Author: Vernon Gambetta
Tour De Lance
Tour De Lance is the title of a book by Bill Strickland on Lance Armstrong’s comeback to the 2009 Tour de France. There were parts of this book that conformed why I do not like him and parts that made me appreciate the good work he has done. Some of the book convinced me that this guy would do anything to win, including taking whatever drugs he needed to. If you are interested in high-level sport and the whole culture that surrounds it then it is worth the read. The whole time I was reading the book I got the feeling that the author was trying really hard to justify liking Armstrong, at time almost being apologetic for his behavior and at other times questioning what he was doing. I never got an answer as to why he really came back to race. He had accomplished everything; all he could do was tarnish his reputation and bring the specter of doping to the forefront again. Great champions are willing to acknowledge others, Armstrong seems incapable of this. Lance comes across as a self-centered, egocentric spoiled brat. He surrounds himself with people who enable him, pretty sad. I think he and Brent Favre need to go off to a tropical island, have a pina colada, tell each other how great they are and fade into the sunset. You need to know when to hold em and when to fold em.
Keep It Simple and You Are Brilliant
How many times have we heard coaches evoke the KISS principle, that is not what I am talking about. When I hear KISS I almost take it as an insult, KISS is dumbing down. I have believed for years that simplicity yields complexity. Start simple and basic and build complexity as needed. If it is not needed then don’t go to more complexity. Simple is not necessarily simplistic. I also strongly believe that if I can’t explain the science to my athletes in terms that they can understand then I probably should not be doing it. Why? Because If I can’t explain it then I probably don’t understand it and if I don’t understand it then it is not worth doing because it is going to be half-baked. It is just monkey see monkey do activities. I have found that the most brilliant people I know can make abstract concepts totally comprehensible, that is a gift of great teachers and coaches. I end with a quote from Winnie – the – Pooh “It’s more fun to talk to someone who doesn’t use long difficult words but rather short easy words like ”What about lunch?”
The Edge
I know many of you are seeking the edge in training. For many years I was doing the same. I was searching for secrets, the latest and the greatest, something special, that one or two percent that would make the difference. The more I searched the more elusive it became. Finally I realized I had the answer right in front of me, I could not see the forest for the trees. I had seen it time and again and missed it, in fact I had done it and rejected it several times as unsophisticated, too simple. So what is the edge, it is mindful deliberate practice that never strays from the foundations of physical literacy and the fundamentals of the sport. The problem is that to constantly stress fundamentals seems mundane. It is the fundamentals that make the difference between staying injury free and getting injured, it is the fundamentals that are the foundation, the fundamentals must be constantly reinforced. I find that as a coach I must coach the fundamentals daily, the outstanding coaches that I have seen do the same. I now feel with a high degree of certainty that the search for the 2% is almost an exercise in futility and that final 2% will come if I take care of the first 98%. This is not to imply that you should stop learning and experimenting, by all means keep learning and refining in order to keep the edge razor sharp. It takes time and correct timing of the application of all elements of training. Take another look at your training, stop looking for an edge, coach the basics and keep learning. You will be surprised at the results.
A Thought
I was talking to someone in Trinidad that made me think of this. The last thing you do or say will be how people will remember you. I was thinking of this in terms of posts on this blog. I try to write very post as if it will be my last. I am a realist, not overly optimistic or pessimistic. I try to teach and live what I believe. I have strong beliefs forged in the fire of experiences good and bad, negative and positive. Everything I do I try to put an exclamation point on it.
