[This is a guest post by John Grace. John is one of my assistant coaches. For a year he worked at my training center, Athletic Lab and he recently joined me in Vancouver to work with Whitecaps FC. John has his CSCS and USATF Level 1 certifications and coaches youth to professional athletes] An elite Track & Field athlete may only have a few major competitions in the season. Those few competitions [...]

When I was a kid, I was blood tested and had low iron and supplemented to raise my levels. I took the pills and drank orange juice to "help absorption". Ten years later in college, I read Dr. Colgan's Optimum Sports Nutrition and was fascinated with his use of blood testing with athletes. When I had national level athletes in the late 90s, I went on Netscape Navigator (young coaches have it goo [...]

One of the biggest gripes I have is short sprinters with bad starts. If you run the 400m" just be legal and consistent", I don't agree but understand. Still, in the 100m or 40 yard dash the start is everything. Not only does it set-up the run and have heavy time influences, it is perhaps the least athletic component in terms of mechanics. Clearing the blocks and starting is a different componen [...]

I wanted to review some interesting findings I learned recently at a collaborative summit on Tensiomyography (TMG), Elastography, and Thermography. I feel that it's wise to write down my thoughts after being just an observer of how medical practices are changing elite sport, specifically in US. From what I know, no current professional team is using TMG and we will see an explosion in the matter [...]

Both of these papers are well worth reading. They both challelge conventional wisdom. They should get you thinking.The Rocky Road to the Top: Why Talent Needs TraumaCollins, Dave; MacNamara, ÁineSports Medicine. 42(11):907-914, November 1, 2012. The increasingly well funded and high-tech world of talent development (TD) represents an important investment for most sports. Reflecting traditional co [...]

How important are letters of recommendation and references? In my opinion they are very important. Seldom, if ever, will a candidate list someone as a reference who would give a negative recommendation. I will often ask a candidate if they would give me someone who would give a negative recommendation and why that person would be negative. I want people who are honest. My concern is a way to find [...]

I not writing this to tell you how to train your athletes but I am asking you question what you do, why you do it, how you do it and when you do it. Think and question, seek answers. On whose authority do I speak? Frankly I speak on the authority of wisdom based on experience and common sense. I have a passionate belief in defining the field of athletic development and of the importance of coachi [...]

The melting ice in the arctic is linked with earthquakes and tsunamis across the globe. Real-estate meltdowns centered in California cause downturns in Asian stock markets. Over-consumption of sardines in North America and Europe place South African penguins on endangered lists. We are increasingly seeing that as our world becomes smaller and smaller through better communication, ease of transport [...]

I usually don't just post links to other blogs unless the content is very good. Most of the time readers see links to other blogs they think affiliate code or inner-circle marketing. While the money makes the world go round with education and equipment, most of the stuff I see is not worth the time to download or place the credit card order. The first great blog post is Mladen's interview, a gre [...]

Every time I hear the term cross training I just shake my head in wonder. What are you talking about? Doesn’t good training involve utilize a variety of methods to elicit adaptation? Lets look at cross training and see if there is any method or if it is just madness. Hawley & Burke (P. 31) define Cross Training as: “… is when an athlete undertakes training in a discipline other than their ma [...]