291: Tools vs. tasks (with Dale Stevenson)

According to coach Dale Stevenson, technique is overrated. Technique is a tool, just like strength is a tool. We need tools, but we can't forget that tools are there to help us accomplish a task. On this week's podcast Stevenson joins us to look at his approach to technique in training, how that translates into session design, and much more. For more information on this topic, read the complete show notes at:  https://www.hmmrmedia.com/2025/06/gaincast-episode-291-tools-vs-tasks-with-dale-stevenson/ 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. HMMR Media members can hear Stevenson discuss technical development and technical models in the new Video Lesson 43. You can read our notes on the above presentations here. Coach Stevenson also presented Video Lesson 37 in the HMMR Classroom where he draws parallels in 3 key areas: orbit, rhythm, and posture. Stevenson was also a guest previously on HMMR Podcast Episode 66 and Episode 121. Matt Denny’s technique was also discussed with the thrower himself on HMMR Podcast Episode 309 and we broke down his technique in more detail in this article.

What are the demands of modern high school coaching? John Larralde calculated that he has just 43 training days to prepare his track athletes this year. Add to that a small student population, multi-event athletes, a young coaching staff, and little connection to the daily campus life. Some might see these as problems, but for Larralde that's no big deal as he describes himself as a problem solver. On this episode of the GAINcast Larralde talks about how he approaches high school track coaching. For more information on this topic, read the complete show notes at: https://www.hmmrmedia.com/2025/05/gaincast-episode-290-high-school-coaching-with-john-larralde/ 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 For more from Larralde, listen to our interview with him about endurance training on GAINcast 95. Larralde shared examples of how he has used different methods with different athletes from different athletes can produce top results. For another perspective on high school coaching, check out GAINcast 69 with high school coach and athletic director Patrick McHugh. Some discussion points in this episode included The Russell Cup and training by design (covered on GAINcast 285).

Lachlan Penfold has worked with some of the world's most successful clubs across numerous sports from rugby to the NBA to water polo. While he is an innovative physical performance coach, one theme keeps emerging to him: the most successful clubs are built more on the strength of connection as the strength the body. On this episode of the GAINcast he looks at how to build a culture starting with a foundation of joy, monitoring athletes through personal interactions, and more lessons from some of the world's best coaches. For more information on this topic, read the complete show notes at: https://www.hmmrmedia.com/2025/04/gaincast-episode-289-coaching-and-connections-with-lachlan-penfold/ 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 Penfold has won a title with the Melbourne Storm, but years ago he also led the Sydney Roosters to championships. He broke down his approach with Sydney in GAIN Video 4: Lessons from the Sydney Roosters available for HMMR Plus members to stream. Penfold was also a guest on GAINcast 184, GAINcast 131 and HMMR Podcast 62. We’ve also done a written interview with his colleague at the Storm, Dean Benton, as well as had him on GAINcast 227 and GAINcast 186. Monitoring was also a topic covered on GAINcast 192 with Aaron Coutts and Franco Impellizzeri. It is also a topic covered frequently in our Sports Science Quarterly research reviews.

Last month we hosted the GAIN Coaching by Design Workshop. A recurring theme in the workshop was process. Coaching by design requires process. On this episode of the GAINcast, Vern Gambetta dives into his process which starts with defining what he calls the six abilities: trainability, adaptability, recoverability, durability, availability, and coachability. For more information on this topic, read the complete show notes at: https://www.hmmrmedia.com/2025/01/gaincast-episode-288-the-six-abilities/ 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. For regular updates from us, you can sign up for the GAIN Newsletter and HMMR Newsletter.

The GAINcast is back. To kick off the New Year, Vern Gambetta shares some lessons and reflections on the current state of training. On this episode he covers topics like the erosion of fundamentals, load management, strengths and weaknesses, innovation, and searching for questions. For more information on this topic, read the complete show notes at: https://www.hmmrmedia.com/2025/01/gaincast-episode-287-new-years-lessons-and-reflections/ 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. For regular updates from us, you can sign up for the GAIN Newsletter and HMMR Newsletter. We recorded similar episodes to kick off 2024 (GAINcast 278), 2023 (GAINcast 258), 2022 (GAINcast 234), 2021 (GAINcast 206), 2019 (GAINcast 150), 2018 (GAINcast 98), and 2017 (GAINcast 46).

