Author: Vernon Gambetta
Evidence Based & Peer Reviewed – Does it Matter?
Is it evidence based? Do you have peer-reviewed research to back that up? These are questions I get constantly. I certainly understand that point of view, but coaching is about performance. I know the science, I study the research but coaching is about producing measureable results in the competitive arena. I do not know a coach who is worth their salt who will wait for peer-reviewed research to design their training programs. The ultimate validation of training is: Does it work, Does the athlete improve and Are they injury free? Science and research are important, don’t get me wrong, but in my experience they follow, they do not lead. So much of what happens in development and preparation of the athlete is not quantifiable; it is a subjective process, a nurturing to get the athlete ready. Just because you can count it or measure it does not mean it counts. Without the context the coach can provide so much of sport science research and monitoring are random numbers. Coaches and athletes lead change out of necessity to stay on top of their game. We can learn the science but we must practice the art to make our athletes better. Each has a place. Winston Churchill summed it up quite succinctly: “Science should be on tap, not on top.”
Youth Sports Development
Could we learn some lessons from the French soccer development process? Here is some food for thought. This transcends soccer! At Clairefontaine – National Training Center for French Football Federation Emphasis on experimentation and creativity not matches. Access to top coaches Value on unstructured play 7 year olds play no format larger than 5V5 No child slotted into one position until teenage years Individual technique emphasized through age 16 over tactics Coaches need to be quality demonstrators Yelling at players not tolerated All training must be fun
Leaving on a Jet Plane (Again)
It has been enjoyable and productive to be home for two weeks but now I am leaving again today for Europe as I continue my quest to rack up the frequent flier miles on Delta. I am trying to get them to create another level beyond Diamond status to keep me motivated. It is going to be an exciting learning trip. I will start at the IFAC Conference http://www.ifacscotland.co.uk/ in Glasgow through Sunday then off to Edinburgh for two days. Then five days in Leeds where I will do a two-day workshop next weekend. http://tinyurl.com/9m5o69a On Monday November 5 I will travel to Finland where I am honored to present at the World Javelin Conference. http://www.kuortane.com/en/events_tk1585.html Here are a few random thoughts as I head off to Scotland today: It not the miles you put in or the tons of weight of weight you lift, it is what you put intro those miles and those tons. Mindful directed work will always trump mindless work. Instead of Core Strength maybe it would be better to call it Postural Strength. No matter what the job, make it yours, take ownership define yourself to define the job. Don’t think about the movement, be the movement.
Spot Visits
I always find it interesting when someone makes a one-day visit to see a team or an individual train and the coaches coach and then makes profound conclusions about the training program. There is no way that will reveal the breath and depth of a training program. When you do that you are seeing a snapshot in a photo album, a pixel in a mega pixel picture. To understand someone’s training demands total immersion and study. Everything must be studied in context. In my career I have seen some unbelievable training sessions, but if did not understand where those sessions fit in the bigger picture I would have come away from there with an entirely wrong picture of the overall training. For example last week I visited University of Florida and watched a weight training session and part of football practice. Did I learn something, yes I did. Did I get deep insights into their system, no way. I gathered some interesting ideas that stimulated me to take another look at something I have been doing in training. I plan on going back and spending more time armed with many questions to get better understanding of their approach. One visit or a video of a workout is not enough. In three weeks I will spend four days with my colleague and good friend Jim Radcliffe at University of Oregon, I suspect I will get more out of that visit because I have studied Jim’s system and had numerous opportunities to observe and exchange ideas. As part of the learning journey that is coaching look for knowledge, not just information.
Connections
Recognizing that the body is a kinetic chain we need to always be aware of how we are making connections between all the links in the chain. It too easy to fall into a reductionist approach that would have us focus on the links. A functional approach focuses on the linkages. We get more efficient by how we connect the links; therefore a major objective of training is connecting. Are we in fact connecting or are we disconnecting? We need to understand the end result we desire, how are the links in the chain connected and timed up? Remember that the core is the relay center; it is the center of the action, but not the originator of the action. We should not try to isolate the muscles of the core anymore that we should any other muscles of the body. We must always take into consideration that we are bipedal land animals so to insure that all connections are made we must build from the ground up based on the gait cycle. It may seem basic but we need to know what we are connecting. Why are we connecting them? How are we connecting them? Then we need to understand how the exercises we use in training are connecting to the skill required in the movement or the sport. Is the movement similar or same? Does the athlete make the connection? When all connections are made then the result is coordinated, flowing, efficient, rhythmic movement that allows the athlete to execute flawlessly.
Fundamental Questions?
In preparing for one of my presentations “The Coaching Development Pathway – A Contemporary Model" at the International Festival of Athletics Coaching (IFAC) http://www.ifacscotland.co.uk/ in Glasgow this next weekend it occurred to me that are there several fundamental questions we should address as we move forward in our coaching careers. They certainly are not complicated but very straightforward. Every coach at each stage if their careers should continue to ask themselves these questions as part of their continual professional growth. Why do you coach? How do you coach? Who are your role models? Where do you learn?
Coaching Do’s and Don’ts
Coaching Do’s Be Empathetic Be Encouraging Be Honest Be Clear Keep It Simple Give Honest, Clear and Effective Feedback Be Consistent Coaching Don’ts Criticize In Front Of A Group Use Sarcasm Play Favorites
Half Full or Half Empty
A friend of mine who coaches in professional baseball told me this story the other day. I wanted to share it with you because I thought it was priceless. He was frustrated with a player’s inability to make a decision no matter if it was quick decision on the field or a simple day-to-day life decisions. So he decided to use the old glass of water metaphor. So he put a glass of water on the table between he and the payer. They started discussing what the player needed to do and when they came around to decision-making he asked the player it the glass was half full or half empty. The player answered both! End of meeting.