Functional Path Training

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?

Figuring It Out

From the time I was a kid I have been curious, always trying to figure things out. My first recollection of figuring things out may in retrospect have set m​e on the path to being a coach. In 1954 I was seven years old. My parents allowed me to go to the California theater in Santa Barbara. I had to collect enough bottles to pay my own way. Admission was fifteen cents. I would get two cents a bottle, so sometimes it took a bit of time to collect enough bottles. Saturday afternoon was a matinee usually with a Long Ranger or Cisco Kid Serial. I thought that the Lone Ranger and Tonto and Cisco and Poncho were really cool, but the real highlight for me was the newsreel that would start the show. It was in black and white with dramatic music and ​the ​booming baritone voice commenting on the news of the world. We did not have a television, so it was an opportunity to see actual images of the people you heard about on the radio news. I will never forget the headline story from the third Saturday in May 1954. The image came on of Roger Banister breaking the tape. The commentator boomed that Bannister  had broken the four-minute barrier in the mile on May 6 at Ifly track in Oxford England with a time of 3:59.4. It showed him exhausted as he ​was ​greeted by teammates.

The time was meaningless to me. But the distance of the mile captured my imagination. It obviously had to be hard to run a mile because of the way Bannister looked at the finish. My dad picked me up that afternoon and I asked what a mile was. He said it was far. So, I started trying to figure out how long a mile was. Too young to get a map and look at the scale. I was asking everyone. Someone told me it was four laps around a track. That did not help because I had never seen a track. My frame of reference was city blocks, in fact my world at the time was a big square of four city blocks. To downtown Santa Barbara from where I lived was six blocks, somehow that did seem far enough. Over the next several weeks I figured out that  in my world it was twelve city blocks. I don’t really know how I came to that conclusion. That’s how far it was to Dolores school where I went to school.

So, summer came, and I set out to run a mile like Roger Bannister, mind you not for time because that ​was ​too abstract for me and we had no way of timing anyway, it was the distance. So, the first day I stared out and ran as fast as I could and had to stop short of a block. I quickly figured out that was not the way to do it. So, over the next few weeks I tried going slower, that was better. It took most of the summer to finally run the whole twelve blocks without stopping. I had run a mile and I had figured it all out by myself.

Looking back, it was the start of a journey longer than a mile. 52 years later I am still trying to figure out how to make athletes better and how to make myself better. I am convinced curiosity, persistence and not taking no for an answer will open up adventures you cannot imagine. Figure it out!

Looking Back to Gain Perspective

I started coaching and teaching in 1969. It was a different era. All my coaches & the coaches I coached with early in my career were part of the so-called "Greatest Generation."  They had fought in WWII or the Korean war. I am more appreciate of what they did and taught me now more than ever. I was a three sport athlete in high school, played football in college and competed in Decathlon after college. I have seen a lot and experienced a lot both as an athlete, coach and as a parent. Here are a few thoughts/observation from what I have seen over the years:

Off-season football was track or baseball not passing leagues and hours spent locked in the weight room.

There was mandatory daily Physical Education k-12 in all fifty states. Now there is essentially none.

The majority of coaches were trained teachers. Now anyone who can blow a whistle is called a coach.

Sport was centered in the school. No travel teams.

Girls had no organized interscholastic sport, confined to GAA, not a good thing.

 A multiple sport athlete was the norm not the exception.

“The Team” was a viable concept. We not me was a reality.

Cheating was punished not rewarded! 

No social media, no smart phones, no texting - you actually talked to your coaches and teammates.

In summary it may not have been the “good old days” but as an old man I long for some of the way it was, it was different and there are things to be learned from the difference from the way it was to the way it is.

Announcing GAIN Master Class Series

GAIN is a community of professionals eager to learn and willing to share ideas and information. This year was to be the thirteenth edition of GAIN at Rice University in June but the Covid 19 pandemic has forced a change in plans. We know we can’t recreate the unique live GAIN experience, instead we have created a whole new learning experience that takes advantage of the connectivity of the internet. I have always believed that adversity is opportunity in disguise. This is an opportunity to get out of our comfort zone and present a unique educational experience in an interactive format – the GAIN Master Class. This will not be another webinar with someone talking over PowerPoint. Instead we will have an interactive format with a featured presenter along with a panel of experts. The goal of each Master Class is to provide the highest quality actionable information, information you can use and apply now. There will be one class a month for twelve months. The topic areas will address the four areas of athletic development - Physical Education, Strength & Conditioning, Athletic Medicine & Sport Science​ - featuring experts who can connect disciplines and ideas across domains.

