Wednesday 27 February 2013

The importance of educating coaches on what we do...


      You can have all the knowledge in the world as a strength and conditioning coach, but if the coaches and teams that you are working for have no clue as to what you are capable of, it means very little.  In Canada, we are in a unique setting.  Strength coaches either work for a professional team, the Canadian Sport Centers, Universities or in a private setting.  Sounds like everywhere else right?  Well, sort of…In Canada, there are a fraction of Pro teams compared to the U.S., the sport centers are all still relatively new in comparison to the Olympic training centers and so are strength coaches in the collegiate systems.  You are probably asking yourself where I am going with this?  Regardless of which sport you coach, what are your earliest 2 main resources you have developed your coaching philosophy from?  If I had to venture a guess, I would say much of it is drawn from your own experiences as an athlete and from your past coaches.  That does not mean we do not draw from others in the industry, our education and certifications and our experience, it just means we are products of our environment.  In general, coaches begin their careers at the lowest level (internships, volunteer, graduate assistants or positional coaches) with the hope of moving up the chain.  Similar to any other industry in the world, we start at the bottom and work our way through the ranks (unless you work for your daddy’s company).   The following points are some of the thoughts that I have gathered over the years that I hope may be of some use to both aspiring and current strength coaches. 

Stumbling blocks:

·         Considering that the strength and conditioning field is still somewhat in its infancy stages, many coaches in Canada have either never worked with a strength and conditioning coach or if they have; it has been on a limited basis.  

·         Another potential concern is the fact that the sporting community assumes that education and certifications account for experience and skill when hiring new strength and conditioning coaches.  I can’t think of many sports teams that would hire a head or high level assistant coach right out of university unless they are exceptionally skilled.  I am not trying to knock on anyone in particular or to rip on the sport industry, but I have never seen so much merit put into hiring people with little or no experience in the field as we do in Canada. 

·         Buzz words and gimmicks are memorable for coaches.  Most sport coaches travel with their teams and see what their competition is doing and some will assume that what works for their competition will work for their team.  I am a big believer in learning from others, but the best thing that coaches can learn from each other is structure over systems or devices.  As strength coaches, we should be helping coaches to understand “WHY” certain gimmicks are being used and how they may or may not benefit your situation. 

·         Egos.  Our neighbors to the south have one of, if not the best non-professional sporting systems in the world (NCAA).  Surely, we can draw some insight as to how some of their systems may fit into ours.  When your ego gets in the way, you are more likely to learn from your own mistakes instead of others that have already made the same ones in the past. 

 

      So where do team and positional coaches draw their strength and conditioning knowledge from (other than YouTube)?  The answer should be fairly simple, but it is not.  I have been involved on some level with all of the sectors I mentioned in my opening which has lead me to believe the answers are as follows: 

What can we do?:

·         Regardless of whom you collect a pay check from; you need to educate coaches and athletes on what our scope of knowledge is and how we can make their teams better.  Share as much of your knowledge as you can with the staff and athletes so they will embrace what you bring to the table.  There are still coaches out there calling strength and conditioning “fitness”.  I am not one for semantics, but when I think of “fitness”, I think of Jane Fonda.

·         Tradition is a touchy subject.  It needs to be embraced, but if the team or athletes you are working with are not the best in the world there is going to be a need for change.  By nature, coaches are fairly superstitious and set in their ways.  We can’t get frustrated with things we can’t change, so make small impactful changes to garner the rest of the staff and teams trust.

·         Don’t bitch when you don’t get enough time with your athletes.  Encourage the coaches as to what the benefits are of you having more time.  If you cannot get more time, make do with what you have and make sure you are giving the best product possible.  Once the coaches notice changes, so will the time you get with the athletes.

·         Be professional.  Save your cut off jean shorts and tank tops for the beach.  Athletes are not there to see that you work out; they are there to get better and learn from you.  If you have sweet abs, save them for your Facebook profile picture.

·         Do not believe that the role of the strength and conditioning coach involves working Monday to Friday from 9-5.  The fact is you need to be available.  If you are in a Sport Center or a University setting, you may have a little more luxury as to having set times, but in the private industry, you have to make do with whatever time you can get.

·         If you get an opportunity to travel with a team, do not think of it as a vacation.  Chances are this will be the most contact hours you will get with your athletes outside of the gym or field sessions.  Your ability to help with nutritional advice, hydration, recovery work, session planning etc. will help solidify your value to the team. 