Tradition makes baseball a great game, but tradition also holds it back. If you read or follow baseball, the sport often seems like it is in a constant civil war between the data analysts and the old school coaches. Coach Paul Davis pulling together and balancing both sides of the spectrum, helping move the sport forward while respecting and learning from its past. He joins us on this week's GAINcast to talk about creating a learning organization, finding usable data, the evolution of the game, rethinking the demands of pitching and athletic development for pitchers, and a look at velocity and pitcher health. For more information on this topic, read the complete show notes at: https://www.hmmrmedia.com/2024/11/gaincast-episode-286-developing-pitchers-with-paul-davis/ 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 GAIN Workshop on planning will take in Los Angeles on December 14-15. If you are a GAIN member, renew your membership to get free access. Davis was also a guest back on GAINcast 35 where he discussed balancing traditions in baseball with the modern analytics movement. We also discussed some of his presentations at GAIN in HMMR Podcast 276. Baseball was also a topic on GAINcast 169 with Ron Wolforth of the Baseball Ranch, HMMR Podcast 69 with Driveline Baseball founder Kyle Boddy, as well as a chat with motor learning specialist Rob Gray.

Coaches education is filled with lessons on technique, methods, sport science, and more. What is often missing is how to put it all together. How to design a training session, training cyle, or training year is a key skill that many coaches struggle to learn in the trenches. On this week's GAINcast we bring together an elite roundtable with Nick Garcia, Brian FitzGerald, and Jimmy Radcliffe to discussion their own mistakes in planning, putting together progressions, planning in-season training, defining themes, and much more. For more information on this topic, read the complete show notes at: https://www.hmmrmedia.com/2024/09/gaincast-episode-285-training-by-design-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. The GAIN Workshop on planning will take in Los Angeles on December 14-15. If you are a GAIN member, renew your membership to get free access. FitzGerald was a guest on GAINcast 139 and HMMR Podcast 153. Radcliffe was included on roundtables in GAINcast 163 on progressions and GAINcast 190 on creating adaptable athletes. For more on planning in genreal, list to GAINcast 4. We also looked at planning the training session on GAINcast 249.

The Olympic Games wrapped up earlier this month in Paris. We had both personal connections at the Games, as well as a fan interest. On this week's GAINcast we break down our insights from watching the Games. For more information on this topic, read the complete show notes at: https://www.hmmrmedia.com/2024/08/gaincast-episode-284-olympic-debrief/ 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 GAIN Workshop on planning will take in Los Angeles on December 14-15. If you are a GAIN member, renew your membership to get free access. For more Olympic track and field coverage, check out our latest HMMR Podcast 319 where we look at the throwing events in Paris, as well as our global throwing trend analysis Some media resources that we referenced in this episode: The U.S. Wasn’t the Most Successful Country at the Olympics in the New York Times and The Rodchenkov Affair: How I Brought Down Russia’s Secret Doping Empire. More about doping history in Germany from the BBC as well. Past GAIN episodes have also look at Olympic performance. Check out our post-Tokyo analysis on Episode 222. GAIN Swimming just took place last weekend. More information is available on their webpage. You can also follow them on Instagram (@gain_swimming).

Strength is one of the most important qualities in athletic performance. Athletes need to be able to express force in the context of their sport. But much of what goes on in strength training starts to substantially deviate from this maxim. On this week's GAINcast our friend Chris Webb joins Vern for a discussion on what strength is, moving beyond numbers, the role of the strength coach, transfer, injuries, and much more. For more information on this topic, read the complete show notes at: https://www.hmmrmedia.com/2024/07/gaincast-episode-283-training-strength-with-chris-webb/ 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 take place at the end of August. More information is available on their webpage. You can also follow them on Instagram (@gain_swimming). Past GAINcast episodes diving further into some similar discussions about strength Episode 276 and Episode 57.

A lot has been going on in the sporting world this spring, and in our worlds as well. On this week's GAINcast we discuss a variety of topics including finding and measuring training quality, variability in skill execution, the right role for biomechanics analysis in coaching, and unstructured training. For more information on this topic, read the complete show notes at: https://www.hmmrmedia.com/2024/05/gaincast-episode-282-coaching-quality/ 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