As always, I am very grateful for the opportunity to learn and network with other professionals in this industry. Our NSCA State Director, Jason West (University of Tulsa) does a great job of putting on this clinic. As in many things you learn throughout your career…or life, keep your mind open to new ideas, other POV’s, and remember that when it boils down to it, as we evolve our craft, we become more similar than different!
I want to give a few notes, highlights, as well as my opinion on the topics discussed from the clinic. One thing I enjoy, and it seems to always work this way is how even though none of the presenters communicated on their particular topics, the talking points and knowledge bombs given overlap. Being one of the presenters, I feel good knowing that my information falls in line with those smarter than me!
Robert Taylor; Comprehensive Strength Training for the Head, Neck, and Upper Back
Concussions increase the odds of a lower extremity injury after return to play in athletics.
Mixing in some of these exercises to increase neck strength via the warmup
My comfort level in doing simple SFMA for neck / cervical breakout is where I draw the line. I may be outdated, but just don’t feel comfortable with neck strengthening above some simple isometrics (which is a lot of what Rob showed)
Tim Baghurst; Recognizing and Controlling Sports Performance Anxiety
Controlling Sports Performance was a great topic and one in which I need better understanding!
Arousal & Anxiety are often interchangeably used
Fall along a continuum from deep sleep to frenzy
Stress: cognitive perception one does not have the necessary resources to cope with the demands of the challenge.
Anxiety is the perception of a threat (physical, psychological, interpersonal) to an essential value
2 kinds of anxiety; State Anxiety & Trait Anxiety
Trait Anxiety; part of his / her personality (talking in front of a crowd for me)
State Anxiety; ever changing mood component and can go up and down quickly (taking a PK in soccer)
Take home for this lecture was does the athlete / person have the necessary resources to meet the demands of the particular situation? Some physiological symptoms of being stressed out are that of the “fight or flight” / staying very sympathetic (incresed HR, sweating, respiration, trembling / shaking, discomfort and / or nausea)
Measuring stress via biological data (HRV, GSR, Ach balance, EEG, ECG) impractical for most or self reporting questionnaires (athletes interpretation of question, honesty, etc) make it challenging to get an accurate answer on this topic!
Melissa Jensen; Periodization for All
Periodization can be defined differently but would argue that the main components are intensity, volume, and some measurement of time in which to complete the program
Peaking and its pros and cons given certain situations i.e. bodybuilding vs high school football programs
Loved that she put up some research on Dr. Kiely (historian on all things periodization)
Including on the list from above he wants also to put in other variables beside training for periodization (psychological, nutrition, and sleep)
Greg Gardner; The Knee: Servant to the Hip and Ankle
The knee health speaker gave a lecture on how the knee is pinched between the hip and ankle (which is where we should start with knee pain)
Agreed with most of his talk especially that bad mechanics can be retaught to that athlete given appropriate training time / stimulus
Garrison Niemiec; Coaching Speed and Agility to Youth Athletes
Coach Niemiec gave a great talk on developing speed in youth athletes.
Working with kids is very challenging and teaching them / cuing them is not the same as an adult
Each new group / individual is a new lesson for the coach in learning his / her craft via how they communicate
He gave his progressions for speed and agility training and is influenced by Loren Landow and Cameron Joss (again, great minds think alike!)
Portia Resnick; Understand HRV & Use in Evaluating Exercise Recovery
Heart Rate Variability talk was awesome but to be honest most went over my head
It was mostly the basics that I understand to be HRV like neural adaptations and the importance of the Vagus N. (I am currently doing some reading on poly vagal theory for this)
Emotional vs physical stress; body cannot differentiate between the 2 (think back to anxiety bullets)
Tracking HRV can now be done on via wearable tech or several apps.
Other factors that influence HRV; sleep, length of recovery time, modalities, life…
Massoud Moghaddam; The Effects of Ultrashort vs Short HIIT in Conjunction with Functional Training on Body Comp, Anaerobic, and Aerobic Performance
HIIT training has been popularized (and bastardized) by the Tabata protocol
They researched doing a short (20 sec work / 10 sec rest) vs a very short (10 sec work / 5 sec rest) protocol to see if shorter (9 min vs 18 min) is better
Thats what she said
Performed the protocol 3 times a week for 4 weeks and both groups showed similar results in gaining aerobic / anaerobic capacity, time to fatigue, and other bio measurements.
Moral of the story, don’t let time be the deciding factor in whether or not you are going to work out!
Shawn Mason; You Do You, Find Your Niche
Coach Mason’s talk was on finding your passion and allowing it manifest the best you!
“We must all suffer one of two pains; the pain of discipline or the pain of regret or disappointment.” Jim Rohn Teaching others and using the information gained immediately will lead to a higher retention than simply listening to someone talk…
Aaron Baulch; Real World Self-Defense for the Fitness Professional
Aaron gave a lecture / hands on regarding practical self defense. Visit his website for more information.
The talk gave VERY practical information on knowing your surroundings, and trying to find a way out before things escalate into something more serious.
IMO, someone tried to “stump” him asking what you would do if a perpetrator had a gun. His answer, “Here’s my wallet, I just wanna get home to my family.” Brilliant answer
Hate when people try to throw in the “I would do this and take the gun b.s.” lol
Seth Hickerson; Gaining the Most Competitive Edge in Sport and Life
Seth’s talk / sales pitch was on the the psychological component of the training paradigm.
I personally am not a fan when someone spends most of the time trying to push a product on me while at a continuing EDUCATION course
With that said, his website and abilities could be beneficial to those who need a sports psych coach
Jack Carter & Colin Roberts; Program and Exercise Design Considerations from Youth to the the Weekend Warrior
Last was Coach Roberts and myself (#barbellsandbrews)
We discussed how collaboration between likeminded coaches can help get the most out of your athletes.
There are things we excel in and finding people (aka external hard drives) to collaborate with will only make your clients and athletes better!
Of course the best part of this and every ofter conference / clinic I attend is the meet and greet that happens between the sessions and at dinner. I have come to the conclusion that the great coaches I surround myself with, even if we differ in some areas, are more like minded than different. Find your passion, work to make yourself better in your craft everyday, and don’t be afraid to make mistakes OR ask questions.