Author: Vernon Gambetta
The New PE
This is from Outside Magazine, August 2008 I know the old system and the test had laws but the “New PE” does get it done either. We need to put the physical back into physical education. The Lab Rat Wii the People Uncle Sam’s Presidential Fitness program was once a Herculean feat. Now it endorses video games. When did we go so soft? By Nick Heil BACK IN THE SEVENTIES, when I was in grade school, fitness was quantified on the playground a few times each year when kids tried to earn the Presidential Physical Fitness Award by humiliating themselves in front of their cackling classmates. You may remember the criteria for this torture test: a nine-second shuttle run, a seven-minute mile, 37 push-ups and 47 sit-ups (each within one minute), and eight pull-ups. According to my calculations, approximately 0.01 percent of kids were capable of earning the coveted blue patch with the eagle on it. I wasn’t one of them. I still have nightmares of approaching the chin-up bar, hopping on, and frogging my legs through the air, trying to realize my prayers from the night before—please, God, just one! Uncle Sam’s fitness programs have been flopping since the 1950s, when Dwight Eisenhower, concerned that American schoolkids were lagging behind Europeans, formed the President’s Council on Youth Fitness (later renamed the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports). Alas, the well-intentioned but impossible benchmarks of the PCPFS may have done more than anything to steer the public toward aerobic apathy. Perhaps recognizing the damage this test was inflicting, the PCPFS began modifying it in 1985, replacing it with increasingly watered-down regimens aimed at both kids and adults. By the time this year’s "President’s Challenge" rolled around, the government was begging Americans to do something—anything—for 30 minutes a day, five days a week. I checked out the list of recommended activities. There were a few good ones, including surfing and skiing. Others seemed dubious. Darts? Household tasks? Nintendo Wii? The old fitness tests remained a little-emphasized part of the program—there was a Presidential Champion Award, designed for elite athletes. But the government pointed the rest of us toward video games. The whole thing smacked of desperation. Little wonder, since the Centers for Disease Control recently presented alarming statistics showing that obesity rates had climbed from around 15 percent of the U.S. adult population in 1980 to more than 30 percent by 2006. According to the CDC, other problems linked to excess body weight, such as Type 2 diabetes and coronary heart disease, are on the rise, too. Sure, a select few of us have access to more fitness advantages than ever: futuristic gyms, human-performance labs, supplements (legal or not). But our national waistline is still ballooning. To see just how far our standards have fallen, I decided to compare the abuse of yore with the user-friendly plan of today. I would go through the 1977 fitness test, spend two weeks doing my 30 minutes of very little a day, then retake the test. On a sunny Saturday I drove to a middle-school field ringed by a dirt track. A rusty soccer goal listed at one end, and prairie dogs had punched holes through the grass. The tableau seemed troublingly representative of fitness in America. But then, so did my test scores: a ten-second shuttle run, a 7:20 mile, 15 push-ups, 46 sit-ups, and two pull-ups. (I was trying, I swear!) For the next two weeks, I dutifully followed our government’s current plan: 30 minutes of "moderate-intensity" activity (walking my dog; moving boxes) for ten of the 14 days. Then I retook the test: an 11-second shuttle run, a 7:21 mile, 20 push-ups, 42 sit-ups, and one sad, single pull-up. The slippage confirmed my fears: I still had wimpy arms, and the new President’s Challenge wasn’t going to do diddly for me. Naturally, the folks at the PCPFS don’t see it that way. "We created recognition programs for just moving your body," says Melissa Johnson, the council’s executive director. "You can do almost anything. It doesn’t have to be drudgery. It can be fun!" Sure. That’s why Wii Fit sells. Look, it’s hard to criticize something that gets us up and moving, even if it is a video game. Actually, scratch that. Video games should never be called serious exercise tools, no matter how fun they may be. The problem with the 30-minutes-and-done national fitness plan is that it reinforces what exercise has been for way too long in America: a daily task to be crossed off a checklist before we return to our flat-panel, drive-through lives. I’ll be the last person to discourage someone from going for a 30-minute "brisk walk." But c’mon, people. That should be your warm-up.
