Snow day, technical recap of the hang clean

                SNOW DAY!!! I had a few cancellations this morning and thought I would do a quick recap of something cool we did last week.  I think I should note something that I am quite proud of and is a key point carrying forward for this rant.  About 5 years ago I had a discectomy of my L2, L3, L4, L5 and S1.  I pretty much had all my discs removed from my lower back.  The 5 or 6 years leading up to surgery I lived in severe pain.  I got out of bed every morning looking like a bear humping a football and couldn’t straighten up until I had a hot shower.  I tried every treatment under the sun, but I think the nature of my work, past sporting endeavors and my size played a role in a difficult recovery.  I was also a stubborn idiot which didn’t help.   There is nothing more demoralizing than being strong as hell and not being able to move. As a coach, I had always relied on demonstrating movements but when getting out of bed is difficult, teaching an Olympic lift or squatting pattern is out of the question.  But something great ended up happening amidst the pain and misery (outside of my clients I became a negative prick and was not the person I was before this happened or the person I am now).  I learned how to coach.  When you take away a powerful tool in your toolbox you are forced to use other tools to get the job done.  I learned to break down and correct movements in a way I would have never even considered before.  I don’t wish injury upon any of my fellow coaches, but I hope you get where I am coming from when it comes to coaching technique.  All of this leads up to this little diddy…..

Last week I did a technical session on what I deem one of the most important movements for athletic performance.   Over the years I have seen therapists have some of their athletes demonstrate specific movement patterns for their sport or lifting techniques such as: squatting, deadlifting or Olympic lifting technique to see if their bodies are moving correctly and if they may be ready to return to loading and or sport.  I never really thought of this until recently, but how much does your therapist know about these specific movements? I am not knocking therapists; I am asking a question that needs asking (to be fair, I am doubtful of many coaches that are teaching these movements as well).  I am not implying that a therapist needs to know these movements as in depth as the strength and conditioning coaches that they will be working with to help get these athletes back to play, but surely some base level of knowledge is useful right?

                So I invited our therapy staff, all of our trainers and strength coaches and a few of our elite athletes that train with us here to do a practical session on the pocket or quick hang clean.  The intent was to have everyone have a basic understanding as to the why, when, and how we would use this movement in our programming and which athletes may qualify for the movement.  I invited a few of our athletes because I see benefit in them understanding the movement on a more intimate level and to educate them as if they were learning to be a coach.   On a side note, I demonstrated more hang cleans in this session then I have in the last ten years and my back feels amazing! 

WHY:

·         To learn how to create tension in your body prior to executing a violent movement

·         To teach a violent and synergistic movement that combines a rapid acceleration with a rapid deceleration

·         To teach the importance of understanding how important change of elevation is in sport (specifically multi-directional) and how to manipulate it based off of load

·         To create a connection between the earth and your hips/torso

·         Because 90% of athletes cannot do traditional Olympic lifts correctly due to past injuries, mobility or technical issues or time constraints.  Keep in mind, in the private industry many of our athletes are forced to work on their own and we have to triage movements for safety reasons. Many coaches are sold on forcing the movement from the floor and following the traditional styles of Olympic lifting.  My argument is this; we are building better athletes not better weight lifters and until your athletes qualify to do such a movement get bent

·         To both reinforce the hip hinge pattern and to disguise repetition of said pattern

·         To teach athletes to be explosive with a load.  Traditionally Olympic lifts are thought to be used only for power.  Obviously power is an important attribute for all athletes, but I mention this last because if you don’t understand all of the above points I wouldn’t worry about the power benefits just yet

WHEN:

·         When the athlete can show they can create and hold tension in their spine. As a simple guideline, if the athlete cannot competently execute a Romanian deadlift for the start phase, a simple jump for the drive phase or a front squat for the catch phase you need to back your programming up a bit.  Having said this, there are always exceptions to the rule but I think this is a pretty sound guideline

·         When the athlete is free of injuries and has qualified to do the movement based off the therapists recommendations and you are comfortable with them progressing the movement.

·         I use this movement year round and add or take away from it dependent on my goals for the athletes

·         If there was a movement that was so beneficial that it was worth risking injury or poor motor patterning, I have a feeling we all would be doing it

HOW:

·         If you are learning how to lift via the internet we have problems

·         I am not against talking technique in blog posts, you tube etc. But there is way too much to cover in a short period of time.  If it is your goal to be a therapist or you are a therapist it will probably help you have a clearer picture of what we are trying to achieve as strength coaches. If you are a coach on the other hand, we are in trouble if this is your main source of information

·         I am close to 15 years in my career and I still learn something every day and there is just too much info

 

I would like to wrap up by clearing something that pisses me off about the industry.  There seems to be this movement from ex or current athletes turned coach (specifically power lifters, Olympic lifters and guys that don’t look like they ever played a sport in their lives) how getting stronger is the only answer to performance and if I wrote this ten years ago I would have said the same.  But as someone that was an athlete in 3 different contact sports I can tell you this needs to be taken with a grain of salt.  There are a lot of factors in contact sports and if you are programming these movements and ignoring the loads put on your athletes bodies outside the weight room you should be slapped.  I also need to be clear; I load the shit out of my athletes as should you but only after careful scrutiny of the given situation. 

