On this week’s episode we jump into the trenches and look at some recent training trends, misconceptions, and ideas on planning. We also share some examples of good training we’ve seen first hand this summer.
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The individual session is the core element of training. It is how coaches deliver their programs, build athletes, and connect with people. On this week’s GAINcast we look in detail about how we can rethink and improve upon training session and microcycle design.
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Coaches love to talk about the value of process, but what exactly is that? Process is often shrouded in vague explanations and misleading concepts. On this week’s GAINcast we dive into process, what it is, what it isn’t, and why it is so crucial to coaching success.
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Successful athletes have an air of mystique about them. We spend time thinking about what it is that makes them successful; what is the one technique that they or their coach have found which has improved performance? What secrets have they uncovered that we haven’t? Read more
This month’s topic on HMMRMedia is the individualization of training. The one size fits all model is a thing of the past; both scientific research and hard won experience have shown the need to individualize training. But many coaches still struggle to figure out how to start with individualization. Read more
John Kiely is one of the leading minds in periodization. By taking a critical look at current approaches to periodization, he is asking how we can move the field forward to keep up with what science and leading coaches have learned. On this episode he joins us to discuss how current models can be problematic, what other factors coaches need to take into account while planning, the role of stress and team culture in adaptation, and how technology can help coaches. Read more
Next month I will be hosting a seminar in London with John Kiely on periodization and planning. The key theme underlying the seminar is that current periodization models are based on outdated or nonexistant science. The scientific understanding of stress and adaptation, for example, have changed a lot the past century, but periodization has not changed with them. In our seminar we will discuss this new understanding, what it means to coaches, and how it affects the planning process with examples of effective solutions. Read more
Anyone can work and go through the motions of training. That will even get you a little better for a short time (Longer if you are gifted with exceptional talent) but eventually you will have to pay the piper. Make practice count, come to practice fully engaged in mind and body. Train with purpose and direction. Have a plan for each session, work the plan and immediately post practice evaluate the plan and get ready for the next practice. Read more
As we start a new year just a brief reflection on what matters in coaching. As coaches we do not coach sports, we coach people who participate in sports. The human element, seeing the athlete grow athletically and as people is what makes coaching so rewarding. Records, wins and championships pale into insignificance as time passes; it is the relationships that are remembered, the struggle not the triumph. Take a moment today and reflect on how you coach and teach.
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