Author: Vernon Gambetta
When Will We Learn (Warning this is a Rant!)
Volume is not a biomotor quality. It is a major stimulus at certain times in a year and a career. So why do we see swim teams and distance running programs go to extremes of volume training for prolonged periods of time to the extent that the athlete is so beaten down that they are 10 to 15 seconds off their personal bests in certain events. This is not necessary! It ceases to be training and borders on abuse. Here is what happens with a squad: one third, the studs, who could do anything thrive. The middle third is always redlining, always struggling. They may or may not pull it together by championship season. The bottom third are roadkill. Yet we continue to lionize systems and coaches who follow this model because they win. At what cost? They win despite not because of. There are better ways to do it and achieve world record and championship results. Simply the lack of understanding what quality is. No swimmer or runner should every be far off from their personal best times at any time of the year by an extreme amount. (Percentage varies by person and event). We need to get away from the survival model where we beat the shit out of the athlete then “Taper” with extreme rest and hope for results. Wishing or hope is never a strategy. This is not peaking it is gambling. Instead learn to cycle the work appropriate to athlete, their event, and the time of the year. Learn to alternate cycles of preparation (more general work), adaptation (more specific work) and application (more competition and race pace work). This all needs to be coupled with appropriate strength training. It can be done, and it is being done. It is necessary to get away from the fixation on mileage/yardage and prepare for the demands of the event.
Announcing GAIN 2024 Coaching by Design Workshops
GAIN 2024 Coaching by Design Workshops GAIN started 2007. Until 2023 we have had an annual conference, this year instead, we are having GAIN Coaching by Design workshops. The annual conference held in June each year will resume in 2025. In addition, we are going international with an event in Melbourne, Australia in November. GAIN Coaching by Design workshops are open to professionals seeking innovative training ideas. GAIN is a community of professionals eager to learn and willing to share ideas and information. GAIN is not about more exercises, sets, reps and training methods it is about passionate people who pursue excellence with honesty, integrity and respect to make a difference in the lives of the people we coach and teach. 2024 GAIN 2024 Coaching by Design Workshops Coaching by Design Designing and Implementing an Effective Athletic Development Program June 15 & 16 – Notre Dame High School, Sherman Oaks, CA Vern Gambetta, Nick Garcia, Jim Radcliffe, Brain Fitzgerald August 17 &18 – West Chester University, West Chester, PA Vern Gambetta, Nick Garcia, Jim Radcliffe, Bill Knowles, & Martin Bingisser November (Date TBD) – Melbourne, Australia Vern Gambetta, Jim Radcliffe, Dean Benton, Nick Lumley, Ellyse Perry, & John Pryor How much does it cost? Tuition is $399. We also offer team discounts contact us for more information. How do I register? Go to https://thegainnetwork.com/events/gain2024/ to register, enrollment is limited. Where can I learn more about GAIN Coaching by Design Workshops? Go to www.thegainnetwork.com or call 941-378-1778. You can also email Vern Gambetta at gstscoach@gmail.com
No Pain, No Gain?
