Let s start with some ques ons

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Abigayle Boyd
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1 The intersec on of motor learning, workout design and coach/athlete interac on Will Freeman Grinnell College Thanks to Dietrich Harre, Dan Pfaff, Frank Dick, Vern Gambe a, Joe Vigil, Tudor Bompa and many others who have influenced my coaching Let s start with some ques ons What is the goal of what we do? 1. Meet the needs of the athlete 2. Improve the athlete s performance Physiological Development Psychological Development 3. Build stronger people through a healthy sport experience

2 How do I get started? What is the star ng point (Point A)? What is the goal (Point B)? Background? Training age, biomotor abili es and poten al, baggage brought to the sport? Once Point A is determined, and exercises chosen, can those change as the athlete progresses? Communica on with the athlete regarding what they need is important to them ge ng on board with the program. The athlete needs to be a part of the process (dependence to independence) How do you know if your athlete is improving? Short term, long term? Feedback and communica on The discomfort zone and adapta on physiological and psychological Tes ng Assessment HELP THE ATHLETE DEVELOP TWO THINGS COMPETENCE + CONFIDENCE

3 MOTOR LEARNING Teaching and Learning How the skill is taught by the coach, and learned by the athlete How the skill is retained and then stabilized The structure of prac ce Verbal and visual learning Feedback mechanisms THE PURPOSE OF PRACTICE Teaching and refining skills Developing/enhancing/balancing biomotor skills speed/strength/coordina on/endurance/flexibility To challenge the athlete in ways that a meet situa on will. Problem solving in execu on of skills CONSIDERATIONS WHEN WRITING TRAINING Does the training reflect the period of learning and the me of the training year? Intensity and Complexity progression Correc ng physical deficiencies Tes ng to illuminate issues How deficiencies create injuries and poor technique

4 PRACTICE DESIGN The prac ce format: 1. Warmup 2. Technical feature(s) 3. Speed feature (may be integrated with 2) 4. Strength feature (may be integrated with 1,2,3) 5. Fitness feature 6. Cooldown (reverse of 1) TRAINING COMPETENCE Understand the athlete and their needs Where are they on the developmental con nuum? What are the limita ons, hurdles, baggage? Is the athlete in the right event? What does the athlete want out of the experience? Is the training effec ve and progressive? What to do Why to do it How to do it When to do it Feedback mechanisms to speed improvement DEVELOPING CONFIDENCE IMPROVEMENT has the on self-efficacy FEEDBACK FROM THOSE THE ATHLETE TRUSTS THE VALUE OF TESTING SHOWS IMPROVEMENT OF BIOMOTOR SKILLS PERFORMANCE FEEDBACK (verbal and visual) COMPETITITONS PRACTICE THE PROCESS OF BUILDING CONFIDENCE SOMEWHAT MIRRORS SKILL DEVELOPMENT PROCESS THIS TAKES TIME. THERE IS NO CONFIDENCE SWITCH TO FLIP

5 PROBLEMS IN MOTOR LEARNING Increasing complexity or intensity too quickly. Not challenging the athlete enough. Training is not progressive. The roller coaster effect. Issues that block motor learning: Lack of hip mobility Lack of strength Fear Injury and compensa on, asymmetry Poor knowledge base of coach Nega ve transfer from other sports. Overloading the athlete with informa on DEFINING TRAINING DESIGN WHAT the athlete does. WHY they do it (the reasoning for your choices) HOW they do it (the process and techniques of training) WHEN they do it (intensity/volume/density issues) Is the training appropriate for the athlete and the me of the year (is it mee ng the needs of the athlete at any given me?) Is the training progressive in nature? Wri ng training Vs Using what others do. SOME BASIC CONCEPTS IN TRAINING THE BIOMOTOR ABILITIES Speed - Strength - Coordina on (skills) - Endurance Flexibility Problems encountered in training these Too much focus on endurance in speed-power events Imbalance early in process. Not enough focus on developing coordina on Not recognizing the overlap of the training of these 5 areas (total work load issues resul ng in overloading)

6 Bompa and Harre Get to know these guys. Bompa High Performance Harre Stabiliza on Specialized Training Refinement Mul lateral Development Acquisi on PROGRESSION IN TRAINING FEEDBACK IS CRUCIAL (FROM BOTH COACH AND ATHLETE) VOL/INT/DENSITY ISSUES AND LEARNING KNOW WHAT YOU ARE STARTING WITH GENERAL TO SPECIFIC (MICRO AND MACRO) SIMPLE TO COMPLEX PROGRESSING INTENSITY IN TRAINING Intensity will vary with: The exercises chosen The purpose of the prac ce Example of high and low intensity prac ces Rhythm before Speed