·         Learn from every coach you work with.  Systems that have been implemented with one sport may not have been with another.  Your ability to share information with coaches shows that your spectrum may be broader than just strength and conditioning.  Unless you are working with only one team, you are privy to some very useful information that can help progress whichever team you are working with. 

·         I struggle with this one sometimes, but it is very necessary in order to move ourselves forward.  Do not speak poorly of your competition or others in the industry.  It does no good for anyone and it is time wasted that could be used on bettering yourself and educating other coaches as to what you do differently.  This industry does not need more ego’s, it needs people that understand coaches and athletes.  The more you pump yourself up over others, the more you more you alienate yourself from potential learning experiences.

·         Do not allow yourself or coaches to get caught up into the rigidity of testing.  I understand that in some sports (specifically at the national level) there are expectations to follow a strict regimen of testing protocols in order to garner funding.  I also understand the need for testing and encourage it, but there is a fine line here.  I get the fact that coaches want to see improvements over time and have baseline scores for all of their athletes to chart progress, but again we need to educate them as to why we are doing these tests.  When programming starts to shift to enhance test results instead of performance we lose sight of the ultimate goal of success.  If you have never watched the NFL or NHL combine, you should.  I get the fact that it puts the athletes on an even playing field and gives scouts an opportunity to see how athletes move and how hard they work.   My issue is that athletes spend 3-4 months prepping for tests instead of working on skill work that may actually make them a better athlete.

·         Individualize programs and explain to your coaches why you are doing this.  Does the 7 year veteran need to be loading the same as the 1st year athlete?  Specifically in contact sports where the years of physical abuse may be catching up to them.  This is very difficult to do if you are the only strength and conditioning coach, but loads and movements can easily be manipulated on the spot while working with teams as you see fit.

·         Speak in a language that coaches will understand.  Do not assume coaches understand the rhetoric of a sport scientist.  Save your technical jargon for your buddies in the lab or on chat rooms.  If you feel you are dumbing things down or going to lose credibility in what you are doing, re-read the part about egos.

·         Unfortunately for the strength and conditioning professional, many coaches assume they can do what we do.  We need to make sure that coaches understand that what we do from a skill or technical standpoint is the same as what they would do on their field of play.  This is what we do for a living and our countless hours and experience should mean something to them.

      As always, this is just my opinion and a collection of thoughts I have gathered over the years.  I hope that you may be able to learn from my past experiences to build a better future for yourself and the teams you may be working for.   Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or comments at joe@level10fitness.com

Yours in Strength,

Joe McCullum

Director of High Performance Training and Staff Development

Level 10 Fitness

Tuesday 19 February 2013


Presented By: Joe McCullum, Level 10 Fitness

UBC Thunderbirds Strength and Conditioning Club

 

·         What is agility? In laymen’s terms, it’s the ability to stop and start with some level of control when faced with some sort or stimulus (visual, verbal, spatial, kinesthetic) or opposing movements in any direction.  

·         Before throwing a bunch of cones on the floor and telling your athletes to run to them, what are some of the key factors we should be looking at?

o   Have you taught them the basic body position and mechanics to change direction as you would sprint mechanics or any other technique?

o   Base level of strength/stability/balance.  This is always a work in progress and does not mean you can’t do some level of work. 

o   Mobility/movement patterning/sequenceàcan your athlete flex, extend and rotate?  If so, where are they initiating these movements from?

o   Can they create tension correctly? Hip hinge patterns

o   Can they move laterally and backwards

o   Do they push or pull?

o   Can they stop?  Can they change elevation? 

o   Can they start explosively?

o   What happens to their body position after they start explosively?  What do their feet do?

o   Are you prepared to stop when their technique starts to fail?  Quality of movement is key for engraining the correct patterning

·         If they are unable to do any of the above does that mean they do not qualify for agility training?

o   In short, no.  Like everything in strength and conditioning; every movement has ample progressions and regressions.

·         If an athlete doesn’t have the strength or ability to change direction at low speeds, what happens when they repeat these movements at any sort of velocity with poor form? 

o   We cannot control what they do on their fields of play, but if they lack the base strength and mechanics needed, we will be repeating a negative motor pattern that will be reflected in game and practice settings.  We pay close attention to technique in the weight room, so why not here?

o   Do they step left to go right or back to go forward?

