Author: Vernon Gambetta
Functional Path Training – A few Thoughts
What seems to be emerging more and more for me as I gain experience coaching and I watch and evaluate training everywhere I go is that so much of what is done is “mindless.” It is just work, the athletes seem to just go through the motions, they are not engaged. I really think that is why a balanced approach to training that created athletes that are adaptable is the way to go. If I just sprint or I just spend time in the weight room then I will become adapted to those environments and fully adaptable to the demands of the competition that I am preparing them for. Folks we need to challenge the athletes mentally and physically to get better. You can’t just do workouts, you must be in the workout to give yourself a chance to achieve excellence.
Catching Up
I have been traveling so much lately I am trying to catch up with myself. The trip to England was quite good. The First two days I was at Loughborough University presenting a seminar for The FA to Fitness coaches of professional teams, there were sixty coaches in attendance. Presenting in that environment is never easy because people often do not want to hear the theory and the why, they want to get to the what. Therefore the theme of the two days was “Stuff.” My basic point is that everyone does stuff, in the past six weeks I have literally seen training stuff all over the world. There are the same ladders and hurdles, with the same drills mindlessly reproduced. My thesis is that “stuff” without the why, what, how and when is just that “stuff.” That is not good enough. I hope that I got my point across. The next day I put on a different hat and traveled to Manchester to do a demonstration of a product in development for a company I am consulting with. It was very interesting monitoring the practice and visiting with the fitness coaching staff there. Friday and Saturday I was able to combine business with pleasure and visit my good friend Dean Benton and his lovely wife in Leicester. Dean is now the head strength and conditioning coach for the Leicester Tigers England. I was able to observe two training sessions and individual session with a player. (See pictures) Dean does an excellent job, he has had to work hard to change the culture of training from an overemphasis on strength training to a more balanced program. While I was there Dean was offered an opportunity to return to his old team in Australia, the Brisbane Broncos, as Performance Director. He has accepted and will be returning to Australia. I am looking forward to visiting him there Saturday Dean facilitated a meeting with Michael Snelling, English Rugby Team Senior Team Physiotherapist. We spent about four hours discussing hamstring injuries, prevention and rehabilitation. Michael had done a brilliant presentation at the conference a couple of weeks previous so we used his notes from that as a starting point. He is a real sharp dude, who really stimulated me to think. He also gave a ride to Heathrow so I was able to pick his brain further. I always come away from weeks like this excited and over stimulated. Getting back to reality after weeks like this is always hard, especially when the first morning you wake up and the blog is gone. Reality check! Got back and got one session with my Venice girls last week. They are AWESOME – all of you should have the opportunity to work with a group like this. They followed every workout to the letter. This is a special group of young ladies. Yesterday was testing and now we start a plyo block. I can’t wait for the workout this afternoon.
A Functional Path™ Manifesto
My journey on the Functional Path began many years ago as a search for secrets, just like any young coach I was looking for that 2% that would give me the edge. After traveling down many one way dead end streets I began to realize that there were no secrets, no one answer. I realized that I must take care of the first 98% in order to be able to do anything with the last 2%. When I discovered the Functional Path approach I realized that this was a path well traveled. I was quickly able to stand on the shoulder of many giants who had traveled the road before with great success. The road on the path begins with a definition of function as integrated, multidimensional movement. With that as foundation functional training is defined as training that incorporates a full spectrum of training methods, designed to elicit optimum adaptive response appropriate for the sport or active being trained for. A spectrum incorporates a broad range of related values, qualities, ideas and activities. Just as with the spectrum of light certain training methods are visible and other invisible. The characteristics of Functional Path™ training are: No system of the body is emphasized to exclusion of another, all systems of the body work together synergistically to produce smooth efficient movement. No one method or physical quality becomes an end unto itself. Each athlete is a case study of one; each athlete brings something unique to the table. In order to be considered functional, an exercise or training method must meet all of the following criteria: Multiple Plane Multiple Joint High Proprioceptive Demand The Work Must Be Mindful The goal of all this process is to develop Athleticism. Athleticism is the ability to execute athletic movements (run, jump, throw) at optimum speed with precision, style, and grace in the context of the sport or movement being trained for. Effective Functional Path Training™ respects that there are three movement constants that are continually manipulated. Those constants are the body, gravity and the ground. In order to optimize the function of the body we must recognize muscle synergies and train movements not muscles. We must recognize that we are training connectivity through unity in movement that is integrated not isolated. The ultimate goal is build athletes that are adaptable to any athletic demand they face in training or competition, not athletes that are adapted to one method of technique. In order to achieve this we must give the athlete increasingly difficult movement problems to solve. Obviously this is contingent on mastery of fundamental movements. Without a sound foundation of fundamental movement skills it will be impossible for the athlete to progress to more advanced sport skills without greater risk of injury and performance errors. Traveling the functional path is a very challenging endeavor, you must constantly think about why you are doing what you are doing, and when you are doing it. Be sure to have your destination clearly in sight at all times. Focus on the need to do activities that will produce results. Always be aware of where you are spending your time. Is what you are doing sport appropriate, is it preparing your athletes for optimum results in competition? I am looking forward to having you join me on this journey on the Functional Path. There is much territory still to be explored and challenges to be met.
Functional Path™ Training Rules
In order to travel effectively on the Functional Path there are some basic rules of travel that must be followed Ø Have a Plan, Execute It, and Evaluate It Ø Build the Complete Athlete All systems work together Train all components all the time – Use It or Lose It Ø Always Train Fundamental Movement Skills Before Specific Sport Skills Ø Train Sport Appropriate – You Are What You Train To Be Ø Build the Athlete from the Ground Up Ø Train the Core as the Center of the Action Ø To Be Fast You Must Train Fast Ø Build a Work Capacity Base Appropriate For Your Sport Ø Train Toe Nails To Fingernails Train Movements not Muscles Train Multi Joint & Multi Plane Movements Ø Training is Cumulative Win the Workout
New Look, New Home, Same Philosophy
Due to circumstances beyond my control (Still Unexplained) my blog was removed from Blogger on Monday morning. Because of this I have switched to Typepad. Nothing will change except for the fact that I will scrutinize the posts more closely and not allow the type of discourse that was was beginning to creep in. This is a blog for professionals who are interested in exchanging and sharing ideas in a sane civilized manner. There is no room for personal attacks or guruism. I want to reaffirm the philosophy and goals of the blog. This blog is about and for you the reader in order to share ideas and stimulate thought. For me it is a labor of love, a change to get feedback and a daily stimulus to creativity in my coaching and life. I will work to keep the tone positive and I expect the same from the participants. Personal attacks on posts will not be tolerated. Anonymous post will be deleted. Please clearly identify yourself and include your email. I am looking forward to having you join me on a regular basis on this site.