contributions to the fast pace the football team has employed in recent years.

During his tenure, which is the longest among his counterparts within the Pac-12 Conference, he has established himself as a highly-respected teacher, coach and author. An active clinician throughout the country, he is widely recognized as one of the leading authorities regarding exercise for the development of strength, speed and agility.

In addition to overseeing a strength and conditioning program that was named one of the top 10 in the country in 2013 by Bleacher Report, Radcliffe was included on a list of the 65 most influential strength coaches of all time by another 2012 website, as well as one of three national finalists for FootballScoop’s Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year award in 2010.

Upon his hiring in 1986, Radcliffe spent two years as the assistant strength and conditioning coach for the Ducks before assuming the head role, a position he has held  since.

Radcliffe taught and coached a variety of sports and was the athletic trainer for four years at Aloha (Ore.) High School from 1980-83. He then did graduate study at Colorado and worked in private business prior to joining the Ducks’ staff. Graduating from Pacific (Ore.) with a degree in physical education and health in 1980, he played four seasons at defensive back and was captain of the special teams. Radcliffe earned his Master’s in biomechanics from Oregon in 1992.Jimmy will do a morning filed session on Plyo Progressions and will co-present with Vern on Lessons Learned. GAINcast Episode 125: Gold medal roundtable 

Martin Bingisser, HMMR Media, Swiss National Hammer Throw Coach, many times Swiss national hammer throw champion. Martin is the founder of HMMR Media, an online coach’s education platform, and co-host of the GAINcast and HMMR Podcast. He is also active as a coach, servicing as the Swiss national coach in the hammer throw, throwing coach for LC Zurich, and fitness coach for GC Rugby Zurich. Martin is a graduate of University of Washington and is a practicing lawyer in Zurich Switzerland. Martin will co-present with John Kiely on New Concepts of Stress & Adaptation.

 Grace Golden PhD is currently is a Senior Lecturer & Program Director for the Graduate Athletic Training Program at the University of Oregon. Her education includes BS in Physical Education/Teacher Preparation (University of Oregon, 1989), MS in Physical Education/Athletic Training (University of Oregon, 1991) and a PhD in Exercise and Sport Science (Oregon State University, 2007).  She has been Head Women’s Athletic Trainer (University of Nevada-Las Vegas, 1997-2000), Assistant Athletic Trainer (Stanford University, 2000-2001), Associate Head Athletic Trainer (UCLA, 2007-2009) and Clinically focused on lower extremity screening and long-term rehabilitation of ACL injuries, her philosophy and approach are strongly influenced by emphasizing the existing intersections of fundamental movement skill development, motor learning theory, and apt performance programming in active individuals who have experienced lower extremity injury in order to emphasize physical literacy & athletic performance and the potential to prevent injuries.  Grace will present on Taking a Hard Look at Evidence Based Practice.  HMMR Podcast Episode 172: Better balance (with Grace Golden)

Nick Garcia, Athletic Development Coach & Assistant Track Coach, Notre Dame High School, Sherman Oaks, California. An accomplished athlete himself Nick has developed an outstanding athletic development at Notre Dame high school where he works with all sixteen sports. He earned his bachelor's degree and his master's in Physical Education from Cal State Northridge. Nick is also the co-host of the HMMR media podcast with Martin Bingisser. Nick will do a morning practical session on Special Strength. GAINcast Episode 46: State of the Sport (with Nick Garcia) 

Leonard Zaichkowsky PhD, a professor, researcher, and consultant for almost four decades at Boston University, pioneered sports psychology by bringing cognitive neuroscience and sports performance together as an interdisciplinary science. His academic textbooks and research publications demonstrated the importance of an athlete’s remarkable brain in anticipating and acting on opportunities during competition. He has consulted with teams in the NBA, NHL, NFL, MLB, Australian Rules Football, the Spanish men’s national soccer team, and Olympic sports organizations around the world. Len is a former president and a fellow of the Association for Applied Sport Psychology, a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, and currently section editor on psychology for the International Journal of Health, Sport and Science. Recently, the American Psychological Association honored Len with the “Distinguished Service to the Profession” award. Today, Len is a cofounder and senior consultant at 80 Percent Mental Consulting, advising coaches, teams, and sports organizations on developing athlete cognition. After too many Boston winters, he and his wife now live in Fort Myers, Florida. Len will do two presentations: Training the Brain and Learning to Learn Better.  GAINcast Episode 130: The playmaker’s advantage (with Len Zaichkowsky and Daniel Peterson) 

Greg Gatz is in his 19th year as Director of Strength and Conditioning for Olympic Sports. While overseeing the facility management and organization of 21 varsity athletic teams, Gatz is directly in charge of program design and installation for several specific teams including baseball, men's and women's soccer, volleyball, and track (sprinters/ hurdlers).

