Optimizing Your Fall Training
Incorporating Athleticism
Vern
Gambetta
Gambetta
Sports training Systems, Sarasota, FL
See www.gambetta.com
for the latest information on training. See the web site for upcoming seminars
and appearances.
Where
have all the athletes gone? At first that may seem like a very naïve statement,
but lets examine it further. Look beyond the numbers. What is missing? It is
athleticism. We know it when we see it! We talk about it, but do we know how to
develop it? What is it? Lets begin by defining the term. Given its widespread
use I was surprised that I was unable to find an acceptable definition so I
came up with the following definition of athleticism. Athleticism is the
ability to execute athletic movements at optimum speed with precision, style
ace. It is certainly not a very complicated definition. It is easy to see when
someone has it. It is certainly inherent in the successful track & field
performer. My observation is that in sport, even though performance standards
continue to skyrocket we are seeing less and less athleticism. We have
increased early specialization and sacrificed overall athleticism.
This
is the downside of the emphasis on specificity in training as well as the emphasis
on early specialization. Sometimes we are lead to believe it is an either-or
proposition. Produce a better jumper or thrower or produce a better jumping or
throwing athlete. Ultimately the goal is to produce the best possible athlete
who specializes in a particular event. In this case not only will performance
be enhanced, but injuries will be reduced.
Some
of the downside is the apparent conflict in terms of time and effort. With the
same amount of training time available is it possible to train to improve
athleticism without sacrificing specific event training. First of all we need
to eliminate the distinction, the two are not mutually exclusive. They are
co-dependent and intertwined, one enhances the other. There is time within the
context of the existing structure to fit in athleticism components. It just
needs to be made a priority. There is a saying that “You don’t need to see
different things, but rather to see things differently.” Sometimes we overlook
the obvious. In the incessant search to improve performance we have gotten away
from the essence of it all. The foundation is athleticism. Athleticism can be
developed through a systematic approach to athlete development. It is
imperative to look for every opportunity to incorporate elements of athleticism
in all aspect of training. Specific event skills are a combination of patterns
of complex motor programs. They are patterns that can be reproduced when we tap
into the wisdom of the body. Though experiencing all different patterns of
movement we learn to let things happen. We learn to let the motor program run.
We cue an action that will result in a “chain reaction” of efficient movement.
We need to emphasize a free play approach that results in fluidity and
improvisational skills.
The question quickly arises: Should we try to teach
every movement and then coach it? Or should we allow the athlete the joy of
discovery through exploration. There seems to be a worry about them getting it
wrong! My answer to that is: What is wrong? There must be a spontaneity and
anticipation in movemnt, not a robotic programmed approach. It has been my
experience working with athletes at all levels in a wide variety of sports that
athletes will find their own best way of doing something if they are put in a
position where they have to adapt. They are very adaptable. Every athlete has a
movement signature which is unique to their body time, mindset etc. We need to
encourage an extemporaneous approach much like a great jazz musician
improvises.
Early
specialization in one event at young ages is a serious problem that has contributed to the decline
of athleticism. The broader range of motor skill developed through free play
and exposure to many varied motor programs is a big limiting factor. The choice
is to produce better Track & Field athletes or produce one -event
specialists with very narrow skill ranges. Ultimately the goal is to produce
the best jumping, throwing and running athletes. Versatility is a quality that
is rewarded both in terms of performance and protection from injury.
One sided training with an
emphasis on one or two components of performance rather than a blend. The
components of performance, and therefore training are:
speed, strength, stamina, suppleness,
skill and recovery. There is a synergistic relationship between all components
therefore all components must be trained during all phases of the year in
varying combinations depending on the athlete’s level of development.
Monkey See – Monkey Do Syndrome. Just
because an athlete has been successful with a particular training method does
not mean that the method is the best or should be copied. It is my experience
that many athletes are successful in spite of, not because of their training.
Make sure that what you are doing is based on sound training principles, a good
progression and fits the individual you are working with at the time.
It is always easy and convenient
to look to the “Good old days” as being better. The simple fact is that before
the advent of specialization athletes learned and competed in several events.
It was not unusual to see a high school athlete do four or six events in a dual
(depending on rules). This was not so bad. The athlete may not have been as
good early, but once they did chose to specialize they had a broader base of
motor skills to draw upon to enhance their specific event skill. Sometimes it
is good to look back to gain perspective to move ahead. We cannot go backward,
but we must look for ways to enhance athleticism that has been lost due to
early specialization.
