Vern Gambetta @coachgambetta Twitter profile

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

4 years

Coach these workouts are boring. Ok here try this - Run 40 x 400 everyday for three weeks! That is what Emile Zatopek did. I don't recommend it, but we need to get back to training robust adaptable athletes rather than entertaining them. Sometimes training is boring.

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

3 years

Rest & recovery is necessary but only of benefit if you first do the work. I am fearful that today we have a generation of over-recovered and undertrained athletes so overly mindful of training load that they are not doing enough to stimulate adaptation and prevent injury.

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

6 years

Coaching is a process that has a strong foundation in pedagogy, supported by science, and forged in experience, tested and proven in the competitive arena. It is not something you do; it is some you are with every fiber of your being. It is teaching life through sport

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

4 years

FB coach at private university makes 5 million dollars a yr. Same school lays off 200 cafeteria & custodial workers.Reconcile that? We have our priorities mixed up, football is just a game meanwhile those people will go hungry without health insurance. TIME TO WAKEUP!

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

3 years

Periodization is NOT a scientific concept - It is a pedagogical construct designed to organize training into manageable periods.

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

5 years

Never forget it is not about facilities and equipment, it is always about people. Coach the person not the sport! Champions can be produced anywhere by coaches who care and invest in the athletes.

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

3 years

Coaching is a process grounded in pedagogy, supported by science, forged in experience, tested in competition. It is something you are with every fiber of your being. It is teaching life through sport because it is about people not training methods. Being a coach is special

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

5 years

Waiting in drive up line at Starbucks I allowed a lady to merge ahead of me, normal baby boomer politeness. Got to window & attendant said that I didn't owe anything because the lady ahead had paid for me because I had let her get in front of me.Reaffirmed faith in being nice.

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

3 years

If you wait until you are absolutely ready to compete you will never compete. No one is ever 100% ready. Be willing to put it on the line & compete!

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

3 years

Had written a coaching book in 1977 it would be different than I would write today. 44 yrs experiences but deeper understanding of the process & the human element. 44 years ago it was about technique & training today its about communication, relationships & coaching the person.

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

3 years

Never forget it is not about facilities and equipment, it is always about people. Coach the person not the sport! Champions can be produced anywhere by coaches who care and invest in the athletes.

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

5 years

Kudos to Mary Cain for speaking out. She underscores what I learned 15 years ago with my short time with the Oregon Project that Salazar is sick, he is a madman. Her accounts made me sick to my stomach because it validates what I saw and why I left.

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

3 years

Ultimately a coach is a teacher. Teaching is communicating and communication is the key to effective coaching. To be effective we must cultivate both dimensions of communication. Learn to listen as well as speak.

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

4 years

I Don’t Get It I see coaches writing books & featured as speakers at conference who have no real coaching experience. In my book five or ten years working with advanced athletes in small groups in ideal conditions does not qualify one to talk about coaching. Pay your dues.

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

2 years

#1 Training is not about the hurt or pain; it is not about puking and being at the max in each workout. That is not training. Training is systematic, sequential and progressive; it incorporates hard workouts and easy workouts to allow the body to adapt.

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

4 years

Fitness is an industry. Coaching is a profession. Please stop using the word industry when you are a sport coach or an athletic development coach working with sports. We must treat coaching as a profession by clearly defining professional standards & by being professional.

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

6 years

If you wait until the athlete is 100% ready to train you will never train. We have gone overboard with monitoring & forgotten that we are coaching people. Great coaching is about...

Training Ground Guru | Tony Strudwick: Why sport science has lost its way

TONY STRUDWICK says sport science has “lost its way” because an obsession with injury prevention is “killing” the pursuit of performance.

trainingground.guru

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

3 years

Coaching for me has never been a job, it's been a way of life, a lifestyle. Coaching is what you are with every fiber of your being. Coaching is special because you impact lives in a very direct way. Honor & respect the profession, be thankful for the privilege of being a coach.

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

3 years

Good coaching is not lash & dash. Good training is mundane, day to day it is not very exciting. You must repeatedly do the basics well, keep refining & fine-tuning. Good training has substance, with the focus on need to do activities and methods that will get the athlete better.

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

1 year

Medicine Ball Training - Everything old is new again. Been using this versatile tool for fifty plus years, wrote the book in 1991 - Check it out.

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

4 years

I continue to be puzzled why we continue to be so fixated on injury prevention as an isolated component. A sound comprehensive training program will do more to prevent injury that spending time isolating out variables are perceived to cause injury. Train smart & rest wisely.

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

6 years

Garbage miles will only lead to garbage results. It’s not the miles you put in, it’s what you put in the miles. Train with intent & purpose

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

4 years

KISSS = Keep It Simple Sport Scientist. You are there to help coaches make athletes better. The true genius can simplify.