7 THE STAGE OF TRAINING AFFECTS INTENSITY Acquisi on Low to Medium Fast enough to establish proper rhythm Refinement Medium to High Stabiliza on High YAKOVLEV S MODEL OF SUPERCOMPENSATION LOADING SUPERCOMPENSATION NORMAL STATE FATIGUE COMPENSATION (RECOVERY) ADAPTATION TO OVERLOAD Why we overload the system Physiological adapta on Psychological adapta on Progression in training Increase intensity of training with mastery The value of ge ng outside the comfort zone Rhythm before speed The value of repe on

8 THEMES IN TRAINING Different mes of the training year demand different emphases in training (PHASES) early-season >> mid-season >> late season Macro themes (primary yearly theme examples) Year 1: Cleaning up weaknesses Year 2: Strength Year 3: Speed Year 4: Compe on Micro themes (period to period, week to week, day to day) OVERVIEW OF TRAINING DESIGN Plan compe ve schedule and put on calendar Build themes on the calendar: Macroà Phase à Microcycle à Week à Day Work backwards from target date Determine total workloads for weeks Is the demand progressive? Does the progression build in restora on weeks? Determine total workloads for days of the week Does the week s theme drive the training? Is there sufficient recovery (esp. a er big CNS hit days)? Quan fy the workload each day (intensity, volume) THE SHORT HIGH SCHOOL SEASON weeks Balancing work and recovery is cri cal. Over-reaching and over-training are lethal to an athlete in a short season. Understand high nervous system demand days require more recovery for the athlete. 72 hr. rule for big hit CNS days. Recognize that what the athlete brings into the sport can either be valuable or problema c. Keep records so you know what does and what doesn t work. Warmup can be used to train biomotor abili es

TRACK EXERCISES Exercise Demand Speed Complexity Warm-up Cool down 1 Low level skipping Low Slow Easy X X 2 Propriocep ve walk Low Slow Moderate X 3 Leg cradle Low Slow Moderate X 4 Easy skip with

Piston steps Medium Fast Moderate X 10 Carioca Medium Medium Moderate X X 11 Jog jog quick step Medium Medium Moderate X 12 Straight leg bounds Medium Medium Moderate X 13 Ankling Low Slow Moderate X

9 TRACK EXERCISES Exercise Demand Speed Complexity Warm-up Cool down 1 Low level skipping Low Slow Easy X X 2 Propriocep ve walk Low Slow Moderate X 3 Leg cradle Low Slow Moderate X 4 Easy skip with arm circles Low Medium Moderate X X 5 Inverted hamstring Low Slow Moderate X X 6 A skip Medium Medium Moderate X X 7 Squat side steps High Slow Moderate X 8 High knee jog Low Medium Moderate X X 9 Piston steps Medium Fast Moderate X 10 Carioca Medium Medium Moderate X X 11 Jog jog quick step Medium Medium Moderate X 12 Straight leg bounds Medium Medium Moderate X 13 Ankling Low Slow Moderate X X 14 Alternate toe touch walk Low Slow Moderate X 15 Walk with arm circles Low Slow Moderate X X 16 Quick step running High Fast Moderate X X 17 Single leg quick steps Medium Fast Moderate X X 18 Increasing quick step 1-5 High Fast Moderate X X 19 Knee hug lunges elbow to instep Low Medium Complex X 20 Knee hug lunge step with twist Medium Slow Complex X X 21 Side runs with arms crossing Medium Medium Complex X X 22 Sta c walks (drive/hold, step) Medium Slow Complex X X 23 Skip with arm circles Medium Medium Complex X X 24 Backward runs High Medium Complex X 25 A-C skips High Fast Complex X WALL EXERCISES Exercise Demand Speed Complexity Warm-up Cool down 26 Wall swings facing wall Medium Medium Moderate X 27 Wall swings sagi al Medium Medium Moderate X 28 Trail leg circles Medium Medium Moderate X 29 Wall lead leg lunges facing wall Low Medium Moderate X START PROGRESSION Exercise Demand Speed Complexity Warm-up Cool down 30 Standing starts Medium Fast Moderate X 31 falling starts Medium Fast Moderate X 32 touch and go's High Fast Complex X 33 4 pt. starts High Fast Complex X ACCELLERATIONS Exercise Demand Speed Complexity Warm-up Cool down 34 walk-in 30-40m accel. Medium Fast Moderate X X 35 standing 30-40m accel. Medium Fast Moderate X 36 touch and go 30-40m High Fast Complex X 37 3 and/or 4 pt start 30-40m High Fast Complex X

