I apologize in advance for the formatting. No matter how many times I try to fix it, it reverts back to this awful spacing and bullet points. To save my sanity, it's staying like it is.

The Summit for Transformative Learning on the campus of the Mary Institute and Country Day School in Saint Louis was an unbelievable event. The caliber of speakers, the access to information, and the top-notch facilities makes this one of the most underrated conferences for coaches and educators.

I flew in Sunday morning and Matt Buha, Head Football Coach at MICDS picked up Jim Radcliffe and myself from the airport. I got the chance to talk to Jim for quite a while and he is as humble as they come. For being one of the absolute best coaches in the country and one of the best presenters I have ever seen; he doesn't hesitate to give others credit. He is a true leader in our field.

One of the best things about conferences and clinics is you meet people in person for the first time and you feel like you've been friends for a long time. That's how I felt about Matt Buha. Matt and I connected on social media and when he asked me to speak, I did not hesitate. After meeting him and talking with him in depth, I am glad we are able to develop a friendship and mutual respect. He is a stand-up guy.

SUNDAY: PRE-CONFERENCE

Vern Gambetta

Vern Gambetta is currently the Director of Gambetta Sports Training Systems. He has been the conditioning coach for several teams in Major League Soccer as well as the conditioning consultant to the U.S. Men’s World Cup Soccer team. Vern is the former Director of Conditioning for the Chicago White Sox and Director of Athletic Development for the New York Mets. Vern is recognized internationally as an expert in training and conditioning for sport having worked with world class athletes and teams in a wide variety of sports. He is a popular speaker and writer on conditioning topics, having lectured and conducted clinics in Canada, Japan, Australia and Europe. Vern's coaching experience spans 39 years at all levels of competition, and he has authored six books and over 100 articles related to coaching and sport performance in a variety of sports.

Here are a few take-away points from Vern's presentation:

Every training session should have goals relating to:

  1. Efficiency
  2. Continuity
  3. Context
  • Efficiency - This refers to the timeliness and quality of the work done
  • Continuity - This refers to the flow from one training modality to another
  • Context - This refers to the relationship between the training and the sport skill

Traits of the Training Session

  1. Neural
  2. Metabolic
  3. Mechanical
  4. Technical

There are Levels for every coach when it comes to programming:

    1.  What I Want to do

 

  • What would be Nice to do

 

 

  • What I Need to do

 

 

The 3 Ms of Every Training Session

    1. It must be Manageable

 

  • It must be Measurable

 

 

  • It must be Motivational

 

 

   The 3 Ps of Every Training Session

    1. It must be Practical

 

  • It must be Personal

 

 

  • It must be Proactive

 

 

The 3 Rs of a Training Session

    1. Routine

 

  • Repetition

 

 

  • Refinement

 

 

The 3 Ls to avoid in Every Training Session

    1. Lines

 

  • Laps

 

 

  • Lectures

 

 

 

 Training Sessions must be Coach Driven and Athlete Centered. - Vern Gambetta

Motor Learning Progressions: Based on the research, Whole-Part-Whole is best method of teaching skills to athletes. In order for athletes to truly comprehend and master a concept or skill there are 3 phases: Talk it - Explain the technique (audible learners) Chalk it - Demonstrate the technique (visual learners) Walk it  - Have the athlete perform the technique (tactile learners)

 

Jim Radcliffe

Jim Radcliffe has a M.S. from University of Oregon in Exercise & Movement Science and a B.A. from Pacific University in Physical Education & Health. He is currently the Head Strength & Conditioning Coach at the University of Oregon, Eugene, and has been a coach for the University of Oregon Athletic Dept. since 1985.  He is an instructor for intercollegiate athletics including weight training, basketball, softball/baseball and track & field. He has written or consultant on numerous books and videos including High-Powered Plyometrics and Encyclopedia of Sports Medicine & Exercise Physiology.  During his tenure as the longest among his counterparts within the Pac-12 Conference, Jim established himself as a highly-respected teacher, coach and author. An active clinician throughout the country, he is widely recognized as one of the leading authorities regarding exercise for the development of strength, speed and agility.    The first time I saw Jim Radcliffe present was over 15 years ago. Every time he has presenting at a conference I attended, I would go see him present. I did this not just because he may be the most knowledgeable coach when it comes to applying the practical application of plyometrics but because of his passion and energy when speaking to an audience. For the first time since Joe Kenn introduced me five years ago, I got a chance to speak with Coach Radcliffe one-on-one as we were waiting for our rides. One thing I have learned in this profession is that a lot of the top strength coaches in the industry are also the most humble. Not because they are not confident in their abilities or proud of their accomplishments, but because they are always willing to give credit to the coaches that helped them. 

#cslewis A photo posted by Mark Watts (@coach_mjdubs) on

Radcliffe has provided me with a ton of material I stole over the years including the correct way to perform a depth jump, jump sequences, upper body mechanics in jumping, and separating power cuts from speed cuts in speed and agility training. In his STL in STL presentation(s), Radcliffe went a lot deeper into principles, programming,  and some strength training progressions. Here is something interesting he said which Vern had repeated as well.