The Planning Process – Steps in Designing a Training Program
I am not saying this is the only way, but it is a method that works for me in my system. It is definitely more qualitative than qualitative. We won the regional championship and finished fourth in the state championship. Steps in Designing a Training Program Venice VB Training Program for 2009 I thought this would be helpful to you if I shared the process I use to begin designing a new training program. It is blend of art and science with heavy dose of experience thrown in. It is important to remember that this is the beginning of the third year of working with this team. The rising seniors and a couple of the juniors are at a relatively advanced training age and have an excellent work capacity. This will enable me to do some advanced work with them. This will be the first year we will have access to the weight room, the past two years we trained in the parking lot. I have mixed feeling about this. The parking lot made us tougher, we had to improvise and endure the elements. I am concerned about distractions in the weight room. I will evaluate this immediately and adjust accordingly. Step #1 – Meet with head coach Review last season Competition results and schedule Review Training Evaluate individual players (Subjective) Go over potential position changes in 09 Determine goals (Training emphasis for 09) Individualize more Significantly improve jumping (Both approach & block) Improve hitting power (Arm speed) Emphasize Quick Speed (Court Coverage) More explosive power Determine Athletic Development Themes One step at a time or Faster, Higher, Stronger We will discuss with the team and get their input. I will develop a performance Handbook that each player will receive in the spring. It will detail goals and workouts. Step #2 – Review sport demands and any rule changes that could affect style of play. This may seem obvious but I never take anything for granted. If nothing else this keeps me on target. Step #3 – Review sports science and training literature for anything new. I want to make sure that any techniques we are teaching reflect the most current research. Step # 4 – Look at club and school schedule for 09 This is still being finalized but I know when districts and state playoff are so that I can plan back from there. Step #5 – Classify Competitions Developmental Important Crucial This will not be done until the summer or when the school schedule is completed Step #6 – Determine Key Dates Spring break (Two training days – One with me & one with captains) Mid Terms & Finals (Back off significantly here) Auburn Team Camp Step # 7 – Evaluate last year’s training Number of days – Essentially this went as planned, really nailed it in-season Content – Needs improvement. Need to do better job of grouping the players. In January we will train Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. In February will add another session on Wednesday. In the spring club workouts are Sunday afternoon, Tuesday and Wednesday night. Step # 8- Determine testing and need for testing I will not do the amount of testing that I would like. This is simply due to the fact that I cannot be there all the time and I have no one to help me. Therefore, I have to use training as testing. We do some sort of balance single leg squat work daily in warm-up so that is daily diagnostic. I use their progress in single leg squat and their ability to handle the progression as feedback as to their training progress. I want to video more and use Dartfish, but once again it is a matter of time. Step # 9 – The Plan Block One – Foundation (January 12 – February 28) Theme: Reestablish the Base and Routine of Training Block Two – Basic I (March 2 – April 10) Theme: Get Strong Block Three – Basic II (April 13 – May 15) Theme: Get Fast Block Four – Build-up I (May 18 – June 26) Theme: Power Up Block Five – Build-up II (June 29 –July 18) Theme: Tune Up Block Six – Pre Competition (July 20 – August 7) Theme: Get Functionally Fit Block Seven – Pre-season (August 10 – August 30) Theme: Get Specific Block Eight – Early Competition (August 31 – October 11) Theme: Sharpen and Focus Block Nine – Late Competition (October 12 – November 1) Theme: Recharge the Battery & Fine Tune Block Ten – Peak competition (November 2 – November 21) Theme: Go For the Gold!
Training Innovations – Everything Old Is New Again
This is the introduction to my presentation at the Long Beach Perform Better event next month. This presentation will be different. It may not be what you expect. It will not be about the past. This will not be a nostalgia trip or rants from an old man about the good old days. Rather I will look back to gain a perspective, a historical context, to move forward with clarity and purpose. It will be about learning lessons from the past and the present to build a better future. It will be about what I know and what I do not know. It will be about successes and failures and what I have learned from both. There will be very little on drills and exercises, rather it will be a story, a narrative of searching for a better way, of developing a system and refining a method to build and rebuild a complete athlete. This will be about change – Why change, how to manage change, what to change, how to change and how to lead and innovate. This will be about my passion – coaching. A passion for excellence, no BS, no hype just good old fashioned teaching and training to guide people to be the best they can be. I hope you enjoy and learn from the presentation as much I have on this journey.
Back in USA
Absolutely outstanding trip to Trinidad to present to Netball and Volleyball coaches on Athletic Development for the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs. Three long very productive and satisfying days. It is so much fun to teach in an environment where coaches are hungry to learn and improve. They already are a high standard but are looking to improve and fine tune. The biggest obstacle in Trinidad and elsewhere is breaking away from some of the traditional paradigms of building an aerobic base, a traditional approach to strength training as only weight training and more work being better work. We made progress. Perhaps the biggest point that I wanted to teach was to train for the sport you are playing. Base everything you do on Sport Demands Analysis. Prepare for the game you are actually playing, not the game you think you are playing. I am looking forward to going back on July 25 to do two 3.5-day workshops with Rugby and Soccer. T&T has a wealth of athletic and coaching talent. It is an honor to be able to work in this enviorment.
Hasely Crawford VIP Room
Thought you would enjoy this picture etched into the window of the Hasely Crawford VIP room at the stadium.