Keynote – The Necessity for Art & Science in Coaching
Effective coaches must be equally conversant with the art and science of performance. The key to effectively apply sports science to performance improvement is a coach driven performance team where the scientist serves the needs of the athlete through the coach. The coach must be a generalist that can guide and direct the sports science to look for and provide the performance edge. Sport science can make a difference, but only if the coaches input is valued and respected. With the plethora of sophisticated monitoring and testing technology available there is more there than the coach can easily assimilate. The coach must know the science in order to pose the questions to the scientist in order to make the numbers and the data translate into performance. At the end of the process in the heat of competition it is the art of coaching that will make the difference. Sports Science is a tool whose effectiveness is determined by the skill, experience and knowledge of the coach & athlete using the tool.
Workshop – The Training Session – Where the Rubber Meets the Road
The cornerstone of an effective training program is the individual training session. The goal is to “win the workout” in order to be able to eventually win in competition. The sequence of the elements of the training session will ultimately determine its effectiveness as a component of the overall training plan. The session must be designed and implemented in the context of the whole plan. It is essentially a pixel in a huge picture that is the annual plan. That being said one training session cannot make an athlete, but one session can certainly break an athlete. The session must be manageable, measureable and motivational as well as practical, personal and proactive. To achieve this requires careful planning so that the theme of the session is consistent with the theme of the microcycle and there are specific measureable goals and objects that are carefully evaluated at the conclusion of the session. Ultimately it is the quality of the session that will determine the contribution of the session to cumulative adaptive response of the athlete or team.
Workshop – Periodization – Nut’s and Bolts
Periodization is a tool to effectively prepare the athlete or team for competition. Periodization is not a model, it is a concept that has traditionally been taught as a model based on time constraints rather than timing of the adaptive responses. There is no magic or crystal ball needed, just a good understanding of training principles coupled with sound pedagogy. Periodization is the timing of the application of the various training stimuli and their coordination into a coherent program that produces competition results at the appointed time.
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The sequence of the elements of the training session will ultimately determine its effectiveness as a component of the overall training plan. The session must be designed and implemented in the context of the whole plan. It is essentially a pixel in a huge picture that is the annual plan.