If you are hungry to learn, to be challenged and be comfortable with being uncomfortable, the GAIN Master Class is for you. As we proceed, we will seek your input, we will adapt, we will change to make it better for you, the learner. We promise we will not have someone reading slides to you for an hour. Each Master Class will have a plenary presentation, an expert panel, discussion groups, and exercise /training demonstrations. GAIN has never been about more exercises, sets, reps and training methods. It is about passionate people who pursue excellence with honesty, integrity and respect to make a difference in the lives of the people we coach and teach.

There will be sixteen master classes. The first class is free, open to all. The cost for a season pass is $499.99 or $55.00 for an individual session. In addition, each moth the attendees will receive a digital packet of information pertaining to that months Master Class. Contact us at gstscoach@gmail.com for group or institutional rates. To learn more about GAIN Master Class go to https://thegainnetwork.com/events/gain2020/ or call 941-378-178. Enroll Now! Don't miss out on this career changing experience.

 

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.

Learn about GAIN

Don’t miss out on GAIN 2020 June 16 to June 20 at Rice University in Houston Texas. GAIN is open to Strength & Conditioning/Athletic Development coaches, Sport Coaches, Physical Therapists, ATC’s, Chiropractors, Doctors and Physical Education teachers. Those who attend are professionals seeking career advancement & renewal through a networking experience and who are interested in getting out of their comfort zone. https://thegainnetwork.com/  Application open January 15. To learn more about GAIN take some time to watch my opening State of GAIN presentation for 2019. https://thegainnetwork.com/video/state-of-gain-2019-gambetta/

GAIN 2020 - Join US

GAIN 2020 will be held June 16 to 20 at Rice University in Houston Texas. This is the thirteenth year of GAIN; it started 2007 with twelve attendees and four instructors and has grown to ninety attendees from all over the world and eighteen faculty. GAIN is a community of professional’s eager to learn and willing to share ideas and information.

GAIN is not about more exercises, sets, reps and training methods it is about passionate people who pursue excellence with honesty, integrity and respect to make a difference in the lives of the people we coach and teach. To learn more about GAIN go to https://thegainnetwork.com/ or call 941-378-178. Applications will open on January 15, 2020. Don't miss out on this career changing experience.

GAIN is open to Strength & Conditioning/Athletic Development coaches, Sport Coaches, Physical Therapists, ATC’s, Chiropractors, Doctors and Physical Education teachers. Those who attend are professionals seeking career advancement & renewal through a networking experience and who are interested in getting out of their comfort zone.

Know History

It is imperative to know history. Toynbee certainly was spot on when he said that those that ignore history are condemned to repeat it. Historical perspective will provide context and perspective. Know where ideas come from. Where did training methods come from? Once you dig into history of training methods you will find very little that is new.

What's New?

This past weekend my good friend and professional colleague, Jimmy Radcliffe, came to Sarasota for his annual day and a half visit after the NCAA regional track meet. We spend the time each year reflecting, analyzing what we did the previous year and planning. Jim was kind enough to have me assist with the Women’s Olympic Gold Medal Ice Hockey team so that was one topic of conversation. Neither of us had ever worked with ice hockey before, but we came to the conclusion that it really did not matter because it was all about reinforcing basics and improving movement efficiency.

We came to a profound realization, after looking at the landscape of Strength & Conditioning/Athletic Development through the lens of a combined ninety years of experiences, that there is very little that is new. People have put together “stuff” with sciency names that is great for marketing, but beneath the hype and catchy phrases you see that there is not much new there-- essentially old ideas repackaged and sometimes bastardized. What is new is the technology, some of it good and some of it bad. What technology has given us is a better understanding of why and how methods work and don’t work. It is interesting to note that most of the methods were developed and perfected before sophisticated technology existed. Look at the 1940’s book by Logan & McKinney and you will see that the analysis that they were able to do without high speed computerized analysis techniques was spot on. Take a look back, know your history, know the principles behind training.

