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Archive for “Insight” Tag

IYCA members updates

Posted on: February 9th, 2011 by IYCA 1 Comment

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Here are your IYCA updates to www.IYCAMembers.com for the week of February 7, 2011:

 

(1) The Athletic Performance Matrix

 

Last week, I gave you an incredible look at Athletic Development from New Zealand through the sample programming of IYCA Member and world-class Coach, Gareth Ashton.

 

This week, I want you to see exactly how and why he sets up his Athletic Development program inside one of New Zealand’s most famed sporting schools:

 

Click Here to Access this Incredible Resource —> http://www.iycamembers.com/members/324.cfm

 

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The Training Template Secret

Posted on: December 3rd, 2010 by IYCA 1 Comment

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It’s great to watch a video or DVD and see what a quality training session is supposed to look like.

 

I always enjoy having exercise photographs at my fingertips with a visual representation of what each rep should look like along the way.

 

I also adore being able to read key information about what the Coach or Trainer was thinking when they designed a particular training program, or what philosophies and concepts they feel are important with respect to Speed, Strength, Coordination, Mobility, Flexibility and Injury Prevention.

 

And I especially love being given ‘sample programs’.

 

A literal “here, just do this because it works” roadmap for success.

 

You get that and every ounce of the information mentioned above inside my ‘Complete Athlete Development’ system.

 

But do you know what my favorite part is?

 

 

The fact that I took the time to create and develop a Training Template for you.

 

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IYCA: Is It Odd?

Posted on: December 21st, 2009 by IYCA 21 Comments

Is it odd that in 2009, I drove to Iowa to spend two days with IYCA Member
Aaron Larmore, just so I could see his new facility and offer insight on how
it could run most efficiently?

 

Is it odd that Pat, Nick and myself routinely got on the phone with IYCA
Members from all over the world just to see if we could help with any business
or training related questions they had?

 

Is it odd that I hosted three ‘Coffee, Tea and Talk’ events – for free – and invited
IYCA Members to join me so I could help them with marketing or training
issues they were having?

 

To us at Head Office, it’s not odd.

 

It’s just what the IYCA stands for.

 

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The Myth of Youth Sports Specialization

Posted on: June 17th, 2009 by IYCA No Comments

 

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Youth Sports Specialization

The IYCA Blog has been jumping of late with some great training-based conversation.

 

I wanted you to read an exchange I had with a reader named Keith.

 

It was in reference to my article on Early youth sports Specialization a few days ago.

 

Keith offered some great insight and thought. Here’s what he had to say –

 

"So, playing devil’s advocate once again, why is it that the world’s greatest swimmers have typically been identified when they were preteen, often then,setting world records and competing in world class events as mere teenagers, especially the ladies.

 

How many world and Olympic champion gymnasts and divers average 14 years of age. I wonder if plasticity really means that a child athlete can adapt to, cope with, respond to, recover from, progress with, focus on and develop with, all of the things in one particular sport, and become superior in that sport, without participating in other sports. Doing so like the 5 year old Italian child learns English perfectly by being immersed in that one thing.

 

I know I’m talking about world class athletes but they had to come from somewhere and mostly they were young athletes with a gift through which they were unilaterally developed within their one sport.

 

While I myself have participated in many sports and have coached many sports and I believe in multilateral exposure especially as a means of talent identification, I still need convincing that the multilateral approach is necessary or preferable to develop high level athletes in a given sport.

 

Still liked the article Brian. It keeps the wheels oiled in this old noggin. Keep them coming!"

 

Here was my response –

 

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Insights Into Training Young Athletes

Posted on: November 11th, 2008 by IYCA 5 Comments

 

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Young Athletes In Sports

Sometimes, it feels good to be validated that you’re right.

 

And that’s what happened to me yesterday.

 

I conducted an interview with a Youth Sports Psychologist
named Dr. Darrell Burnett for a project I’ve been working on.

 

Darrell and I first met on a DVD shoot back in 2003.

 

We were both asked to appear as ‘experts’ in a information
documentary based on youth sports called ‘Operation TLC’.

