Functional Path Training

Food for Thought?

When you are planning your training program or evaluating your program, I have found it very helpful to ask the following simple and very basic questions:

Strong for What?

Fast for What?

Fit for What?

Supple for What?

Drill for What?

Ultimately, what are you training for?

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

Track & Field Omnibook - A Great Resource

This book is truly a classic! It had and continues to have a huge influence on my coaching. Even though the Fourth edition was published in 1985, many of the concepts and principles are as relevant today as they were then. Even though this is a track & field oriented book it is a must read for all coaches who are interested in coaching the person in a systematic and holistic manner. It just underscores how Ken Doherty was an innovative thinker who was way ahead of his time.

If you are interested in looking deeper into his work I recommend his classic textbook Modern Track & Field which was a textbook for my Theory of Track & Field class in 1968. I also recommend Modern Training for Running if you work with middle distance or distance athletes in any sport.

GAIN Swimming - September16 to 18, 2016

Coaching Athletic Development for Swimming - Design to Implementation

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Are you interested in being challenged as coach to make your swimmers better? Would you like to learn how to systematically make your athletes stronger and keep them injury free? If so, GAIN Swimming network can help.

GAIN is an acronym for Gambetta Athletic Improvement Network; this network was formed in 2008 to connect professionals to facilitate learning and sharing of ideas. Due to the success achieved working with swim coaches and clubs we are now creating a network specifically devoted to swimming with an emphasis on preparation of the total swimming athlete.

The objective is to provide an educational experience that will significantly advance each coach’s expertise by sharing information with other professionals in a setting that encourages an open exchange of ideas. It will be a workshop format consisting of a mixture of lecture, discussions, hot topic panels, practical learn by doing participation and demonstration. If you are sincerely interested in advancing your professional development apply now.

Date & Site

September 16 - 18, 2016 Carmel Swim Club, Carmel Indiana

Benefits

Access to GAIN Swimming Forum on secure web page ($250 Yearly membership fee included in tuition)

Access to GAIN Library including videos of past GAIN Conferences

Cost of Attendance

$1200 for three coaches plus $100 for each additional coach

Register

Enrollment limited. Go to selection labeled open to new members.

https://www.teamunify.com/MemRegStart.jsp?team=incsc&event_id=673958

Deadline for registration is September 1 - Enrollment Limited

For Further Information

Please call or email Vern Gambetta at 941-378-1778 or email at [email protected]

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

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 of the Fort Collins Area Swim Team in Colorado. 

Randy Ballard - Associate Athletics Director for Sports Medicine and Integrated Performance at the University of Illinois

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

Topics

Concepts of Dryland Training (Vern Gambetta)

8 to 18 Age Group Progressions in Athletic Development (Ian Murray)

Assessing Physical Competency – Trainability for Swimming – Theory & Practice (Randy Ballard)

Stick Mobility (Learn By Doing) (Steve Myrland)

Strap Strength & Stability (Learn By Doing) (Steve Myrland)

Integrating Dryland Training with Swim Training (Chris Plumb)

Warm-up to Swim (Chris Webb)

Strength Training (Vern Gambetta & Chris Plumb)

Weight Room Without Walls – Getting Stronger on Pool deck (Vern Gambetta)

Equipment & Facilities (Vern Gambetta)

Schedule

Friday September 16

1:00 to 3:00 - Registration

3:00 to 5:00 - Afternoon Session

Concepts of Dryland Training (Vern Gambetta)

5:30 to 7:00 - Dinner

7:00 to 9:00 - Evening Session

         Integrating Dryland Training with Swim Training (Chris Plumb)

Saturday September 17

7:00 to 9:00 - Early Morning - Observation of Carmel Dryland Training

Senior Group Followed by Age Group

9:00 to 10:00 – Breakfast

10:00 to 10:45 - Stick Mobility (Learn By Doing) (Steve Myrland)

10:45 -11:00 - Break

11:00 to 12:30 - Assessing Physical Competency – Trainability for Swimming – Theory & Practice (Randy Ballard)