Here are some books (there are many more) and names from the 1970’s and before that are just as timely with their information today as when they were written.

Logan & McKinney – Kinesiology

Bob Nidefer - The Inner Athlete

Knot & Voss – Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation

Pat O’Shea – Scientific Principles and Methods of Strength Fitness

Jim Hay – The Biomechanics of Sports Techniques

Joseph R. Higgins – Human Movement, An Integrated Approach

If you take the time to read these books you will realize that everything old can be new again.

We are not two old guys longing for the good old days, rather we are asking the younger generation of coaches to take a longer view of the body of knowledge that has gone before us. We both realize that when we used “new” ideas that strayed from the basics, the results were not there. It does not have to be shiny and new to be good. Know the basics, repeat the basics, don’t deviate from the basics and above all know and respect where the basics came from.

GAIN X – Short but Spectacular

As one who is not given to hyperbole GAIN was too short but it sure was spectacular, it was easily the best we have ever had. After ten years, we don’t have it figured out but we sure are on our way. GAIN is not a conference, it is an event, an event that is meant facilitate networking and building a community of professionals who will question and challenge each other to be the best. It directed in four prongs 1) Athletic Development 2) Sport Coaching 3) Sports Medicine/Rehabilitation 4) Physical Education with the goal to foster communication and sharing between these disciplines.

So many people have gone into making GAIN what it is today. I want to recognize them with a special thank you

Melissa Gambetta (My Wife) – The brains behind the operation, the person who does all the hard stuff to make it run smoothly

Ed Ryan who graciously gives up his time each year out of his busy schedule to do the onsite operations

Tommy McHugh AKA Tommy Tech who does all the filming, manages the web page and his dad Patrick McHugh who helps him

Rice University Men’s Track & Field who are our on-campus sponsor, specifically Brek Christensen, assistant coach.

The GAIN Originals (Still Coming to GAIN) 

 

 

Tove Shere

Adam Moss

Bill Knowles

Steve Myrland

Greg Thompson

Patrick McHugh

Phil Bazzini

Joe Przytula

The Faculty

 

Wade Gilbert, professor in the Department of Kinesiology at California State University, Fresno. Dr. Gilbert's areas of expertise include coaching effectiveness, talent development, and sport psychology. Editor - International Sport Coaching Journal | Consultant - USOC Coaching Education.

Michael Joyner MD, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine. He has done extensive work in Physiology of Elite Athletes. Elite athletic performances are experiments in nature on the limits of human physiology. Dr. Joyner uses data from real-world competitions to understand the limits of human physiology. 

John Pryor, Former conditioning coach Japan Rugby, now the conditioning coach for Suntory Rugby, Brumbies in Super Rugby and Fiji.

Jim Radcliffe, Head S&C Coach University of Oregon, a pioneer and a true master of the profession.

Martin Bingisser, HMMR Media, Swiss National Hammer Throw Coach

Nick Garcia, Athletic Development Coach & Assistant Track Coach, Notre Dame High School, Sherman Oaks, California

Steve Magness, Head Cross Country and Assistant Track Coach University of Houston

Bill Knowles, ATC Philadelphia Union Academy and HP Sports. Pioneer in reconditioning and return to play.

Ed Ryan, ATC Head Trainer US Women’s Olympic Basketball Team, Formerly Head of Sports Medicine at USOC

Randy Ballard, , ATC , Director of Integrated Performance, University of Illinois

Joe Przytula, ATC Supervisor of Physical Education and Health, and athletic trainer with Elizabeth Public Schools, Elizabeth New Jersey USA.

Greg Thompson, Elementary Physical Education Teacher Farmington Michigan, Currently Athletic Development and Age Group Head Coach, Livonia City Soccer Club

Steve Myrland, District Performance Coach for Athletics, District Wellness Director Middleton Wisconsin School District

Our Partners

Their generosity makes it possible to have the quality faculty we have.

1080 Motion - http://1080motion.com/ makes of 1080 Sprint and 1080 Quantum

Bridge Athletic - https://bridgeathletic.com/ makes of Bridge training management software

Lane Gainer - http://lanegainer.com/ makes of the famous Bullet Belt