A Recipe for Successful Coaching

Many of you who read this blog either coach a specific sport, train athletes, or rehab athletes. The common thread between these three scenarios is coaching, while the only real difference is the environment in which you may work with the athlete.

Coaches (using the term loosly here), are constantly striving to find ways to improve their program and/or their athletes. But just how can a coach add value to their program? Below are a few key areas that contribute to coaching success:

• the Coaching Method


• the Coaches Skills


• the Communication Process


• the Needs of the Athlete

Over the next few days I will write a specific post on each of these areas along with suggestions to help increase value in each

NSCA Conference Download

I recently presented on the '5 Biggest Mistakes of the Could Be Fast Player' at the NSCA Sport Specific Conference and the National Soccer Coaches Convention.

To download the presentation for those who may have missed it visit www.athletebydesign.com.

NSCA Sports Specific Trip- Part 1

Just returned home from the NSCA Sport Specific Convention. Although it rained the entire time it was wonderful to see old friends and make new ones. Below are a few thoughts looking back on the weekend:

• I am bummed that I missed Steve Myrland's presentation (due to we presented at the same time). His information is always timeless and extremely insightful
• Althought mostly dominated by the football crowd, it was exciting to see a great representation of those who work in soccer as well
• Many of the presentations sounded similar with the 'you must dynamically warmup' routine followed by the same speed training tips that have been around for quite some time.
• There are still some coaches out there that advocate running with high knees during acceleration! Not sure why
• Personality is important if you are going to be a presenter. There was more than one or two who were quite arrogant to say the least.
• I enjoyed listening to David Sandler's presentation. Especially getting to see the 'behind the scenes' video clips from his involvement with the Fox Sports television show 'Sports Science'.

I will soon be posting my thoughts on some of the presentations that I was able to attend!

Circus Training for Athletes

Yesterday I had the brief opportunity to spend a few minutes in Border's Book Store (which I wish that I could do more often).

I finally made my way to the sports section and came across a newly released book on training pitchers in baseball. Here is a summary of what I noticed:

• a few good lunge and reach progressions (adapted from the Gary Gray camp)
• mention of the chop and lift cable exericses (adapted from Gray Cook's methodology)
• some interesting research on the mechanics of throwing

There was obviously more but nothing else that peaked my interest. However, as I neared the end of the book I thought I would pick it up just as a resource to see what the author(s) training progression was and then at that moment when I turned the page I could not believe what I saw.

One of the author's had suggested along with exercise pictures that pitchers need to balance on both knees on a stability ball while performing shoulder exercises. It was right then when I instantly knew I wanted to put the book right back on the shelf!!

I thought our industry was past this circus training philosophy bu apparently this particular author is not. Don't get me wrong I am all about incorporating stability ball work into an overall program but not exercises that are extremely high risk and have no valid proof of actual benefit on the mound.

Just because an exercise looks hard and might be challenging doesn't mean it is at all appropriate to include in a training program.

A Common Mistake in Speed Training

I am excited to have the opportunity to present at the NSCA Sports Specific Conference and the NSCAA Conference in January. I will be speaking on the '5 Biggest Mistakes of Speed Training'. Below is mistake #4:

'Drill' rich and 'Situation' poor

Just what do I mean by this statement? The majority of speed development programs on the market today spend most of the time teaching athletes drill after drill. Yet there is little transfer to the actual game.

Are you overly biased in 'drill training' in your program? If so, you may be limiting your athlete's potential to get faster.

By including more task-oriented situational exercises into your program, the athlete will see a greater transer to their game as well as heightened levels of self-confidence!

Evaluated Experience

Last week I received a response from the post titled "It's not just about experience". This particular coach made the comment that after having coached for the past eight years, he believes he has dramatically improved without having anybody else evaluate him because he has tried to create multiple experiences for himself.

While I am sure some improvement has happened, it is a fact that individuals cannot effectively evaluate their own competencies. Why is this? Well, because our own incompetencies prevent us from identifying our own incompetencies.