12:30 to 2:00 – Lunch

2:00 to 3:30 - Age Group Progressions in Athletic Development (Ian Murray)

3:30 to 3:45 - Break

3:45 to 4:45 - Strap Strength & Stability (Learn By Doing) (Steve Myrland)

4:45 to 5:30 - Weight Room Without Walls (Getting Stronger on Deck)

5:30 – 7:00 – Dinner

7:30 – 9:00 – Panel Discussion/Q&A

Sunday September 18

8:30 to 9:30 – Warm-up to Swim (Chris Webb)

9:30 to 9:45 - Break

9:45 to 12:45 - Strength Training (Vern Gambetta, Chris Plumb & Chris Webb)

Selecting Exercises

Coaching Points & Execution

Male Female Differences in Adaptation

Designing Workouts

Weekly (Microcycle) Structure

Yearly Plan – Short Course & Long Course

         12:45 to 1:30 – Wrap-up

Injury Prevention – Getting It Right

In so many ways injury prevention programs are a lost cause. My sense of it is that the more time spent on injury prevention the more injuries there will be. Do I have proof with hard numbers? No rather it has been my observation over the years. The current emphasis on injury prevention has led us down a one-way dead end street. More time devoted to so called “injury prevention” to the exclusion of time spent on actual training. Therapy & corrective exercise does not make up for good consistent training. The best way to prevent injury is to not have an injury prevention program. Let me suggest a more proactive approach. Design, implement and hold players accountable for a comprehensive athletic development program that addresses sport demands, meets the athlete’s individual needs and addresses the pattern of injuries in the particular sport. Injury prevention should be an implicit and transparent part of this comprehensive program. This is the approach I have always taken. It has worked in a variety of sports. Try it and you will see the difference. It is much more work than rolling out a packaged injury prevention program. It requires thorough planning and total buy in from all involved. Good sound comprehensive training goes a long way toward bullet proofing the athlete.

Work Capacity - Part Two

It is important to distinguish the development of a large work capacity from the development of an aerobic base. The development of an appropriate aerobic foundation is a component part of work capacity but in sprint sports, intermittent sprint sports and transition game sports it is not anywhere near as significant a portion of the work capacity as conventional wisdom would have us believe. Even in pure endurance sports I believe the means of development of an aerobic base needs to be revisited. It is important to remember that training is cumulative. Work capacity accumulates and builds upon itself from year to year. Therefore with the aerobic component, once the capacity is increased and the aerobic power is elevated that component cannot be significantly raised. The focus needs to shift to efficiency; how the aerobic component can best contribute to performance.

In the vast majority of the sports we know we need to develop an aerobic component. In the research and coaching literature we have been bombarded with the concept of the aerobic base. The fundamental dichotomy that exists is how to develop the aerobic power necessary to recover from the short intense burst of an activity that occurs in a game without compromising the explosive power necessary for optimal performance during the bursts. It is during the bursts that actual game performance is measured and decided. Here is where we need to think and act outside the box. Volumes of research literature and thousands of doctoral dissertations have been written on all the various factors of aerobic exercise. It is only recently that there has been significant work done to more specifically direct us in this area. Max VO₂ is easy to measure; it is the gold standard lab test to give aerobic information. Because it is easy to measure and deeply embedded research literature do not make it correct. I maintain that it is an overrated measure. Time and effort could be better spent in other areas. For the intermittent sprint sport and transition sport athlete we do not need max VO₂ tests to train the aerobic component.

