Looking back to move forward may at first seem counterintuitive, but by looking back you can gain perspective. On this week’s GAINcast we look ahead towards a new year and a new century. But to do so we first look back and discuss how we can mine our own experiences and the experiences of others to see what the future of training entails. Read more
Looking back to gain perspective may at first seem counterintuitive but stay with me on this. Think of the rower in a single scull, their back is to the finish line, they are looking back from where they come from on the previous strokes to stay aligned and moving toward the finish line. We can also gain perspective by looking back on where we have been – that perspective comes from experiences good, bad and indifferent. Read more
Coaches need to reflect and debrief, but translating the theory into practice can be difficult. Xavier Roy recently completed his PhD on the topic and as part of his research he worked hands on with a Canadian football team to see how coaches reflected on training, and what steps they took to implement changes. On this episode of the podcast he joins us to discuss his research and also share thoughts on training for football and current trends both north and south of the border. Read more
No matter how hard we try, coaches cannot avoid making mistakes. What we can avoid is repeating the same mistakes twice. With the high school track season over, Nick takes the time on this week’s episode to look back on his team’s season and find the mistakes he made. More importantly, we discuss what will work better in the future to help avoid them next time around. Read more
No coach at any level ranging from youth to professional ever wants to admit that he failed. However, in order to grow and get better I feel it is necessary. Over the past number of years at Notre Dame High School we have created a reputation of producing throwers year in and year out regardless of the talent we have inherited. It is our expectation that multiple shot putters will make the CIF finals, some will move onto Masters meet, and at least one will qualify for the state meet. And we meet that expectation. Recently we have had four years with at least four throwers over 50’10” in the same season. One season we even had six throwers over that mark. On the woman’s side we have had two girls over 49 feet in the shot as recently as two years ago. We have also had as many of 4 of the top 9 in the CIF finals and 3 of the top 12 in the Masters meet. Read more
Frank Dick one of my mentors shared this basic concept to give a context to debrief of training or performance. Read more
With school back in session and fall training starting up, it is the perfect time for Nick and I to take a look at the past year and see what we did wrong and what we need to differently going forward. Self-reflection is a critical part of becoming a better coach, and on this episode we both highlight three things will be changing up for next season. Read more
A lot has changed on this site over the past year. Just before the year started I launched memberships to the site. At the start of 2013 I completely redesigned the site. In November I relaunched the site as HMMR Media and brought on board great content from Kibwé Johnson, Nick Garcia, and HSHammer.com. And to end the year we launched a store which includes custom hammer wires, premium memberships, books, and coaching. All the while our readership has grown, which makes all the work worthwhile. I started this site to help myself and others learn more. With more people joining in the conversation we all benefit.
Looking back at the year, I wrote about a lot of interesting topics. In years past my most popular posts tended to be about current events. But this year training was the popular topic:
But many more were my favorites. Below is a compilation of my favorite training posts from 2013. A HMMR Media membership is required to read many of the articles, so if you haven’t joined yet it is a perfect way to start the new year.
Read more
After taking two weeks off at the end of September, I have already jumped back into training for 2014 and the first week is now behind me. During my time off I took some time to reflect on the last season. Whether I make this public or not, this is something I do every year. Some things are more clear in hindsight than they were at the time and everyone must learn from these moments in order to continue to improve in the future.
I had just two goals to start out the season. Unlike many athletes, I do not define my goals in terms of how far I want to throw or what place I want to finish. I simply identify what I need to do to get better and then focus on that. After the 2012 season I was physically in the best shape of my life but I couldn’t translate that into the throw. Therefore my first goal was clear: my technique needed to get better. My only other goal related to my priorities for competitions. Rather than trying to hit a peak for the Swiss Championships, I wanted to shift my peak to the Jeux de la Francophonie this year. Having a later peak allowed me more time to prepare and hopefully reach better performances. With those two goals I started out towards the 2013 season.
Read more
The past year was a great one for the site. I saw visitors increase more than 50 percent, but more importantly I wrote about some very interesting topics and learned a lot in the process. As 2013 starts, I thought it would be a good time to reflect on some of the top posts from the last year.
As you can see, many of the most popular posts were about upcoming meets and/or current events in the hammer throwing community. But my favorite posts are the ones that discuss technique and training. These are the posts I read over and over again and keep learning from. Below are is a collection of my favorite of these types of posts from 2012. A complete list of posts can be found here. While a few are free, a cheap and easy membership is required to read many of them. Read more