In fact, we all (me included) have a bias towards overestimating our own abilities. Maybe it's becuase our friends don't tell us what they truly think. Or better yet, we all too often take credit for our success but point fingers for our failures.

The right kind of feedback is important if you want to continually evolve. Here are a few suggestions for having a friend or colleague evaluate your coaching:

1. Know Yourself- Identify your strengths and areas of weakness using a tool such as the InnerTactics Profile
2. Focus on the individual's actions not their character
3. Do you make it easy for your athlete's/client's to feel bad? Or do you make it easy for them to feel good by the end of the workout?
4. Are there clear objectives for each particular training session?
5. Is the workout a task-oriented environment?
6. How do you start and end each training session? What do you have them do? How do you want them to feel?
7. What is your communication style? (feeling, doing, or thinking biased)

These are just a few questions to help get you started. Get with a colleague this week and each of you evaluate the other. You will be amazed how this simple exercise can take your coaching to a completely different level!

It's not just about experience

Over the past few months I have heard the phrase about experience used in many of the more popular coaching and sports performance blogs:

"On coaching experience- is it the same thing repeated each year for ten years, or are you creating differenct experiences each year for ten years?"

I am paraphrasing here but I think that you get the idea. Well I am going to take it a step further. Quality coaching experience is even more than simply repeating the same experience over and over each year or even creating different experiences each year.

It is about EVALUATED Experience. In fact, here is the ultimate coaching question for you...

When was the last time that you had another coach evaluate one of your training sessions?

Without having another coach occasionally evaluate you, it is way too easy for you to stay biased in your training methods, no matter how much you continually read or add a new exercise to your workout.

I just recieved the latest newsletter from a Div. I college men's soccer program. The coach is an individual whom I highly respect. Although the team had an unsuccessful season compared to making it to the finals the previous three years, here are the section headers for his own coaching and team evaluation (my comments in italics):

• Here are the primary realities following the Fall season (be truthful to yourself and your athletes)
• Insights and Learning Points: (reflection/ could have's)
• The Path Ahead (future direction/ should be's)

As you can see being truthful to yourself is a MUST if you want to make yourself and your program better. If not, than you and your team will never have a sense of game reality.

He then spends some time reflecting on both the positives and negatives from the season as well as listing some 'could have done...'. This step is important because it let's both you and your players realize that success is a possible reality and allows you to identify those areas that are in your control that you did poorly in.

Last he makes a great transition from concrete changes in the upcoming offseason that will directly effect next years season. But he then spends some time playing the 'what if' game and the 'this team should be...' game. Painting these types of pictures in your athlete's mind is important because it helps to bring the impossible future to the possible present.

Take a few minutes during this holliday and go through your own evaluating experience before getting started into your Winter training sessions. It will be time well spent!

Economics of Coaching 101

Over the past few weeks I have received a number of emails from coaches and trainers worldwide wanting to know what are the keys to operating a succussful sports performance business. And before providing my opinion, I think it is important to first take a look at the bigger picture of business.

Just turn on your television to any station or pick up any newspaper and you will quickly find out that we are in a troubled economy. In fact, chances are that your own bank account is feeling the heat if you are even brave enough to take a look.

And just what is it all based upon? The Law of Scarcity, the Law of Supply and Demand, the Principle of Values, and the Principle of Influence. After over fifteen years of coaching , I believe these same four components apply to running a successful coaching business as well.

The image below represents each of the key success factors needed to sustain a competitive advantage:

1. Financial Capital (money, tangible assets)
2. Social Capital (trust, relationships, network)
3. Human Capital (skills, knowledge, education)
4. Experience Capital (variety, exposure)
5. Values Capital (self-esteem, self-identity)

Lacking in any one of these areas can keep you from operating a successful coaching practice. In fact, name two or three of your biggest competitors and list in which of these five areas are they the strongest and in which of these areas do they struggle the most. Next, perform the same exercise with your own coaching practice.

Over the next few posts I will go into greater detail in each of these areas.

