Functional Path Training

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 [email protected] 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.

 

Fit for the Test or Fit to Play for the Game

Do you want your athletes fit for the test or fit to play for the game? There is a real and distinct difference on one hand and some real lessons to be learned on the other. It all depends how the “fitness” tests are used and how they are framed in the overall context of the annual and career plan. The goal is accurate feedback in a competitive environment of the physical qualities that could determine success in the game. Selection and timing of tests sends a message. Therefore, decide what message you want to send. If you are going to use a two or three mile run test upon reporting for practice, then you are sending a message to the team that it is an endurance sport and they need to get ready for that. The game could be the opposite, but if their place on the team depends on it they will train for the test!

 

GAIN White Papers

Go to http://thegainnetwork.com/ and scroll down and download the PDF’s of these GAIN White papers. More will be coming over the next several months. I hope you enjoy and find them useful. Any feedback would be appreciated. Also if you are interested you can watch the opening talk of GAIN 2018.

Athletic Development - Defining the Discipline

This is my attempt to move beyond strength and conditioning and define a discipline that addresses current reality.

Developing Athletes - Why We Are Where We Are A Personal & Historical Perspective

Here I take a historical look over the past sixty years to see why we are where we are in sport and physical education today. This just scratches the surface but hopefully will stimulate thought and put it all in a historical context.

Testing =Training & Training = Testing

Testing and training go hand and glove. Evaluation through testing is an ongoing process that will determine the direction and content of training. Therefore it is important to build testing into the training plan. The traditional approach has been to schedule specific days for testing, usually at the beginning or the end of a yearly training cycle. This testing usually consists of criteria tests that profile the athlete with respect to the biomotor capacities in a particular sport. They are usually scheduled two times during a yearly training cycle. I have grown increasingly uncomfortable with this approach. Using testing only two times in a yearly cycle gave me good baseline information, but it did not give me information on the ongoing progress of training that I needed to make the day to day and week to week adjustments in the training to obtain optimum adaptive response.

There is a necessity to incorporate testing into the actual training process on a day-to-day basis. The solution is that testing equals training and training equals testing. At various points in each training session there are distinct windows of opportunity to get feedback as to the effect of training. It is imperative in those periods to look for and utilize the feedback. Build testing in the training. We must keep in mind that training is cumulative so it is important to keep the big picture in mind. Ongoing evaluation enables us to keep everything in proportion and perspective. We need to train all the qualities throughout the training year; therefore we must monitor the progress.

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

The GAIN Story

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

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

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

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

GAIN Mission/Philosophy

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

GAIN 2017 Theme

Making connections to foster meaningful change and innovation

Past Participating Organizations

English Football Association

Rugby Football Union (RFU)

Texas Tech University

University of North Carolina

Pace University

Rice University

Houston Rockets

Portland Trailblazers

Milwaukee Bucks

Washington Capitals

Phoenix Coyotes

Philadelphia Flyers

Australian Institute of Sport

US Skiing

Northampton Saints (Rugby)

Arsenal Football Club

West Ham United Football Club

Everton Football Club

Scottish Rugby

Scottish Institute of Sport

New South Wales Institute of Sport

Queensland Academy of Sport

FBI

Leicester Tigers (Rugby)

Queensland Reds (Rugby)

Manhattan College

ACT Brumbies (Rugby)

Essenton Football Club

University of California Berkeley

Collegiate School, Richmond Virginia

North Shore Country Day School, Chicago

Philadelphia Union Soccer Academy

Westmont College

University of Minnesota

University of Arkansas

University of Illinois

Scottish Athletics

University of Oregon

Arsenal Football Club

Philadelphia Eagles

Back to Basics of Coaching

Each year I reread the following books to keep in touch with the basics. My roots are deep in Athletics (Track & Field) so you can see that reflected in these reading. I find that every time I go through these books that I find something new or at least different perspective. This is just one way that I work at getting better at getting better. In my opinion if you want to be a coach you need to have a “go to” list like this that will keep in touch with the foundations of coaching.

Doherty, Ken. (1985) Track & Field Omnibook (Fourth Edition

Dyson,Geoffrey H.G. (1977) The Mechanics of Athletics

Mach, Gerard. Sprints & Hurdles. Canadian Track & Field Association, Ontario. 1980

Logan, Gene A. and McKinney, Wayne C (1970). Kinesiology

Todd, Mabel E. (1937) The Thinking Body

Wilt, Fred. (1964) Run Run Run

Gabbard, Carl., Leblanc, Elizabeth., and Lowy, Susan. Physical Education for Children-Building the Foundation, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. Prentice-Hall, Inc. 1987

Harre, Dietrich. Principles of Sports Training – Introduction to the Theory and methods of Training. Berlin, GDR: Sportverlag. 1982

Olbrecht, Jan. The Science of Winning – Planning, Periodizing and Optimizing Swim Training. Swim Shop, Luton, England. 2000

Kreighbaum, Ellen and Barthels, Katharine M. Biomechanics - A Qualitative Approach for Studying Human Movement. Fourth edition. Boston, Allyn and Bacon. 1996.

