Posts by stevemagness
Coaching with Craft #5: What is your Coaching Philosophy?
The Question of the week is: What is your Coaching Philosophy? What is Coaching with Craft? Every week, we ask a group of coaches one question and give them 5-minutes to answer! Frombroad philosophical questions to what are the best workouts, we tackle all of your coaching questions, and give you a range of answers…
Read MoreLong Term Athlete Development: A Case Study of a 9:15 HS 2-miler becoming a sub 2:17 marathoner
LTAD is one of those buzz phrases thrown around in the athletic world. The intention is noble and worthwhile: Put some deep thought into how an athlete progresses from youth to junior to national class (and hopefully beyond). The problem with LTAD is that it’s mostly theoretical. There are too many factors to control to…
Read MoreThe Books I Learned the Most from in 2017
Every year, I look back and wish I read more. Whether it’s books, research articles, or even interesting blogs, I wish I blocked out more time for reading. Why? Because as I begin my end of the year reflection, I am always amazed how much of my current thinking, and new ideas, are shaped by…
Read MoreCoaching with Craft #4: How are YOU getting better as a coach?
The Question of the week is: What are the most important areas of growth in your coaching currently? What is Coaching with Craft? Every week, we ask a group of coaches one question and give them 5-minutes to answer! Frombroad philosophical questions to what are the best workouts, we tackle all of your coaching questions,…
Read MoreEpisode 61: “If you can’t be great, be good” Coach Mike Smith after winning a National Championship
As promised, we’ve brought back NAU coach Mike Smith to give us insight on how his team won the NCAA Cross-Country Championships. As he did in our previous episode, Mike delivers numerous pearls of wisdom and shows how he has grown and evolved as a coach. He walks us through the week leading up to…
Read MoreA Misunderstanding of High Intensity Interval Training
Interval training. Speed Work. High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). Whatever you call it, performing fast interval work is often associated with anaerobic training. Many coaches, athletes, and trainers believe that the harder the effort, the more anaerobic the workout is. Take your classic Tabata sprints (10 sec on/20 sec off) or the football favorite “gassers,” highly…
Read MoreCoaching with Craft: Which Books Have Influenced Our Coaching?
In Episode 3 of Coaching with Craft, we explore the books that have influenced our coaching. Please take 15 minutes out of your day to see what books we have found most valuable! What books make your list? Books Mentioned by Each Coach: Steve Magness: Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers Allostasis, Homeostasis, and the Costs…
Read MoreEpisode 60: “Don’t Jog!?” Myths on Conditioning for Team Sports
“Don’t jog! Only High intensity interval training!” Outside of the distance running world, these phrases are often thrown around when it comes to development of endurance in team sports or non-running individual sports. Whether it’s the fear of creating slow athletes, or the myth that you can get all of your aerobic bang for your…
Read MoreCult or Culture: What team are you creating?
On a recent trip to Seattle, if you asked my hosts, Steve Fassino and Phoebe Wright, what the major topic of conversation was for the weekend, they’d likely answer cults. It started with two documentaries. One, called Holy Hell, that documented an actual cult. With 20 years of video footage, we saw firsthand the indoctrination…
Read MoreCoaching with Craft: What Role Do Mentors Play?
What Role Do Mentors Play? Who are the people who influenced your development? The individuals who planted the seed, taught the lesson, or gave us the hard advice we needed. A mentor is an undervalued resource, commonly neglected in the traditional education of a coach. In this edition of Coaching with Craft, you get to…
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