The Jamaican Secret Revealed
I came across this on the BBC Sport website. I have to admit it warmed my heart to see this. According to the country’s sports minister Olivia Grange, Jamaica gets a jump on its rivals right from the start. "I always talk about the triple T – tradition, talent and training," she says. "We have an extremely good school system. In our primary schools, physical education is mandatory, and we actually start competing from early childhood. We have our prep school championships, primary school championships, our secondary school championships." For all of you out there looking for the secret it is right there in front of us. It is the same secret that developed all those great American athletes from the past. Physical education is the foundation for later athletic achievement. Way too simple for our country to understand or accept. It is not about kinesio tape, altitude tents, underwater treadmills, it is simple, get kids moving doing athletic activities. Let’s get real PE back into the schools and bring the focus of our athletic competition back to the schools.
Some Thoughts on the Olympics
The days of American dominance are over. That is not a bad thing. It simply reflects the globalization of sport. Other countries are developing sport systems. They are training coaches and athletes. We will always be in the hunt just by size of our population. I have not carried out my complete Olympic boycott as I had intended. I have watched selected events, mainly to learn more about the sport demands and current trends. I will give my two cents on Usain Bolt. I was unimpressed with his behavior in the 100 meters. I think it showed immaturity and a lack of respect for the sport and his competitors. That being said I am not sure he meant any disrespect, he is just kid out there having fun, perhaps there is a lesson we could learn. It is still a game. The other thing to remember about Bolt is that he is no flash in the pan. He was a great when he was 15 years old, much like Michael Phelps in swimming. His 9.92 in the heats of the 100 meters was the most amazing run I have ever seen, he sprinted 30 meters and then literally jogged the 70 meters, astounding! He also dispels the myth that someone tall cannot start effectively. I thought the greatest sprinter I have seen in my life was Tommy Smith, he was tall, 6”3” but not a good starter so he seldom ran 100 meters. However, in those days it was not accepted to strength train beyond a few push-up or pull-ups, I think that Bolt has developed his strength levels to enable him to start effectively. I have not seen his 200 meter final race yet, but what a time. I can’t wait to see him in the sprint relay, imagine what he will do with a running start. I hope his teammate can catch him to pass him the baton. It is also interesting to note the success of the Caribbean nations in Track & Field, it is not just Jamaica. I think that coaching development has been a key, they have taken advantage of IAAF coaching development and done a good job developing their youth. Certainly coaching is my bias, but it proves to be a key. It was cool watching the men’s springboard diving and catching a dive of one of the young divers I had worked with in Guadalajara. Also neat to see one of the Aussie women divers that I had gotten to see train last year in the hunt.
Can Fit Pro
This past Friday and Saturday I gave three presentations at Can Fit Pro, a huge gathering of personal trainers. I have never seen so much spandex gathered in one place. Speaking at this definitely got me out of my comfort zone. (I accepted this at the invitation of my publisher Human Kinetics who were one of the sponsors) As I have stated many times in this blog I am not a big fan of what I see in the personal training world. Too much style, not enough substance. So taking the opportunity to speak to an audience that consisted entirely of personal trainers was very interesting and challenging. I made it clear where I was coming from. I am a coach who coaches; I do not do personal training. Once that was clear and on the table despite my apprehension it was an enjoyable experience. People seemed very will to learn and were open to new ideas. I hope I was able to get my message across to the audiences I spoke to. It was quite an experience walking through the exhibit area. I have never seen so much stuff designed to do what you can do with body weight, a dumbbell, barbell and some jump ropes. There is obviously a big business here. I am not sure if I am a dinosaur or an alien from another planet, but I just don’t get some of this stuff. Ultimately it is about training, getting people to move and use their bodies efficiently. I don’t see how all the toys and props really accomplish this. I came away convinced that this is a world that is foreign to me. On a humorous note it was quite fascinating to see people lines up about 100 deep to wait for the escalator when there was 12 of us on the adjacent stairs (and that was to go down stairs!). It was also quite funny to see one of the trainers decked in full spandex walk out the door of the convention center sit down in the grass and light up a cigarette! I am a big believer in talking the talk and walking the walk.
