Author: Vernon Gambetta
Stephen Hawking
Today is Stephen Hawking’s birthday. At age 21 he was given three years to live! Never give up! "More than five decades after his diagnosis – and now almost completely paralyzed – he is still producing new work. He was scheduled to record a talk on black holes for the prestigious BBC Reith Lectures this month. "We should never stop trying to tell these extraordinary stories from science," he said, "and I hope my Reith Lecture will enthuse a new generation to develop ideas that will have an impact on our understanding of the world and never to be overwhelmed by the task of discovery." The lecture was scheduled to air later this month, in conjunction with BBC Radio's celebration of the 100th anniversary of Einstein's theory of general relativity, though it has recently been postponed. He's currently at work on what's known as the "information paradox," in which scientists are puzzling out what happens to information that is absorbed by black holes." From today’s Writers Almanac http://writersalmanac.org/ Stop feeling sorry for yourself and get out and do what you need to. If you think you can’t think of Stephen Hawking.
Great Advice
“Be natural, be you” was Sam Cooke’s advice to Otis Redding who was trying to imitate other soul singers. The rest is history; Redding had his own sound that we all know so well. For me the message from this is powerful, define yourself and be the best you can be. It something I work on everyday, it is too easy let others define you.
Rules to Travel the Functional Path
Have a Plan, Execute It & Continually Evaluate & Adjust It Build the Complete Athlete – All systems work together – Integrate don’t isolate Train all components all the time – Use It or Lose It Fundamental Movement Skills Before Specific Sport Skills Train Sport Appropriate – You Are What You Train To Be Build the Athlete from the Ground Up Train Postural Strength as the Basis for All Training To Be Fast You Must Train Fast Build a Work Capacity Foundation Appropriate For Your Sport Train Toe Nails To Fingernails Train Movements not Muscles Train Multi Joint & Multi Plane Movements Training is Cumulative Win the Workout
The Journey Continues
Today I had the first training session of my 46th year of coaching, a dryland training session at 4:55 AM with the Sarasota YMCA Sharks. It has been an adventure – a journey of continual learning and discovery that started with Santa Barbara High Track in 1969. Coaching is craft that takes time to learn; you can never stop learning if you want to be good at your craft. You cannot learn to coach in a book, on the Internet or sitting in a lecture hall. You must coach to learn to coach. You must get your hands dirty, do the grunt work, make some mistakes, fail forward & keep learning. For me it has been a constant balancing act with staying current with the latest methods and research and doing what I know has worked. You must constantly iterate and fine tune to stay ahead of the game. As I look back on my career starting in 1969 much has changed, but the fundamentals have not changed. Don’t stray far from the basics. Look for simple solutions to complex problems. More than ever I am a coach of people who play sports. God willing I am looking forward to many more years. There is so much more to learn and share in my evolving role of a mentor coach through GAIN.
The Importance of Being Stupid
A colleague of mine shared this article by Martin A. Schwartz entitled “The Importance of stupidity in scientific research” http://jcs.biologists.org/content/121/11/1771 Naturally it got me thinking how important being stupid is in coaching. Preparing an athlete for high-level performance can at times certainly leave you feeling stupid. That is OK! Nobody has it all figured out and if they say they do then they are trying to sell you something. If someone had “the answer” the magic right way to train then everyone would be great and it would all be quite easy. Fortunately that is not the case. Each athlete and team is a case study of one. That is the challenge and that it what makes it fun. Working together to problem solve and guide them to competitive excellence is the challenge. This process is not easy nor does it occur in a linear manner on a straight path to the podium. There are many twists and turns along the way where feeling stupid is OK and necessary to progress the athlete to the next level. Fortunately in most cases others have been down this path. Learn from their success and failures, learn when they felt stupid and find out what they did to enlighten themselves. I think that when you study and talk to people who have been down the path that they were as Schwartz said “productively stupid”. Being productively stupid means being ignorant by choice, for me it seeing movement with different eyes. Look for connections and rhythms go outside your specialty. Look at dance, music, study design thinking and complexity theory. Schwartz sums it up quite well: “The more comfortable we become with being stupid, the deeper we will wade into the unknown and the more likely we are to make big discoveries.” My goal for 2016 is to be stupid more often.
