What Kind of Sports Coach are You?Here's another one from Latif's phone consult file: Last week I had the opportunity to talk to an excellent coach who is running into a problem that I have had countless experiences with. Since I know it's something Patrick and I have seen many times, I figured there was a good chance you can relate to it as well. Besides, over the past few weeks we've been sending you emails calling you out for not stepping up your coaching knowledge. So this week I want to focus on a coach who has taken that nex tstep and is making a safe, positive impact on the athletes around him. My man Jim works primarily with youth football players, training them at a small studio that he rents out where he focuses on developing their speed, strength and agility. He's seen some great results with his athletes, especially since purchasing the Complete Speed Training Program, and his base of athletes has seen a steady increase since then as well. I really like how Jim focuses on a quality dynamic warm up before each session, stresses attention to technique with his use of speed drills, as well as developing perfect lifting form in these young athletes using light resistance and bodyweight training.
As these young athletes grow into their bodies, they will find themselves light years ahead of the competition simply because they have ingrained proper technique into their nervous systems. Honestly, it's always great to talk to coaches who use proven training strategies with their athletes and Jim is a perfect example. However, what most impressed me about Jim during our conversation was how he selflessly looked for a solution to a challenge he was facing. And like I said at the beginning, this is something that is all too common in every youth sport, at every level, but especially football. Some of his athletes were going into Junior High School and were expected to participate in that Junior High Football Team's 'summer conditioning' program. But keep in mind, this could have been any other sport, so don't think I'm trying to single out football coaches or programs. I'veseen some shockingly bad coaching from lots of sports. Anyway, this is one of those programs run by coaches who don't really know anything about conditioning or speed training beyond what they remember doing when they were high school football players. And it didn't get the job done back then either. Jim told me that on the first day of the 'program' the coaches ran the kids through that legendary staple of most football speed/conditioning programs: Gassers. In case you're not familiar with these workout gems, I'll give youthe nutshell breakdown...
Repeat until one of 5 things happen. 1. You throw up. (4 kids threw up the first
day) OK, I threw that last one in there for affect. But pretty much that's the mind set of some coaches. By running kids into the ground they believe that it either gets you in game shape or makes you tougher. Here's a training secret. It does neither. But it does improve athletes' chances of injury and burnout. So I guess that counts for something. But again, I've seen this mentality applied to track, soccer, field hockey, you name it. So non-football coaches aren't off the hook. Needless to say, Jim was in a serious dilemma. He knew that he could develop faster athletes in a safer environment than in the other program. He also knew that his athletes wanted to go to this other program so they couldget recognized for future playing time, even though they hated every minute of it. But Jim didn't try to convince athletes to stay away from the other program. Instead, he called me to talk about how he could modify his training sessions to continue toimprove his athletes, while keeping in mind the kind ofcrap they'd be doing at the other program. This meant less income for Jim and the frustration of seeing some of his results thrown away. But he chose what was best for his athletes and in the long run, those kids (and many more) will end up in Jim's camp, taking their speed to the next level. So we talked about how apply the concepts found in Complete Speed Training to a 2 and 3 day per week training program considering these specific circumstances. Since he'd been following the Complete Speed Training program we only had to make some subtle changes to his training plan. One question he had that I
get all the time is about how muc hvolume each
workout should
be. If you're running repeat 30 yard accelerations,
how many should athletes do? Well there is no perfect answer because every athlete is different. Personally, I can't handle a high volume of speed work even though I can run really fast. So I always had to keep that in mind with my training. I always start off with a number that is lower than I think athletes can handle. Then, I time a select number of athletes. Usually it's the fastest kid, an average kid and a slower kid. I don't tell them their times because they don't really need to know. Once I see athletes' times start to drop by more than .2 for two reps in a row, I usually shut them down for the day. If they're getting slower, they've reached the point of diminishing returns. So I always undertrain as opposed to overtrain. I suggest you do the same. You don't have to train or coach athletes 5 or 6 days per week to see significant benefits with the Complete Speed Training Program. And you don't have to be a football coach. If your athletes require speed to succeed in their sport, they can make some serious improvements to their speed even if they only have time to train 2 days a week. Maybe you only have time to add a dynamic warm up right now. Perhaps you need some tips for speed drills. No matter what your speed
training needs, Complete Speed Training has
the answers. Which do you think gets better results? By the way, when you do order use your free 30 minute phone consultation to fine tune your speed training program to your specific needs: 'One of the most important benefits that I
have experienced with Complete Speed Training
is the phone consults with Latif himself. Latif's
professionalism and knowledge is unmatched.
I have asked and had answered questions regarding
specific programs, periodizaton, nutrition,
timing protocols (hand held v. FAT), running
mechanics and weight training. Never has there
been a question that has gone unanswered, he
has always made himself available. Our conversations
and the program has made me a better, more
knowledgeable trainer which in turn has made
my athletes more athletic. Complete Speed Training
will give you the advantage you are looking
for...'
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