PROGRESSING THE BIOMOTOR ABILITIES SPEED ACCELERATION à SPEED à SPEED ENDURANCE STRENGTH BODY WEIGHT à MAX STRENGTH à POWER à MAINTENANCE TECHNICAL GENERAL à SPECIFIC

10 PROGRESSING THE BIOMOTOR ABILITIES SPEED ACCELERATION à SPEED à SPEED ENDURANCE STRENGTH BODY WEIGHT à MAX STRENGTH à POWER à MAINTENANCE TECHNICAL GENERAL à SPECIFIC (DRIVEN BY EVENT-SPECIFIC DEMAND) ENDURANCE GENERAL TO SPECIFIC FOR SPEED-POWER ATHLETES AEROBIC TO ANAEROBIC FOR ENDURANCE ATHLETES FLEXIBILITY GENERAL TOI SPECIFIC. BE CONSISTENT.

11 UNDERSTANDING RECOVERY YOUNGER ATHLETES NEED MORE RECOVERY LESS FIT ATHLETES NEED MORE RECOVERY INTENSIVE TRAINING DEMANDS LONGER RECOVERY ALL ATHLETES ARE DIFFERENT. BE CAREFUL WHEN PRESCRIBING A COMMON RECOVERY TO A LARGE GROUP. BIOMOTOR BALANCE EARLY: biomotor balance. LATE: shi ing priori es and loads. KNOW THE ATHLETE S MOTIVATION LEVEL KNOW THE SIGNS OF OVER-REACHING KNOW HOW OUTSIDE VARIABLES INFLUENCE THE ATHLETE SCHOOL, FAMILY, RELATIONSHIPS, NUTRITION, WORK, TEAM DYNAMIC) DEVELOPING COACH-ATHLETE TRUST TEACHING TOWARD INDEPENDENCE BEING OUT OF BALANCE WILL MANIFEST IN INJURIES, FAILURE, BURNOUT, AND SELF-DOUBT. TEACHER COACH MENTOR FRIEND PSYCHOLOGIST COUNSELOR OUR ROLES

12 COACH-ATHLETE TRUST THE GOAL: SELF-TRUST BUT FIRST, ATHLETE-COACH TRUST. DOES THE ATHLETE HAVE CONFIDENCE IN THE TRAINING READ, QUESTION, GO TO CLINICS. GET TO WHERE YOU CAN WRITE YOUR OWN TRANING WITH CONFIDENCE. YOUR COMMITMENT TO LEARN AND GROW SHOWS WITH THE ATHLETES. WE ARE NEVER TOO OLD TO LEARN (MY LEVEL II STORY) WHY MENTORS MATTER TODAY IS JUST MAKING A BETTER ATHLETE ENOUGH? HUMAN NATURE Where do mental issues with athletes begin? We all want to improve ourselves We most o en are defined from the outside. The process of social learning defines us, OUR CULTURE IS IN US. The Long trek to find ourselves: Purity at birth We are shaped from the outside via social comparison, family, educa on, etc problems develop We work to find our core selves again IT S ABOUT WINNING! it s the American way To win is to be successful We need to know what it is we are shoo ng for, and why. My experience with winning/losing Winning as A goal, not THE goal.

13 KNOW THE ATHLETE Outside the X s and O s is where much of the teaching and learning takes place Knowing the athlete means you know what they bring to the table. Every athlete is different and has different needs, both physiologically and psychologically. They need to know they are safe and that you care about them. Read Daniel Coyle s The Talent Code, and The Culture Code. They should be required reading for coaches. From The Talent Code, Coyle Deep prac ce is required. Hard work, struggle, and a en on to detail required. Build technique in chunks, and the chunks get larger as you gain proficiency (do as slow as you can and s ll do it right. Then, train to do it faster): rhythm before speed! Quality of prac ce is the key, not quan ty. A great connec on to an athlete requires adjus ng the message to each individual. Meet the need. The great coach forms a connec on with the individual. Watch (and learn from) those who are skilled at the event. UNDERSTAND THE POWER OF SPORT Sport tells us plenty about ourselves Track and CC are sports of discipline, consistency and persistence. It is hard to hone these in the face of societal values: Instant gra fica on Lack of persistence, discipline, pa ence Poor nutri on Lack of general fitness Poor lifestyle choices