To better guide us in the application of work capacity concept I recommend the following principles as a guide:

• At younger training ages volume and general work will be the primary stimulus for adaptation. (Training age is how long an athlete has been in a formal training program.) Experience has shown us that with younger athletes virtually anything you do will make the athlete better. The more you do the better you get. This can become a trap that if this is continued as the athlete accumulates training age. Eventually it will yield diminishing returns.
• At advanced training ages, intensity is the stimulus for development. As the athlete progresses it becomes self-defeating to continually try to do more. The shift needs to be made to more intense work, higher quality effort and technical refinement.
• No component of fitness should be developed in isolation. Perhaps one of the biggest mistakes made in contemporary training is the inordinate placed on one component of fitness to the detriment of others. It is easy to fall into this, but ultimately this is unproductive. No one component is more important than another. There must be a careful blend. That is not to say that certain components would not be emphasized at certain phases of the year, but essentially all components of training should be trained during all phases, just in different proportions.
• The role of general work (GPP) changes with increasing training age. At the younger training ages with the developing athlete general work assumes a great emphasis. It makes up the greatest proportion of the training. As we stated in our first principle, volume will be the initial stimulus to force adaptation. As the athlete matures, because training is cumulative, general work assumes less importance. There is less need for GPP and more need for specific work and technical refinement. For the athlete of more advanced training age general work is used for regeneration and a break from more intense training.

Some Books for Educated Coaches

Here are books that I recommend if you want to consider yourself an educated coach. All these books are books I find myself referring to on an ongoing basis. Some are classics and some are contemporary. No doubt they represent my bias and my background in Track & Field, which has served me well in my career.  There are a few more I will add later.

Hamstring Injuries – A problem with a clear solution

I am not trying to jump on the bandwagon here; this is something I have been writing about and commenting on for years. Hamstring injuries have become a huge problem in sport. Just to be clear even though the Josey Altidore hamstring pull prompted this post I have no know knowledge of what the US Men’s National team does or does not do in terms of conditioning. I have had no contact with the US Men’s National Soccer team since I worked with the 1998 World Cup team. I do closely follow the tends the trends in training, injury prevention and rehab and the trends in regard to the hamstring have been quite alarming to me over the past ten years. I will state my premise up front: The more you train the hamstring to prevent hamstring injuries, the more hamstring injuries you will have. Introduction of the term “posterior chain” is part of the problem. It has caused us to focus more on one part of the body instead of thinking of the linkage, connection and coordination of the whole kinetic chain. Two years ago I visited a prominent DI football school. The Head Football S&C proudly told me about the extensive posterior chain work they were doing – last year they had eight hamstring pulls out of their 22 starters! Do you think there is any connection? I do!

Here is some food for thought from an article in Sports Coach, Volume 28 Number 4that Ico-authored with Dean Benton nine years ago.

Reasons

Primary

• Poor timing-intermuscular coordination and eccentric strength in the short head of the biceps femoris muscle during the switch between late leg recovery and initial leg approach in the swing phase of sprinting (Woods et al. 2004).
• Lack of stiffness and eccentric strength in the short and long head of the biceps femoris muscle during the ground contact phase of running (Bosch and Klomp 2005). Stiffness refers to the ability of the muscle to absorb shock and rebound. Dropping a golf ball onto concrete is an example of stiffness, it immediately rebounds off the surface. The opposite would be would be sagging or a slight collapsing on contact.
• Previous strain — prior hamstring injury is a very good indicator of potential for future injury (Crosier 2004).

Secondary

• Poor running mechanics — this consists primarily of overstriding which puts the hamstrings in a vulnerable position at ground contact. Also excessive sway or lateral deviations that force the synergistic stabilising muscles to overwork subsequently shifting more stress to the hamstrings. The hamstrings do not work alone, they need help. Poor technique when running curves and angles will put more stress on the hamstrings because of the work they have to do in the transverse plane.
• Improper warm-up or lack of warm-up — there is often confusion between stretching and warm-up. Stretching is not warm-up; the warm-up must be active and dynamic to prepare the muscles for the forces involved. Stretching is only one segment of warm-up.
• Inappropriate training loads — high speed work placed inappropriately in the workout will predispose the athlete to hamstring pulls. The hamstrings are primarily fast twitch Type II fibres that fatigue quickly. This demands that high speed work be done early in workout, as close to warm-up as possible to avoid fatigue. Higher intensity speed endurance work must be gradually built into the program to allow for adaptation. This type of work must be built on a sound foundation of running mechanics.
• Fatigue (neural and local muscle) — because the hamstrings are primarily fast twitch Type II fibre, all activities that occur in the course of a game must be taken into consideration, for example, in AFL fatigue arising from running then sprinting and kicking.
• Lower back pathology — abnormalities of the lumbar spine that potentially could cause nerve dysfunction, which in turn lead to muscle weakness.
• Playing surfaces — a wet slippery surface will put more strain on the hamstring due to slipping.

