One of the fundamental principles of training is progression. It is very important but often overlooked in our haste to get the athlete to the final destination. Traditionally we have thought of progression as moving from slow to fast, simple to complex, from easy to hard, and controlled to chaotic. In teaching I have portrayed progression as building blocks, fitting the pieces together until you reach the desired objective. I have also used 
the metaphor of climbing a staircase, taking progressive steps towards the ultimate goal of the training program. Certainly all those metaphors are valid, but I have been thinking that they do not convey the reality of the process of progression. In progression we fit a variety of pieces of pieces together depending on the athlete and the sport. Some of those pieces are large and obviously important, others are small and seemingly less important, but both are necessary. Based on reality constructing a stonewall is a better metaphor for progression. We start construction with a pile of stones, big and small, and we have mortar to mix to hold the stones together as we build the wall to the desired height. To build a wall that is structurally sound we have to carefully fit the small pieces in and around the big pieces and then fill in the spaces with mortar to hold the stones together. If we do not get the fit right the wall will not have structural integrity and it will crumble under stress. This is precisely how we design progressions to get our athletes to the desired goal injury free. The big stones are the general biomotor qualities that must be there, the smaller stones are the components of those biomotor qualities and the mortar is the nuance, the connections that add meaning and purpose to the training. Progression is not linear or blocked; it is random and somewhat
chaotic because the body is constantly self-organizing. That does not mean we do not guide it, we do, that is our job as coaches. We study, plan, observe and monitor so that we can determine optimum placement of the big stones, versus the small stones and the correct amount of mortar. We know where we started and where we want to finish, the final construction of the wall is an ongoing process that blends the art and science of coaching. It is highly individual and specific to each sport.
