We often talk about training methods and culture with coaches, but the athlete’s perspective is just as important. World class swimmers Kira Toussaint and Drew Kibler join this week’s GAINcast to share their point of view. Both athletes utilize the GAIN dryland program and share their input on what they need to reach the podium and what drives the training environment in their own training group.
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The lost art of journaling is a great practice for any sportsperson, of any age. Coach and consultant Paul Kilgannon draws on his teaching background to help athletes develop good journaling habits to improve their performance. On this week’s podcast he shares some tips to journal better, as well as his CARVER coaching framework.
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Every month we take a deep dive into the latest research in sports science. Continuing on from this site’s analysis of the Tokyo Olympics, our first research summary looks at sprint pacing strategies and distribution of effort across the rounds of championship. We then continue to look at new research on creating a high performance environment, mental health in elite coaches, the effectiveness of mentors, and much more.
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The best teams in the world aren’t just teams, they are systems. A system lends order and structure to enable the coach and athlete to focus on the process. It provides a framework to build on. On this week’s GAINcast we look at the power of systems, what makes a good system, and how systems fall apart. Read more
Every month we take a deep dive into the latest research in sports science. In the August edition we start off looking at some lessons we can learn from a recent editorial giving an elite athlete’s perspective on training and load management. We also look at the modern consensus on hamstring injury risk, coaching resilience, how the athlete biological passport has impacted performance, team comedians, and more. Read more
Every month we take a deep dive into the latest research in sports science. In the July edition we start off by taking a look at some lessons coaches can learn from medicine in dealing with COVID-19. In addition, we break down the latest research on hamstring strength asymmetry, resilience, willpower, nitrate supplementation and more. Read more
Every month we take a deep dive into the latest research in sports science. Players are key partners in building a team culture, and their contributions depend a lot on their informal roles. The first article we look at in this month’s edition breaks down key traits of cultural architects, which can assist coaches in developing their own team culture. Then we look at ecological dynamics, acute:chronic workload ratio, training time, and more. Read more
Over the last half century, Title IX and other initiatives have proven very effective in increase participation of women in sport. But despite the growth in participation, the number of women in the coaching ranks lag behind and is even regressing in many sports. On this episode of the podcast we look at women in coaching with Duke head cross country coach Rhonda Riley. We dive into some of reasons why women are not well represented in coaching, as well as ways to fix the problem. In addition, we look at the profession of coaching as a whole and some of the issues it is facing in other areas. Read more
As an elite hammer thrower, Mattias Jons had the chance to work with coaches from a variety of countries, continents, and backgrounds. As he’s developed as a coach, his diverse background has come in handy. On this episode of the podcast he joins us to discuss some of the different approaches he’s encountered and what he has taken from Swedish, Finnish, German, Polish, American, Soviet, and other traditions. Read more
Coaching has evolved, and so has how we develop coaches. As director of coach development at Sport Singapore, Troy Engle has tried to set up a new approach to developing both coaches and the coaching culture in the city-state. He joins us on this week’s GAINcast to talk about his project, his philosophy of developing coaches, and the challenges of coaching across cultures. Read more