 

I was unbelievably impressed with Darrell’s stunning insight
into human emotion, behavior and consequence as well as the
role self-esteem plays in terms of the choices and decisions
we make for ourselves.

 

I was so impressed, that I still stay in contact with him and
frequently ask him questions related to topics surrounding
coaching, motivation and Coach/Athlete relationship.

 

We spoke yesterday at length about these exact topics.

 

Here’s what Darrell’s thoughts were related to training
young athletes –

 

  • We spend far too much time on worrying about the
    ‘end result’ and not near enough time on considering
    the ‘process’. It’s not where we’re going that matters as
    much as how far we’ve come along the path. Knowing
    the end point or result is critical, but being proud and
    satisfied with how far we’ve progressed towards that
    result is what must be on our heads daily.

     

  • The formative years are key for absolutely everything,
    from sports to music and academics. What we are exposed
    to young is the number one factor in determining how
    successful we become later in life. But this isn’t restricted
    to ‘physical’ stimulus, the emotional support and validation
    we receive early in life plays a significant role on our self-
    esteem and self-worth – so much so that dysfunctional adult
    syndromes such as codefendant can result if we aren’t
    taught that "winning and losing are both okay but don’t
    define who you are"

     

  • No matter how ‘great’ the young athletes in our care are,
    we must always strive to downplay their athletic ‘greatness’
    and focus on treating them like a person first and athlete
    second. ‘Brand identifying’ a young person as an ‘athlete’,
    ‘obese’ or ‘book worm’ lends to much credence to them
    feeling as though that’s what they must always live up to.
    They are valuable kids first and foremost, who just happen
    to excel in sports – nothing more.

     

 

Not only is it amazing for me to constantly learn from great
professionals like Dr. Burnett, but it’s also so validating to
see that what I teach through the IYCA in terms of ‘The Art
of Coaching’ lines up so perfectly with what he has to say.

 

Re-read those lessons from Dr. Burnett and be sure that
you’re treating your young athletes the way he knows is right.

 

You can never stop learning.

 

 

‘TIll next time,

 

Brian

 

 

 

P.S. – Gaining insight from great professionals like Dr. Darrell
Burnett is a necessity in terms of becoming the most successful
professional you can be. Have a look inside my head and
understand how and why I produce the most successful training
programs for youths in the world today.

 

Visit http://www.iyca.org/course/programdesign and learn
the tremendous insight that will make you a better young athletes Coach or
Trainer guaranteed.

 

 

Peaking for Young Athletes?

Posted on: June 27th, 2008 by IYCA 4 Comments

Peaking for Young Athletes. Should we do it?

 

At a seminar I presented this past weekend in Canada,
I opened my day-long presentation with an introduction
filled with passionate and thought provoking insight into
the Art of Coaching, the need to TEACH and the necessity
we have as an industry to steer the youth conditioning niche
a different direction such as Peaking for Young Athletes – specifically, to stop creating short-term
training programs within which biomotor improvement
(speed, strength, flexibility etc) is at the top of the priority
list and in lieu of developmentally sound sequences and
adequate instructional time.

 

Although largely well received, one attendee asked an
interesting question during this particular portion of the seminar:

 

‘I understand that you think we should teach more and train
less, but then how am I supposed to have my athletes peak
for the big competitions at the end of the year?’

 

Excellent question… and one of the largest concerns in our
industry!

 

Let’s go through this step-by-step:

 

Vernacular-Crazy

 

We have all read textbooks from heralded scholars and
have learned to pontificate words such as ‘peak’ and ‘periodization’.
The problem is that we have become comfortable with their
theories and have forgotten that their application is next to impossible.

 

Peaking for Young Athletes for a competition is an in-depth and systematic
process that is too involved for this article. It requires a constant
and dynamic approach to programming and necessitates that the
trainer or coach looking for this ‘peak’ have an innate understanding
of all the physiological processes that go into such an engrossed practice.

 

More over, it requires the trainer or coach to have control
over these physiological considerations – and that is simply
not possible in today’s youth sports society.

