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GAIN 2011

Principles of Training: Overload variations

Posted On Wednesday, 11th January 2012 at 08:25

If your only tool is a hammer, then everything becomes a nail. If your only way of overloading an athlete to cause adaptation is Resistance, then you are limiting what they can achieve.

Not every sport, or every athlete needs to be loaded in the same way. One way of defining overload (as I learnt from Jim Radcliffe on GAIN 2011) is shown here:

How to Plan Your Training: GAIN Review 6

Posted On Tuesday, 23rd August 2011 at 07:30

“90% of coaches’ work is grunt work”  Terry Brand

Vern Gambetta did a few presentations on planning training, as well as a couple on coaching itself. The overall theme was “have a plan, then work the plan”.  I will cover some specifics in this blog, as well as an overall summary.

Power, acceleration and force: GAIN review 5

Posted On Monday, 22nd August 2011 at 07:10

“Some research can’t interpret it’s own data, sometimes that data is wrong.”

Jack Blatherwick opened my eyes with 2 great lectures. The first was on Acceleration, the second on research. He had some great visual slides, that just explained things very clearly. There was a constant sound of “oh, I see….” From around the room as people began to grasp hitherto poorly understood subjects.

Not sure I can do it justice…

How to develop speed: GAIN review 4

Posted On Friday, 19th August 2011 at 07:58

“The hamstrings transfer force from the motor of the butt to the wheels of the foot.”

Tenets of speed development

Athletics coach  Gary Winckler  delivered an excellent overview on what he thinks is important on developing speed. A lot of the work is similar to what Frans Bosch did a couple of years ago, and he mentioned Bosch’s work a lot.

Plyometrics and Agility: GAIN review 3

Posted On Wednesday, 17th August 2011 at 07:37

 “Try to be more like a super ball not a tomato”

Jim Radcliffe’s advice on plyometric training rang true as he went through a series of progressions for plyometrics. I haven’t read his book on the subject, but watching him to do it and progress, it certainly made sense.

Strength and Power Concepts, Jim Radcliffe GAIN review 2

Posted On Monday, 15th August 2011 at 07:52

“The best way to get in shape is not to get out of shape.”

Jim Radcliffe has been coaching at Oregon University for 26 years (That is longer than most “S&C coaches” in the UK have been alive). Unlike a lot of people who have been in situ for a long time, he isn’t resting on his laurels in a comfort zone of repeating the same thing year after year.

Principles of Athletic Development : GAIN review 1

Posted On Friday, 12th August 2011 at 07:12

“Are you making athletes better or tired or more predisposed to injury?”

This was one of the key questions we were asked on the GAIN 2011 conference in Houston, Texas in June.

It is easy to make Athletes tired, it is easy to do STUFF, but making them better and knowing why you are doing things is difficult.

 This is the 1st of 5 blogs that will review some of the things covered over the 5 day conference. It is a summation of my reflections and thoughts since then: hence the delay.

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