The fact is simple, if you watch an elite power or Olympic lifter train leading up to heavy loads their form is usually flawless.  And as loads increase technique decreases.  The same can be said for any sport and just substitute load with fatigue. I get that, but what we can’t lose sight of is the fact that no Olympic lifter or power lifter in the history of the world (this is an assumption actually) has ever been blindsided while under extreme load by another athlete in the snow or rain.  Their ultimate goal has no variability in it. There is no contact, extreme cold or heat it is just linear in fashion.  And do not get me wrong, I am a huge fan of both sports (I was devastated when Powerlifting USA stopped production!), but they are their own sports.  We should use and modify their lifts according to the population we are working with.  Draw from them, use their knowledge as the strongest and most powerful people in the world but only use what is applicable to your athletes!

As always, please feel free to email me with your questions or complaints.

Yours in Strength,

Joe McCullum

 

 “Pain is not my enemy, it is my call to greatness”  -Henry Rollins

A few thoughts on culture in daily life

Recently I wrote an article on the importance of culture in sport and how it is something we are missing in Canada.  I have been thinking a lot about it lately as this is something that I put a lot of merit into if we want to further sport in this country.  These thoughts have led me to think about some of the negative aspects of culture as well and not just in sport.  As always, this is my opinion.  And the beauty of my opinion or anyone else’s for that matter you have the option to stop reading or blocking me from the social media platforms I post on as I do to you when you post pictures of your chick pea and kale salad.
            I don’t care if you do yoga, Pilates, crossfit, barre method, power lifting, Olympic lifting, bosu, kettle bells, spin, jazzercise, prancersize or whatever form of exercise you choose.  I also don’t care whether your diet follows the vegan, vegetarian, paleo, high protein/low carb, blood type, zone, 4 hour body protocols.  And I certainly don’t care what your religious, political, philosophical, self-helping views are.  What I do care about is what pictures you put up on facebook, twitter and Instagram telling everyone what you are associated or indoctrinated with.  I find it fascinating that people feel the need to be associated with groups or specific styles that reflect their lives and even more fascinating that there is a need to tell everyone about it.  I know this sounds crazy, but what if everyone did their own thing with the understanding that what works for them may not work for others and pushing a methodology down people’s throat is certainly not a way to convert heathens to believe what you believe or do what you do.  What if we preached balance?  As in you take a little from each of the above methods and you make it your own.  What if you be you (I stole that from Jen Kish on Twitter. I don’t know Jen but I know she is an amazing representative for our national women’s 7’s and 15’s program)? Not you being a prancersizing, paleo, republican?

            All of the things I mentioned above have components that are great and I don’t want to take anything away from that. What I do have a problem with are the people that attach themselves vehemently to these methods as if nothing else works.  I hate to break it to people, but if any of these alone were that great we would all be fucking awesome.
Culture is important in every aspect of life, but when it becomes your be all to end all we tend to close off opportunities for something far greater.  Just as when we put a mentor on a pedestal, we tend to lose the ability to question and end up following blindly. If we can’t question or choose not to question methods, we most certainly will struggle to progress in any avenue of life.

            Everyone loves to jump on band wagons or fads and I am not insinuating that any of the above are fads, but if you find yourself closing off or discounting value in them you cannot progress whatever you’re doing.  For those of you that know me, you are aware that I hate a lot of things.  For those of you that know me well, you know that I believe in balance and all things offered may have a role in creating something better (even the stuff I hate).  I’ve discounted many things in my younger years and over time I have learned to or at least tried to learn how to find the good in things and toss what I deem as useless so that I can create balance for both myself and my clients.

            For all that attach themselves to specific entities as a means to fulfill a void I have a few simple answers for you.  

