272: Beyond dichotomies (with Kevin Becker)

Communication is the cornerstone of coaching. Garr Reynold's best-selling book Presentation Zen explains how to reach the audience through simplicity and storytelling. He joins us on this weeks' GAINcast to discuss how these lessons can be helpful for coaches as well, including insights on editing, simplicity, material, and methods. For more information on this topic, read the complete show notes at: https://www.hmmrmedia.com/2024/04/gaincast-episode-281-presentation-zen-with-garr-reynolds/ The following links were also referenced in the podcast or provide some additional reading material on the topic:  The GAINcast is sponsored by GAIN and by HMMR Media. Join HMMR Media to get access to a vast library of online training resources, video, articles, podcasts, and more. You can learn more from Reynolds on his website, including 10 presentation tips. His book Presentation Zen is also highly recommended. You can also follow him on X (@presentationzen). Some more insights on communication up on HMMR Media: Lessons in communication from Wade Gilbert, Training talk with Harry Marra on coaching cues, 4 ways to rethink how you give feedback, and GAINcast 191: Teaching better with teacher Doug Lemov. Communication was also our theme in December 2021.

On this week's episode we discuss some recent training trends and current events, including the World Indoor Championships, competition scheduling in an Olympic year, zone 2 training, the NFL combine, and much more. For more information on this topic, read the complete show notes at: https://www.hmmrmedia.com/2024/03/gaincast-episode-280-training-trends-and-current-events/ The following links were also referenced in the podcast or provide some additional reading material on the topic:  The GAINcast is sponsored by GAIN and by HMMR Media. Join HMMR Media to get access to a vast library of online training resources, video, articles, podcasts, and more. Our 2024 schedule for GAIN is online, including several weekend workshops. Sign up and we'll see you there.

What sport you play is different than how you play that sport. In the game of tennis, for example, vastly different styles of play emerge, which require a different approach to preapre for. On this week's GAINcast Jason Hettler of IMG Academy Tennis explains their process of profiling athletes, matching to game style, and individualizing training. For more information on this topic, read the complete show notes at: https://www.hmmrmedia.com/2024/02/gaincast-episode-279-athlete-profiling-with-jason-hettler/ The following links were also referenced in the podcast or provide some additional reading material on the topic:  The GAINcast is sponsored by GAIN and by HMMR Media. Join HMMR Media to get access to a vast library of online training resources, video, articles, podcasts, and more. You can learn more about Hettler on his webpage or follow him on Instagram (@jhettler24). Gareth Sandford has also shared some great examples of the athlete profiling for tennis on Instagram here and here. To develop the athlete profiling system, Hettler worked together with Johnny Parkes, Joe Eisenmann, and Gareth Sandford. All have been previous guests. Parkes was on GAINcast 171 and HMMR Podcast 227 and also is a contributing writer on this site. Eisenmann was on GAINcast 264. Sandford was on GAINcast 203. Hettler's former colleagues at Altis have also been on the HMMR Podcast previously. Stuart McMillan was on HMMR Podcast 202 and Dan Pfaff was on on HMMR Podcast 59 as well as two written interviews here and here.

To kick of 2024 we're putting together a spectacular roundtable featuring guests Dr. Michael Joyner, Grace Golden, and Randy Ballard. We take a look back at trends from 2023, as well as what we see ahead in 2024. In addition we dive into the value of tribes, rethinking monitoring, soft skills, and much more to kick off the year. For more information on this topic, read the complete show notes at: https://www.hmmrmedia.com/2024/01/gaincast-episode-278-the-new-years-roundtable/ The following links were also referenced in the podcast or provide some additional reading material on the topic:  The GAINcast is sponsored by GAIN and by HMMR Media. Join HMMR Media to get access to a vast library of online training resources, video, articles, podcasts, and more. We recorded similar episodes to kick off 2023 (GAINcast 258), 2022 (GAINcast 234), 2021 (GAINcast 206), 2019 (GAINcast 150), 2018 (GAINcast 98), and 2017 (GAINcast 46). Montioring was also a topic that came up several times. This was also covered on GAINcast 192 with Aaron Coutts and Franco Impellizzeri.

On this week's GAINcast Vern shares his top 6 books of 2023, key insights after recent travels to Europe and Australia, plus thoughts as we look ahead at preparing for the 2024 Olympics. For more information on this topic, read the complete show notes at: https://www.hmmrmedia.com/2023/12/gaincast-episode-277-books-travels-and-olympic-preparations/ The following links were also referenced in the podcast or provide some additional reading material on the topic:  The GAINcast is sponsored by GAIN and by HMMR Media. Join HMMR Media to get access to a vast library of online training resources, video, articles, podcasts, and more. Book recommendations mentioned in this episode: The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin The Core. Better Life, Better Performance by Aki Hintsa and Oskari Saari Hidden Potential: The Science of Achieving Greater Things by Adam Grant Clear Thinking: Turning Ordinary Moments into Extraordinary Results by Shane Parrish 7 Rules of Power: Surprising--but True--Advice on How to Get Things Done and Advance Your Career by Jeffrey Pfeffer Awaken Your Genius: Escape Conformity, Ignite Creativity, and Become Extraordinary by Ozan Varol Vern discussed his top books of 2022 and 2021 on GAINcast 259 and on GAINcast 231. You can also read his book lists from 2022, 2021, 2020 and 2019. There's more from Adam Gran recently: a good interview with David Epstein and recent opinion piece in the New York Times on teaching. Other individuals discussed on this podcast have perviously been guests, including Ellyse Perry on GAINcast 213, Nick Lumley on GAINcast 166 (more from Nick here), and John Pryor on GAINcast 135 and 136. Also discussed was the talent identification research of Arne Gullich.

