Author: Vernon Gambetta
GAIN 2022 Announcement
GAIN 2022 will be held June 14 to 18 at Rice University in Houston Texas. This is the fifteenth year of GAIN; it started 2007 with twelve attendees and four instructors and has grown to ninety attendees from all over the world and eighteen faculty. GAIN is a community of professional’s eager to learn and willing to share ideas and information. GAIN is not about more exercises, sets, reps and training methods it is about passionate people who pursue excellence with honesty, integrity and respect to make a difference in the lives of the people we coach and teach. To learn more about GAIN go to https://thegainnetwork.com/ or call 941-378-178. Applications will open on January 20, 2020. Don't miss out on this career changing experience. GAIN is open to Strength & Conditioning/Athletic Development coaches, Sport Coaches, Physical Therapists, ATC’s, Chiropractors, Doctors and Physical Education teachers. Those who attend are professionals seeking career advancement & renewal through a networking experience and who are interested in getting out of their comfort zone.
Step by Step
Adaptation to various training stimuli take time. You can’t force adaptation to happen faster than the athlete’s current level of trainability and physical capacity. You must be willing to go step by step Sometimes it is small baby steps forward, sometimes there are steps back and sometimes there are giant leaps forward. Have a system that defines the process, then trust the process and take it step by step.
The Posterior Chain?
What is the posterior chain? Is it a meaningful term or a term of convenience without real meaning? In a training manual that I just received produced by a national federation (In a sport plagued by hamstring pulls) there were twelve exercises listed under posterior chain exercises. On a visit to observe a DI football team the strength coach proudly told me how they do six posterior chain exercises as part of each lower extremity training session. Guess what, this year they had had more hamstring pulls and other lower extremity catastrophic injuries than any team in their conference. Is there something wrong with this picture? Sure, you bet there is. The prevention has become the cause. Frankly I just do not understand why we keep fooling ourselves, all you must do is understand function. Rather than focus on the areas of the body (Hamstrings) that are at risk of injury, look how that segment fits into the whole kinetic chain. But it is not usually the hamstring’s fault, it is a lack of coordination; other muscles did not do their job. The term posterior chain has created another problem rather solving a problem. It also has created confusion where and when we need clarity. Let’s get back to a focus on the kinetic chain and the interaction and coordination of the links in the change that result in efficient movement that is essentially a chain reaction. It does not require any fancy machines, no new terminology, just a repetition of basic movements in multiple planes, encompassing multiple joints that emphasize coordination of force production, force reduction and proprioception.
Some Thoughts to Start the New Year
Learn to embrace uncertainty Manage stress, don’t let it manage you Hard days must be hard – easy days must be easy. Nonnegotiable. Too much work done between hard and easy, AKA “Messy Middle” will dull adaptive response. The farther you stray from the basics the more erratic and unpredictable the results will be. Never forget that simplicity yields complexity. Good plans are written in pencil and are always designed to fit the athlete Sometimes you have to let them go and turn them loose and go for it. If you are planning on doing the same thing as last year in training again this year, you will be a year behind. It is an exciting year ahead for the GAIN Network. The annual GAIN Conference is planned for June 14 to 18 at Rice University in Houston Texas. It is not too late to sign up for the GAIN Master Class. Go to https://thegainnetwork.com/ to learn more about GAIN
Connections
Optimizing human movement is about enhancing connections. Connections within the body, connections to the environment and to the sport. It is mentally convenient to isolate out parts of the body or positions in movement. Mental connivence – looking at segments and parts does not optimize performance; it has the opposite effect. Breaking movement into parts and ignoring connections leads to robotic mechanical movements that do not allow the body to adapt and optimally solve movement problems. The body is smart, as coaches we must learn how to better tap into that intelligence. When we connect movements it all become a big dance characterized by rhythm and flow. Enhancing connections will result in a more robust adaptable athlete.
2021 Reading
In 2021 I have read 151 books. I never set out to read a certain number, rather I just enjoy reading. I total the number at the ned of the year out of curiosity. I read for professional development, intellectual growth and pleasure. Holding a real book and turning the pages is a great felling. My two favorite books of the year were "Think Again" by Adam Grant and "The Extended Mind" by Annie Murphy Paul. Also pictured are the other books that I thought were outstanding. Check out the next GAINcast (https://thegainnetwork.com/)where I will talk about about each of the books.
Coaching Significance vs. Statistical Significance
There's always a gap between theory in practice. This is especially true when it comes to sports science research. Ask a scientist about good research it comes down to statistical significance. But for coaches what matters is coaching significance. Statistical significance is no doubt important in the academic world, and important to sports science as a whole. Like any statistics, it can be manipulated via p-hacking, but it sets a standard for the field to live up to. The problem comes when we translate it into practice. A study might have a statistically significant finding that some new training method improves training by .0001%. It is statistically significant, so the result likely isn't by chance. But as a coach reading the research, what difference does it make? The athletes barely improved. Don't get lured by a headline touting significance when it still won't help your athletes get better. On the other hand, there are results that might not be statistically significant because due to a small sample size or other variables, but show large 2-3% improvements from an intervention. This is significant for coaches. It's not that coaches should drop everything and try the new methods, but it is significant enough for a closer look. 2-3% is the difference between being a champion and middle of the pack. That is what it is all about. The best research has both statistical and coaching significance. But those are few and far between. In the meantime it helps to know the difference between statistical significanceand coaching significance.
Structure Without Structure
Everything done in preparing the athlete should be driven by the demands of competition. So, ask yourself the question: Is what you are doing in physical preparation, technical and tactical training preparing your athletes for the chaos & unpredictability of competition? This demands structure without structure. Are you distorting the game in training or just trying to replicate game demands? Certainly, a paint by numbers mechanistic reductionist approach done at 75% speed will leave the athlete unprepared. Is your training heavy on drills with little or no transfer? Train faster than the game to be fast in the game. Look for perfect effort not perfect practice. Look at mistakes as learning opportunities and teachable moments. You play the way you practice so make practice more game like.