·         Look for balance in everything.  Instead of making yourself a part of these methods, make these methods a part of you

·         Give more of yourself to others.  Don’t just say you donate this or do that, live it.  Don’t discount the ability to help someone in need; it may just be what you’re searching for even if your regurgitated self-help book tells you otherwise

·         Don’t be afraid to tell it like it is.   Unlike angry birds, we don’t have unlimited lives.  It’s closer to candy crush where once you screw up you just have to wait 24 hours and you can start again

·         You can’t rush experience.  This goes for everything in life from work to relationships and once you realize this you will be a little closer to peace

As always, thanks for reading and I look forward to the hate mail I will be receiving shortly.   I will close with one of my favorite quotes from one of my favorite weirdo poets “Drink from the well of your self and begin again” –Charles Bukowski “Mind and Heart”

The importance of sport today

                This past weekend reaffirmed my thoughts on the importance of sport.  There is a lot going on these days with funding cut backs and general misunderstanding of the need for sport in our society.  My observations and interactions with public high school coaches have me wondering if there will be high school sport or even moderately useful functioning physical education departments within the next ten years.  I will not get into the politics involved but I will share my thoughts on the importance of sport based off of what I was a part of this past weekend. 

                The Carson Graham Eagles matched up against John Barsby (the only team we had lost to this year) for the provincial championship at B.C. Place this past Saturday.  We had a great week of practice and the boys showed up ready to play.  We have had our ups and downs like all teams do, but this team was different than last year’s team (although it is made of the same kids as last year plus a few new grade 10’s and 11’s).  We transitioned from a group of underachievers to a group of overachievers in an instant.  Our opening drive had us coming out on fire and scoring after a great series of plays. It was a highly physical game with points going back and forth for both sides. In the end, Barsby won the game in the dying minutes and took the lead by one point.  The boys had just under: 90 seconds to make a comeback.  We marched the ball down to the opposing team’s 20 yard line putting us into field goal range with just :1 second  left on the clock.  Unfortunately we were unable to get the ball off in time and the game was over at the whistle.  What does this have to do with the importance of sport you ask?  How about these kids learned something that school or even their parents cannot do for them!

They learned; humility, hard work doesn’t always pay off the way you would like it to, mental and physical toughness, creativity, teamwork and discipline. Now, if you are a teacher or parent, you may not see the value in these things, but as someone that trains and leads a group of staff members I can tell you these traits are more important than a few letters after their last name.  I am by no means taking away from the value of education, but if we want well rounded citizens as our husbands, daughters, wives, friends, brothers, sisters, team mates etc. I think sport teaches a lesson that is being missed by academia.

After the game the head coach asked me to say a few words.  I may or may not have dropped a few “F” bombs, but what I did say is that I have been there.  20 years ago to be exact.  My only two memories of high school football were going undefeated in the league play and losing in the final game.  I explained how that one game had more of an effect on my life than winning a conference championship in University or any bowl games.  That I still use that feeling as a means to drive me to do the best I can do every day.  That a loss is only a loss if we don’t learn something from it and most importantly that the score is not reflective of their performance.  Because I saw kids that were softer than baby poo at the beginning of the season that would take any little injury as a means to get out and flip it to find a way to continue on.  Sport is important to me, like it is to the other 6 coaches that are Carson Graham alumni.  We see value in it that parents, teachers and others may not fully understand.  I saw a room of 30 kids and coaches cry.  Share emotion that would be laughed at normally because the only time it is acceptable for a man to cry is when they watch Old Yeller. 

I was fortunate enough to spend some professional development time in the U.S. last month and the one thing that caught my eye was a poster that was in every coach’s office.  It read “THE ‘IT’, TO CAPTURE THE HEARTS AND MINDS OF OUR PLAYERS”.  I feel like we encapsulated that this weekend.  We helped give an opportunity to kids from all walks of life achieve something great even though they didn’t win their final game. 

I know there are plenty of great articles that preach the importance of sport from a physical standpoint or from the standpoint of an employer when looking to make a hire.  But to me, it goes way further than that.  You have ex-players, coaches, friends and family coming to support something special.  The head coach that retired after I graduated made the trip over from the island to support the boys, as did numerous ex-players and supporters.  It is a mixed bag of emotions for all, but if it brings that many people together for a common goal, it has to be good doesn’t it? 

Anywho, to end this rant. Put your kids in sport to help them learn some valuable lessons that can’t be learned from the google.

Yours in Strength,

Joe McCullum

 

 

Becoming a Coach and Learning How to Coach

Between my 30 minute breaks of Candy Crush I have been gaining inspiration.  I found myself questioning a lot of things as I sucked away part of my life to the sound of “sweet, tasty and delicious”.  In the past, I would spend my time reading at least 1 article each night. I actually have done this for years.  I read what others in the industry write, scientific journals, research articles, business articles, coaching information etc.  And I found myself getting more and more pissed off.  Pissed to the point where I started to feel like I didn’t care what others in my industry were doing. And this pissed me off because I believe that caring is the last bastion of hope in this world.  I pride myself in my level of care to my clients, athletes, friends and family and I felt this was starting to carry over into my daily life.