Lieber, Richard L. (2002) Skeletal Muscle Structure, Function & Plasticity – The Physiological Basis of Rehabilitation. Second Edition. Philadelphia: Lippincot Williams & Wilkins.

McArdle, William D. Katch, Frank I. And Katch, Victor L. (2001) Fifth Edition. Exercise Physiology – Energy, Nutrition and Human Performance. Baltimore, MD. Williams & Wilkins.

Scholich, Manfred. (1986) Circuit Training. Berlin: Sportverlag

Komi, P. V., Editor,(Second Edition) Strength and Power In Sport, London: Blackwell Scientific Publications. 2003

Lederman, Eyal. Neuromuscular Rehabilitation in Manual and Physical Therapies – Principles to Practice, Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone – Elsevier. 2010

Lederman, Eyal. Therapeutic Stretching – Toward A Functional Approach, Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone – Elsevier. 2014

Curwin, Sandra. & Stanish, William D. M.D. and Mandel, Scott. Tendinitis: it’s Etiology and Treatment, New New York, New York: Oxford University Press, 2000.

Bosch, Frans., and Klomp, Ronald. Running – Biomechanics and exercise Physiology Applied in Practice. London. Elsevier Churchill Livingstone. 2005

Davids, Keith. Button, Chris. Bennett, Simon. Dynamics of Skill Acquisition – A Constraints-Led Approach. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics Publishing Company. 2008

Wulf, Gabriele. Attention and Motor Skill Learning. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics Publishing Company. 2007

Rules to Travel the Functional Path

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

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

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

Fundamental Movement Skills Before Specific Sport Skills

Train Sport Appropriate - You Are What You Train To Be

Build the Athlete from the Ground Up

Train Postural Strength as the Basis for All Training

To Be Fast You Must Train Fast

Build a Work Capacity Foundation Appropriate For Your Sport

Train Toe Nails To Fingernails

          Train Movements not Muscles

          Train Multi Joint & Multi Plane Movements

Training is Cumulative

Win the Workout

GAIN IX June 14 - 18, 2016 - Join Us

GAIN 2016 will take place June 14 to 18 at Rice University in Houston, Texas. The program is open to sport coaches, conditioning coaches, physical education teachers, athletic trainers, physical therapists, chiropractors and doctors.

Apply now and join a select group of professionals at GAIN. Go to http://tinyurl.com/nb7rx2j to apply, submit your application now, enrollment is limited.

Tuition is $1,875 it includes breakfast, lunch and dinner each day. Please call me at 941-378-1778 or email mail me at [email protected] if you have any questions.

This program is intense and intellectually challenging combining theory and practice in a residential coaching school format. This is an opportunity to observe, participate, question, and explore the application of the Gambetta Method - Systematic Sport Development Model of training, teaching and injury rehabilitation.

This represents just a beginning of an incredible professional development opportunity. Attendees can continue to participate via the secure web site, and continue to attend the GAIN coaching school for the duration of their careers if they so choose. For those who have attended it has been a career changing experience.

For more information and to apply for GAIN 2016 go to www.thegainnetwork.com don’t miss this opportunity for professional advancement.

The GAIN Faculty

These are professionals who have 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 because they are working in the trenches everyday.

At GAIN we have three main areas of focus:

1) Coaching & Athletic Development

2) Sports Medicine/Rehab

3) Physical Education

Our faculty is experts in each of these respective focus areas. The goal is foster connections and communication between all these areas to develop the best athlete possible.

Coaching

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.

Vern Gambetta, Founder of GAIN Network, Currently Director of Gambetta Sports Training Systems

Sport Science

Ken Clark, PHD, East Stroudsburg State University PhD in Biomechanics, Researcher in Human Performance, Strength & Conditioning Coach (CSCS, USA-W), interested in all things speed

Brian McCormick, PhD is an author, basketball coach, and consultant. He has published 21 books for basketball coaches, including 21st Century Guide to Individual Skill Development, coached youth through professional basketball in the United States and Europe, and advised coaches at all levels. 

Athletic Development

Jim Radcliffe, Head S&C Coach University of Oregon

Mike Bahn, US Skiing & Snowboard Strength & Conditioning Coordinator. Formerly with Phoenix Coyotes & Arizona Diamondbacks.

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

Sports Medicine/Rehab

Bill Knowles, ATC Philadelphia Union Academy and HP Sports

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

Randy Ballard, ATC Assistant Trainer, University of Illinois Working With Track & Field and Volleyball

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

Physical Education

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

For more information and to apply for GAIN 2016 go to www.thegainnetwork.com don’t miss this opportunity for professional advancement.

Thought for the Week – Progression

Know and understand progression. The key to a sound training program is progression. Proper progression prevents poor performance and goes a long a long way toward preventing injury. Don’t confuse protocols with progression; protocols imply a set time frame for completion of tasks, in essence ticking the boxes. Progression demands mastery of each step before moving to the next step. In no way is it linear and entirely predictable. There is huge individual variability in how athlete’s progress at different stages of their career and how they adapt to varied training stimuli.