Author: Vernon Gambetta
Now the Work Begins
After forty years my faith in America is renewed. There is hope for the future, but there is much hard work ahead. We are all in this together, I hope everyone understands the magnitude of what we must do to transfer these dreams into reality. It will take unity, everyone working together and sacrifice.
More Warm-up
Dennis wrote the following: “Can you please share your thoughts on why you don’t like the straight leg marches and the 1-leg rdl’s?” I believe the straight leg marches cause hamstring problems. They are too ballistic in warm-up. As far as one leg RDL or the RDL for that matter, if you are doing them to strengthen hamstrings, there are better more functional alternatives – the multidirectional lunge and the high step-up. I think the RDL is a good assistance/ remedial exercise for Olympic lifter, not athletes who have sprint or jump. Another couple of thoughts on warm-up. It is very important to carefully consider the order in the selection of exercises in the warm-up. I no longer include jogging; we stride 6 x 30 to 50 meters. Jogging just reinforces poor running mechanics and sloppy foot strikes. Pre game or competition warm-up needs to flexible. You need to make sure that essential elements are done, but you must be adaptable. If the team or individual is too hyped up then do things in warm-up that calm them down. Too passive get them amped up.
Warm-up Rediscovered
I feel vindicated the Play Magazine section of the Sunday November 2, New York Timeshttp://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/02/sports/playmagazine/112pewarm.html?ref=playmagazine They talked about things in the article some of us figured out 35 years ago (Sorry for the sarcasm) but warm-up is just that, it is movement. Two of the exercises they illustrate in the article the straight leg march and the scorpion are two exercises I would NEVER do in warm-up. I think they are not inappropriate for warm-up and actually set the body up for injury. I was disappointed that nothing was said about the order and sequence in warm-up. I was left to believe that if you just throw a bunch of exercises together and call it dynamic then it is OK. Nothing could be further from the truth. I think warm-up must be orchestrated like a ballet. It should build in tempo from slower deliberate movements to fast dynamic movements leading directly into practice or the game. Each of the last five teams we have played with Venice volleyball have done some version of the so called movement prep. It has been interesting to watch. One team spent 18 minutes on this stuff. All at a walking temp almost at Tai Chi rhythm. Folks that does not prepare you to play a ballistic game like volleyball. Our warm-up is 6 to 8 minutes long, depending on how the head coach and I read the team. It is dynamic leading to ballistic jumping because that is what they do in the game. This is not rocket science, it is common sense. Go to www.gambetta.com to get our DVD on Warm-up and Preparation also see the chapter in my Athletic development book.
Please Vote
This is not a political blog but I feel strongly that this is the most important election of my lifetime. It may turn out to be one of the most important elections in American history. Please vote. I urge you to use logic and reason to make your choice, not emotion. In the past week I have spoken to several of my friends in other countries, universally they have said that all eyes are on us. The choice we make could reshape America in the eyes of the world and regain much of the respect we have lost, not to mention determine the future of this country for generation to come.
Finis Circuit Trainer
I have been privileged to work closely with Finis www.finisinc.com on the development of their latest product – The Circuit Trainer. This is a perfect coaching tool for use in the weight room, in the gym and on the field to set times for segments of workout to help manage your training sessions and to conduct time based circuit training workouts. It is small, battery operated and LOUD if you want to set the tone loud enough to be heard out on the fled or in a noisy weight room. It is compact, very easy to use, it can be quickly changed to adjust the workout. You can buy it on my web site. http://ww w.gambetta.com Look at the video to see how it works.www.gambetta.com/video/circuittrainer.html For me this is necessary tool for keeping me on task and improving the efficiency of my workouts.
Enabling
I am sick of seeing 13 to 15 year old kids labeled as the next superstar. We anoint these kids to the point where they think they are above the rules. Adults tolerate ant-social and sometimes illegal behavior; we enable these kids to the point where they never have to grow up, this is not a racial thing, it transcends race and gender. They don’t have to go to class, they don’t have to do the assignments, and someone always takes care of them. What do you think will happen when you give a kid like this a contract worth millions of dollars? Will he immediately learn responsibility and change a behavior pattern that authority figures have enabled him to do throughout his athletic career. I don’t think so and there is evidence everyday in the sports page to prove it. I know I am old fashioned but I was raised to believe that character was important. As coaches, teachers and administrators we have a responsibility to teach good behavior and responsibility for the star and the last person on the bench.
The Sick World of Youth Sports
This article made me sick to my stomach. What are we doing to our kids? What happened to education? I am interested in your reaction, maybe I am missing something here. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/02/sports/playmagazine/112sidney.html?ref=sports Last weekend I saw a terrific special on ESPN called Black Magic, a four hour film on the African –American influence on the game of basketball. http://espnblackmagic.secondthought.com/ It was riveting, for me to sit for four hours and watch anything is an undertaking, but this was special. It was moving and educational. I cannot help but think what some of these pioneering coaches would think and say if they could read the above article from the New York Times.
Venice Volleyball Update
Last night the girls won their seventh straight district championship defeating district rival Manatee High School who came in with a 26 and 1 record, their only loss to Venice in the regular season. We won in three games taking 53 minutes in a dominating performance. Our record was 19 and 8. Actually both teams’ records were 2 and 0 coming into the match. That was the number of games in the second season – the playoffs. These young ladies are a very special group all sophomore and juniors. It has been so much fun to watch them grow and develop. They are focused and very coachable. Brian Wheatly, the head coach is one of the best coaches I have worked with. He drills fundamentals and teaches the game, it is like the old days. There is a system and tradition and obviously the system works. It is an honor for me to be able to work with this team and coaches. I can’t wait for 2:30 to come each day. As I mentioned earlier their theme in the physical development portion starting last January is connections. Every day we work to connect body parts and connect to the game. The kids buy into it and get it. They recognize the direct relationship with what they do in training to what they do in matches. To give an example of their maturity I felt we needed to a bit more in warm-up. So I went to the captains and asked them what they thought putting Reaction Coach in the warm-up, their response was that is a cool idea it will really help us. That is a coaching dream when the athletes understand it and take ownership. This is a picture of our setter, Taylor Capaso (# 10 in green) all of 5’1" going up against Manatees best hitter. On another play Taylor stuffed her. This girl epitomizes our team. Strong, fast, quick, and smart. Today we go back to work and start our preparation for State Playoffs which begin next Wednesday night. We will do a good power session day and recharge the batteries for one last time. We only have three significant training workouts left in the season. From here on out it is sharpening and fine tuning. The young players that were just brought up to varsity and who really are only practicing and not playing will do a bit more and I will use these sessions to teach them routine and preparation for off season