·         Can they stand on one leg?  Can they do a bodyweight squat? Can they do a low level shuffle and stick and actually stick it with correct tracking patterns?

·         Since agility requires a change of elevation at some level, where do they bend from? 

o    Do they flex at the waist to lower their body position or at the knees and hips?

o    Do they use their lumbar spine or glutes to extend their hips? 

o   What does their torso and head do (lateral flexion and bobble heads)?

o    Do their arms help to initiate a torso rotation?

o   Can they stick the landing of a depth drop (split, single leg, both legs)?

·         Can they do a waiters bow?  Are they flexing/hinging at the lumbar spine or hips? Do they understand what tension is?

·         Agility occurs in all directions, hence the need to understand the mechanics of lateral, transverse and backward movement patterns

·         What is more powerful, pushing or pulling?  In any direction?  Do the base mechanics change depending on direction?

·         Do they have the basic ability to control their bodies at a high velocity?  How do you cue or give examples of how to change elevation?  What are some issues that may arise with deceleration training, specifically in untrained women?

·         Do they step back to go forward, left to go right etc..

·         Once you have trained the above movements, what do you do with it?  It is great if we can get our athletes to separate themselves in sport or close in on someone, but what happens if they do this with poor body position?

Basic Cues for all Movement Sessions (more important for elite athletes that are strong!)

·         If switching from linear to lateral work (or vice versa), incorporate a few movement patterns that will replicate what you are moving towards

·         Begin with these patterns if you are working base lower body power and strength work (squats, dead lifts, Olympics etc) to avoid potential injury

·         If you are using any of these movement patterns in the weight room, be weary of your surroundings and the type of flooring

·         Have fun with it and be creative in disguising your repetition

Base Progressions and Keys

The following movements should be incorporated into daily workouts.  I utilize all directions in my workouts but place specific emphasis on certain areas depending on the needs of the athletes to engrain and repeat the movement patterns.  Some degree of these movements should be also placed into their warm ups for gym sessions, practices and competitions with slight changes in speed and effort to accommodate the following activity.  It is important to note that there is no real set way to do the following movements.  We need to look at how efficiently the athlete moves and make a decision as to how much “coaching” we need to clean up. 

1.       Multi-directional push and progressions.  Work on àbody positionàpower position (drive not pull)àupper body mechanicsàunderstanding tensionàbuild a foundation for multi-directional movement

How to “push” (lateral, cross over, backwards)

a.       Observe your athlete execute a shuffle, cross over shuffle and back pedal.  Note where they are initiating movement from and what their upper body is doing

b.      Have the athlete load up one leg as if to jump.  Once they are tracking correctly, have them powerfully “push” themselves laterally (if going backward, push off both legs), basic lateral hop.  Note what the lead leg does.  How much effort is coming from the push vs. the pull leg

c.       Once the technique of pushing is set, have them repeat several in a row.  As fatigue sets in, watch for skewed upper body mechanics and excessive reaching with the lead leg

       

2.       Shuffle and stick progressions.   Work on footworkàaccelerationàdecelerationàtrackingàcorrect power position/stickàpowerful countermovement in set directionà

How to Shuffle and Stick: (Lateral, Linear, 45 degree, short and quick, backward, cross over, long and powerful)

a.       Regardless of direction you choose, the client should be instructed to drive off the trail leg with minimal pull with the lead leg.  In sport, you will pull with the lead leg, but if we engrain the importance of the drive phase, the pull will eventually add to the efficiency of the movement

b.      Once the drive has been initiated, the athlete should be instructed to move their feet as fast as possible into the stick phase (once an athlete stops or starts powerfully in a competitive setting, it is normally followed up with a reactive quick foot pattern).  We would slow this down (for beginners or regular clients) or use a shorter distance if footwork is a concern

c.       The stick-SLOW IT DOWN!!! The idea of the stick phase is that the speed of the movement should make it difficult for them to land after any velocity has occurred.  We want to engrain the correct posture and tracking of the foot, knee and hip so that they can drive off effectively for the next rep.  This may take anywhere from 1 second to 20 seconds.  Momentum will either send the athlete into another step in the direction they are travelling, or back to their drive leg.  We are looking for them to be able to stabilize themselves before they continue forth.  This also forces them to understand the importance of placing their body in the most efficient position before changing direction