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

4 years

I heard a baseball coach the other day say that is was bad for baseball players to swim because you used a different set of muscles. I just want to know how many sets of muscles you do have. Amazing that in 2020 we still subscribe to this stupidity.

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

3 years

Talent is just your ticket to the dance. Everyone has talent, it is what you do with the talent that matters. I want athletes who will make the champions choice every day, will do the work when no one is watching, athletes who are adaptable & persist no matter the conditions.

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

3 years

Despite more corrective exercises watch the injuries continue to mount. Must not be doing too much correcting. What happened to sound basic training in preparation for demands of the game? It is probably too simple, not exotic and sexy enough and God forbid it involves real work.

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

6 years

When I hear a coach talk about energy system development I just roll my eyes. An advanced concept in 1974 not any longer. Train all systems of the body to work together in harmony. There are no switches to turn energy systems off and on.

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

3 years

Keep asking yourself - Strong for what? Develop strength you can use, not strength you can measure.

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

3 years

Lest we forget talent is nothing more than potential. So many with talent never realize their potential because they are unwilling to to do the work to turn the talent(potential) into performance. Many are called but few will chose to take the difficult road to excellence.

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

1 year

We just keep doing senseless injury prevention programs that are replacing actual training. Meanwhile injuries are off the scale & increasing. Instead of building robust adaptable athletes we are creating fragile adapted athletes not ready for the rigors of competition.

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

6 years

Talent development is not survival of the fittest – It is not about ten years or 10,000 hours it is a process that involves deliberate practice and incremental progress. It is understanding growth and development and individual rates of maturation.

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

3 years

The energy system that means the most is the coaches energy level. The coach’s energy sets the tempo for training. Nothing is more infectious than high energy. Crank it up!

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

5 years

Always chuckle when I hear or see a coach say they have just started speed work and it is half way through the training year. HUGE MISTAKE - Train speed from day one of training. If not you will never reach your speed potential.

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

2 years

#1 Don't Be Fooled Over the past 54 years with the opportunity to work with a variety of sports I have been exposed to many theories and methods, but basically, I found that it all came back to executing basic sound training principles consistently.

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

4 years

Do you athletes keep their own personal training log? If they don't they should. They can learn so much about how they adapt and what works for them. I starred keeping a training log 56 years ago. Every good athlete I have ever coaches kept a log.Pretty simple but very effective.

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

3 years

Is not the measure of coach what they do with what they have? If you have championship talent you should win championships. I value a coach you can take an average team or athlete and get them to punch above their weight.

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

3 years

No practice or training session should ever stand alone. It must always be connected with what came before, what will follow and be in the context of the whole annual plan. My axiom is that no one workout can make an athlete, but one workout can break an athlete.

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

3 years

Good coaching is athlete centered. This is news to the huge egos that have prowled the sidelines over the years, people did not come to see them, they came to watch the athletes. Great coaches are there in victory & defeat to lend perspective after the wins & comfort after loses.

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

3 years

The more focus on individual muscles, more neural confusion we create. Body is smart. Brain does not recognize individual muscles it recognizes patterns of movement. Isolation sets the athlete up for failure. Integrate, coordinate, link sync & connect to build robust athletes.

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

4 years

Track dual meets developed kids. You learned how to compete. X-country dual meets are key to developing middle distance and distance runners. Today we are catering to the "so-called elite" kids and encouraging them to chase times, then we wonder why they can't race.

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

5 years

Not only are strength coaches not sport scientists, but in too many instances they are dinosaurs. They never leave the weight room & see the world through the hole in an Olympic weight plate. Time to wake up!

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

3 years

One thing I know for sure is there is a lot more that I don't know than I do know. I am continuing to learn and grow in my knowledge each day. It seems like just yesterday when I had all the answers, now I have all the questions. Why did it take 70+ years to figure this out?

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

3 years

Ever notice how some people can take something that is incredibly simple & make it complicated. Frankly does not impress me. I want to be around people who can take the complicated & make it simple & actionable.

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

5 years

Talk is so easy, actually putting your nose to the grindstone & committing to do the work, to change habits, to get comfortable with being uncomfortable is hard. That is why not everyone can be a champion. Stop talking & get after it, have a plan & execute the plan.

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

2 years

#1 Words of wisdom on speed from the late great swim coach Gennadi Touretski. Although he was speaking about swimming this applies to all sports “Speed is everything. I don’t understand why coaches spend months doing countless laps of threshold training and hard endurance work

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

3 years

The goal in coaching is to develop self-sufficient adaptable athletes prepared to thrive in the competitive cauldron. Give your athletes the mental and physical skills. Get them to the point where they trust in their preparation and let them go. Trust in your abilities as a coach

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

2 years

#1 Stop and think for a minute – It takes approximately .8 of a sec to express maximal strength. Most athletic movements take place in the range of .2 to .5 of a sec. So why do we spend such an inordinate amount of time emphasizing maximal strength?