14 INTUITION Intui on is part common sense, part wisdom. Knowledge Vs Wisdom We rely on intui on o en in the physical part of coaching it is a big part of the art of coaching. Intui on can also help us with understanding and reading the athlete from a psychological standpoint When you can tell that something is not right, it is likely intui on talking to you. Don t be afraid to heed its call. ATHLETE-CENTERED, COACH-LED Coach-centered Vs Athlete-centered Our athletes want to succeed. Our job is to show them how. They then must take the lead (teaching leaders not followers) They are hungry for leadership AND discipline The process is far more complicated than winning or losing (the result) and it is far more important. COMPETITION Compe on is rooted in social comparison Success = win Failure = lose Result: we are defined by our success and failure at sports, not by the process Problem 1: There can only be one winner. Q: Do all others then lose? Problem 2: We don t define ourselves in this model, others do. Q: Is that right?

15 MORE ON COMPETITION Know how the athlete feels about compe on. Does it provoke fear or posi ve excitement? Why? What s the worst that can happen? Process before result must be the mantra. Remember that it is the process that will determine the result We can t control 1/2 of sport! COLLABORATE with the opponent to go to a higher level of performance Uncondi onal acceptance from the coach regardless of performance DEALING WITH ADVERSITY Learn to accept it! It is part of the ride and o en is where the best learning takes place. Life is painful we must learn from it it can be opportunity knocking. His unique opportunity lies in the way in which he bears his burden. Victor Frankl in Man s Search for Meaning CAN WE TEACH COURAGE? COURAGE IS A LEARNED BEHAVIOR, not a trait. Training and compe ng will be painful, difficult and some mes humbling this is where courage is trained outside the comfort zone. Does your training model and coaching philosophy challenge the athlete in a way that helps to train courage? KIDS WANT TO BE, AND NEED TO BE, CHALLENGED.

16 COMMUNICATION 101 ATHLETES NEED TO KNOW THAT WHAT THEY ARE DOING, DONE WELL, MATTERS. COMMUNICATE THAT YOU REQUIRE DISCIPLINE AND QUALITY. TRANSFER OWNERSHIP OVER TIME. UNDERSTANDING HOW EACH ATHLETE ADDRESSES COMPETITION. WHAT S THE WORST THAT CAN HAPPEN? PROCESS BEFORE RESULT. REWARDING EFFORT, NOT TALENT. FEEDBACK THE COACH AS A LISTENER. PROMPTING RESPONSES. IN A MEET OR PRACTICE SITUATION DANGER OF OVERCUEING CONSIDER BLOCK RESPONSES QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE FEEDBACK COMPLETING THE COMMUNICATION CYCLE SOME RECOMMENDATIONS ON COMMUNICATING WITH YOUR ATHLETES BE DIRECT BE SPECIFIC DON T OVERLOAD ONE THING AT A TIME BE IMMEDIATE BE SUPPORTIVE BE CONSISTENT, VERBALLY AND NON-VERBALLY TAILOR MESSAGE TO THE INDIVIDUAL SOLICIT FEEDBACK

17 ARE YOU COMMUNICATING THAT THEY NEED TO TAKE OWNERSHIP? The first step in developing a team is for the team to take ownership (individually and collec vely). The team will go through steps in its development as runners fight to find roles and then accept these roles. Allow for it. The athlete must take responsibility of their situa on if real growth is to occur. Coach s role is to teach, to mentor, and then to know when to get out of the way. Don t create a dependent athlete. WHAT KIND OF LISTENER ARE YOU EGO OR NO-EGO LISTENER ( WELL THAT S NOTHING ) PRETEND LISTENER SELECTIVE LISTENER DEFENSIVE LISTENER COMBATIVE LISTENER ASK THE ATHLETE FOR FEEDBACK. DID THEY UNDERSTAND YOUR MESSAGE? PERSONALIZE THE MESSAGE EMPATHIC AND CRITICAL LISTENING USING/TEACHING SELF-REFLECTION INTROSPECTION INVOLVES: AWARENESS OF SELF-TALK RECOGNIZING EXTERNAL ATTRIBUTION SELF-FULFILLING PROPHESY IRRATIONAL BELIEFS PROMPT THE ATHLETE TO SEEK FEEDBACK FROM YOU BE HONEST WITH THEM (TRUST)

