The singular focus on what we need from our athletes can turn the humanity of sports science into something far more transactional. Our athletes are people, and people respond best when they have agency and stake in their own lives and livelihoods.
They say: you don’t know what you don’t know. But, if we at least know this to be true, then we have a real chance to learn and evolve in our thinking.
While Sports Science practices may look different between the professional and amateur ranks, there are, however, underlying principles that allow any coach to think and work like a sports scientist.
Prior to 2017, I had barely any experience working with injured athletes, nor did I ever expect to take on a role where rehab would be an integral responsibility. However, as part of the hire into my role as Performance Coordinator with the Cleveland Indians (maybe officially the Cleveland ‘Guardians’ by the time you are…
Sport science is way more involved than I am about to portray it today, however, that does not mean that non-sport scientists — whether they be strength coaches, trainers, or sport coaches — can’t take some principles from the realm of sport science to apply to their own athletes, teams, and systems.
Quick and simple steps you can take today to start building your first training dashboard.
Call the process what you would like publicly, what matters most is how you frame it in your own mind, as this will be what guides your processes and the interactions you have with your players.
Yes, getting GREAT at data collection, maintenance, analysis, and monitoring can certainly be challenging. However, collecting meaningful information to answer your sport-related questions isn’t about being great – it is about being CONSISTENT.
And, to be consistent we have to understand the value that collecting data can bring to our knowledge of the game, and to the coaching of our athletes.
In one sentence, the irreconcilable tragedy of a journey ending too soon; yet in the very next, the infinite potential of beginning a journey anew; and, that is just one of the challenges making sense of 2020, isn’t it?
Since nobody knows your athletes better than you, the key will be to discuss the most important and relevant training principles to the high school athlete, so that you may apply them to those under your care given these unique circumstances.
It has been quite some time since I have posted on my site, and nearly 2 years since I last wrote on the topic of mental health, depression, anxiety. I have waited so long to readdress this topic in long-form because the perfectionist in me has been looking for the right title, focus, and words…
Hard to believe that 2018 is nearly in our rear-view mirror. This year proved to be one of my life’s most challenging years yet. But, there is no growth without resistance, and for all of the challenging moments, there has been some significant professional and personal growth. I’ve learned a lot. More than I could…
I’m big on the “why”. If there’s one thing that really irks me personally, it’s eye wash — that is, doing things with no purpose, just for the sake of doing them. Sometimes in life you have to participate in eyewash, of course. But, when it comes to what I do in my own time,…
Recently I spent some time with a few great high school coaches —one a performance coach, another a fundamental coach. Over the course of many discussions, the fundamental coach, a head football coach, asked me the following question: Of all the new things you’ve learned and come across lately in this industry, is there anything…
Whether we like it or not, there indeed exists a stigma in athletics that players and coaches must be “mentally tough”, and that discussing mental illness is taboo. As a result, those who are struggling do so in silence for fear that they will be labeled soft, incompetent, or mentally weak. Recently, I posted some…
Ryan J. Faer 