May 2018 Blog Posts (12)

This past weekend my good friend and professional colleague, Jimmy Radcliffe, came to Sarasota for his annual day and a half visit after the NCAA regional track meet. We spend the time each year reflecting, analyzing what we did the previous year and planning. Jim was kind enough to have me assist with the Women’s Olympic Gold Medal Ice Hockey team so that was one topic of conversation. Neither of us had ever worked with ice hockey before, but we came to the…

How do you gauge response from exercise?  It's an important topic for athletes and one that doesn't come-up too often.  Personally, I prefer to try and get feedback from athletes on a workout by workout basis regarding how they're feeling (healthy, ok, not healthy). 

At first, I think many athletes are reluctant to provide this information for fear of how they may be viewed, but over time and when trust is built I've…

I am definitely not a betting man, but if I were to bet on the horses I would thoroughly investigate a horse’s pedigree before I bet on a horse. It is the same in coaching and teaching. Pedigree and lineage mean are meaningful. Who were your mentors? Who did you learn from? You can’t choose your parents, but you can choose your mentors, that will determine your pedigree. More letters after your name do not improve your pedigree, gaining knowledge and experience…

Unfortunately for frequent runners, as well as other athletes in high-endurance sports, the hamstring muscle truly is your Achilles heel. Injuries ranging from a mild strain, all the way to a complete tear in the muscle tissue or the tendon are very common, and they require first aid on the spot to mitigate the pain, and then rehabilitation combined with an exercise program depending on the severity of the injury.…

Unfortunately for frequent runners, as well as other athletes in high-endurance sports, the hamstring muscle truly is your Achilles heel. Injuries ranging from a mild strain, all the way to a complete tear in the muscle tissue or the tendon are very common, and they require first aid on the spot to mitigate the pain, and then rehabilitation combined with an exercise program depending on the severity of the injury.…

My father was a gardener and I remember the first time he took me to work with him, I was probably ten or eleven years old. As any youngster, I was impatient and full of questions. I wanted to know why this patch of garden had no plants. Why we had to water this area and fertilize another section. Why we had to trim these plants and let others grow. I wanted to know why he didn’t plant all the seeds at the same time. He explained it to me, but I must admit that…

Change will come not by finding new answers to old questions, but real change will come from abandoning the old questions, stop trying to answer them, leave them. Ask new questions and reframe the old ones. Asking the same old questions just leads to rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic, not a real practical solution for the problem at hand.

Here's a few definitions that have a lot of meaning in training:

Organism: a form of life made up of mutually interdependent parts that maintain vital processes.

Machine: an apparatus consisting of interrelated parts with separate functions used in the performance of work.

Interesting how these two words are similar, but vastly different.  Yet, in the training world the connotation is often to train the body like a machine.  In all…

To be a leader you must have followers. Carefully watch who real follows whom. Carefully watch the dynamics of a squad. The athlete who screams the most often and the loudest is often identified as the leader. Why? Because he or she is voluble and calling attention to themselves? If you observe closely the real leader is the one who says little, but when they speak everyone listens. They are there in victory and defeat with a pat on the back and an appropriate…

To label work such at hurdle mobility drills, mini band series etc. as “ancillary work” is a misrepresentation of what that work is and what needs to be done. It is not ancillary, it is essential work, a component of any sound training program. It is basic and remedial designed to address each athlete individual needs. It is most effective when woven or threaded through the fabric of the actual training sessions. This type of work can be excellent to lead into…