Gatz has worked with several national champion teams at Carolina including: women's soccer (1999, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2012), men's soccer (2001 and 2011), a volleyball team that finished with one of its highest national ranking ever (No. 7) in 2014 as well as the baseball team's six recent appearances in the College World Series (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013).

Prior to the University of North Carolina, Gatz spent 11 years as a high school physical education teacher and coach in the Orlando, Fla., area. A 1983 graduate of Ithaca (N.Y.) College, Gatz competed in football and track while receiving a degree in physical education. He is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist through the National Strength and Conditioning Association. Greg will do one presentation highlighting the evolution of Olympic Sport Strength & Conditioning program during his 21 years at UNC – The Carolina Way. HMMR Podcast Episode 112: Win Like A Tar Heel (with Greg Gatz and Jonas Sahratian)

John Kiely PhD, John has worked directly with the coaches of Olympic and world champions in three major sports. He has coached a Paralympic track medalist and European champion, numerous combat-sport athletes, and lots (and lots!) of kids. From a team sport perspective, he has worked as the Power Training Consultant for the Munster senior rugby squad, the Director of Fitness for Garryowen Rugby Academy, and as an advisor to top professional football clubs.

Outside the sporting domain John has consulted for both the police and the military and has performance managed the science and conditioning support for elite polar expeditions. From 2005 to 2009 John was the Head of Strength and Conditioning for UK Athletics, and retains a brief with that organization to provide direct service to current world champion and Beijing silver medalist, triple-jumper Philips Idowu and coach Aston Moore.

From an academic perspective John graduated with an honours degree in sports science from the University of Limerick, and a master's degree in strength and conditioning from the University of Edinburgh. In the past John has lectured on sports science and physical education courses at the University of Limerick, has published in both practical coaching and peer-reviewed science journals, served as an invited reviewer for top sport science periodicals, authored a book chapter, presented on various topics at international sports science conferences, and regularly present at coaching conventions. John Kiely will co-present with Martin Bingisser on New Concepts of Stress & Adaptation and will Breakout/workshop on Training Coordination. GAINcast Episode 61: The Future of Periodization (with John Kiely)  GAINcast Episode 132: Learning to control (with John Kiely) http://www.hmmrmedia.com/2016/05/hmmr-podcast-episode-48-mental-biases-with-john-kiely/

Bill Knowles, Director of Reconditioning and Athletic Development for HPSports is world-renowned in the field of Sports Reconditioning and Athletic Development. As a specialist with years of experience at the Professional, Olympic, and Elite Junior levels of sport; he specializes in developing injury prevention, performance training and reconditioning strategies for athletes and teams. Bill has lectured and trained staff around the world on his concepts of managing joint compromised athletes in their quest for a return to competition following injury.  He has equally presented an adolescent model of injury prevention and performance for soccer players.  Bill works consistently with the Philadelphia Union Academy in Major League Soccer/USA. Bill has worked with governing bodies of sport such as the RFU (England Rugby), The FA, Australian Institute of Sport, Chinese Olympic Committee, US Soccer, US Skiing, The England Institute of Sport, and the NCAA.  He has trained athletes and staff from over sixty professional teams throughout North America, Europe, and Australia. Bill will present on Beyond Reconditioning. GAINcast Episode 49: Reconditioning (with Bill Knowles) http://www.hmmrmedia.com/2017/10/hmmr-podcast-episode-124-a-dollar-a-day-with-bill-knowles/

Angus Ross PhD, Physical Performance Lead - Performance Physiologist, High Performance Sport New Zealand in a power physiology and strength and conditioning role, primarily working with track and field. He has worked with a number of sports at an elite level within the NZ system, including sprint cycling and skeleton in recent years. He was an Olympian in Bobsled for New Zealand. Angus will present on Eccentric Strength Training – Do’s and Don’ts and A Year with Tom Walsh – Lessons for All GAINcast Episode 83: Power Physiology (with Angus Ross) 