A recent interview on HMMR Media shared some of the weight room numbers of the hammer throw world champion. After hearing them, everyone asked: how can a champion be so weak? Strength is complex. Strength is contextual. On this week’s podcast we share some ideas about the role of strength in athletic performance, transfer of strength, training strength, and much more. For more information on this topic, read the complete show notes at: https://www.hmmrmedia.com/2023/11/gaincast-episode-276-thoughts-on-strength/ The following links were also referenced in the podcast or provide some additional reading material on the topic:  The GAINcast is sponsored by GAIN and by HMMR Media. Join HMMR Media to get access to a vast library of online training resources, video, articles, podcasts, and more. We kicked off the episode by talking about Ethan Katzberg. We recently wrote about his strength levels and interviewed his coach on HMMR Podcast 308. Our world championships recap also summarized the magnitude of his success this summer. Vern has also written a lot about strength including a definition, some global considerations on strength, and a multi-part series on the evolution of his thoughts on the topic: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6 and Conclusions.

Championship results require championship behaviors from both athletes and coaches. Having guided multiple men's and women's teams at the highest levels, volleyball coach Hugh McCutcheon knows a thing or two about what championships behaviors are. On this week's GAINcast he joins us to share his input on finding intention, putting skill acquisition into practice, coaching, and more. For more information on this topic, read the complete show notes at: https://www.hmmrmedia.com/2023/10/gaincast-episode-275-championship-behaviors-with-hugh-mccutcheon/ The following links were also referenced in the podcast or provide some additional reading material on the topic: The GAINcast is sponsored by GAIN and by HMMR Media. Join HMMR Media to get access to a vast library of online training resources, video, articles, podcasts, and more. You can learn more about McCutcheon's background in his University of Minnesota biography. If you like this podcast, we highly recommend his recent book Championship Behaviors: A Model for Competitive Excellence in Sports. Coach Clay Erro has talked more in detail about the role of rules in coaching. Our HMMR Classroom GAIN Video 3 has a detailed presentation from him on the topic. Erro was also a guest on GAINcast 90, where he discussed similar topics. Wade Gilbert was mentioned as another top expert on championship behaviors. He presented in HMMR Classroom GAIN Video 15 (highlights here), as well as discussions on GAINcast 7 and GAINcast 121. We mentioned a couple of New York Times essays over the years on flow and focus. Most recently climber and philosopher Francis Sanzaro wrote about "When I Stopped Trying to Self-Optimize, I Got Better" and philosopher and former dancer Barabara Montero's "The Myth of Just Do It." We also wrote some comments on Montero's work here

We take a look at some current events and current happenings in our own training to reflect on some lessons learned on this week's GAINcast. To start with we debrief the USWNT's disappointing performance at the World Cup, before sharing lessons on how to best draw parallels from past experiences to working with new sports, including some examples from new sports we've been introduced to in the last year. For more information on this topic, read the complete show notes at: https://www.hmmrmedia.com/2023/08/gaincast-episode-274-lessons-learned/ The following links were also referenced in the podcast or provide some additional reading material on the topic: The GAINcast is sponsored by GAIN and by HMMR Media. Join HMMR Media to get access to a vast library of online training resources, video, articles, podcasts, and more. GAIN Swimming will also take place from September 15 to 17. You can learn more here. On the last episode, we discussed another topic relating to the women's World Cup: ACL injuries. View our resource hub on field sports for more about preparing and coaching sports like soccer, rugby, and more.

The start of the recent women's World Cup in soccer has turned focus to the rash of ACL injuries in the sport, and the particular impact it has had on female players. On this week's GAINcast Vern looks at the structure of the knee, risk factors for injuries, and what coaches can do to help reverse trends for women and men. For more information on this topic, read the complete show notes at: https://www.hmmrmedia.com/2023/07/gaincast-episode-273-the-acl/ The following links were also referenced in the podcast or provide some additional reading material on the topic: The GAINcast is sponsored by GAIN and by HMMR Media. Join HMMR Media to get access to a vast library of online training resources, video, articles, podcasts, and more. The New York Times recently published a nice article on the ACL topic in relation to the women's World Cup. Our friend Dean Benton also shared his thoughts recently on mitigating ACL injuries. Benton has also written detailed articles on hamstring injuries and calf injuries on HMMR Media as well. Injuries have been a topic several times on the show, including recent GAINcast 268, as well as GAINcast 6 on injury prevention and GAINcast 224 on injury explosion.

We live in the age of polarization. We get into long debates about whether things are black or white, but when it comes to topics like training and motor learning, the reality is often a shade of grey. Professor Kevin Becker is looking to create a conversation beyond dichotomies. On this week's GAINcast he shares some ideas around motor learning and attentional focus that attempt to color in the areas in between. For more information on this topic, read the complete show notes at: https://www.hmmrmedia.com/2023/07/gaincast-episode-272-beyond-dichotomies-with-kevin-becker/ The following links were also referenced in the podcast or provide some additional reading material on the topic: The GAINcast is sponsored by GAIN and by HMMR Media. Join HMMR Media to get access to a vast library of online training resources, video, articles, podcasts, and more. You can read more research from Becker on his ResearchGate page and his faculty biography. You can also follow him on Instagram (@drbeckerthrows). You can learn more from Becker in his full video lesson in the HMMR Classroom where he shares ideas on attentional focus, optimal feedback strategies, constraints in training, and more. GAIN members can also watch his past GAIN presentations here. Becker has also previously been a guest on HMMR Podcast 282 and HMMR Podcast 237 where he discussed feedback and cues and planning sessions for learning. Visit our motor learning topic overview page for more on motor learning, including many articles and videos about Frans Bosch’s approach to motor learning.