Blog
What I’m Reading – The Demon Haunted World, Carl Sagan
The question is not whether we like the conclusion that emerges out of a train of reasoning, but whether the conclusion follows from the premise, or starting point, and whether that premise is true. Among the tools: Wherever possible there must be independent...
Strength Coach Chronicles – Building your Brand
This is something I have finally come to grips with as a critical aspect of coaching. Subconsciously, I have always made this a priority. It was not until recently that I actually realized how important this was for compensation and job security. What is a brand? A...
Strength Coach Chronicles – Getting a Masters Degree?
This is a critical question. It is one that needs some sort of perspective. For context, I have two Bachelor’s Degrees (Mathematics and Movement Science) and two Masters Degrees (Exercise Science – Strength and Conditioning and Exercise Science – Performance Enhancement…
What I’m Reading – Agile Periodization Vol 1&2, Jovanovic
This is a monster book filled to the brim with information. As S&C books go, this one was dense and all encompassing. Jovanovic did a fantastic job of depicting the current methods touted by S&C coaches around the world. What is refreshing is the first hand...
Strength Coach Chronicles – Accepting Blame vs Credit
At the end of a loss with a team you are working for, what is your response? Do you feel like you are solely responsible for that outcome? Do you feel detached from that loss with no feeling of any responsibility for that outcome? I guess this stems from what you perceive…
Making Smarter Decisions When You Don’t Have All The Facts. Annie Duke
This book is applicable to any coach out there. The central idea is that we are playing poker with decisions while managing the unknowns along with the knowns. It is the play on complex decision making we talk about within so much of our Coaching Curriculum. We do not...
The Issue with Reductionist Based Thinking
What we have to understand is that complex problems are never going to be the sum of its parts. Meaning that if we worked backwards from the end, and break down into individual segments, they will never be able to fit perfectly back together at the end. Establishing a...
What I’m Reading – The Only Rule is It Has to Work
The reason why the feeling of losing is worse than the joy from winning is the sunk cost associated with losing. Not only do you feel the despair of coming up short, but the effort prior to that loss is essentially wasted or misused that time that preceded that. This was such a profound…
Strength Coach Chronicles – High Performance Model a Failure (Pt. III)?
Part I - Organizational Structure we went through why the High Performance Model is not a good fit for top down organizational structures. Part II - HPM Model we went through what the HPM actually is supposed to look like. In Part III we are going to review what we...
What I’m Reading – Maximum Muscle Bible
I got to come out and say this, I did not enjoy this book. I have gone through both Christian Thibaudeau and Paul Carter’s stuff before, which I would say was good. Maybe that was the problem, I was very familiar with what the book was going to say before I even...
Strength Coach Chronicles – High Performance Model a Failure (Pt. II)?
Part I - Organizational Structure we went through why the High Performance Model (HPM) is not a good fit for top down organizational structures. In this Part II, we are going to review what the High Performance Model actually looks like, in part to show I actually do...
What I’m Reading – Imagine it Forward
Imagine it Forward I try to read as many books that are going to accommodate what I need to be for my job. I need to be a great coach, not just to the paying customers and athletes but to my coaches and staff as well. Innovation or great ideas are not something that...