Ed Ryan, ATC serves The Andrews Institute as the Director of Athletic Medicine providing service on behalf of Nemours Children’s Hospital to the US Tennis Association’s National Campus in Orlando Florida. Ryan served as the 2007-16 USA Basketball Women's National Team athletic trainer and medical services coordinator for all USA Basketball teams. A 21-year member of the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) Sports Medicine staff, Ed served as the Medical Director and head athletic trainer for numerous events, including the Winter Olympics, Summer Olympics, Winter Paralympics, and the Pan American Games. GAINcast Episode 141: Athletic medicine (with Ed Ryan) 

Randy Ballard, ATC, Director of Integrated Performance He oversees the collaborative efforts of I-Perform, which includes representation from the Sports Medicine, Strength & Conditioning and Sports Nutrition units to promote an integrated athletic department that provides student-athletes and teams with programming and resources for optimal performance, athletic development and global wellness. Ballard was integral in the creation of the I-Perform program, which launched in the spring of 2014 with the goal of putting forth a unified approach to student-athlete health, well-being and performance.  Randy is a graduate of Kansas State and has a master's degree in kinesiology from the University of Texas. Randy will present on Putting it all Together. GAINcast Episode 45: Perform (with Randy Ballard) http://www.hmmrmedia.com/2016/01/hmmr-podcast-episode-32-movement-screens-with-randy-ballard/

Joe Przytula, ATC (AKA Mr. GAIN) is currently the Supervisor of Physical Education and Health at Elizabeth Public Schools USA- the second largest school district in the state of New Jersey. Prior to 2012, he was the head Athletic Trainer and a physical education teacher. He graduated from Montclair State College with a BS in physical education with a concentration in athletic training. He was NJSIAA athletic trainer of the year in 1998, recipient of the Governor’s teacher award in 2008, and NJAHPERD Active Schools Champion in 2018. Joe’s model of athletic development and rehabilitation is strongly influenced by manual therapy, the Gambetta Method, and physical therapists David Tiberio and Gary Gray. He has extensive involvement in improving community access to nutritious food, and engineering walkability/bikeability back into neighborhoods. Joe will do a breakout workshop session on Hip to the Shoulder GAINcast Episode 149: Integrated training (with Joe Przytula) 

 Greg Thompson has been teaching and coaching for over 30 years. He has degrees from Alma College and Wayne State University.  He currently teaches elementary Physical Education at Longacre Elementary in the Farmington Public School District in the suburban Detroit. Since coming to Farmington, he has served as K-12 Physical Education Coordinator and Department Chair.  In addition to his teaching duties, he serves as Acting Principal. His programs have earned two EDEX awards, one for assessment and one for “Rise and Shine”, his before-school exercise program.  In 2014 he received the Governor’s Champion for Health award from the Governor’s Fitness Council. Since 2010, he has been a member of the GAIN faculty. As a coach, Greg has successfully completed the USSF “A” License as well as the NSCAA Advanced National Diploma. He has performed as Director of Coaching for the Livonia Soccer Club and the Dexter Soccer Club.  He is currently with Michigan Rush-Northville as Athletic Development Director.  At the collegiate level, he has worked with Schoolcraft College Men’s Soccer, Madonna University Men’s Soccer, and currently with University of Michigan Men’s Club Soccer.  Coach Thompson was recognized with Madonna University’s coaching staff as NAIA Regional Coaching Staff of the year. Greg will do a morning practical session on Crawling on Applying Differential Learning Concepts GAINcast Episode 37: Physical Education (with Greg Thompson) 

 Steve Myrland, Myrland Sport Training. Steve is an innovative thinker who can connect the dots like no other. He is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin. He has worked as an athletic development coach in the NHL and at the University level including National Championship teams in Soccer and Ice Hockey at University of Wisconsin. Steve will present morning sessions:Sticks, Straps, & Mini Bands. GAINcast Episode 25: Train to Play (with Steve Myrland)  GAINcast Episode 108: Counterculture (with Steve Myrland) 
http://www.hmmrmedia.com/2018/04/hmmr-podcast-episode-149-zen-and-the-art-of-training-with-steve-myrland/

Chris Webb, a graduate of University of Pittsburgh Chris works closely with Vern Gambetta on GAIN swimming. He is former Head Coach, T2 Aquatics & Fort Collins Area Swim Team. He will present on Coach Wellness & Keep Perspective. Chris will a present Taking Care of Yourself. GAINcast Episode 66: The Champion’s Choice (with Chris Webb) 

Herb Elliot and Ralph Doubell – Some Lessons for Today

Sadly, I doubt that unless you are a diehard track fan you do not know these names. I am surprised at how many of the current generation of track coaches and athletes do not know these names. Herb Elliot won the Gold Medal in the 1500 meters at the 1960 Rome Olympic games in a world record time of 3:35.6. Ralph Doubell won the Gold medal in the 800 Meters at the 1968 Mexico City Olympic games in the world record time of 1:44.40.

