With two new assistants this semester I'm definitely thinking about my philosophy and having to reshape, redefine and refine it. To me, this is all very good. There isn't enough critical thinking that goes on anymore. People read something and it becomes gospel because the author has a "name" or because it happens to catch the reader's attention and they can make sense of it.
As an old man who grew up without the internet and because I'm not a sheep, I have developed the ability to discern information (I'm not sure I used "discern" correctly, but it sounds smart and I'm not going to look up the definition). I never read something and take it at face value. I always try to dig deeper and figure out who's writing it, what their true intention is ( too many people are just out to make money) and then I decide if I'm going to take the time to understand it.
Anyway, it seems like I got off topic, but I didn't. I've been talking with my new GA's explaining why I do things the way I do. A big topic is always hip mobility. For this I use hurdle-unders. Simply duck under and hurdle. Even if they do it "wrong" it will benefit them.
To this I get, "Well, there are better ways..." My response, "I know." What young coaches don't realize is that sometimes good enough, is good enough.
I ran an experiment that no one knew I was running. Our basketball team is testing this week and I let the GA running them do his own thing with hip mobility.
He has some fancy things they do that require a lot of coaching and attention. So, while guys are Squatting (an important lift) they're pairing it with hip mobility exercises (not nearly as important while we're Squatting). Instead of paying attention to their Squatting (IMPORTANT) he spent the majority of his time coaching and correcting hip mobility exercises (NOT IMPORTANT). Fast forward to testing...
I'm not exaggerating, 80-85% of the Squat reps were high, even by basketball player standards.
After my experiment (that went exactly how I knew it would) we talked about the day. At this point I explained that I know that simply doing hurdle-unders is not the BEST option for hip mobility. However, when paired with Squatting it's PERFECT. It's perfect because it requires absolutely zero attention. Glance over your shoulder. Are guys ducking under hurdles? Yes. Good enough. Now you're freed up to watch and coach the exercises that actually matter.
There are all kinds of examples of this. Planks are another point of "contention". My answer, "It's a f@#$ing plank."
I'm a nitpicker. I like things done correctly. However, I've learned over the decades that some battles are not worth fighting for a number of reasons:
- They won't get hurt.
- It's a plank, DB Row (fill in the blank with assistance exercises that you just need to perform pretty well).
- If you're constantly correcting kids (especially this generation that thinks they're perfect) they're going to develop and dislike of the weight room. That's not to say I don't correct. I just don't harp on them all the time. I choose to harp on the things that can really get them hurt if they do them wrong.
- It's good enough.
It may sound like I'm lazy. I don't believe I am. I've simply been around long enough to know that things will never be perfect. There's always a "better way" to do things, according to the internet gurus.
I know that if we do a few Olympic lifts, Squat, Deadlift, Bench, Press, DB Rows, Pull-ups and RDL's we're going to be in a great place. All the "fluff" is fine and dandy, but not necessary. I've said this to my assistants and athletes a lot, lately. "I made it through Division 1 college football without a foam roller and mobility work." Some of this stuff just doesn't matter.
As eloquently explained by my longest tenured assistant, Alex Hey, "Your program (my stuff listed above) is the hamburger and the bun. All the other stuff is the lettuce, cheese, ketchup, etc... If you take away the burger and bun you're just left with useless toppings and condiments." I couldn't have said it better, myself.
So young coaches that know everything, pay attention: Sometimes good enough, is good enough.
This is one of the THE most important coaching, parenting, working, and even LIFE articles, you could write, MR. Don't major in the minor. Don't hassle a modern distracted kid about how he sits in the chair - he is here on time, for G-d's sake, and with a pen out and notebook and waiting to listen and write.
SMART
Often you will make a comment in an article that you are not that smart. I am calling bullshit. You are, and I am not kidding, in many ways a damn genius. Don't go to that spelling or looking up words for vocabulary in a dictionary -- Washington once spelled a word three ways in one letter to let the reader know he knew all THREE spellings as our use of English did not SETTLE on one spelling per word until the works of Webster and what we now think of as the modern dictionary. Anyway, your insights, intuition are excellent. Your analysis hangs with with JW, who you have great respect for. And, like you did here, in this article, you are showing wisdom in managing a group, the athletes, the junior staff, yourself, and all while working on very advanced subjects in combinations which makes them radically more complex - people, kinesthetics, injury prevention, time management, training a huge group - and within the group you are considering variables of equipment, not enough staff, low level bench warmers to the genetic freaks high performers.
Most people, even the most advanced, should read this about 10 times and apply it not just to coaching.
May I make a training/tactical suggestion?
With your brains and knowledge and skill, make a quick a list of 'good enough' exercises like the hurdle-unders for hips for say 5-10 other areas that are good enough for said other body parts/areas -- they could be huge advantages to many home/garage trainers and others. Consider.
Thank you and VERY well done, Sir.
If they look at you and dismiss what you are doing and saying, it says a TON more about them than you. Since you respect JW so; think about why W's 5/3/1 is so good in many ways and a significant part of that quality is what he chose to leave OUT of the book and workouts. Why does he eliminate volume during the season while having players, even goofy little kids, peaking in the playoffs, using his system? Same stuff you are doing while managing players with nagging injury by this time in the season. Anyone else even talk about training the walking wounded? No.
Keep going.