Archive for September 2016
The Battle Between Sport Science, Analytics, and Intuitive Coaching
With the rise of sports science and analytics, there’s a tendency to hold these fields as bearers of absolute truth. If the science or data proclaim a fact, then who are we to question it? The notion that you need statistical significance or a double blind placebo controlled study to find the actual truth is…
Read MoreEpisode 41- State of the Sport with Mario Fraioli
In episode 41, we bring in Mario Fraioli to discuss the state of the sport. We start with a different kind of Olympic overview, one which takes a deep dive on the problems that arose and the potential way forward. We talk about how to take control of the narrative of our sport, instead of…
Read MoreBertl Sumser: The Scientific Approach
West German coach Bertl Sumser was an early pioneer in taking a scientific approach to training. He carried on in the tradition of Woldemer Gerschler in designing his training with a heavy tip of the hat to the physiology known at their time. In a 1962 article published in the Fred Wilt’s book , Sumser …
Read MoreHarry Wilson- Coach of Steve Ovett
Harry Wilson was most known as the coach of world record holder and gold medalist, but he also coached other notable British runners. Before we get into the core of his training beliefs, looking at some of the extra stuff he had his athletes do is needed. Wilson seems to have placed some emphasis on…
Read MoreEpisode 40- The Businessification of Athletics and the Need for Certainty
What’s the point of sport? In this episode, Jon and I make the case that it’s about education and learning. The culture of coaches used to be educators. They came from a background of using athletics as a means to help student athletes grow and develop. As the top side of the sport professionalized, there’s…
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