Hamstring function

In order to select effective exercises to prevent hamstring injuries and optimize sprinting performance, it is necessary to understand hamstring function. The nature of the injury and the phase of the stride cycle where the injury commonly occurs provide a major indication of hamstring function as well as insights into the mechanism of injury. Despite this clear evidence of hamstring function and the biarticular nature of the hamstrings there is a continued search for ways to isolate the hamstrings in order to strengthen them. With the understanding of the eccentric role the hamstrings play in the stride cycle, some people (the authors included) searched for ways to strengthen the hamstrings eccentrically. Unfortunately, most of those methods still relied on single joint movements, for example:

• Hamstring curl (regardless of the position of the body)
• Ham/gluteal raise — this is an exercise that has gained much favor, but it still isolates the hamstring in a position of mechanical disadvantage
• Kneeling Russian (Nordic) hamstring exercise — executed from a kneeling position with a partner securing the ankles. Slowly lower, extending the knees. This puts undue stress on the distal hamstring. In the authors’ experience this has caused many hamstring problems.

All of the above exercises certainly do work the hamstrings eccentrically, but the problem is that they all isolate the hamstrings by working at one joint, the knee. None of the exercises contribute to intermuscular coordination nor do they work the hamstrings at anywhere near the speed necessary to transfer to performance. Furthermore, the Kneeling Russian Hamstring exercise in particular excessively loads the hamstring distally. All these exercises are contraindicated.

Location of injury

Injury data indicates that around 80 per cent of hamstring strains occur in the biceps femoris muscle (Koulouris and Connell 2003). There is some disagreement in the sports medicine literature whether hamstring strains occur at the switch between late leg recovery and initial leg approach in the swing phase of sprinting, or during the early to mid phase ground contact phase of sprinting. However, when consideration is given to EMG (electromyography) research, biceps femoris activity is at its highest just prior to and during the ground contact phase (Kyrolainen 1999). Furthermore, most of the hamstring strains that occur in the biceps femoris muscle occur in the long head of the muscle (Koulouris and Connell 2003).

Criteria for prevention exercise selection

Hamstring injury prevention and performance enhancement exercises should be multiple joint, closed kinetic chain and eccentric in nature. The emphasis should be on exercises that enhance intermuscular coordination. The training of timing and coordination is essential. Timing and coordination has not received much emphasis because it is difficult to measure. Timing and coordination demand a clear understanding of sprint mechanics and the adaptation of those mechanics to multidirectional field sports where the incidence of hamstring injuries is so high. It is imperative to examine the plethora of ‘sprint type’ exercises in order to determine their transfer to the skill of sprinting. The goal should not be more drills, but finding drills that work. The drill must not be an end unto itself, it should contribute to coordinating the hamstrings in patterns that transfer to the demands of the activity. Also, in order to withstand the large eccentric load that must be attenuated during ground contact, exercises that train muscular stiffness and reactivity need to be included as part of a comprehensive injury prevention and performance enhancement program.

Another prevalent thought in sports medicine circles is that hamstring injuries are due to a lack of stretching, or improper stretching in warm-up. There is nothing in the literature to support this belief. In fact, recent research has shown that static stretching in warm-ups plays little or no role in injury prevention. This area warrants further research to refute or verify what the practitioners have experienced. There is no doubt that the lack of an active and dynamic warm-up is a contributing factor to many hamstring muscle strains.