d.      When they stick-If their hips are not square, tell them to take their time and balance themselves into the correct position to engrain the correct patterning (start at the foot and work your way up).  Most common position is for the trail leg to sweep behind the plant leg.  Most athletes will try to move as quickly as possible and neglect the importance of this.  From an efficiency stand point, we want the trail leg and plant leg to be in a square position to ensure minimal energy loss (even if they are hockey players)

e.      The “correct position” is to stick with a slight bend in the knee (basic power or hip hinge pattern).  As mentioned, momentum will either take them in the direction they are moving (in the form of a hop or lateral hip shift) or back from which they came in the form of putting the other foot down

f.        Mix up the patterns to disguise repetition.  They all require the same principles.  Try some decoupling work when you are somewhat confident in the athletes abilities

3.       Ladder drills and progressions.  Work on àelevating heart rateàfootworkàbody position (start and stops, in and out)àacceleration/decelerationàreactionàdecoupling (for stick, ball and racquet sports)àto teach when and why you would use “quick foot” drillsàconditioning

How to use the ladder drills somewhat effectively:

a.       Once the athlete can do the basic drills within the ladder, it is nothing more than a warm up tool

b.      Have the athlete go through the ladder with a set progression as fast as possible.  On your cue (generally near the end of the ladder when body position starts to change) they must stop within the ladder and get into the most efficient body position they can before starting again.  This may be used in any direction

c.       Have the athlete sprint, backpedal or shuffle into the ladder (5-8meters out from it)

d.      Have the athlete sprint, backpedal or shuffle outside (within 1meter of the ropes) of the ladder and enter it on your cue on a predetermined pattern

e.      On your command get in or out of the ladder.  Mix it up

f.        Use a ball or med ball, stick, racquet etc and incorporate some decoupling movements

4.       Cone drills and progressions.  Work on àvisual and verbal reactionàstarting mechanicsàchange of elevationàchange of direction/agilityàmulti-directional movement

How to use cone drills:

a.       Place 4 cones in either a square pattern or a consecutive line .  Distance between should be dependent on what your goals for the athlete are.  I begin with shorter distances and expand from there

b.      Use a chalk line as a marker for a neutral position (the spot where they must stop, start and return to)

c.       Have the athlete run to each cone and back to neutral in whichever fashion THEY chose.  Tell them there is no set pattern and let them make the decision as to where they would like to go.  It is completely random, but there will be something to take home from this when you start to watch numerous athletes in this drill (creativity, confirmation bias)

                                                               i.      The beauty of this lies in the ability to utilize a set space and cover all planes and all different movement styles while easily disguising repetition

d.      Assign each cone a number or point to each cone you would like the athlete to go to.  Take note of their transition from each separate stop and start.  Did they move “functionally”?  Was there wasted energy?  Was there frustration?  If not, you are probably doing it wrong

e.      Move to more random patterns.  Throw a bunch of cones out in any pattern.  Incorporate all different types of movement patterns as the athlete progresses. 

Extra Drills to Enhance Movement:

·         Stab or towel drills

·         Line drills/relays.  Work on knee, hip and torso position

o   Staticàreactiveàlow to high reactive for knee, hip and torso positionàduck under

·         Large Quadrant drill

·         Chain Tag

 

Key Points:

·         Making mistakes are ok for both parties involved.  There is no “set” technique.  Determine how the athlete moves best and work from there.  If an athlete makes a mistake, we want to capitalize on it as a positive.  It means they are going at a speed that we need and part of what we are trying to achieve is seeing how they deal with it.

·         Don’t make examples of your weakest athletes in group settings.  Use someone that is good at what you are teaching to demo technique.  It is not to shun the rest of the group, but to give motion memory and visual reps of what it should look like for those that may struggle.

·         Slow down the volume and speed up the quality reps.  Once progressions are set, we need to operate at high speeds.

·         If you are working with a group of athletes and they are struggling with technique, try using the “whisper” technique to empower them.

·         Film as much as you can for instant feedback.

·         Many people will rip on quick foot drills.  Remember where their use lies.  Fast feet are utilized right before a change of direction to give the defender a reason to question which direction you will be going, in confined spaces and to manipulate your body position after or before a powerful step.

·         Be creative without getting crazy.  Disguise repetition so that the athletes can do the basic movements and do them well.