An interesting concept that isn't necessarily new but valuable none the less was how he tracked total volume (tonnage) of his athletes. Radcliffe differentiated volume from tonnage; volume being total reps and tonnage being total reps multiplied by weight. Again, not new, but I really thought the way he used this tonnage to allow for athlete autonomy at The University of Oregon was very unique.   Athlete Autonomy via Tonnage One adaptation would be to give the athlete a starting work set and a total tonnage goal. Another way would be to provide all sets, reps and load for week one. Then, have the athlete beat the total tonnage from the previous week. Radcliffe obviously gave parameters, but you can see how this concept can be adapted depending on the culture of the team you are working with.

Here's my example. Set 1: 300 x5 Set 2: 300 x3 Set 3: 300 x2   Set 1 = 1500, Set 2 = 900, Set 3 = 600. Total Tonnage = 3000lbs in 3 sets So for week 2, an athlete may increase weight (or reps) but may effect the total tonnage: Set 1: 315 x4 Set 2: 335 x2 Set 3: 300 x4    Set 1 = 1260, Set 2 = 670, Set 3 = 1200. Total Tonnage = 3110lbs in 3 sets So, week 2 would have been a higher total tonnage week even though the volume was less in terms of reps. I realize there are some flaws with this system. 1. Athletes must do math 2. Total tonnage may not be the most desirable fitness quality 3. With autonomy for athletes, comes unpredictability for coaches 4. One rep during one set can be a huge difference in the success of reaching the goal. (Actually, that urgency and intention may be the best quality of this system.) Regardless, I thought this could serve as another factor in motivation and tracking of athlete performance. 

 

 MONDAY

 

Clay Erro

Clay Erro attributes his 35 years of success as a teacher and coach to two simple concepts: "We not Me" and "Through the character of the individual comes the success of the group."  He served for many years in a high school district in northern California. Clay received the status of Distinguished Educator, served as the District Dept. Chair for Physical Education, and designed, developed and taught the first ever District Athletic Coaches course for the more than 120 coaches.  He was honored with the CIF State of California Model Coach of the Year award for being a positive role model in his school and in his community, exhibiting the traits and principles of pursuing victory with honor. He is also a co-founder of the Northern California Retired Coaches Association, a non‐profit that raises money for student athlete scholarships.  Clay continues to speak with faculty, coaches and athletes throughout the West Coast as well as at the GAIN conference held annually at Rice University. Without a doubt, Clay Erro is the real deal. His presentation was one of the best I have ever witnessed. The difference between his talk and most is that you could feel his genuine tone, his authentic commitment to helping others, and the impression that none of his message was theoretical. Everything he preaches could be used in any situation because he lived it, taught it, and won with it. Here are some highlights of his talk: There is a difference when your athletes are "here" and when your athletes are present.

Clay Erro's 4 Rules Instructions

      1. We, not Me

 

 

    • No Excuses

 

   

    • No Messengers

 

   

    • No Sympathy Groups

 

     We, not Me: This one is painfully obvious but will enable the next 3 rules to have a greater impact. No Excuses: This is more than just a high school football theme t-shirt. Coach Erro didn't overdo the obvious on this one, but went to details of how excuses effect an entire team. 

No Messengers: There is a tremendous difference )and a fine line) between looking after a teammate's well being and enabling that teammate to take an easier path with his/ her decision. An athlete asking a teammate to convey a message to a coach or a parent communicating to a player on that player's behalf are frequent in athletics these days. Coaches need to make sure they are not "asking" for messengers by saying, "Where's Jimmy?" if Jimmy is not at practice.

Not allowing messengers eliminates enablers and empowers athletes to act on their own and take responsibility for their own actions. This in turn makes all other rules more effective. When an athlete blames someone else, they surrender the power to change. They become helpless. 

No Sympathy Groups: There is a difference between sympathy and empathy. The way Coach Erro explained Sympathy groups gave me a much more clear understanding of how destructive they could be. The moment a player is able to vent to another about playing time, game plan, etc., that person starts to become a cancer. Sympathy groups should be eliminated or the obvious outcome is a division of the team. As Coach Erro has said:

It's Hard Enough to Coach One Team... Don't Try to Coach Two.

Sports Performance Coach Education Series

The elitefts™ Sports Performance Coach Education Series is a comprehensive educational resource for coaches in the collegiate, high school, professional, and private settings. This series will take a fundamental approach to various topics that will enable coaches the additional skills to enhance their coaching abilities, improve marketability in the industry, and drastically increase the impact they have upon their athletes.

  1. WATCH: How to Find a Strength and Conditioning Job
  2. WATCH: Becoming a Mentor to Young Coaches
  3. WATCH: The Four-Step Coaching Process
  4. WATCH: 5 Strategies to Perform More Work in Less Time
  5. WATCH: Why Communication is Key to a Better Coaching Career
  6. WATCH: A Better Way to Train High School Athletes
  7. WATCH: How to Implement Auto-Regulatory Training in a Team Setting
  8. WATCH: Pre-Workout Circuits to Optimize Training Time and Maximize Performance
  9. WATCH: Hypertrophy Circuits for Athletes in a Team Setting

Coaches Clinics 

  1. WATCH: Two Bench Press Mechanical Drop-Sets for Hypertrophy
  2. WATCH: Two Lateral Speed Drills with Bands to Improve Change of Direction
  3. WATCH: Adjusting the Glute-Ham Raise to Optimize Your Training
  4. WATCH: Basic Linear Speed Acceleration Drills in a Team Setting
  5. WATCH: Kettlebell Training for Team Sports
  6. WATCH: Three Dumbbell Press Variations

 Mark Watts' Articles and Coaching Log

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