I care enough to realize that everyone reading this is probably way smarter than I am and I hope that they can take a small tidbit of information and make it their own.  I do not have anything to sell or look to gain anything to sell and for years I believed that others in the industry felt the same.  See, I believe that if you are actually publishing relevant information, you should have a consideration for the audience that may be reading it. The only thing less sexy than my writing is the philosophy that I learned from one of the best coaches I have every met. Ian Hyde-Lay had always preached to his athletes the importance of doing the basics and doing them well.  I see this philosophy get pissed on daily from people in our industry because they have something to sell or are looking for a level of fame that is undeserved.  I urge you to convince me that there is a flaw in this logic.  I know this is getting super ranty (just made up a word there) but wait, there is soooooo much more!

 

I know that I can come off as a Negative Nancy quite often, but I feel it is my calling sometimes.  It is not my intention to write to rip people apart but to hopefully offer and alternative way to thinking on certain topics. Today’s topic is understanding the difference between learning how to become a coach vs. learning how to coach.  Both are equally important in my opinion, but the concern I have is all too often too much merit is put into learning the how to coach part. 

 

The underlying difference between the two (albeit they are similar) is harsh.  It will piss off the young or egotistical (or both) coach that lives in the most informative time in history and has a plethora of information at their fingertips.  Please understand this may seem harsh, but like everything in life there needs to be balance.  One of the key steps to becoming a good coach is learning how to coach and the rant below will discuss the comparison.

 

THE PROBLEMS WITH “THE HOW TO”:

Are you one of these guys?

To the coach that has every great coach’s handbook, informative video, motivational quotes and mannerisms.  The ones that coach the way they were coached without questioning if it’s the right way for the population you are dealing with at the moment. The ones that can’t quite understand the difference between knowing and knowledge. The ones that don’t understand that expertise is more than reading a book and writing an exam that leaves them with the title of expert, specialist, master or some other bullshit title.  The ones that feel the need to write of their experiences and share it with their social network instead of actually trying to live the non-glamorous life of a coach that quite often requires more than an 8 hour day, working weekends and vacations spent with the teams you work with instead of time spent with your loved ones.  The ones that talk when they should be listening. The ones that spew regurgitation from the seminar they just attended without fully understanding it or how it may work into the population they are working with.  The ones that are unsure of the difference between confidence and ego.  The ones that believe there is only one way to do things and that systems work for all populations.  The ones that put a movement, drill, exercise, technique on a pedestal without questioning if it is correct for the athletes they may be working with.  The ones that don’t question themselves on a daily basis and continually ask themselves “why”.  The ones that fear people that may challenge them and write off any information that may contradict or question what they were taught by their mentor(s). The ones that lack empathy or the ability to have the slightest clue about the outside stressors the athlete may be going through. The ones that don’t understand there is so much more to sport than running drills, technical sessions and games.  The ones that don’t believe discipline, heart, grit, temperament, desire and will can play more of a role in sport than the athlete’s ability to dead lift or lift heavy shit.  The ones that don’t believe you can draw from leaders in other disciplines and industries to help you get better at your craft.  The ones that think “these athletes just don’t get it”. The strength coaches that would rather only work with athletes and don’t quite get the fact that the human body hasn’t changed in the last 100 years or so and either has a barbell (and can’t adjust things to react to the differences in central nervous systems).  The ones that don’t believe it is just as important to learn from people that you disagree with as it is to the ones you do.  The ones that don’t eat, sleep and in my case not sleep thinking about what I can do better. The ones that are afraid to trust their gut because there isn’t a scientific journal that says it’s ok for a coach to use an Olympic lift for something other than a power exercise. The ones that negate scientific evidence because what they are doing worked for them when they were a high school baller. The ones that can’t understand the fact that what works for one, works for one.  The ones that think it is more important to spend countless hours testing athletes when they have limited time with them.  The ones that regurgitate tests that take the human element out of things and are willing to push forward even though it may not be best for the athlete. The ones that don’t understand it isn’t hard to get an elite athlete to work hard, it’s hard to hold them back when they need it.  The ones that question the work rate and toughness of athletes that have been at the top of their game for years.  The ones that can’t grasp the fact that chances are, the people they are working with are in fact not “elite”. The ones that don’t seize an opportunity to work with any age group or skill level because they can’t grasp the fact that our best coaches should be in fact working with these populations.  The ones that can’t grasp the fact that every team you work with is a cornucopia of different ages, abilities, ethnicities, personalities and drive.  I hope you are picking up with what I am putting down, and as always; if you are offended, than maybe you need to be offended.

