THINK

There are no switches in the body that turn muscles on and off. Nor is there a switch that turns the energy systems on or off. The body is not a machine; it is living, complex self–organizing system. We do not do it justice when we take a reductionist approach and try to focus on an energy system or an individual muscle. The body works as a unified whole, always seeking to maintain homeostasis. There is no posterior chain; there is a kinetic chain. Train the total chain. Don’t train the connectors or the links; rather look for every possibility to enhance connections and linkages. Stop trying to consciously fire individual muscles and work on movements that will ignite muscles synergies to produce smooth efficient movement. Stop trying to consciously dorsiflex the foot and learn how to use the ground and the foot will react accordingly. In a sprint stride there is simply not enough time to consciously think about dorsiflexing the foot. Look at Usain Bolt and other top sprinters there is no dorsiflexion beyond that produced by ground reaction forces. That is one example among many where we have been mislead and misdirected by gurus.

Study the body and how it moves with efficiency, style and grace. Give the body increasingly complex movement problems to solve, with guidance (coaching) the body will solve the movement problem (self organize). Teach your athlete movement ABC’s (Pulling, pushing, bracing, squatting, reaching, running and jumping) so that they have fundamental physical literacy to be able to solve movement problems. Give the body credit for the intelligence that it possess, coach to enhance that intelligence.