January 2013 Blog Posts (27)

Just finished reading Thomas Ricks latest book "The Generals" - American Military Command from WW II to Today. I found it very interesting reading in that it explained much of our military success and failure  over the past eighty years. But as a…

I have been hearing a lot about brands and branding lately. In a traditional sense a brand is a name or a symbol. In coaching and teaching it represents more, it is you and what you stand for. You are your brand. Who you are? You actions and your words will define who you are to others. How honest you are with yourself will clearly define you. Be yourself and true to yourself. Be the brand you want to be. A good place to start is genuine concern for others through your actions and…

I just finished a book that is a must for every coach’s library, Practice Perfect - 42 Rules for Getting Better at Getting Better by Doug Lemov, Erica, Woolway and Katie Yezi. I have added this book to the reading list for my GAIN Apprentorship program. It…

I learned a long time ago that if you follow the flock of sheep for too long eventually you would step in shit. Just doing something because everybody else is doing is not a good reason for continuing to do it.  You must think for yourself, look for a better way. Thirty…

Troy/USA Sports just replaced 28 of our broken 25lb bumpers.  Well,, wait, they replaced 14 of them and and our vendor replaced 14 so Troy wouldn’t even replace all 28 of the VTX’s that were broken and three months into a year warranty.

The reason they decided to replace any?  I was told they were doing it so I would quit posting on the forums about them….Not to fix the problem or honor a warranty, just to shut me up(?)

Heres a brief review of when all this…

This is the 31st blog post dedicated to write my next book called “BEYOND Functional Training: Maximizing the Transfer of Training Effects Through Science-based Exercise Selection.”

Based on requests, January’s blog posts focus on examples of the different types of needs analysis previously mentioned.

• Movement analysis – Analysis of movement patterns, forces, velocities and joint angles used to execute the specific joint and whole body actions produced by…

Let me start by saying I refused to watch the Oprah interview. Armstrong is a master manipulator and I feel this is another attempt to manipulate public opinion. I have been following the whole Armstrong affair with great interest. I have read most of the books. For a very long time I was in a very small minority because I always felt he was dirty. My cynical side felt that he was using the whole Livestrong Foundation as…

Lance Armstrong admitted doping during the time he won his 7 Tour de France titles.  As professionals in the strength and conditioning industry, what are your thoughts?

You have just had your athletes do a great workout. You have polished technical elements. The level of speed and explosiveness has been sky high. So now what? Of course you will now do a cooldown. Typically the athletes slog two laps for a cooldown. Think about it what you…

I developed this five or six years ago as a tool to make my athletes aware of what they needed to do to be the…

Originally posted on www.RonMcKeefery.com

Sometimes you just have to “Keep It Simple” for your athletes.  It is the position of the American Dietetic Association and the American College of Sports Medicine that physical activity, athletic performance, and recovery from exercise are enhanced by optimal nutrition.

Benefits of Proper Nutrition:

• Training sessions are maximized.
• Endurance and…

Here's the workout we're going to use with a tactical entity tomorrow, titled TRX-Plode.  We'll set-up the training area for 12-24 tactical warriors and work to develop physical fitness in a manner that is conducive to job requirements.

TRX-Plode

45-minute workout

Coach's Cue: Supervise, coach and lead each repetition of the work-group.

Credo: Win the Rep, Win the Workout, Win the Day!

- Dynamic Warm-Up, Mobility, Neck Strength,…

In order to succeed you must take risk, you must operate well out of your comfort zone. Risk implies that there is a chance of success or failure. I maintain that most of what holds coaches and athletes back from achieving ultimate success is not fear of failure, but fear of success. If they succeed then they must do it again and probably be expected to do it better. This brings pressure, most of which is self-imposed.…

I have had many questions lately regarding sprint drills. Whether or not I use them, how I use them etc? The following is an article I wrote several years ago for the the Australian publication Modern Athlete and Coach. I think it will shed light on the why and how of the Mach drill system. I have used this drills extensively over the years with great…

Checkout the new 'Coach Your Best Podcast' episode in itunes for a discussion with Dr. Joe Baker, author of the book 'Talent Identification & Development In Sport- International Perspectives'.

Talent Identif…

There is no substitute for focused directed work with a purpose. Certainly just doing more work is not necessarily better. Have a laser like focus. Know specifically what you want to achieve. Make every exercise, drill, run, jump or throw count by having specific measurable objectives for each element of training. Also make sure the training session is in context of the whole training plan in order to insure progress…

Ok so I have a question to all you guru's about proper technique in the overhead squats, and hang clean shrugs, and when bench pressing should you wrap your thumb or not? My sons coach is showing the football players to overhead squat below parallell and sit in a kindergarden size chair is this right? In my experience I have never heard of this. thanks

Our morning workout today with the military as follows:

45 minutes total work-time

4 Quarters Protocol (1 set at 30 seconds each exercise)

Quarter #1

Dynamic Warm-Up + Flexibility

800 meter run

Quarter #2

Balance Disk Squat

TRX Atomic Pushups

Tire Flips

Plyo/Agility Gauntlet

Quarter #3

Lateral Chain Raise

TRX Inverted Row

Landmine Shoulder Press

Plyo/Agility…

Not sure if complexification is a word in the English language but I see it more and more in training especially with young coaches impressed with their knowledge. It is easy to make things complicated and complex. It takes wisdom and understanding to make things simple and clear. Training to improve performance is a relatively straightforward process. The emphasis here is on process. It takes time for the various…

Add this article to your resources. How to create a strength program for your student athletes that will translate and get the most bang for you buck.. Program 2013