 

HOW TO BECOME A COACH:

Do the basics and do them well.  Learn from everyone you meet. Listen to your athletes.  Chalk every experience (good or bad) as a success in making you better.  Care about your athletes as if they are your family or friends (this means answering texts, emails, calls after hours).  Take advantage of people that are willing to let you learn from them.  Don’t question their methods, ask them questions.  Be approachable by all and willing to share what you have learned to those you work with.  Spend countless hours coaching, observing, watching movement and learning.  Become athlete centric, it is your job to make them better and in the process guess what happens? Understand that you cannot speed up the process of experience. Take the information above regarding the “how to coach”, dissect it and understand how it will make you a coach.  Be passionate in everything you do.  Volunteer your time.  If you want to gain experience, you may not always get paid for it and if you can’t give a little bit of your time, coaching isn’t for you.

Sorry for the repeated use of the words “piss” and “the ones”.  As my high school report card always used to say “best of luck in your future endeavors”.

 

Yours in Strength,

Joe McCullum

A reflection of my epic Vacation to the West Coast and the South

This is still very rough!

 

I had spent the last two weeks laughing with old friends, watching sport at the highest level and absorbing the shit out of some serious sport culture!  I also ate grits, catfish, ribs, black eyed peas, fried okra and washed it down with some of the finest bourbon the South has to offer.   I am going to continue on from where I left off in my last rant/blog about the importance of friends and family with the second part of my trip and segway it into the difference in sport culture that has been created in the U.S.  But, before I go further I want to touch on something that bothers me about the perception of pro athletes.  I was lucky enough to see Jason before and after the Canucks game, and the same with Jordan and Chris.  When we see the news about these athletes it always seems to paint a negative picture so I want to make something clear.  For every asshole there are a lot more great people playing sport that should be highlighted.  After getting to go on the field or down below to the locker rooms all of them sent me a text thanking me for coming and taking the time to see them.  It is a weird feeling because I know that most people would be shitting themselves to get this opportunity and don’t quite get the bond that we have.   I think the perception is that most pro’s would just think of it as extra work when they could just as easily grab their post-game meal and get on their flights.  These guys hurry out of the locker room because friends and family are important to them (even if it is after a gutting loss).  So next time you hear about some idiot getting a DUI or having an assault charge, know that there are far more great people out there impacting our friends, family, communities and social networks more than you can ever imagine.

Any who, the second part of my trip had me and Craig flying from Seattle to Nashville on the red eye. We arrived in Nashville and met up with Chris at the hotel where the team stays before home games.  Leading up to this, I asked Chris where Craig and I should stay and where are friends should stay that are coming into town on a work trip and would be later joining us at the game.  He was awesome enough to hook us all up at the same hotel with a great friends and family rate not far from the stadium.  We were also greeted with 6 sideline passes for the pre-game.  The boys from Onni had been awesome enough to include us in with their “client appreciation” trip which included a fully catered tail gate party (with all the bud light you can drink) and to seats in the box they had rented for the evening.    I have been a part of this type of experience in the past and every time I get these opportunities I think it will be hard to top as I had no idea what was in store for the next two days.

The day after the game, Chris picked Craig and I up for our 3.5 hour road trip to Ole’ Miss.  When we arrived, we checked into the hotel and promptly headed towards the campus.  The town of Oxford looks like the set of Back to the Future, only everyone is wearing Ole’ Miss clothing.  After dinner we had a night out at one of the local establishments where I got to meet Elvis and a few of Chris’ old team mates.  If you have heard of “Southern Hospitality” you will understand why I am not going any further into detail.  The people were absolutely amazing!

We were woken up early by Chris with a hot bag of biscuits with fried chicken and grape jelly.  Don’t knock it till you try it.  We headed to the facility where we had basically a coaches parking pass and were promptly met by the football staff for a tour of the facility.  We started in the equipment room which is bigger than most Canadian university weight rooms where we were given Ole’ Miss shirts and hats so we wouldn’t look out of place.  We were then toured to the meeting rooms for each positional group, the “War Room” which is their recruiting room which has a huge round table with about 12 chairs for the staff to discuss and determine recruiting depth charts.  After this, we went through the locker room where we met some of the players and got a feel for the pre-game routine.  We then headed to what I was looking forward to most, the indoor facility and the adjoining weight room.  Again, I don’t think people in Canada can quite fathom the size or depth of detail that has gone into these facilities.  I have been pretty fortunate to see some big time university and professional facilities and each one gets me a little more pumped about the culture that is set forth by these institutions.  Throughout the tour, we were met by other coaches, families of coaches, support staff and recruits with open arms.  A friendly handshake and welcome by all.  Obviously with Chris having been a first round pick out of Ole’ Miss, we were privy to a little more than the average tourist and both Craig and I ate it up.  About 30 minutes prior to kick off we headed out to the field where we were right in the mix of things.  I was 15 feet from Miss Ole’ Miss as she sang the national anthem.   We kept asking Chris when we had to move, specifically after we almost got ran over by the marching band.  As the game got under way we were escorted to the VIP area where there was a steady buffet of biscuits and gravy and other southern health food which was mixed in with light beer and bourbon.  As a side note, there was a veggie plate that went untouched until I just brought it to our table as I was fearing I may get scurvy if I didn’t get some vitamins in me.  The game was all Ole’ Miss and helped push them up the most competitive non-professional sport ladder and into the top 25. 

