Training Tools - ELITETRACK

We have all heard the aphorism that if the onlytool you have is a hammer then everything becomes a nail. Truer words have never been spoken, so why do so many coaches use a hammer as their primary training tool? As a coach you are a skilled craftsman. You have an array of training tools at your disposal and you should know when and how to use tools that are appropriate for the task at hand. We constantly work to build the complete athlete and if injury occurs to rebuilt the complete athlete. The key here is complete athlete. To build or rebuild the complete athlete you need more tools than a hammer. You need a toolbox with tools appropriate for the task at hand. You need to know when to select what tool. You cannot fit the athlete to the tools you know how to use or are comfortable with; you must fit the tools to the athlete. To accomplish this you need a broad knowledge of training means and methods as they apply to the sport you are preparing the athlete for. You need a clear blueprint to guide you toward the finished product. In addition you need to know when to call upon other specialists to supplement your knowledge and skill set. To be effective as a coach be a generalist, a student of training and all it’s permutations and manifestations. As a generalist you will be able to make connections and links that enhance overall athleticism, not just one athletic quality like speed or strength. At the culmination of the process the generalist (skilled craftsman) will be able to use all the tools necessary to build the complete athlete including the hammer when needed.

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Vern Gambetta

Director at Gambetta Sports Training Systems

Vern is the Director of Gambetta Sports Training Systems. He has been the a conditioning coach for several MLS teams as well as the conditioning consultant to the US Men's World Cup Soccer team. Vern is the former Director of Conditioning for the Chicago White Sox and New York Mets. He has lectured and conducted clinics in Canada, Japan, Australia and Europe and has authored six books and over one hundred articles related to coaching and sport performance in a variety of sports. He has a BA in teaching with a coaching minor and an MA in Education with an emphasis in physical education from Stanford University.