Author: Vernon Gambetta
On Coaching
When you see great coaching regardless of the level, you will see a strong foundation in pedagogy, what is done is usually supported by science, it is definitely forged in experience and proven and tested in the competitive cauldron. Great coaches never stray far the basics, sophistication comes from refinement of the basics. You will see a laser like focus on the need to do activities that make the athlete better.
Athlete Development or Abuse?
In the United States this is Labor Day weekend. Traditionally this is the kickoff for youth soccer season. I was reminded of this yesterday when I overheard two parents talking at Starbucks. They were talking about the tournament their kids were playing in. It was 2:00 PM and their kids had played two games already that day and were going to play the third game at 3:30. Yesterday it was 92 degrees with 73% humidity – heat index well over 100 degrees! Today they will come back and play again. They will play at least two more games and a third if they survive to play the championship game that will be played; you guessed it at 4:00 PM. This is not how you develop players. In this scenario skills quickly erode due to fatigue. As they fatigue they are more susceptible to injury. By the time they get to the second day of the tournament they look like they are playing in slow motion. The same thing happens in basketball, with heat being less of a factor. When are we going to wake up? This is borderline child abuse and highly negligent. The fact of the matter is nothing will be done. These tournaments are big money makers for the clubs that sponsor them and those who promote them. They epitomize the youth sport business that has grown up as sport has declined in the schools. I wish I could offer a viable solution, but realistically I am afraid there is none. The inertia of this economic engine would be tough to reverse. Ideally at the very least you should have a training to competition ratio of 5 or 6 to 1 with periods of no games. Despite all the hoopla of the new US Soccer development plan this is what still goes on. Players do not learn how to play the game the way it should be played. They learn how to survive. That is not athlete development.
Strength Training – A Definition
Strength is often trained is an independent motor quality, I certainly have made that mistake. Strength is a highly interdependent motor quality. Unfortunately it took me too many years to really understand and apply that. I think some of the problem and confusion lies in the definition of strength training. In order to clarify what strength training is it is important to have a good operational definition of strength training. When I was first exposed to the work of Frans Bosch ten years ago he defined strength training as: “Coordination training under increased resistance.” Just that concept got me thinking again about how much strength is enough and are you ever strong enough? I thought his definition was a step in the right direction to help me answer those two questions but it was not comprehensive enough. So over the past few years I have worked to come up with my own operational definition of strength training incorporating Bosch’s ideas. For the definition to be operational it needs to be applicable to all training environments. The definition I use for Strength Training is: Coordination training with appropriate resistance to handle bodyweight, project an implement, move or resist movement of another body, resist gravity and optimize ground reaction forces. Let’s parse this out and look at the elements of the definition in detail. Coordination training is that aspect of strength training that Incorporates both intramuscular and intermuscular coordination. The key to efficient movement and effective force application ultimately is intermuscular coordination. Basically it is training muscles synergies to apply force at the correct time, in the correct plane and the correct direction. Appropriate resistance is determined for each of the following demands: Handle bodyweight – If the sport demands handling bodyweight then the emphasis is on relative strength working in various percentages of bodyweight resistances. Project an implement – The weight of the implement will determine the necessary resistance to develop strength to move that implement at the required speed. Move or resist movement of another body – This will determine the type of resistance and duration and direction of force application. Resist gravity – Sports that demand work against gravity necessitate more eccentric and isometric emphasis to express the necessary force. Optimize ground reaction forces – Sport with high ground reaction forces demands realistic reactive strength This definition better directs the training and incorporates a spectrum of training methods to address the varying strength/power needs of different sports. Remember the goal is develop strength that the athlete can use. Some is measurable and some is not. Hopefully this will stimulate discussion and feedback.
Fifty Years Later
You would have to live in a cave to not be aware that today is the fiftieth anniversary of the march on Washington. As I reflect back on the last fifty years I am amazed at the progress that we have made as a nation in terms of racial equality. Although we have progressed far as a nation now is the time to take some time to reflect on where we have been, where we are and where we are going. All the attention on the march on Washington can serve as a good contextual framework for all of us to be more accountable as citizens and for us to hold our political leaders accountable. We need to revive the spirit of change that signified the Sixties. We have greater economic inequality than anytime in our history, a dysfunctional government and a deficient educational system. All of those represent opportunities for change, change for the better, but it will only happen if we get totally involved. Think about this as you watch or listen to the coverage of the anniversary of the march on Washington. I am proud to be an American. As a first generation American I have benefited from the American dream, I would like to see everyone have the same opportunity. Listen to Martin Luther King’s speech and take some to reflect on his words and do something about it.
Intellectual Incest
If you look at the history of Europe you will see that effects of incest when the various members of royal families intermarried among first cousins and relatives. The result was idiocy. This is what I see in many areas of physical performance, rehabilitation and pseudo sport science today. You have too many people who are in effect marrying their first cousins by passing around the same ideas, never going outside their sphere of influence and not thinking critically. It could also be called the bobblehead doll syndrome. A guru will make a statement and everyone in the room nods their heads in agreement, with out any thought. We all need to wake up and look at the effects of this. It is creating idiocy in coaching, training and some areas of sport science. The solution is to know and understand foundational scientific and pedagogical principles and put them into practice. Don’t follow personalities follow principles and think critically, challenge ideas don’t just follow the crowd.
Functional Path Training Rules
These are simple training rules that I use to guide me on the Functional Path to grow, develop and nurture adaptable athletes who understand the wisdom of their bodies and it’s ability to self organize and solve movement problems: Have a Plan, Execute It, and Constantly Evaluate It Build the Complete Athlete All systems work together all the time Train all components all the time Observe Law of Reversibility – Use It or Lose It Fundamental Movement Skills Before Specific Sport Skills You Are What You Train To Be Build & Rebuild the Athlete from the Ground Up Train Postural Strength with the Core as the Center of the Action To Be Fast You Must Train Fast Build a Work Capacity Base 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 Remember Simplicity Yields Complexity
Continuous Improvement
Is it realistic to think that an athlete can seek and attain continuous improvement throughout their athletic career? At first glance it sees like the answer would be no, but in my experience that is not the case. As an athlete starts their journey the trajectory of improvement is almost linear, virtually everything the athlete does in training results in improvement in performance. Then there comes the inevitable leveling off process. This is the point in the athlete’s career, the proverbial crossroads, where the coach and athlete need to make a choice, stay the course or seek new ways to get better. At this point a thorough assessment of progress relative to goals and a complete needs analysis and evaluation of the athletes physical, psychological, technical and tactical capabilities is necessary. Once this is done then a plan can be mapped out to systematically work on the areas that need improvement. As the athlete accumulates training years and competitive experience the areas of improvement will be subtler but they are there. In later stages of athletes career the subtle changes often result in profound improvements. The key is to maintain the areas of strength and chose areas of weakness that need refinement. It is process; continuous improvement is possible and in fact necessary for sustained excellence. If you do what you have always done you will get what have always got. That will not be good enough to continue to achieve excellence.
It’s Not About You
Despite what some coaches think it is not about you the coach. Lest we forget, it is about the athlete. Any good program recognizes that it is athlete centered and coach driven. The athlete is the reason we are coaching. Our effectiveness as a coach and the athlete’s success is highly dependent on our emotional intelligence. It is how we communicate, how we motivate that helps propel the athlete to greatness. Technical knowledge is important but if you can’t impart that knowledge what good is it. Step back and put the spotlight squarely on the athlete and do everything ethically in your power to get them to be the best they can be. And don’t forget it is a journey.