No pain, no gain was a very prevalent attitude when I began coaching in the late Sixties and surprisingly it continues to persist today. I personally have never been able to figure out the appeal of this approach. Proper training in the weight room or on the field demands that the athlete be pushed to test their limits. Some workouts are very difficult and other workouts will almost seem easy. This ebb and flow of hard efforts interspersed with easier efforts is essential allow for proper adaptation. I really think the no pain; no gain approach is a direct outgrowth of the fact that historically strength & conditioning was a field driven by football. It was the football strength & conditioning coach who set the tempo for the programs because they were often the head strength coach. The mastodon mentality that pervaded football in the fifties and the sixties served to reinforce the no pain, no gain approach. After all, in those days players were not allowed to take their helmets off during practice and not allowed to drink during practice. The whole goal was to make the players tough, so without pain there was no gain! That should be changing today with the accumulation of knowledge and experience that we have. I do not know about you, but I want my athletes tough on game day. That should be the goal of training. A thoroughly conditioned athlete who is supremely confident in his or her physical preparation will be mentally and physically tough. Physically and psychologically an athlete can only go to the well so many times before it will begin to deplete their reserves. There is no doubt in my mind that a good sport coach or athlete development coach can get athletes to train and perform beyond levels that the athletes ever thought possible. To achieve this does not mean you have to inflict pain. Pushing the envelope is uncomfortable. Athletes in training must get comfortable with a certain level of discomfort. As coaches we are teachers. It is our job to teach the athletes we work with how to train. Training is more than feeling the burn. In fact, when you do feel the burn that is often a sign that the training is incorrect. It does not take a genius to devise a workout that can bury someone, that is not training. Good movements require effort, concentration, and intensity. I have found that this is the hardest lesson to get across to today’s athletes. I certainly do not want to discourage an athlete from working hard, but I feel I must teach what training is. Training is cumulative, it is more than one heavy training session, and it is the cumulative effect of many sessions over a period of weeks and months. Keeping each workout in the context of the whole program. It is hard for a young athlete to think about or see the big picture so we as coaches have paint a very clear picture so they can see where they are going and the steps they must take to get there. Training is not punishment; it is an opportunity to get better. If we can shift our thinking to this approach then the no gain, no gain school has no credibility. The question is: Are you making the athletes better or are you making them tired? If you are just making them tired, then I would suggest you look at another approach. Remember willingness to work is a given prerequisite for success, but it must be purposeful, directed and nurtured. There is gain without pain, but it demands patience and a plan well executed.
Building Sustainable Performance Excellence (Ideas from Eddie Jones, Coach of Japan Rugby)
The components of Building a Championship Team grounded in the values of pride, respect and courage. Important it to live those values not just speak to them. Leadership The ability to get the best out of the people around you Ability to provide a strong cohesive vision that gives the staff direction to follow Need to understand cultural differences The skills of leadership Observation skills – Important as a head coach/manager to step back and see the big picture. Not necessary to be involved in every drill. Ability to learn and adapt quickly Ability to plan and implement the plan all the while recognizing that no plan is perfect hence the necessity of staying flexible High work ethic Passion for details Management Staff – Get the right staff. No yes-men. Must have difference opinions to create a strong staff. Players – Looking for consistency. Good today, not yesterday! Creating the right environment – Values = Behaviors Know when to let staff go – When to cut the cord. He emphasized this is not easy but sometime necessary. Knowing Your Strength Know your key competitive edge and work constantly to improve it. Know where the gaps are – do thorough and ongoing gap analysis of where are you versus where you need to be and act on closing those gaps immediately. Know your opposition – Understand their psyche Plan and prioritize base on your strength. Work on what you are good at. The strength will pull up the weaknesses. Develop a Culture of Discipline Rules – Very few, very clear and easy to be accountable for Meetings – No longer than 15 minutes Communication – Clear and concise Evaluation – Clear criteria, no shades of grey Selection – not easy but you do not always select best players but select the best team. Create a Learning Environment Learn from other sports – Look far afield Learn from other coaches Television – Watch interviews with coaches post match Internet – this is obvious Books – Read everything Have courage of conviction – Always look for a better way than the way you are doing it and be willing to change. Thanks to Eddie Jones for these ideas. I know many will read this and think we do that or there is nothing earthshaking here. Think again, these is just words on paper, but it takes a 24/7 commitment, a commitment few are willing to give. It is that commitment that truly separates the good form the great.