The last two books I read in 2018 were Ralph Doubell – Don’t Worry, It Is Only Pain and The Golden Mile by Herb Elliot. The Doubell book is new, the Elliot book was first published in 1961, I had read it first in 1969. I did not realize how much it had influenced me until rereading it again last week. My original copy had gone missing.

Elliot and Doubell were both Aussies. They were coached by two giants in coaching – Elliot by Percy Cerutty and Doubell by Frans Stampfl who had also coached Roger Bannister to the first sub four-minute mile in 1954. The two coaches could not have more different in personality and approach to coaching

Frans Stampfl was a professional coach, paid by University of Melbourne, a rarity at the time.  He was a generalist who coached all events. As an athlete he had been a javelin thrower. His training methods were biased toward classical interval training as developed by Woldemar  Gerschler in Germany in the 1930’s. There were more structured workouts ion the track working at varying prescribed paces. Stampfl was an early advocate of weight training. Doubell lifted up to three times a week at certain times of the year.

Percy Cerutty was a self-made man. After nearly dying from ill health in mid-forties he started running and lifting weights, adopting a lifestyle defined by his approach to physical culture. He espoused a Stotan philosophy, Stotan was a contraction stoic and spartan. He was an outspoken critic of the track & field establishment. Their training was spartan to say the least. The training was based on effort and feel rather than being driven by the watch. In the year leading up to Rome they ran 3 minutes and thirty seconds all out often once a week to get used to the pain and effort necessary to win the gold. Cerutty was also a big advocate of weight training, it was integral part of their preparation. A big part of their preparation was sand running at Portsea, their primitive training camp.

It is interesting to note that both Elliot and Doubell had not started specializing early. Doubell was a late developer that played a variety of sports until specializing as a University student. Elliot did everything, he rowed, played cricket, Aussie Rules Football. He was a prodigy in many respects breaking world junior record in the mile and 880 as an 18-year-old. Doubell did not do much formal training as teenager by todays standards. Elliot did more but nothing approaching what some high school boys are doing today. Both were very active as youth, playing outside walking and riding their bikes everywhere.

At the same time, I was reading a doctoral dissertation “Applications of Anaerobic Speed Reserve to Elite 800m running” by Gareth Neil Sandford. It was a tremendous piece of work, full of actionable information about the 800 meters both in terms of training and racing. This was written in 2018, but I could not help but think how Cerutty and Stampfl had it figured out sixty years ago. I t is amazing that in the intervening sixty years how muddled and confusing training has become.

These two books should be mandatory reading for every track and field coach, for that matter for every swim coach, triathlon, cycling and cross-country ski coach. It will make you think about getting back to basics and focusing on the need to do to get your athletes faster.

Efficient Running Mechanics

Efficient running Mechanics are a crucial aspect of running performance. Everyone pays close attention to correct mechanics up to the 400 meters and then it is as if it does not matter anymore, when in fact it actually it is as important. Good sound running mechanics can go a long way toward preventing injuries, optimizing stride length and stride rate for more efficient utilization of energy stores. Improving running mechanics involves strengthening of all the involved muscles, the postural muscles as well as the legs. Technique practice in the form of specifically prescribed drills done with precision should be part of daily training. Constant awareness of good running mechanics must be stressed during each run.

What does good running mechanics consist of? It consists of good posture, which is erect carriage of the trunk. Then good arm action. The arm carriage should be low so as not to cause undue fatigue. The shorter the race the greater the amplitude of the arm action. The leg action should be short and controlled. High knee lift and excessively long strides are not rewarded. Efficiency is the end result of good distribution of effort and sound running mechanics.

