Rant from the Training Geek.

Well.. I am not one who usually rant in public about others in what they do. But there is too much talk around in the area of sport science, weightlifting and all that. Plus, I am tired of people who try to sound like they know it all. Everyone should take a page out of the book from my friend Kirk from lifthard.com. One should always be on the path of discovery and learning. No matter how many years of experience, no matter how many athletes you have or are training, you should always seek to learn. No one system works all the time and everything is so organic that even perspectives and ideologies themselves have to be adapted as we go along.

As a coach, we can read alot and learn alot. But it doesnt stop there. The way we pass down the knowledge is as important as a parent teaching their kids life lessons. If you think the way kids were handled in the past could be used in today's modern society, you got to be living in the wilderness or in a certain tribe where if you make a mistake it means you lose a limb to your siblings. Like parents, coaches should make sure that they teach their athletes everything they know so that they are gonna be successful on their own, and not hold anything back in order to make a consistent buck from them.

Too many people these days have this mentality that they need to bring others down in order for them to rise up the ranks. Before looking at what is wrong with others, look at what's wrong with yourself. This is the only time you can be self-centered. Instead of always pinpointing the mistakes of others, try asking yourself what is it you can do to make yourself a better coach, a better athlete or a better person. The ability to accept that you have your own faults as well and not at the expense of putting others down is going to show your sincerity to those you have under you. Show you are willing to learn and others will be willing to learn from you.

Most importantly, a coach should always lead by example. If you want your athlete to do something right, at least make sure you are competent in it. So many "coaches" these days want to coach something they are not even able to do. If you can't do it, what makes you think you can teach it. What I know about Olympic weightlifting is barely scratching the surface. That's why I only teach beginners and I do not even think of taking anyone advanced yet. If you do not even snatch or clean and jerk properly (and I don't mean the strength and conditioning style of Olympic weightlifting), you should think twice about using it in your programming. If you really want to, get someone who knows the how-tos to come in and assist you. A snatch or clean is not even close to a RDL.

With that, I am satisfied. The strength & conditioning world is not going to change with a rant like mine. But just examine yourself first. That's all I gotta say.

Stay Strong and Thanks for Listening,

The Training Geek.