Building Sustainable Performance Excellence (Ideas from Eddie Jones, Coach of Japan Rugby)
The components of Building a Championship Team grounded in the values of pride, respect and courage. Important it to live those values not just speak to them. Leadership The ability to get the best out of the people around you Ability to provide a strong cohesive vision that gives the staff direction to follow Need to understand cultural differences The skills of leadership Observation skills – Important as a head coach/manager to step back and see the big picture. Not necessary to be involved in every drill. Ability to learn and adapt quickly Ability to plan and implement the plan all the while recognizing that no plan is perfect hence the necessity of staying flexible High work ethic Passion for details Management Staff – Get the right staff. No yes-men. Must have difference opinions to create a strong staff. Players – Looking for consistency. Good today, not yesterday! Creating the right environment – Values = Behaviors Know when to let staff go – When to cut the cord. He emphasized this is not easy but sometime necessary. Knowing Your Strength Know your key competitive edge and work constantly to improve it. Know where the gaps are – do thorough and ongoing gap analysis of where are you versus where you need to be and act on closing those gaps immediately. Know your opposition – Understand their psyche Plan and prioritize base on your strength. Work on what you are good at. The strength will pull up the weaknesses. Develop a Culture of Discipline Rules – Very few, very clear and easy to be accountable for Meetings – No longer than 15 minutes Communication – Clear and concise Evaluation – Clear criteria, no shades of grey Selection – not easy but you do not always select best players but select the best team. Create a Learning Environment Learn from other sports – Look far afield Learn from other coaches Television – Watch interviews with coaches post match Internet – this is obvious Books – Read everything Have courage of conviction – Always look for a better way than the way you are doing it and be willing to change. Thanks to Eddie Jones for these ideas. I know many will read this and think we do that or there is nothing earthshaking here. Think again, these is just words on paper, but it takes a 24/7 commitment, a commitment few are willing to give. It is that commitment that truly separates the good form the great.
Making Training Sticky & Meaningful -Never a Grind!
Start with the basics and never stray far from the basics. This is the foundation of sustained excellence. Don’t try to replicate the stress of the sport in training, instead prepare for the stress of the sport. Have a plan, execute the plan, and constantly evaluate the plan. You must know the process to be able to focus on the process. Coach the person not the athlete Never allow equipment or facilities to dictate your training. Teach skills not drills, drills are not skills. Build on strengths and minimize weaknesses. Train fast to be fast. You are what you train to be. Adaptation is not just about time; it is the timing of the appropriate training stimulus to achieve the desired training response. You compete the way you train. Understand the demands of the sport and train to exceed those demands. Therefore don’t try to replicate the game in training, distort it. It is never a grind. It is a session by session, day by day, week by week, month by month and year to year growth opportunity represented by instant feedback. To be the a champions you must be a champions in practice, the challenge of being is a champion in practice is exciting and challenging – never a grind.
2023 Reading
I am a confirmed bibliophile. I cannot walk by a bookstore without going in and browsing and frequently buying a book. My reading does not follow fixed patterns. It is driven by my curiosity, and the desire to learn new things. My reading is not focused on sports, coaching or training. You can see from my top ten list that it is quite eclectic. This year I read 103 books, significantly down from the 150 plus books that read the past several years. It was conscious decision to read fewer books. I read several book two or three times. Someone the other day asked when I read. No set time, although I read every night in bed. Seldom is there ever a time when I do not have a book in hand. I prefer actual books to Kindle but find the Kindle on my iPad easier when a I travel. Here is my technique when reading: Start with a quick read – No underlining or annotation. Second read – I underline in black or blue ink and annotate in the margins in the same colors. Subsequent readings I underline and annotate in different colors. Lately I have started to go through my annotations and put them in my notebook. My book of the year, one that I have read three times Is The Creative Act a Way of Being by Rick Rubin. So, stimulating with rich and varied ideas that make you think. I have included the covers of the next nine. In a subsequent post I will list my second ten
2023 Retrospective
2023 was an amazing year. So much came together for me in my 54th year of coaching. Two world records for Summer McIntosh and a career defining year for Ellyse Perry in Cricket. Those highlights did not come out of nowhere. I realize looking back on the year and my career the preparation, learning, networking that resulted in those performances. My tagline for years has been: "Coaching the best to be Better" These two women are the best and they will get better. I learned so much from them about commitment to excellence, the 24 hour athlete and the coach athlete partnership. So where am I going in 2024? I am looking forward to more collaboration with the GAIN Network. Sharing ideas and growing professionally and personally. We will be moving to San Francisco, moving across country is not something you typically do in your late 70's but it is an opportunity to grow and most importantly be closer to family (Actually across the street). California is home – being home again will be special. Some thoughts to sum up 2023: 1) Make the preparation be the separation – what you do when no one is watching is the difference make! 2) A quote from Bertrand Russell that really resonated with me: "The hardest thing to learn in life is which bridge to cross and which to burn." 3) Aristotle said "I cannot teach anybody anything. I can only make them think." Have a Healthy, Happy and Safe New Year Vern Gambetta, Director of Curiosity, GAIN Network