Tag Archive for: Simplify

Staying fit in a pandemic: Vol. 3

As it is Sunday, I will take a break from posting workout information. Don’t worry; more to come tomorrow! Instead today, I would like to share some inspiration from the great coach Al Carius that I think is applicable to our current plight. He has been men’s Cross Country and Track and Field Coach at North Central College in Naperville, Illinois for 52 years and has an incredible record of success. Read more

Defining your coaching philosophy

I’ve been blogging for more than a decade, and doing interviews for seven years now. Over that time I’ve had the opportunity to conduct more than 160 interviews with top coaches around the world on this site, the HMMR Podcast, and the GAINcast. The interviews have covered the whole range of coaching, from coaches of gold medalists and world record holders, to the best minds in youth training and physical education. Read more

GAINCast Episode 60: It’s Not That Complicated

At the end of day, training comes down to a few core principles. Yet the complexity of the human body often cause us to lose focus of this and make training more complex than it needs to be in many cases. On this episode of the GAINcast we discuss the need to keep things simple and how to keep things simple. Read more

It’s Not Rocket Science

Athletic development is about optimizing training to enhance performance in the competitive arena. The basic concepts are quite simple. Simplicity yields complexity; you don’t have to try to make it complicated. Read more

Coaching Lessons from In-N-Out Burger

In-N-Out burger has come to be the quintessential California burger place. For years I thought it was all hype, just another fast food McDonald’s wannabe and then a few years ago a friend took me there for a burger. I was hooked, now every time I go to California I have to stop and get an In-N-Out burger. Their burgers are really good! The purpose of this post is not to promote In-N-Out burger rather it is draw some coaching lessons from what I observed on my visit this past weekend. Read more

GAINcast Episode 22: Simplicity

We often think that the more complex something is, the better it is. Fancy sports cars, new computers, and Swiss watches all revel in their complexity. But in coaching simple is often better. Unnecessarily added elements can distract us from our core focus. On this episode we talk about the value of simplicity and ask how simple is too simple. Read more

Breaking Things Down vs. Dumbing Them Down

Last month I had an interesting exchange with Simon Nainby and a few others coaches. At the time the England rugby team had ventured south to Australia for a three-match series. Fans eagerly awaited the action, but as much attention was on the coaches as the players. Australia coach Michael Cheika took a struggling squad last year and turned them into runners up at the World Cup. England’s new coach Eddie Jones, an Australian himself, was brought in to do the same and has already moved England’s world rank up from seventh to second in his first six months on the job. Both coaches were eager to prove they could continue their momentum. Read more

Simplicity Yields Complexity

I am a simplifier. If I can’t explain it in five minutes or less and explain to someone who knows nothing about training an athlete then I should reconsider what I am trying to do. The following is a summary of the process of preparing a completely adaptable athlete to be ready to compete to win at the appointed time: Read more