Ending the Decade – Some Basic Concepts to Guide Training

As an Athletic Development coach everything I do is driven and guided by principles. I thought the end of the first decade of the new millennium would be a good time to reinforce these concepts. These are the principles that are the basis of my system. These are not answers, but concepts.

Start with what we are trying to develop: Athleticism – The ability to perform athletic movements (Run, Jump, Throw) at optimum speed with precision, style and grace in the context of your sport.

The basic concepts I use to guide me in the development of Athleticism are:

Ø Have a Plan, Execute It, and Evaluate It

Have a clear vision of the end product plan and execute your training accordingly.

Be realistic.

Ø Build the Complete Athlete

The body is self-organizing and very smart; give it movement problems to solve.

All systems work together – You can’t separate or isolate, metabolic, endocrine hormonal, neural etc.

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

Ø Fundamental Movement Skills Before Specific Sport Skills

Develop physical literacy to prepare the athlete to enter the competitive arena without any physical, psychological, technical, or tactical limitations.

Train fundamental movement skills everyday regardless of the level of athlete, they are the ABC’s and the multiplication tables of athletic development.

Ø Build the Athlete from the Ground Up

We are bipedal terrestrial animals; gait is the cornerstone of function for all sports.

Strong legs provide the foundation.

Ø Train the Core as the Center of the Action

Movement revolves around and through the core.

Train the core moving and standing.

Remember all training is core training.

Ø To Be Fast You Must Train Fast

You are what you train to be!

Everyone has potential for more speed, but we must train speed in, not train it out.

Ø Build a Work Capacity Base Appropriate For Your Sport

The key is “appropriate” for your sport, not just work, but work with a purpose.

Ø Train Toe Nails To Fingernails

Train movements not muscles using multi-joint & multi-plane movements

Ø Training is Cumulative

Win the Workout – You can’t win a game, match, or race without winning workouts.

Training accumulates day-to-day, week-to-week, month-to-month, and year-to-year.

Hopefully this will provide some food for thought going into the new year and the next decade. Good luck in your training and learning. Have a happy and healthy New Year.