Somewhere along the way someone lost the compass and is navigating with an outdated map. This was written twelve years ago, it is just as applicable today as it was then. ?Nevertheless, the field of Strength & conditioning still remains susceptible to fads, misconceptions and zealous philosophies that have little to do with sound scientific based knowledge and careful exercise prescription for enhanced sport performance for the athlete.? (Kraemer, William J. and Hakkinen, Keijo. Editors. (2002) Strength Training for Sport. London, England: Blackwell Science, Ltd. Page 1) Has anything changed? It makes you wonder where the field (I hesitate to call it a profession) is going? Are we going the way of the dinosaur and working our way to extinction because it takes too long for the message to get from the small brain to the rest of the body? Or are we like a bunch of lemmings following the leader off the cliff regardless of what the leader is doing? We all need to wake up and take a close look at what we are doing. We must get beyond the weight room and become a profession that is capable of serving all sports in a manner that that is applicable to each specific sport. We have a plethora of certifications, but who is producing real coaches? Coaches who can adapt, who can think and design and implement sensible appropriate training programs that address all elements of physical preparation. As a field in order to become a profession we need to orient the compass to true north, get an updated map that reflects current reality in sport and get on a path to relevance.
Vern Gambetta
Latest posts by Vern Gambetta (see all)
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