I have a couple things that might be of benefit for professional development for some of our members.SOLD OUT Dynamic Warmup Considerations for Speed-Power Athletes DVD for only $14.95My DVD publisher misprinted several of one of my DVDs such that the DVD has the content of Dynamic Warmup Considerations for Speed-Power Athletes but the label of Maximal Velocity Sprint Mechanics is on the cover. Th [...]

What is it? It is the athlete knowing their body in respect to their sport. Knowing how to push the envelope in order to get better. Are you born with it? Some are innately better than others but we know from research and best practice that everyone can get significantly better. Tough to measure drive and determination, the athlete with supposed limited physical abilities who can just a find a way [...]

To me coaching is all about connections. In training my goal is always to facilitate connections of the various parts of the body. Connecting the foot to the knee, the knee to the hip, the hip to the shoulder the shoulder to the elbow and the wrist. Help the athlete to make these connections consciously at first and subconsciously as skills are automated. These connections are there, they need to [...]

As I write this, my thoughts are centered on Track & Field, but coaching education is important in every sport. I was fortunate to be the first graduate of the UCSB Coaching Minor program in 1969. The professors who developed that program put together a curriculum that has been my model for the ensuing 41 years. They recognized and taught us that the coach was the foundation of the sport system. [...]

Around the world successful sports and sporting nations know that that the following paradigm must be in place and fine-tuned. That paradigm is simple: A system must Athlete Centered – they are the ones who perform in the competitive arena.Coach Driven – they prepare the athlete, provide stability and continuity, they are the cornerstones.Administratively Supported – This is pretty self exp [...]

No pain, no gain was a very prevalent attitude when I began coaching in the late Sixties, surprisingly it continues to persist today in certain circles. I have never been able to figure out the appeal of this approach. Proper training in the weight room or on the field demands that the athlete be pushed to test their limits at various times in training. Some workouts are very difficult and other w [...]

I spend a lot of time with friends who are coaches. Invariably the topic turns to today’s athletes, and to one question: “Are they different?They certainly are different in many ways from the athletes of 1969, when I started coaching. But the biggest differences are not in the athletes themselves, but in the society we live in.One of those differences has been a breakdown in discipline. Discip [...]

This past weekend one of the elite jumpers I work with had a catastrophic injury. During a competition at UNC, Jade Ellis tore his left Achilles tendon as he ran down the run way for his sixth attempt in the long jump. Training had been going well and he was jumping great (especially considering the relatively slow surface at UNC) and everything was going well until that final jump. Jade is a grea [...]

I overheard someone the other day when he was asked what he did for a living he answered: “I am only a coach.” I wanted to scream, no your not, you are so much more than that. Being a coach is special, more special than we can ever imagine. As coaches we have the opportunity to reach and influence young men and young women in situations of stress and pressure that they might not experience any [...]

This weekend I had the chance to speak with Coach Loren Seagrave on his thoughts about absolute strength. Loren is a former LSU sprint coach, founder of Velocity Sport Performance and coach of some of the fastest individuals in the world. I've had the privilege of doing at least one speaking engagement with Loren each month for the past couple months and I've been able to pick his brain on topic [...]