Training Mistakes

The following is a list of some mistakes that I have made in coaching and teaching. If you learn from your mistakes I should be a genius, but unfortunately some of the lessons were only learned after I repeated of these mistakes several times. I hope that by sharing these with you, it will help you to avoid making the same mistakes I have made.

It does not have to be hard to be good - Each workout is part of a larger picture. If you put their backs to the wall in each training session you will quickly lose sight of the picture. Everything must be in context. Remember that different physical qualities adapt at different rates, so they need to be stressed differently.

Too much, too soon - You can’t hurry the adaptive process. The younger athlete can handle a lot both in terms of volume and intensity, but once again if you lose sight of the big picture it is important to remember that not following proper progression and individualizing can stifle long term development.

Overloading the spine – Too often and too young - I think this is obvious, so I don’t know why it took me so long to figure it out. Even with the mature athlete the spine just cannot take the heavy repetitive loading that is imposed on it by too much heavy back squatting and dead lifting.

Too many exercises or drills in a training session - This just leads to confusion from an administrative perspective and poor adaptive response on the part of the athlete. This results in a loss of focus. They get tired, but they do not get better.

Repetitious Exercises - Usually overloads one area or one component, the end result is a poor training response. I always say hunt with a rifle, not a shotgun.

Training to failure - This leads to failure. Each workout becomes an end unto itself and the athlete starts holding back anticipating the failure.

Over reliance on one exercise or training method - This created on trick ponies. You are what you train to be.

Reliance on a machine in training or a modality in rehab - You adapt to that environment, but not the environment you need to perform in.

Quick fixes - There are none! I have learned that it is an easy come, easy go proposition.

Crash programs - Crash programs crash, you can’t hurry the process. Adaptation takes time and the time frames for the various components are quite predictable.

The Bowerman Influence – 50 Years Later

Bill Bowerman had a huge influence on my decision to be a track coach. In the winter of 1968; my senior year in college at Fresno State Bowerman came to speak as the featured speaker at the first ever Fresno State Track & Field Clinic, he was brought to Fresno by Red Estes, assistant track coach at Fresno State (later to be head coach) who had competed at the University of Oregon under Bowerman. What can I say; Bowerman was Bowerman, passionate, direct to the point, outspoken and strong in his beliefs. He was obviously very knowledgeable in all disciples of Track & Field even though he was known as a distance coach. After the first night of the clinic as I was walking back to my apartment through the cold wet San Joaquin valley fog I made up my mind to be a track coach. I wanted to be like Bowerman, I was so impressed with his knowledge and passion I could think of no other way to go. Over the next few years I read everything about him and his program, heard him speak numerous times, but that presentation that first night of the clinic still sticks with me. He and my father had a huge influence on my thinking that there are no shades of gray; it is right or wrong, no argument. Not that I have ever have achieved what Bowerman did in his career but that has stuck with me.

These quotes capture a little of Bowerman. The first quote is not directly from Bowerman but you can clearly see his influence. It is from Oregana, 1962 University of Oregon Yearbook “World record shattering potential is not easy to come by, and even after it is found it has to be developed to realize its maximum potential. This potential is diverse in its many forms and a knowledge of the components that make up this potential is essential to successfully exploit it.”

"Victory is in having done your best. If you've done your best, you've won."

“It is quite simple to observe that great middle distances runners have usually been medium to just above average in height, slightly below average in weight, slight of build, with well-defined musculature. They also usually have a somewhat lower pulse rate than average. But to select runners purely on the basis of these characteristics would probably result in little more success than choosing them by the color of their eyes and hair.”

“Champions and potential champions must have an abundance of energy and tenacity. They must be willing to stick to workout procedures that would seem grueling to the average person, to perform them in fair weather and foul. Furthermore, they are eager, not only to defeat opposition, but to push themselves to full capacity on the competitive field.”

“My method of devising a training schedule (specific assignments for workouts) is not very different from a physician's method of arriving at a prescription for a patient. The first step is diagnosis, becoming acquainted with the patients or athlete's abilities and disabilities. The second step is an assessment of what improvement can reasonably be expected and what specific recommendations are needed. The final step is a period of trial and observation to adjust the "dosage" or training schedule to optimum levels for the safest and most rapid improvement of condition.”

If you want to learn more about Bowerman read Kenny Moore’s fine book – Bowerman and The Men of Oregon. What sport needs today is more Bill Bowerman’s who have the passion, courage and knowledge to speak their mind and stand up against drugs and cheating.