Random Thoughts

I just got back from a morning workout with two of my clients, one a professional baseball player, and the other an extremely strong and fairly fit fifty year old businessman. It was during our training that I had the following random thoughts:

Our athlete's and clients don't need a process, they need a result.

Ask yourself what is your athlete's ultimate outcome in their sport ? What is your client's ultimate outcome and how do they see working out will help them achieve this?


Make it a team effort. Who can you bring on to your team that will add more value to your services? It's too tough to try and do it all alone!

Are you truly willing to take responsibility for producing results for your athlete or client?

Are you giving your athlete or client what they want or what they need? In other words, are you giving them a bandaid when they really need an operation?

We offer advice and even design programs for our clients, but do you also include accountability measures outside of your training program? if so, how?

My ABSOLUTE FAVORITE piece of Cardio Equipment

As many of you know I am hardly a fan of cardio equipment in gyms for varying reasons including keeping your psoas locked short while riding a recumbent bike to running on treadmills (way too many negatives to list here) to unwanted shearing forces on the knee using elliptical trainers.

However, I was recently introduced about a month ago by my good friend Paul Juris to an ARC Trainer created by Cybex. With two degenerative discs, an ankle injury, and now a partially torn meniscus from a car wreck, my body is sensitive to using cardio equipment as it leaves my back sore after a hard workout. So I was extremely skeptical when I first tried it out. Using the ARC three times a week I am now more fit than I have been in over six or seven years.

I still run short sprints, agility drills, and 110's with my athletes, but the volume is always limited. This piece puts virtually zero unwanted shear force on my lower body and I have felt great after every single workout! Better yet, I have used it with a few of my pro athlete's returning from injury as well as adult clientele who want to still train hard but their bodies have been torn down from their 'old football' days. Same result...no pain or unwanted shear force.

Okay so i know this sounds like a testimonial but it is rare that I promote equipment. I am so pumped about my own personal results and seeing it's benefit from working with my athlete's returning to play that I simply felt I must share the good news!

Take home message for coaches- If you presently use any sort of cardio equipment for recovery workouts, injury protocols, or fitness routines for athlete's with a history of injury, I guarantee you that no other piece of cardio equipment will even come close! I hear pro athlete's all of the time complaining about step mills and elliptical trainers bothering them than helping them in trying to get fit while returning from injury.

In fact, here is a scientific study comparing the biomechanics between the ARC and an elliptical machine:

http://www.cybexintl.com/Products/Data/Docs/350A/Arc%20Trainer%20vs%20Elliptical%20Study.pdf

Try one out and let me know what you think!

Developing Athletes

"Coaching releases talent, it does not create it."

All too often I think coaches (including myself) get caught up in the mindset that we are creating talent in young athletes. However, this is far from the truth! How are you releasing talent with your athletes?

Is it through a specific training system? A unique philosophy/methodology? Is it focused on a relationship first?

Kids and Lack of Sleep Report

Okay so I recently posted an a news report from NBC Nightly news and then tonight my wife calls my attention to another alarming report that can have SERIOUS implications on children. Here are some highlights from the report:

• Kids who do not get enough sleep are more likely to become obese
• Every additional hour of sleep in the 3rd grade can reduce the risk of obesity in middle school
• The breakpoint seems to be 9.5 hours
• example- so if 100 third graders get less than 9.5 hours of sleep each night, 20 of them will be obese by the 6th grade
• Bodyweight (under or over) of third graders at that time was not statistically significant as to the outcome of obesity by the time they get to 6th grade

Hey folks, make sure your young athletes and more importantly their PARENTS get the message of the importance of sleep! In case you missed it, here is the link to the video:

http://video.msn.com/video.aspx?mkt=en-US&brand=msnbc&vid=89c442a8-c211-4d28-8e59-5b4663762837

Persistance?

I just read an article on coaching that made the following statement:

"Persistance is the number one intelligent behaviour."

Specifically the article was discussing teaching mental toughness relative to young athletes. My thoughts are:

• Persistance is definately an important mental attribute.
• However, I know many athletes who are less talented and skilled than others but are unbelievably persistant. At the end of the day though they still lose the game.
• So should it be the #1 intelligent behaviour? I certainly do not think so!