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

2 years

Talent development is not survival of the fittest – It is not about ten years or 10,000 hours it is a process that involves deliberate practice and incremental progress. It is understanding growth and development and individual rates of maturation.

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

3 years

Simple question? How many of your athletes keep training logs? If they are not, they are not achieving their full capabilities. A simple process that gives intent & focus. Self-reflection is a great tool for self-improvement. A training log is a daily exercise in self-reflection.

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

4 years

If you don't know the answer to something, it is perfectly OK to say you don't know but I will try to find answer for you. To me that is the sign of a real expert. Don't give a bullshit answer.

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

3 years

Beware of someone promoting secrets to performance. The secret is there are no secrets. False prophets bearing gifts can be seductive - Watch out!

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

5 years

No facilities, no problem! Think weight room without walls. Look around at what you can do, use what you have and be creative. You can build champions anywhere.

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

2 years

In Formula One they go to great lengths to fit the car to the driver. In coaching we do the opposite. Why do we still insist on fitting the athlete to the training program? One size never fits all. Never forget it is about the athlete & what they need.

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

6 years

The ability to race is different than the ability to be paced to a fast time. Anyone with ability can hang on and be pulled to fast time the medals are won by those who can race. Those who are race hardened, who understand tactics and are fully adaptable to variety of situations.

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

3 years

I have been hearing more about determining the minimum effective dose in training. My concern is that the emphasis seems to be on minimum. Is this another step toward the adapted fragile athlete? Seek the optimum training dose, not too little, not too much. Having a system.

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

3 years

When I hear a coach talk about energy system development I just roll my eyes. An advanced concept in 1974 not any longer. Train all systems of the body to work together in harmony. There are no switches to turn energy systems off and on.

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

3 years

I just do not understand the infatuation coaches have with drills. Drills that break skill into small parts have zero transfer. They will however make you tired. Getting tired is not training. I know we can do better.

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

6 years

Look closely at your training & ask the hard question - Are you making your athletes better or are you just making them tired?

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

2 years

"People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." Maya Angelou Great words to live by.

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

2 years

Interesting to watch injuries mount as more emphasis is placed on corrective exercise & prehab. Whatever happened to sound basic training in preparation for the demands of the sport? It is probably too simple, not exotic and sexy enough and God forbid it involves real work.

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

3 years

We spend an inordinate amount of time & effort preparing the path for the athlete, making sure everything is controlled. In reality the path is rough with many detours. We should be preparing the athlete. Get them ready for the bumps & detours. Build adaptability and robustness.

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

5 years

Why PE Should Be Required from Kindergarten to College by @RobertRoyBritt

Why PE Should Be Required from Kindergarten to College

Physical activity improves mental and physical health… and grades.

link.medium.com

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

3 years

Are your limitations as a coach limiting your athletes progress? For your athletes to grow, you must grow. That can be very uncomfortable, it means admitting what you don't know. Innovate don't imitate. Change is a constant! If you want your athletes to change you must change.

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

3 years

Never let your limitations as a coach limit your athletes possibility of getting better. Know what you don't know & find someone who does know to help. Your athlete will respect for it.

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

3 years

Stop trying to justify your job by numbers achieved in the weight room. 95% of the time there is NO relationship between numbers achieved in the weight room with performance in the pool, on the track, field, or court. Think again!

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

3 years

How to be a training guru - Use confusing misleading terms. If you don’t have a word then make one up.

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

6 years

Is not the measure of coach what they do with what they have? If you have championship talent you should win championships. I value a coach you can take an average team or athlete and get them to punch above their weight.

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

3 years

Everyday I coach I learn something. Something about the athlete's I am coaching. Something about myself - my coaching. It's a process of discovery daily - EXCITING. 52 years & counting it never gets old.

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

4 years

It is so frustrating to see people overcomplicate things, to invent new terminology that has no foundation in science or best practice. Human movement is complicated enough without using more complexity to explain it. Focus on fundamental concepts.

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

9 months

Recovery is important but first you have to do the requisite work to warrant recovery.

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

2 years

Coaching sets & reps, technique is a small part of coaching. It is about relationships, communication & emotional intelligence. Each athlete is different. Coach the differences it may not show in wins & loses but it will show in hearts and minds where it matters most.

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

5 years

One thing I know for sure is there is a lot more that I don't know than I do know. I am continuing to learn and grow in my knowledge each day. It seems like just yesterday when I had all the answers, now I have all the questions. Why did it take 70+ years to figure this out?

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

2 years

When I hear a coach talk about energy system development I just roll my eyes. An advanced concept in 1974 not any longer. Train all systems of the body to work together in harmony. There are no switches to turn energy systems off and on.