Three Books
I highly recommend the David Maraness book Rome 1960 – The Olympics That Changed the World. It was a very enjoyable read, if fact I almost read it in one sitting. It highlighted Rafer Johnson, Cassius Clay and Wilma Rudolph. Of course the competition between two of my childhood heros Rafer Johnson and CK Yang in the decathlon was the highlight for me as were the interviews with and stories about Ed temple, Wilma Rudloph’s coach. I had the privilege of working with Ed leading into the 1984 games with our sprint and hurdle group as part of Project Gold. He was a humble man of great wisdom and a great coach, a real pioneer in many ways. I am not sure that the 1960 Olympics changed the world but they were certainly indicative of a changing world. Certainly the world of sport was changing rapidly but that was reflective of society. When you think of the performances on a cinder track, high jumpers jumping in sand, swimmers with no gutter in the pool to absorb waves you realize how we have advanced in technology. The second book We Might As Well Win by Johan Bruyneel was a good read. It was a good insight in the world of pro cycling in the last twenty years. You certainly see how fiercely competitive Lance Armstrong was as well as the detailed preparation that went into his tour victories. The third book Complete Conditioning for Swimming was a huge disappointment. Given the great swimmers that Dave Salo has produced I expected much more. I found the exercises and the routines very stereotyped. I could see very little connection between the programs and what was happening in the water. Nothing cutting edge here.
Systematic Sport Development
There is a terrific article on the BBS Sport web site http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/olympics/cycling/7534073.stm on British Cycling. It is a great example of what a systematic sport development process can do to develop champions and sustain championship performance. Excellence in any in any discipline does not happen by chance, there is usually a design. I am a big fan of sustained excellence. When you study teams and individuals who have achieved sustained excellence you will see common characteristics. One of the unifying characteristic is good solid coaching, continuity and a program that is athlete centered, coach driven and administratively supported. Unfortunately in too many situations coaching is an afterthought, the administrators think they are the stars of the show. Put the athlete’s front and center, give them great coaches and give those coaches ALL the tools to do their job and get out of the way.
Did you have to play the game?
As an athletic development coach how often have I heard the lament – How can you prepare us you never played the game? I have heard that more times than I care to mention. Personally I think one of the worst qualifications for being an athletic development (S&C coach for the uninitiated) is to have played the game, especially if you were a star at the sport. This goes back to my first days as a Track & Field coach. Bill Toomey had just retired from competition; he was the 68 Olympic Gold medalist in the Decathlon and the world holder. I remember trying to talk to him about training and technique; he had no idea, no system. He sort of knew what he did and thought that would apply to everyone else – WRONG! I had a similar situation in professional baseball where our program with the White Sox was being scrutinized by a new minor league coordinator who had played nineteen years in the big leagues. Because he had nineteen years in the big leagues and I had never played baseball at any level, it was obvious that he knew everything and I knew nothing. The problem was he had one experience nineteen times. He could not look at the game objectively and see what the players could to get better beyond more swings or more ground balls. The moral of all of this is that if you have good sound principles and can evaluate movement then you should be able to work with any sport if you take the time to get to know the demands of the sport and the positions in the sport. Remember it more than being sport specific, it is being sport appropriate and making sure that athleticism is not compromised. I actually think it is an advantage to have not played the sport, I think it allows you to be completely objective. That is not to say that you reject ideas from those who have played the game. I learned a lot watching Toomey train, I learned a lot listening to some former big league pitchers explain what they did, I learned a lot about baseball and preparation for the game from Carlton Fisk.
Be There or Be Square
Get out of the weight room and get out and watch practice, better yet participate in practice as coach. I can’t believe how many “strength coaches” hang out the weight room waiting for practice to end so they can do their job. Then they have the players go through a weight workout that has no relationship to what just happened on the field or the court. This is the beginning of a huge disconnect. How can you do that? You can see the practice plan, but if you do not see the practice you do not know how the players handled that practice. You have to connect the two; the later must complement and enhance the former. Break down those four walls become a coach not a weight room supervisor. The weight room is not the center of the universe, that is not where they play the game.