Gary Winckler is one of the top sprint and hurdle coaches in the world and also one of the most thoughtful and intelligent coaches out there. In 2008 Winckler retired after 23 years as a coach at the University of Illinois. During that time he coached over 300 All-Americans and more than a dozen Olympians. On this episode of the GAINcast Winckler explains the performance influences that led to his success as a coach. Read more
On last week’s episode we teased this week’s topic by asking our guest Dave Wollman about his views on foreign athletes competing in the NCAA system. With immigration being a hot topic in this US presidential campaign season, we thought we would take a look at foreign athletes and how they should fit into the American collegiate system. Read more
With the rise of the internet has come the rise of the internet coach. But coaching from a distance poses unique challenges for both a programming and psychological point of view. Former Southern Methodist University head track coach Dave Wollman joins us to exchange some ideas on how to best work with athletes remotely. Read more
Culture is a buzzword in athletics. But it is more than just some slogan you put on the wall in your gym. It is about creating the heart of your team. On this episode of the GAINcast we dig a bit deeper into the topic to find out what team culture really is, what successful teams have in common, and how coaches can work on finding it.
This Episode’s Question: What is training culture and how can a coach build it?
In the beginning, there was Glenn McAtee. McAtee’s name is referenced on nearly every episode on the podcast for a good reason: he has been the major influence in Nick’s career and the force that connected Nick and me. The former Clemson and Cal State Northridge coach put together a great system to turn overlooked recruits into all-Americans. We ask him about how he set up that program, how he became on of the first coaches in the west to study Bondarchuk’s methods, and what he has learned working back at the youth level in recent years as head coach at JL Mann High School. Read more
A recent trend in programming is the implementation of “injury prevention” sessions into training. But as Vern wrote about last week, injury prevention training doesn’t always prevent injuries. In fact, it might be causing injuries in some cases. On this episode of the GAINcast, Vern tackles the following question:
This Episode’s Question: Does injury prevention training help or hurt athletes?
Last week Nick and I talked about building a team culture, but before you have a culture you need a team. On this week’s episode we share some ideas of getting kids to turn out and try your sport. Read more
Two essential elements of training are context and progression. Context establishes the nature of the relationship of the various components of training within the system. And progression, in its simplest form moves the workload from simple to complex, easy to hard and general to specific. On this episode of the GAINcast Vern talks about how context and progression can be properly integrated in training. Read more
Team culture can be as important to success as whatever methods you use as a coach. On this week’s podcast we talk about what team culture is, how to groom it, and how to adapt it to different situations. Read more
Noah Bryant is one of the rare power athletes that achieved success in many sports. In the shot put he was a multiple-time NCAA champion and made Team USA. He has also put up world class numbers in Olympic lifting (210kg clean) and powerlifting (raw 500 pound bench press). He joins the podcast this week to reflect on some lessons learned in his career and how strength needs a strong culture to thrive. Read more