Training must have a purpose that will transfer the
training to the event. With a base of athleticism, specific training will be
even more purposeful. The basis of training athleticism is rooted in running, jumping
and throwing which encompass the whole spectrum of human movement. The body is
a link system; sometimes referred to as the kinetic chain. Athleticism training
is all about linkage – it is all about how all the parts of the chain work
together in harmony to produce smooth efficient patterns of movement. The brain
does not recognize individual muscles. It recognizes patterns of movement,
which consist of the individual muscles working in harmony to produce movement.
The fact that we live, work and play
in a gravitationally enriched environment cannot be denied. Over reliance on
machines or training in positions or postures significantly different that
those in the events will give us a false sense of security because they negate
some of the effects of gravity. Gravity and its effect must be a prime
consideration when designing and implementing a functional training program or
we are not preparing the body for the forces that it must overcome. We cannot
ignore gravity, the loading it provides is essential for movement. Therefore we
must learn to overcome its effects, cheat and even defeat it occasionally.
Understanding and training athleticism is a
challenging process. It demands creativity and imagination. It is often
contrary to conventional wisdom as represented in current mainstream sport
science research that emphasizes specificity and measurable outcomes. Do not be
limited by use conventional wisdom as a staring point and move forward while
thinking and acting outside the box. You and your athletes will enjoy the day
to day challenges of training, with a resulting higher injury free performance
level.
Where should you put athleticism training in a daily
workout? Start with the first step of the workout. You need to warm-up everyday
before every training session. Make the warm-up the start of your daily dose of
athleticism training. An extensive well-planned dynamic warm-up can set the
tempo for that workout.
Athleticism Multi-stage Warm-up
The warm-up is “active”
not continuous. It should build progressively in intensity into the workout.
There is a great emphasis on mobility not much on static flexibility.
Flexibility is trained as a separate training unit.
1) Mini Band Routine
(12” band above ankles)
Sidestep
Walk - Forward/Back
Carioca
Monster Walk
2) Balance &
Stability
Single Leg Squat (Hold each position five counts)
a)
Straight 2 x ea leg
b) Side
2 x ea leg
c)
Rotation 2 x ea leg
Balance
Shift
Shift
Right - Shift Left
Forward
Right - Forward Left
Back
Right - Back Left
3) Basic Core (3 Kg Med
Ball)
Wide Rotation x 20
Tight Rotation x 20
Side to Side x 20
Chop to Knee x 20
Figure 8 x 20
Big Circle x 5 each direction
4) Multi Dimensional
Stretch
Lunge
& Reach Series ( 2 reps in each plane – Forward/Side/Rotational)
Reach Up
Reach Out & Down
Reach Across
Jack
Knife Crawl x 5
Creepy
Crawl x 5
5) Hip Mobility (Five
Hurdles)
Hurdle Walks – Over
Hurdle Walks – Under
6) Active Stretch (
No more than two minutes)
Calf
Hamstrings
Psoas
Lats
Pecs
7)
Coordination (All @ 30 meters x 2)
Skip
Crossover
Skip
Side
Step
Carioca
Backward
Run
High
Skip
High
Skip with Rotation
7) Accelerations
4 - 6 x 30 meters
8) Event Specific
Activities
In addition to warm-up
t is best to develop various modules that address fundamental movements that
underlie all the events in track & field. I suggest that you have two to
three balance modules that your can utilize both in warm-up and spaced at
strategic interval throughout the workout as “active rest.” The same is true with
other components. The following balance modules were developed by Steve Myrland
of Myrland Sports Training in Madison, Wisconsin:
Basic
Balance (do these drills on firm, flat ground):
Static balance without
movement, balancing on each foot
Progress to barefoot Repeat with eyes closed; then progress to dynamic
balance
Dynamic
Balance
Forward step to
balance on each foot
Backward step to
balance on each foot
Lateral step to
balance on each foot
Transverse step (turn
and step) to balance on each foot
Repeat with eyes closed; then progress to ballistic balance
Ballistic
Balance
Forward bound to
balance on each foot
Lateral bound to
balance on each foot
Backward bound to
balance on each foot
Transverse (turn &
bound) to balance on each foot
The footwork component
of athleticism can be addressed daily through use of the ABC Agility ladder. The following are is a basic module that can
be used as part of warm-up:
ABC Agility Ladder Footwork Module
I
Forward
2 In
Forward
1 In
Lateral 2
In
In/In –
Out
Good luck with incorporating a
more ”athletic” approach to your fall preparation training. You will see the
athletes respond positively from a motivation standpoint, but most importantly
you will them reach higher injury free performance levels than ever before.