 

For instance, proper ‘peaking’ is based on nutrition, sleep,
emotional/mental stress IN ADDITION to proper training
application.

 

Not only can we not control these factors in young athletes,
most trainers and coaches who preach about such methodologies
don’t even consider the aforementioned extraneous factors
in there ‘peaking’ procedures.

 

The coach who posed this question (who for the record was
intelligent, energetic and clearly passionate) mentioned that in
an effort to ‘peak’, he would add and take away exercise stimulus
from his athletes’ training programs during the course of a season
in accordance with standard ‘peaking’ protocol.

 

Again, the problem is that multiple interactive concerns associated
with over stress (and therefore Cortisol secretion – which is
terribly catabolic and renders an organism virtually unable to get
any stronger or faster) and over training are issues that must be
factored into any training procedure that is focused on:

Peaking for Young Athletes Case Study. 

A young athlete wakes up at the crack of dawn and heads to school…

 

They sit in class all day and consume next to nothing in the way of food…

 

After school they have soccer practice for 75 minutes…

 

They come to your training session and workout for 60 minute –
because they are trying to ‘peak’ for the final track meet of the
season…

 

They come home, and eat a nutritionally devoid dinner…

 

They spend 2 – 4 hours on homework…

 

Watch 1 – 2 hours of TV…

 

They are in bed by midnight, having to wake up at 6am the
next morning to start it all over again.

 

Just think about common sense for a second… is this the kind
of organism that can be physically manipulated to ‘peak’ at
the right time???

 

Concepts such as Peaking for Young Athletes and periodization were designed for
elite level athletes who enjoyed little to know extraneous stress
outside of their sports and were often pharmaceutically
enhanced (use your imagination!).

 

These theories were never intended to be used on children
and average everyday adolescent kids.

 

The sooner we realize that our role as trainers and coaches
should be focused on enhancing self-efficacy, decreasing injury
potential and providing just enough of the right kind of stimulus
to aid in the body’s natural developmental processes, the better
off we are going to be.

 

Put down the big words and high-end theories…

 

… Think common sense. 

Training Young Athletes Everyday: Why The IYCA Works

Posted on: May 22nd, 2008 by IYCA 1 Comment

 

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Training Young Athletes Coaching Insight

I’m an internet guru.

 

I’m a corporate type.

 

I’ve lost touch because my computer chair and my backside have become great friends these past few years.

 

Really?

 

Why don’t you have a look at this 60 second video and find out if that’s true…

 

 

Isn’t it time you became associated with a young, vibrant and energetic fitness organization that actually UNDERSTANDS what it’s like to be you?

 

The kind of organization that is on the cutting-edge of a market ready to explode.

 

The kind of organization who CREATES OPPORTUNITIES for its members because our members are direct images of ourselves.

 

We aren’t about awarding you credentials so you can add three or four letters after your last name.

 

We’re about creating change and Training Young Athletes.

 

Revolutionizing an industry.

 

And empowering you to enjoy the kind of successful and fulfilling careers we enjoy every day of our lives.

 

The IYCA – It’s what’s ‘new’ and ‘real’

 

Tomorrow I shut the door.

 

Maybe it’s time you gave us a second look –

 

Are You Missing More Than You Think? Click Here to Find Out more on Training Young Athletes

 

 


‘My IYCA Story’: Where I’ve Come From and Where I’m Going

Posted on: May 13th, 2008 by IYCA 13 Comments

 

IYCA and it’s beginnings

 

‘Tragedy’ is a word that can describe a lot of things.

 

What may be tragic to some is not tragic at all to others.

 

That’s because life events are personal.

 

And we are all equipped with different coping mechanisms to handle adversity differently.

 

I wanted to give you an insight to truly understand what makes me ‘tick’.

 

The ‘Brian’ underneath the ‘Brian J. Grasso’.

 

This kind of personal revelation is not easy for me to offer necessarily, but something I wanted you to know and understand about me.

 

The video below explains the reason I created the IYCA.

 

I didn’t know it at the time, but this event was my inspiration for the IYCA…