Thoughts?

Reponse to the NCB Nightly News

I just received an email from a high school coach who posed some great questions that I think should be posted here:

• What is all of the training and work really for?


• Is it winning alone? Then have I wasted all of my time if we don't win a championship.


• What is it that we accomplish on a grander scale when we do that extra rep, run that extra sprint.


• If we develop the habit of sound work ethic, is that all over when the season ends?


• What do they carry with them into their future.


• What am I doing to train them for future success?

Coach Statom raises some important questions here that are great for every coach, including myself, to ask on a regular basis.

In fact, if any of you would be willing to answer these and email them to me I would love to share them here for other coaches, trainers, and therapists to learn from !

NBC Nightly News- Kids Now

Tonight on NBC Nightly News was a segment entitled 'Kids Now'. The story was about sports performance centers and training young athletes.

Specifically, how trainers are now being put in charge of a future college scholarship for athletes as early as age nine.

According to the staff at CATZ, the featured performance center, training these youth will give them an extra edge. It will give them the tools so that they can be successful and get into the school of their choice. (By the way, I am not sure this is good marketing as every athlete will not experience this.)

On a different note, a child psychologist was interviewed and his viewpoint is that we have created an environment that is all win or lose. He asks, at what price is winning everything or better yet for developing character? (I am finishing up an article on this and will post it here this week)

Here are my personal thoughts on the story:

• Our country is definitely all about winning. So much so that traveling youth competitive teams are as early as age 8! If we continue down this path we will ruin these young athlete's lives both on and off of the field. (more on this soon)
• The athletes shown were in definite need of fundamental movement skill training. But hey just about every kid in this country looks like that as well.
• One clip is shown of a high school male athlete attempting a lateral jump over a four foot high cushioned wall. He got over it but wow was it ugly. Not really sure how doing that will help him perform better.
• It's encouraging to hear a few personal stories of athletes being committed enough to train more than once per week. It is this kind of persistance that will give them the best CHANCE to get to the top

I am not very familiar with the CATZ center except for what I saw on tv tonight. But that is not the point of this post.

However, I am very familiar with other facilities and national training companies. There are many out there which are excellent and are truly impacting these young athlete's lives including Jason Beauparlant's facility in Mass., John Beyle's company in North Carolina, and Roger White's new facility in Detroit. (probably because each of these guys has a physical education background at two of them are PE teachers)

One particular facility that I know for sure 'gets it' is the Center for Athletic Performance founded by my good friend Scott Moody.

Yes it is about improving performance for young athletes, but he is taking it to a whole new level and making it more about developing the athlete as a whole person as well. In addition, he has formed a group that is creating an age based curriculum grounded in practical experience and research at his facility.

How is his facility doing this? The best advice I can give you is to checkout his website at http://www.capprogram.com/.

Oh ya by the way, if you did not see the program, here is the link:

http://video.msn.com/video.aspx?mkt=en-US&brand=msnbc&vid=25e58331-2fb5-4a97-95f5-1027799f8da0

Commitment

In 2002 I had an opportunity to first work with the Davidson College Men's Basketball program under coach Bob McKillop. It was during one of our initial conversations that he said he only wanted someone to work with his guys who was commited to a relationship. It was at that moment that I realized his coaching wisdom.

That year the team went on to win their conference and made it to the Big Dance. Since then, then have been the cinderalla team going in to the Big Dance and this upcoming season will have over half of their games televised. Not bad for a small college in Davidson, NC.

Why am I mentioning this story? I think it lends to a very important question for those who work with athletes.

Are your athlete's committed in their head or their heart?

It is when you can transform commitment from their head to their heart that true success and significance will start to appear.

How Are You Creating Connection? Part 2

Okay, when I got over 60 emails asking me to send them the outline of the talk that I mentioned in my earlier post, I figured I might as well post it here.