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

3 years

It seems that everyday I am reminded by something that I see online about how easy it is to make an athlete tired. Training should be demanding, but with a purpose. Making someone tired is not training. Make them better not tired!

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

6 years

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

3 years

Continue to be amazed at these pseudo coaches who are nothing more than computer keyboard jockeys who portray themselves as "experts". Never had to prove themselves by producing results in the competitive arena. They have not made enough mistakes to be experts.What is attraction?

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

5 years

What the F is a coaching hack? Let's cut out this BS, coaching is teaching. Learn how to teach skill - fundamental pedagogy is ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY not stupid stuff about hacks!

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

4 years

I have been looking for this poster for years. Found it today. I bought this in late 1968. This poster speaks volumes.

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

1 year

Don’t get hung up on whether it is evidence based. For the coach it must be practice based evidence. Truth is what works consistently. Simplify your coaching, evaluate, & simplify more. Remember good coaches coach a sport great coaches coach people. Where will your focus be?

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

3 years

Aristotle said: "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit." So think of coaching as helping our athletes create better habits & constantly reinforcing those habits. Start by making excellence a habit - accept nothing less.

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

3 years

So much of what we do as coaches is mundane. There are repetitive tasks that we must do to make the other less routine tasks more effective. Do not to take the mundane for granted. Those mundane actions are difference makers. Execute the mundane with intent & purpose.

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

2 years

#2 Great coaches are not the center of attention; they are facilitators, conductors of the orchestra. They make sure all pieces are in place. They insure that everyone is on the bus in the correct seats and that the bus driver has a good current road map to the destination.

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

5 years

The 10,000-hour rule for sporting success is largely a myth, so let kids dabble | Sean Ingle | Sport | The Guardian

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

3 years

Lesson Learned over the years Probably best to write daily training sessions in pencil with a good eraser.

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

3 years

#1 Adaptation to various training stimuli take time. You can’t force adaptation to happen faster than the athlete’s current level of trainability and physical capacity. You must be willing to go step by step.

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

2 years

Good coaching is managing risk. Peak performance is ultimately about being on the edge. You have to push the envelope. You push the envelope by taking calculated risks through proper progression and know your athlete. Think possibilities not limits or restrictions.

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

3 years

Don’t get caught up in hype & marketing so characteristic of the Internet training porn. There are no secret training methods or quick fixes, don’t let anyone convince you otherwise. To achieve success at any level you must do the work and do it consistently well.

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

2 years

I lift in my garage" We get more done & produce better results than 98% of 20,000 square foot air conditioned palaces. We develop strength you can use.Athletes are resilient & thrive in the competitive arena. Started lifting in a garage in 1962 & will end in a garage!

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

5 years

Communication is not just sending (talking), it is also receiving (Listening). Listen more talk less. Always show that you care by acknowledging the message

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

3 years

Think Long-Term - Training is cumulative, it takes time to adapt & allow for proper timing of the training stimulus

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

6 years

There is no perfect technique or optimum tactics. It is what works for that individual or team, it is a constant moving target, a constant search that is ever changing and never ending. Good coaching focuses on the process and guides the athlete accordingly.

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

3 years

Training an athlete is more than putting together a collection of exercises. Do the exercises fit the athlete? Are they appropriate for the level of development & time of the training year. Get past exercises (ingredients), stop being a short order cook and be a master chef.

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

2 years

Being a coach is more than writing workouts & holding a stopwatch. It is putting yourself into the process with your whole being. It is coaching the person not the athlete.

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

2 years

A mentor is not someone who walks ahead of us to show us how they did it. A mentor walks alongside us to show us what we can do.

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

3 years

It's easy to do stuff in training & life that you like to do. The great ones do the things they don't like that will make them better. They are comfortable with being uncomfortable all the time. What are you going to do today that is uncomfortable that will make you better?

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

3 years

Competence builds confidence. The two go hand in glove. As coaches we must teach competence through mastery of the basics & build the athletes confidence through mastery of skills & appropriate conditioning. It is a process.

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

3 years

Found this going through boxes. Me in September 1973 at Stanford and my daughter Kristen AKA Peanut in 2000

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

4 years

If old school means emphasizing the basics & never straying far from the basics, then. I guess I am old school. The basics have not failed me yet!

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

3 years

Coaching is a profession, not an industry. The younger generation of coaches who have been heavily influenced by social media & 24 hour sports channels don't understand this. A profession has standards & expectations.

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Vern Gambetta

@coachgambetta

2 years

Your athletes trainability is integrally related to your athletes recoverability. Structuring training to achieve desired adaptive response requires knowing the athlete & how they respond to various stressors. Sometimes what you don't do is as important as what you do.

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