I am hoping you picked up what I put down here without much mention of culture.  Like all American universities, the support of the fans, families and staff are unparalleled.  In Canada we have small pockets of great sporting culture, specifically in smaller communities but absolutely nothing that rivals what we were a part of.  Having said that, are they a bit crazy?  The answer is YES, but it is freaking awesome.  I am not expecting Canada to be like the States, but I would love to see a little more buy in by our sporting bodies.  Like everything in the sport world, there needs to be balance.  We are too far one way and the Americans are a bit too far the other but like both our medical systems, we could probably do a better job and meet somewhere in the middle.  After reading the recent information coming out about our local University’s attempt at cutting sport and what I am exposed to with my high school teams I feel deeply saddened.  I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to play and coach in both countries and I see a huge value in sport as do those that I surround myself with.  We have great athletes, staff and facilities in Canada but we lack a culture that is athlete centric at all levels.  Every institution and industry will struggle with some level of bureaucracy, but it is time for a change here.  I am not insinuating we should mimic the NCAA’s sport system or their Olympic Training Centers, but we are absolutely ignorant if we don’t take a look at what they are doing and try to see which parts of their successful culture can be utilized within our systems.   As I mentioned, we are doing a lot of great things, but if we think it’s the best it is time to check our egos.

Yours in lifestyle changes,

Joe McCullum

The importance of sport, friends and family

This is very rough....

As I take a lull at the midway point of my vacation I felt the need to reflect and share how cool my life is.  I am not sure if this is motivated by the REO Speedwagon song I just heard in the car ride back to my brothers place or if I am actually a closet emotionally challenged guy.  So here goes;

I have always been a believer in the importance of sport in society.  You can take this however you like, but the fact is we are at a time in history where sport is at its utmost importance.   As government and schools try to neglect its importance we need to fight and stand strong to ensure that we are not creating a world of losers.  I am not saying there aren’t loser athletes out there, but the lessons learned in life through sport (regardless of level) are imperative for the growth of our world.  I don’t feel the need to go too far into detail here but the thought that physical literacy is not as important as academia on some level is absurd.  This is a bit of a recount from what has happened in the last week and what is happening soon. 

This is why sport, family and friends drive me in this world.

I started my trip with a night in Seattle with my older brother, his wife and my nephew.  In San Jose I met up with a long time friend from back east and we met up with my long time friend Mark Uyeyama who is the head strength and conditioning coach for the San Francisco 49ers.  From there we went to watch one of my favorite clients and athletes Jason Garrison of the Vancouver Canucks take an epic win over the San Jose Sharks.  Throughout the game Mark and I chatted as if we had not missed a beat since we lived together in University.  I have only seen Mark a handful of times over the last 13 or so years, but we chat about work and life on a regular basis.  We share the same passion and line of work but we are in very different settings.  It was awesome to chat about sport in general with a guy that works and I would say is a leader in the industry of elite athletes about the similarities and differences between football and hockey. 

After a few days of destroying Makers Marks and amazing Mexican food we headed to Palo Alto to catch up with Jordan Gross of the Carolina Panthers and Dustin Mcquivey and family.  Part of the reason for this trip was to watch some high level sport, but it was far more about catching up with old friends.  As we were meeting Jordan we got to catch up with Coach Joe Kenn of the Panthers (he was our strength and conditioning coach at Utah) as well.  And again, old stories come up as if no time had passed.  From there it was onto San Francisco to prep for the game where old friends and coaches fought a redonkulous battle. 