As I said earlier, connection is all about relationships, and there is no greater opportunity for connection than between an athlete and coach. Here's a really simple life principle:

"The greatest experiences in life involve other people."

There are three key points to be aware of when it comes to coaching and creating connection. Specifically relationships are:

1. Guided by trust- Does the athlete trust that you will help them achieve their goals and vision? Can they trust you with personal information that they might not even want mom or dad to know about?
2. Grounded in intimacy (In-To-Me-See)- Does the athlete feel like you are being present with them? Do they feel like you have an interest in them beyond there athletic ability? Or are you on your cell phone while they are training? There is a great quote that comes to mind that says: "You can't make the other fellow feel important in your presence if you secretly feel that he is a nobody."- Les Giblin
3. Grown in accountability- Do you have any accountability measures built in to your program? Are these solely performance based or do they challenge the athlete on a personal level as well.

How are you creating more instrinsic value for your athletes?

Are you getting enough of this?

It's argueably the most important performance principle but yet is the most ignored at the same time. In fact, most everything we do is designed to do the opposite! What am I talking about?

You are only as good as your body and mind's ability to recover

Last night I was in my bed at 8:15pm. Something I have not done in well over fifteen years!!! Although I did not go to sleep until a little before 9pm, I did not have the tv on nor did I read a book (too much stimulation for the brain).

Waking up at 5:45am this morning was great and wow did I feel rested and mentally ready to go! Here are a few links about the importance of sleep for athletes:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3076707/

http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/guide/sleep-like-an-olympian

If you think about it, designing a training program is all about proper application of stress. It's too easy to get caught up in the design of the program itself. If we are not careful, we may be doing more harm than good. Below are a few questions to think about when designing a training program for your athletes:

• How much sleep does your athlete get each night?
  
• What about the other events, demands, stresses, etc. that the athlete has throughout their day?
  
• Are there any upcoming major stressors such as tests, semester exams, etc.?


• What is your athlete's daily rhythm? When do they feel most energetic?
  

How are You creating 'connection'?

Coaches and therapists play one of the largest roles in athletic youth and even at times more important than mom or dad. All too often it is easy to focus on training the athlete and making sure that they get in a good workout. However, maybe they don't need that particular workout for that day. Maybe... they just need someone that they can trust and can connect with to listen.

This past weekend I got to give a talk about relationships and it was during my process of preparation that I immediately realized sports is a great analogy! Below was the take home point I made to the group. If you are interested in the outline just shoot me an email.

3 Defining Truths of Connection
"Americans are among the lonliest people in the world." George Gallup

1. People crave relationships


2. Sports creates relationships


3. Coaching is a relationship

Drop-Stop- & Go

I recently just read an article about the ability to change direction. While the author stated many of the traditional things to be aware of such as strength, rate of force development, proper force application of the leg, and upper body sway. HOWEVER... possibly the most important component was not even mentioned!
Force production is definitely important but for field and court athletes the ability to absorb force is just as crucial if not even more important!


As to the authors example of upper body sway and a rise and fall of the hips producing unwanted vertical movement during change of direction, just focusing on those specific body parts for strength and stability is like putting a bandaid on the problem!

The following are a few concepts that I use with athletes when developing their ability to change direction:

• Stopping is bending- particularly I use the phrase 'Drop-Stop- & Go'

• Use the inside leg to help decelerate the body- proper mechanics of deceleration will help setup the body to efficiently change direction and therefore possibly even eliminate upper body sway and unwanted vertical motion of the hips. Why?
  
  By using the inside leg you are now placing up to 50% less stress on the outside leg and the body does not have to compensate for such high loads and g-forces on only one leg
• Force Aborption based Plyos- one of the first stages when implementing a plyometric program is to focus on an athlete's ability to land properly and then land efficiently. The next step is to be able to come to a complete stop in under one second. Why?
  
  Research shows that the average ground contact time for field sports is between .85- 2.0 seconds. Just by adding this parameter alone in an athlete's program you may begin to see improvement on the field

These are only three of the top five coaching points used with athletes. I will post the other two soon.