Contraindicated exercises

Based on Lieber’s (2002) work on muscle architecture and what we know of muscle function from biomechanical studies there are certain exercises that are contraindicated. They are:

• Hamstring curl - regardless of the position of the body (Bosch and Klomp 2005)
• Roman chair hamstring/gluteal raise
• Kneeling Russian (Nordic) hamstring exercise
• Swiss ball bridging exercises.

These exercises are contraindicated because of the non functional position of the body and the fact that they all work the hamstrings at one joint. These exercises are often used because you can 'feel the burn' during execution. That is a poor reason to choose an exercise. The burn is felt because the hamstring is at a mechanical disadvantage.

Contraindicated training modalities

• Treadmill sprinting – treadmill sprinting and overground sprinting are different activities. The treadmill allows the athlete to place the foot farther in front of the centre of gravity than would be possible in overground running because the ground is not moving under the athlete, the athlete is moving over the ground. Empirical evidence based on the authors’ experience is that athletes who make extensive use of treadmill training are more prone to hamstring strains.
• Overspeed sprinting with elastic tubing - this method, regardless of the modality, is trying to get the athlete to run faster than they are capable of running of their own volition. There is a tendency, especially with the elastic cord, to ‘reach’ and ‘break’ to alleviate the fear of falling. This obviously reinforces overstriding which predisposes the athlete to hamstring pulls.

Fallacious training modalities

• Backward sprinting (running) – this has assumed almost mythological status as a hamstring strengthening and preventive exercise. EMG studies have shown that during backward running the hamstrings are essentially silent; they are along for the ride. Backward running works the quadriceps, most specifically the VMO and the gastro/soleus complex. So it is not a waste of time, but it doesn’t help the hamstrings directly. The work on the gastroc/soleus may help train that group to be stiffer at ground contact which contributes indirectly to helping the hamstrings.
• Butt kicks – this is a classic misunderstanding of the difference between similar and same. It appears to mimic what happens in the stride cycle, but in reality the legs flex as a result of ground reaction forces and momentum, the hamstrings contribute minimally immediately after toe off in the running stride (Kyrolainen, Komi and Belli 1999). Remember that the hamstrings’ primary job is not to flex the knee. The butt kick is telling the hamstring to flex the knee, in essence creating neural confusion. It is not an exercise worth spending time on.

GAIN VII - 2014

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

GAIN VII Theme

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

The GAIN goals are:

Provide a career defining educational experience for all involved

Define the field of Athletic Development

Reinforce the concepts that:

Training = Testing and Testing  = Training

Training = Rehab and Rehab = Training

Functional Path Training - Eight Years Into it

Eight years ago this week I started writing this blog. I had no clue about blogging and even less about the connected world of cyberspace. I started writing the blog as a daily “warm-up” for my writing of my Athletic Development book. I had no idea that I would still be writing eight years latter and that it would be syndicated and have the followers that it does through various social media. As I have said before I do not write the blog for others, I selfishly write it for myself. I use it to organize my thoughts to direct my work at that time. If others get something out of it, that is a bonus. I have never shied away from expressing my opinions and will continue to do as long as I write the blog. If I am wrong I will apologize.

We have all moved much farther down the functional path in the past eight years.  Access to knowledge in training has exploded, yet in many ways we have not progressed. Injuries are higher that they have ever been perhaps because we have not learned the lesson of functional path well enough or applied those lessons. I guess only time will tell. I am looking forward to continuing to write this blog and share my ideas with anyone interested. I will close with a brief reaffirmation of my beliefs: I have no tolerance for phonies, gurus, complexifiers, commercializers and shameless self-promoters. I pride myself on charting my own path even though it may not always be comfortable or inline with conventional wisdom. I am old fashioned with respect to duty, to integrity, to honesty and the value of a work ethic. I certainly have made mistakes, both errors of judgment, errors of commission and errors of omission – hopefully I have learned from those mistakes and become a better person because of it. I have few heroes but am very thankful for my family and my mentors who are a constant guiding light for me.

I wish you safe travel on your journey down the functional path.