As Nick wrote in a post last week, he is all for drills. I am more of a skeptic in the drill department, having seen so many worthless drills over my career. But as usual, there are some common points we can agree on and in this episode we discuss drills and try to find the proper place for them in training. Read more
Everyone who reads this site should be listening to our two podcasts: the HMMR Podcast and the GAINcast. However that should just be the starting point for coaches as there are many more great podcasts online. If you are training for field sports, for example, a must listen is the Rugby Strength Podcast with coach Keir Wenham-Flatt. Read more
Developing high-level performance is not an easy thing. There’s a hugely complex mess of factors and science has taken a simplistic approach that, in the end, does not always provide us with the answers we need and we are left to fill in the gap ourselves. In light of our upcoming seminar with Irish coach and academic John Kiely, on this episode we sit down with Kiely to discuss one of the topics he will be presenting on: what are the mental biases we confront when trying to fill the gaps. Read more
One of the biggest change in sports over the past half century has been the increased involvement of science. The role of science has been central in moving training forward, but it is the art of coaching that puts the science into practice on the field. Maintaining a healthy balance between art and science is essential to progress as a coach. In the words of Winston Churchill at the end of the day to get results “Science should be on tap, not on top.” On this episode, Vern dives in to the interplay between coaching art and science.
This Episode’s Question: What are coaching art and coaching science, and how do we balance the two?
There is no such thing as evidence-based training without the evidence. Evidence for coaches comes from feedback. And a key form of feedback are performance tests. On this week’s episode we discuss how to get the most out of testing in training. Read more
Ever since athletes began strength training, coaches have been debating the role of strength in training. The questions come back over and over: What is strong? How much should we train strength? How strong do we need to be? On this week’s episode of the GAINcast Vern takes a look at this topic and provides some guidelines coaches can use to implement a balanced approach to strength training in their plans.
This Episode’s Question: What is strong and how much strength is enough?
When I was first starting out as a shot putter, John Godina was THE man in the sport. His technique was smooth as silk and he simply did not lose. After setting the still standing NCAA record, winning four world titles and two Olympic medals, Godina finally hung up his shoes in 2008, but that was not his end in the sport. He since founded Altis, which he now runs as CEO. Altis has grown as a training center with more than 100 elite track and field athletes and a coaching center featuring a growing education program. On this episode of the podcast he joins us to discuss some of the lessons he has learned from his career of chasing excellence in every pursuit. Read more
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
