Joe Shaw:
THE PROGRAM
Each week we'll be presenting another part of Joe's revolutionary coaching programme, that helped guide David Palmer and John White to the top of the game.

The Program is applicable to all sports, and represents an invaluable resource for any coaches who have the foresight, the inspiration, and the commitment to make it work for them.

 

The full program,
as originally published,
is available on the
Coaching section of
David Palmer's website.
www.davidpalmer.be

 

 

14-Nov, Week SIXTEEN:
 

A FUTURISTIC TRAINING PROGRAM

IF YOU TRAIN TODAY USING PAST METHODS
YOU WILL FAIL

IF YOU TRAIN TODAY USING PRESENT METHODS
YOU WILL BE COMPETITIVE

IF YOU TRAIN TODAY USING FUTURISTIC METHODS
YOU WILL BE SUCCESSFUL

Train for the Future
You must train today in the manner in which you perceive that your athletes will train in ten years from now. This requires forward vision, learning from our numerous mistakes, and understanding the essential elements of goal achievement. In researching these issues I discovered a general hypothesis relating to the training of elite athletes. The following statements help to define this proposition:

“A major objective for Coaches is to construct the most effective individualised conditioning or training program for their athletes ” Fox and Mathews 1981

As explained by Brooks and Fahey (1985) the degree of response to any training regimen is likely to be different because “of the uniqueness of the person and the principle of the person’s individuality.”

Frank Pyke, (1980 ) Fox and Mathews (1981 ) and Fleck and Kramer (1987) all suggest that in individual training, there is a definite need to develop a strategy in the planning stages of the program. They outline a three stage strategy as follows:

1  Determine the Psychological requirements of the Sport

2  Determine the capacity of each individual performer

3  Implement an individualised program based on
    matching the athletes attitudes to those required
    by the Sport

A favourite trick of mine is to ask any "so called" International Coach to tell me what are the Psychological requirements of their Sport. I have never yet found one Coach who can answer that question, yet it is the most important requirement in this process!

Determine the Athlete's Capacity
How do you determine the capacity of each individual performer? What is meant by this statement? How do you implement an individualised program for your athlete?

How did Shaun and I apply these strategies to David Palmer, that ensured his rise to the top echelon of his Sport?, and to win the British and World Opens?

I carried out Psychological Profiling using three separate tests for validity purposes, and only used that as a basis of Personality to understand him. The Myer Briggs Type Indicator, and the McQuaig Word Survey were excellent, and the Oxford Capacity Analysis Test should be avoided. I consider it to be dangerous. (Pages 57 ,64 , 65 ,67 of my manual )

My single choice would be the McQuaig Word Survey because it gives you the knowledge on exactly how to speak to your pupil and details it in a clear and simplistic manner. Do this, Don’t do that! Say it this way, not that way (p.65 )

The McQuaig Word Survey is :

* Understandable to Coaches Athletes and Administrators
* Clearly defines the behaviours required by the athlete
* Provides learning styles for individual athletes

Helps to identify persons attempting to behave in a manner that they find strained or forced. For example they are attempting to perform in a manner that may not be sustainable in the long term. A typical example was the training and behavioural patterns of the Major Twins. The results were disastrous, and their careers were destroyed. It is possible to get a very clear insight into how the athlete prefers to behave and how comfortable the athlete is in the current situation.

We have clearly defined why Coaches and Athletes fail. These are the reasons again:

   * They don’t know what to do
   * They don’t know how to do it
   * They don’t have the resources
   * They don’t want to do it

Address The Issues
So for a Futuristic Training Program you must address those four issues. Does the Coach understand and accept these valid reasons for failure? If not then why not? Does the Coach know what to do? how to do it and does the Coach have the resources? The answer to all of these questions is clearly no. You must question your Coach about these resources, as the entire Futuristic Program is dependent upon them. What are they?

Just some of these resources are the combination of all of the Coaching Articles appearing on this Site, combined with the Diagrams which will appear in Future Articles, the all important contents of the Coaching Manuals, the Bell Graph depicting your Future, and the Measurement and Evaluation Charts of daily training, Sleep and Training Pattern Charts, Resting Pulse Rate statistics, S.W.O.T. Analysis Tests, Self Contracts, and the most important of all the Psychological Training Charts containing a massive fifty (50) items for measurement and evaluation. There are a lot more resources that we use, such as video and statistical data which is relevantly common. Be careful how you evaluate statistics. Read the quote below.

For a Futuristic Training Program to be effective then each and every requirement of the Sport must be addressed. If you are only taught 60% of a training program, then you are only going to achieve 60% maximum of your potential. I will include a Graph in this article for you to assess. What are you being taught regarding your Psychological requirements? If this is 25% of your absolute requirements, then what % have you been taught. Dare I say, based on my experience, that the answer is nil !!!!

Coaches need to be trained. There are numerous courses here in Australia where they Train the Trainers, but there is nothing here to Coach the Coaches of Sport in all of these areas that I have mentioned. When do they get the time to do all of this learning? When does your Coach get the time and opportunity to futurise their programs if they are prevented from so doing? Who has the knowledge to teach these programs in your area?

Your Coach is welcome to contact us for assistance if they so desire. We are not here to denigrate them but to offer assistance. They have not had the opportunity to learn these futuristic programs. David, Shaun and I hope that we are helping. Remember what I have always stated. It is not talent but Choice which will determine your success or failure. You can choose to accept these programs or reject them. It is all up to you to make that choice.

Statistics are like Bikinis ---What they reveal is exciting , but what they conceal is vital .
 

 

"THE FIFTY REQUIREMENTS
OF SQUASH"

Psychological Profiling
of the four key areas

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Statistics are like Bikinis ... What they reveal is exciting , but what they conceal is vital.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Coming in week 17:
Resting Pulse Rate ...