18 THE GENDER BARRIER (TANNEN 1995, WOOD AND FIXNER-ORAIZ, 2017 MEN TALK LONGER THAN WOMEN, AND INTERRUPT MORE OFTEN, LISTEN TO SOLVE PROBLEMS, AND TEND TO TELL STORIES RATHER THAN ASK QUESTIONS, AND USE I MORE THAN WE. WOMEN USE COMMUNICATION FOR COOPERATIVE PURPOSES, LISTEN TO SHOW UNDERSTANDING, DECODE NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION BETTER THAN MEN, ASK MORE QUESTIONS, AND INTERRUPT LESS, AND USE WE MORE THAN I. MENTORING The original Mentor is a character in Homer s epic poem The Odyssey. When Odysseus went to fight in the Trojan War, he entrusted the care of his kingdom to Mentor. Mentor served as teacher and overseer of Telemachus, Odysseus s son. My mentors: Joe Vigil, Dan Pfaff, Jack Daniels, Andy Higgins, Vern Gambetta, Arthur Lydiard, Jimmy Carnes, Walter Welsch Building better athletes? Yes, but isn t it also our goal to build stronger people? Mentors are trusted, caring advisors, not just coaches. BUILDING SELF-EFFICACY IN THE ATHLETE Does the athlete have uncondi onal support from you? The athlete must believe in the training model and the coach Read, reach out. Keep learning. The athletes will see and appreciate this. Ques on, ques on, ques on Read Vigil, Daniels, Mar n and Coe, Harre, Schmolinsky, etc and then decide for yourself what you need to do in your situa on. Have consistency in training to stay injury free Is your training model progressive and specific?

19 SELF-ESTEEM We have a self-esteem problem in this culture as kids look to the outside for affirma on of who they are. Olympic Trials Survey in What did it tell us? How do we, as coaches, help? Be examples Be suppor ve Care about the person first before the athlete Focus on improvement, and reward it! Understand training design and the sport. Become a student of it. Challenge them! FINAL THOUGHTS 1 HOW THE ATHLETE LEARNS AND PROGRESSES IS ALL ABOUT: WHAT THE COACH KNOWS TRUST BETWEEN COACH AND ATHLETE GOOD COMMUNICATION BETWEEN YOU AND THE ATHLETE UNDERSTANDING PROGRESSION IN TRAINING HAVING A GOOD TEACHER! FINAL THOUGHTS 2 WRITING TRAINING IS ALL ABOUT: HAVING THE COURAGE TO WRITE YOUR OWN TRAINING KNOW EACH ATHLETE AND WHAT THEY NEED AT ANY GIVEN TIME IN TRAINING THE COMBINATION OF COMMON SENSE, INTUITION, AND KNOWLEDGE OF WHAT, AND WHAT NOT, TO DO. BE ABLE TO VALIDATE IT (TESTING) READ BOMPA!

20 FINAL THOUGHTS 3 COMMUNICATION IS ALL ABOUT: LISTENING FIRST TEACH WELL CHALLENGE ETHEM TO BE ACTIVE LEARNERS ELICITING AND OFFERING FEEDBACK TO/FROM THE ATHLETE TRUST EACH OTHER DEVELOP FUNCTIONAL COMMUNICATION WITH THE ATHLETE QUESTIONS? SOME RECOMMENDED READINGS THE CULTURE CODE and THE TALENT CODE, Daniel Coyle. TRACK & FIELD COACHING ESSENTIALS, Freeman (editor), Allden, Chapman, Fischer, Gambe a, Judge, Rogers, McGuire, Vigil) SPORTS TRAINING PRINCIPLES, Frank Dick. PERIODIZATION. Theory and Methodology of Training. Tudor Bompa. COMMUNICATING FOR SUCCESS. Hamilton, Creel, and Kroll. THE QUEST. On the Path to Knowledge and Wisdom. Freeman PRINCIPLES OF SPORTS TRAINING, Dietrich Harre

SPORT PSYCHOLOGY HUMAN NATURE

SPORT PSYCHOLOGY HUMAN NATURE SPORT PSYCHOLOGY Most often mirrors the fix-it medical model We can also view it as a preventative model, but this is more work for us: We must understand human nature We must know the athlete We must