The game was on November 10^th and there was a wonderful pre-game ceremony to commemorate all of the veterans.  This made me more emotional than the REO Speedwagon song earlier.  About 5 or 6 years ago I was in Ireland with the national U-20 rugby team for a series of matches at the same time of year.  I remember vividly coach Tim Murdy talking to the young men just before our moment of silence as we gazed upon the cenotaph in London Derry.  I don’t know what the feeling is that came over me or how to describe it, but it’s only happened to me 3 times.  The next time I felt it was at Vimy Ridge while on a rugby tour with the Capilanos.  And then again this past week.  I don’t know if this last time occurred because I was sitting next to Dustin, his family, Jordans family and our friend and former assistant strength coach Cheyenne Pietri or if it was the fact that it brought up the loss and memory of our teammate/friend Steve McCain that passed suddenly this year.  Even though I hadn’t seen Steve since I left back home to Canada, I always laughed about good times we had eating at the buffet.  Steve and Dustin are the opposite of me in some ways as they are both Mormon and I am a piss tank and at times slightly vulgar.   Very unlikely friends but there is a bond that I don’t believe you can get if you haven’t played sport.  In life we have acquaintances, co-workers, friends of friends but outside of sport I don’t think you have the kind of friends an athlete has.  The kind that picks you up even if you fucked up royally, makes you laugh in inappropriate settings helps you bury a body should you need it.  Well maybe not the last one, but I can tell you I have all of these types of peeps in my life and I am truly thankful for it.  After the 49ers game we reconvened for a night out on the town with some more old friends in Jordan’s brother in law and his peeps who are now my peeps.  To be honest, I still haven’t stopped laughing.

I am now back in Seattle and am getting ready to meet up with Craig McLaren as we head to Nashville to watch the Titans face Indianapolis on the Thursday night game.  One of my long time friends and athletes is playing for Tennessee and is helping to make this trip more epic.  I have to go back for a minute.  Craig and I are meeting some friends that we have know since we were 13 that are in Nashville for work.  We will be in a box with about 20 or so guys from the Onni group of Companies and I will get to catch up with one of my best friends from high school that I rarely get to see because he travels and lives abroad now.  Paolo and I played football, rugby and wrestled together and spent way too much time together in my youth and it is going to be great to catch up with him at the game (I forgot to mention, we got some field passes which is kinda a big deal).  The day after the game, Craig, Chris, His wife Katherine and myself are heading down or up (I don’t know my Southern Geography) to watch his old Alma matter in Mississippi play at home. 

Please don’t get me wrong, we can make friends anywhere and some of us are lucky enough to have a wicked family, but at the end of the day I don’t know many people that could share what I did with people from two different countries and geographical opposites as I am and did. 

To quote one of my favorite poems:

“The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,

But I have promises to keep,

And miles to go before I sleep,

And miles to go before I sleep”

Yours in Bourbon,

Joe

Physical literacy and group coaching techniques

 Presentation for the UBC Strength and Conditioning Club, Sat Oct 25th, 2013

Physical literacy and group coaching techniques

TRIAGE TECHNIQUE for groups

As many of you embark into the practical world of working with clients, you will most likely be tossed into either group classes/boot camps or team settings as an instructor or helper.  Working with a group dynamic is a far cry from working with individuals or smaller groups.  Sessions will quite often end up being a mixture of triage with performance work.  This industry is far from practical and we can only do what is best given our current situation.  The ability to adapt and have foresight is imperative. 

The collection of thoughts below are some of the issues I have encountered over the years and I hope that by sharing them with you today you will be able to bypass some of the mistakes I have made.

CONSIDERATIONS:

·         What is the audience’s perception of you and what is your perception of the audience?

·         What is the physical and training age of the group you will be working with?  Quite often it can be a mix of young and old, experienced and novice yet the expectations on the coach are still very high for a session to run perfectly.

o    Do you have a clear understanding of generation gaps?

·         How much space do you have and what equipment do you have access to

·         Are you indoors or outside?  If outside are you prepared for the elements both physically yourself and for how it may change your session?

·         Is the person contracting you out going to be there?  Quite often the logistics are in the hands of someone that has no clue as to what you will be doing with the group.  If they are going to be on hand are they willing to help out and learn with the group?

·         If you will be doing programs for your groups/team what are the limitations you will face when unable to be present when they are working on their own?

·         What are the barriers you may face when dealing with past traditions?

