The past year my career has taken a bit of a detour and
while I fought it like crazy early on it was essential for my long-term growth
as a coach and person.
Two recent notes that I received from folks whom I have
coached with/for in the past few years really drove home the importance of
sticking with your principles and not wavering to outside perception.
How this relates back to my current career path…
Sometimes you have to step away to see what kind of
foundation you have left behind. I have received several notes in recent months
that really affirmed that the work I was doing in the community was effective,
and more importantly it was durable.
While I have always attempted to be a humble person in my
professional career I did want to use the message that resonated consistently
from these notes to reinforce a coaching philosophy that is in short supply
these days.
While I am not currently coaching young athletes in large
groups (at least for the moment) I have maintained and continue to develop
relationships with young people. I want to know what’s going on in their lives;
socially, academically and of course athletically.
For the purpose of this discussion focus on the speed and
agility training many young athletes are currently being exposed to.
Many schools and clubs bring in hired “guns” to take their
athletes through what amounts to a torture fest!
Most athletes have not been taught the fundamentals of
speed, agility and quickness (SAQ) training. Sports such as baseball, soccer,
and tennis all require fundamental sport skills that are essential for the
long-term mastery of the sport. There are also fundamental athletic skills that
must be developed prior to implementing advanced SAQ techniques/drills.
Often kids are exposed to drills that are to advanced for
their current athletic “comprehension” and conditioning level. Any “coach” or
“trainer” can make a kid tired but the key question that must be asked is can
they actually make them better over the long haul?
Throwing down speed ladders, elaborate cone drills, or
strapping kids to bungee cords or parachutes looks cool and it will impress
parents but these “toys” are nothing more than a Trojan Horse that hides poor
coaching and the utter lack of a developmental plan.
If you were to watch one of my SAQ camps/clinics you would
notice 4 things:
1.
Kids are having and expressing athletic
creativity and freedom
2.
Kids aren’t throwing up and I am not screaming
at them
3.
Kids aren’t running more than 40 yards in a
straight line
4.
Kids are training fast in short bursts that last
only a few seconds at a time
Things that you should not see at Team Sports SAQ training:
1.
Yelling at kids because the coach implemented
drills that the athletes aren’t “getting” is not on the kids it’s on the coach
for either not coaching the drill well or the drill is to advanced for a
majority of the athletes. This type of SAQ training is a great way to teach an
athlete how to ride the breaks, it
will make them think too much and their movements will be deliberate and
robotic! The opposite of speed is actually occurring, but kids are resilient
and their innate skills can oftentimes counteract bad training. But imagine the
difference that could be had in their performance with better training? That
would be awesome to see!
2.
Putting athletes through extreme survival of the
fittest workouts. These programs
don’t make kids “tough,” it will only make them tired while they will get
better at “cheating” on techniques just to “survive the drill!
3.
Track SAQ, training young athletes to run in
straight line for 40 plus yards rarely happens in team sports. Sports SAQ mainly consists of repeated
short burst efforts of maximal acceleration, deceleration and reacceleration
from multiple directions and angles. Drills should last only a few seconds,
anything longer than that and it becomes a conditioning drill. While
conditioning is an important factor and has a time and place in a well-designed
performance program it’s not the goal of SAQ training, making athletes faster
is THE goal!
Are my methods effective?
Consider this note that I received from a parent of a former
athlete whom I last coached over 3 summers ago:
“M still credits your agility training for helping him (at
over 6 foot tall as a high school sophomore) best much smaller kinds on the
lacrosse field with speed and quick footwork.”
A local varsity basketball coach shared this after winning
their second consecutive league title:
“It has been a lot of hard work and dedication and you
definitely helped our players achieve this.”
I had not worked with this coaches’ program for a full
calendar year when I received that note.
The point of sharing this is not to boost my credibility but
rather to show that by mastering the fundamentals and committing to doing
things the right way you can have a powerful and long-lasting impact on the
performance and lives of young people.
At times I raise my voice to get the attention of the
athletes and at times “tough love” is necessary at times but first he coach
must earn that right by proving to the kids through is or her actions that they
deeply care about them as human beings first and foremost. This “care” often
shines through when you take the time to TEACH them the how and why behind
skill acquisition. Teaching is a process and it takes time to develop the
relationships and trust that are essential to bringing out the best in any
young athlete.
Recruiting a hired gun
to “beat the kids up” is not only ineffective; it’s a waste of organizational
funds. Save yourself some time and
money by first getting to know your team and showing them how much you care and
then they will work hard for you! And remember to keep the SAQ training short,
fast and fun!
If you want kids to be fast then let them play fast! We are the ones that need to slow down and pay attention...
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