My 2015 Books of the Year
As regular readers of this blog you know I am a voracious reader. This year so far (The year is not done yet) I have read 123 books. If I am not on plane traveling or coaching I am usually reading. This is a habit instilled in me by my mother with weekly trips to the library when I was just starting to read. My interests are quite eclectic as you can see by my list. They appear in rank order but after the first three they are pretty much equal. This year my top book is a book on training. It is a real game changer in my opinion. My friend and professional colleague Frans Bosch wrote it. Frans has never been afraid to challenge conventional wisdom. You may not agree 100% with his concepts but this book will wake you up and make you think. Over the next few months I plan on writing more about the application of the ideas and concepts he presents in his book as well as interviewing some of those coaches who have applied the methodology. Each year I find it increasingly difficult to name a top ten so in addition I have also listed the next eight. The next eight are: Infamy: The Shocking Story of the Japanese-American Internment in World War II by Richard Reeves Racing the Rain by John L.Parker Pep Confidential – The Inside Story of Pep Guardiola's First Season at Bayern Munich by Marti Peranau Shop Class As Soul Craft – An Inquiry into the value of work by Matthew B. Crawford In Defense of Liberal Education by Fareed Zakaria The World Beyond Your Head – On Becoming an Individual in an Age of Distraction by Matthew B. Crawford The Upright Thinkers – The Human Journey from Living in the Trees to Understanding the Cosmos by Leonard Mlodinov Two Hours – The Quest to Run the Impossible Marathon by Ed Caesar
GAIN IX June 14 – 18, 2016 – Join Us
GAIN 2016 will take place June 14 to 18 at Rice University in Houston, Texas. The program is open to sport coaches, conditioning coaches, physical education teachers, athletic trainers, physical therapists, chiropractors and doctors. Apply now and join a select group of professionals at GAIN. Go to http://tinyurl.com/nb7rx2j to apply, submit your application now, enrollment is limited. Tuition is $1,875 it includes breakfast, lunch and dinner each day. Please call me at 941-378-1778 or email mail me at gstscoach@gmail.com if you have any questions. This program is intense and intellectually challenging combining theory and practice in a residential coaching school format. This is an opportunity to observe, participate, question, and explore the application of the Gambetta Method – Systematic Sport Development Model of training, teaching and injury rehabilitation. This represents just a beginning of an incredible professional development opportunity. Attendees can continue to participate via the secure web site, and continue to attend the GAIN coaching school for the duration of their careers if they so choose. For those who have attended it has been a career changing experience. For more information and to apply for GAIN 2016 go to www.thegainnetwork.com don’t miss this opportunity for professional advancement. The GAIN Faculty These are professionals who have a track record of excellence in their chosen fields. They know how a performance team works, how all aspects of athletic development complement each other and most importantly they understand the process of developing athletes because they are working in the trenches everyday. At GAIN we have three main areas of focus: 1) Coaching & Athletic Development 2) Sports Medicine/Rehab 3) Physical Education Our faculty is experts in each of these respective focus areas. The goal is foster connections and communication between all these areas to develop the best athlete possible. Coaching Wade Gilbert, professor in the Department of Kinesiology at California State University, Fresno. Dr. Gilbert's areas of expertise include coaching effectiveness, talent development, and sport psychology. Editor – International Sport Coaching Journal | Consultant – USOC Coaching Education. Vern Gambetta, Founder of GAIN Network, Currently Director of Gambetta Sports Training Systems Sport Science Ken Clark, PHD, East Stroudsburg State University PhD in Biomechanics, Researcher in Human Performance, Strength & Conditioning Coach (CSCS, USA-W), interested in all things speed Brian McCormick, PhD is an author, basketball coach, and consultant. He has published 21 books for basketball coaches, including 21st Century Guide to Individual Skill Development, coached youth through professional basketball in the United States and Europe, and advised coaches at all levels. Athletic Development Jim Radcliffe, Head S&C Coach University of Oregon Mike Bahn, US Skiing & Snowboard Strength & Conditioning Coordinator. Formerly with Phoenix Coyotes & Arizona Diamondbacks. Nick Garcia, Athletic Development Coach & Assistant Track Coach, Notre Dame High School, Sherman Oaks, California Steve Magness, Head Cross Country and Assistant Track Coach University of Houston Sports Medicine/Rehab Bill Knowles, ATC Philadelphia Union Academy and HP Sports Ed Ryan, ATC Head Trainer US Women’s Olympic Basketball Team, Formerly Head of Sports Medicine at USOC Randy Ballard, ATC Assistant Trainer, University of Illinois Working With Track & Field and Volleyball Joe Przytula, ATC Supervisor of Physical Education and Health, and athletic trainer with Elizabeth Public Schools, Elizabeth New Jersey USA. Physical Education Greg Thompson, Elementary Physical Education Teacher Farmington Michigan, Currently Athletic Development and Age Group Head Coach, Livonia City Soccer Club For more information and to apply for GAIN 2016 go to www.thegainnetwork.com don’t miss this opportunity for professional advancement.
Coaching – A Creative Process
The process of creative coaching it is the ability to see the same skill, the same movement and see something different than everyone else is seeing or has seen. Coaching is constant iteration, prototyping, tinkering to get it right for that athlete and team. Coaching is not a reductionist paint by numbers algorithm. Each athlete is a case study of one. The creative process recognizes that the body is smart and that when given challenging movement problems to solve it will soon “figure it out” without step-by-step mechanistic instruction. The solution may not meet the criteria of perfect technique or ideal training but it works. Getting “it” to work is the measure of good coaching. Use all your senses; follow your instincts to put the athlete in a position to succeed.