 

IMPORTANT QUALITIES OF A GOOD GROUP LEADER/COACH (In no particular order)

·         Your message is clear, concise and consistent.   The entire group should understand your message regardless of age, skill or experience. If they do not, chances are you are the one that is unclear of the message

·         COACH and OBSERVE.  Standing on the outskirts with your arms crossed barking orders is not coaching.  If working with a group doesn’t exhaust you chances are you are doing it wrong

·         Disguise repetition. We all have a clear understanding of adaptation, but in the private industry we have far more to consider.  This is a terrible part of being a contractor for a team, but at the end of the day, your sessions must have an impact on the group and be memorable

·         Do not put other coaches, philosophies or specific techniques, movements or skills on a pedestal.  Your situation is always unique, like the group you are working with.  Ask yourself “why” for everything and if you don’t have an intelligent answer you shouldn’t be doing it

·         Keep things as simple as possible.  Your audience doesn’t care about the stretch shortening cycle, but if you have to incorporate it as a point, you best know it like the back of your hand.  Always keep your message clear and void of any potential confusion

·         Instruction time for movements or new skills should be kept to a minimum.  This does not mean withhold information, it means the longer you talk, the less likely people are listening (age specific).  Learning a skill is a long process, I like to break it up as needed and use the demo, drill, demo, drill technique until I am happy with the result

o   Every instruction session is a learning tool for the coach.  Rarely do things run smoothly and you can bet that a new issue you have not seen before will arise.  Your ability to learn from those issues are what make you a better coach (every time you speak, you should be the one gaining the most benefit)

·         Exude confidence, not arrogance.  The second you show uncertainty is the second you lose the attention of the group.  The same can be said about arrogance

o   Leading through influence is infinitely more effective than leading through authority! True power comes from influencing others to do something because they want to do it

·         Surround yourself with as many coaches as you can.  Not just within your profession, coaches are coaches and will all have some useful tidbits you can use

o   Great coaches take a little from everyone and make it their own. Once you grasp the concept that very little is “new” in this profession, you will be on the right path

·         Your understanding of progressions and regressions must go beyond knowledge of different exercises.  When and why to change or modify on the fly is a skill

o    Understanding the common dysfunctions of a group before you start will put you one step ahead of your clientele. 

§  Boot camps, bariatric, youth, throwing, aquatic, contact, multi-directional, skating, jumping, snow (uni or bi-lateral), age, ability, surroundings, prior coaching etc.

o   It is also important to understand the common movement errors for your exercise prescription well in advance to your session.  The easiest way to understand movement is to observe movement….ALWAYS

o   Progressions should not be forced

·         Have empathy.  This seems quite simple yet it is lost on many young coaches.  Anyone can make a hard workout for your client, group or team.  BUT and this is a big BUT, is that always the goal?  And are you willing to risk burnout or potential injury so you can tell people how you shit kicked a bunch of housewives or pre-teen soccer players?  Put yourself in the athlete or clients shoes and have a clear understanding of what the goal(s) of your sessions are

o   How would empathy play a role in your programming for a women’s only boot camp, overhead or contact athletes etc…

·         Write notes after every session.  What went well, what sucked, who the leaders and cancers were/are, what could have been better etc.

·         If you can’t get your message across so that a 5 year old can understand it and an academic or someone that is experienced is not offended by it, you don’t know what you’re talking about. 

o   Educate coaches, parents, athletes etc

·         If you raise your voice when speaking to groups it means you are talking over someone or you don’t have the groups attention 

o   There is a time and place to change your tone-showing emotion, encouraging, in a loud environment etc.  If you raise your voice in this setting where there are no distractions, you are not commanding respect

o   Silence can be golden when used correctly

o   Whisper technique for large groups

·         If you come in looking disheveled, confused, late or unprepared you will have a tough time rebounding into a good session.               

o   Many team or group sessions are usually done off site.  Being familiar with the surroundings gives you a leg up on not only being prepared by being professional.

o   If you are in a gym setting, there are many variables you may need to contend with (other gym users, space etc)

o   How can you maximize the space you have while minimizing distractions? Specifically when working with younger populations

·         Your understanding of your audience is imperative.  It is tough to program and individualize for large groups so the better prepared you are the easier it becomes.

o   We should be able to surmise many of the issues that we will be confronted with well in advance to any sessions if you follow up on your due diligence

·         There is a fine line between being a cheer leader and energetic.  Dependent on the group(s) you will be working with you will need to change your levels of enthusiasm

·         Explain “why” without turning it into a 30 minute monologue.  The more educated your clients, coaches and parents are the better

·         Do the basics well

·         Keep professionalism on the forefront at all times!

PHYSICAL LITERACY

·         ENERGY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

·         Disguising Repetition

·         What is a hip hinge and why does all great movement start from here?

·         There are no set rules, only guidelines.  Anyone that speaks in absolutes is a salesman, not a coach

·         Run, Jump, Throw, Kick, Pass, Shuffle, Balance, React, FUNdamentals

·         Finding your center and understanding the relationship between creating tension in yourself and manipulating it in others

·         Why do we need to “find our center” for athletic development

o   Key point: Put yourself in the most opportune position to be successful

·         The importance of building better athletes not just better weight lifters

o   Tennis ball and athletic drills

o   Weight transfer/shifts