Posts by stevemagness
“Our sport is your sport’s punishment”- A Brief Look at Motivation and Punishment
“Our sport is your sports punishment” Way back when I was a high school runner, quotes like these would invariably pop up on the back of a High School Cross-Country team’s shirt. The obvious point was that what we do as runners is often what team sports were assigned to do when they showed up…
Read MoreNew? Start Here: The School of Coaching
You’ll find hundreds of free articles, newsletters, and hours of audio interviews. Resources coalesced over a decade of coaching, researching, teaching, and writing. All designed for one reason: to help you–coach, athlete, or simply person– get better. Let’s get started! I’m a coach. It’s what I’ve been doing since I was a teenager. What follows…
Read MoreEpisode 42- Mimicry Vs. Mastery
This week, we take on the big question of mastery, particularly in regards to coaching. Beginners tend to mimic. It’s ingrained in us; mimicry is the way we first learn how to make it in life, as we copy our parents when we are just toddlers. In coaching, this might mean copying the training plans…
Read MoreThe 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…
Read MoreOvertraining- Why a little perspective matters
“It’s better to undertrain than to overtrain” This phrase is ingrained in every coach’s mind. It’s cliché to say, but like many clichés the truth rings loudly. Take a glance at our modern world: early specialization, 10,000 hour rule maxims, emphasis on miles run per week or number of gut-wrenching intervals completed. It’s no wonder…
Read MoreEpisode 39 – What defines success for a coach?
What defines success for a coach? Is it wins and losses? Championships won? Leading athletes to new personal bests? Having one athlete win an Olympic medal while destroying 20 of them? These are the common notions that we associated with success. But is it the best way? In this episode of the Magness & Marcus…
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