First of all – thanks to the goalies who came by the arena to meet up yesterday – special shout out to Sheila who brought along an awesome care package filled with fruit, some almonds, a little trail mix with dark chocolate chips and the best…Starbucks VIA brew – thank you thank you thank you (my Starbucks addiction thanks you too!)
So finished day four of the Head2Head Elite Goalie camp with Jack O’Halloran in Richmond, BC and it has been a great week. Jack keeps the camp small – limited to only 12 goalies and they are a great group. They are working hard and more importantly to me, then are trying to get better every day.
One more day and then right after we finish the off-ice workout at 5:30 I will grab the airport shuttle and head to the airport where I get to take a red-eye flight back home. It has been an awesome week, but it will be great to get back home to Paul and to the athletes at the Revolution studio – I have really missed them! Okay on to the post for today…
Perform Better Chicago – the abridged version
This post may be more for the training geeks out there so you have been warned! As you may remember I was off to Chicago a few weeks ago for the Perform Better Summit. If you are at all interested in training athletes or if you run a training studio this is the must see conference of the year. I used to attend some of the big association conferences, but they cannot compare at all to Perform Better.
Chris Poirer and the staff put on a great event, it is relaxed, no big egos allowed. Thomas Plummer gives the best keynote address I have ever heard (and I have heard him 3-years in a row). If you are the owner at your training facility, you must see Thomas Plummer.
After the best key note address ever, the Perform Better staff hosts a great social where strength coaches and trainers hang out, drink a beer and talk training/business. Where else can you walk up to an Alwyn Cosgrove, Mike Boyle or Mark Verstegen and have a nice conversation without feeling like a tool.
Watch the video below to see why Paul and I had to do the fastest outlet mall shopping excursion ever – this was spooky – ha ha (turn your speakers up because I am pretty sure I was covering the mic with my thumb)
Anyway, here is the abridged version of my 2 days and 20 pages of notes.
Tom Myers – author of Anatomy Trains – if you have not read it, you should
- The fascial system has 10X more sensory nerves than the muscular system
- Fascia is important because it is more sensory, most injuries are fascial, it transmits force globally
- It takes 6-24 months to make systemic changes to fascia
- There is no way to ‘stretch’ the ITB – you will not make it longer
- Fascia is slowest to lay down a new pattern and slowest to let go of an old pattern
- Lengthen the short before you strengthen the long
Al Vermeil – legendary Strength Coach of the Chicago Bulls & San Francisco 49’ers
- He wants a male athlete to squat his body weight 5 times before worrying about speed training
- Athlete development begins with the attitude of the athlete
- For acceleration from 0-20m focus on strength, explosive strength and accelerative strength
- Sprinting is the purest form of plyometrics
- Advanced athletes don’t need to go back to base conditioning
Mike Boyle – one of my mentors spoke more about his journey and business
- Write down your goals
- Have something to offer, not something to sell
- Semi-private training is the way to go – if you want to run a profitable business (and have a sustainable lifestyle)
- It took Mike about 20 years to become an overnight sensation.
Lee Taft – using medicine balls to help training acceleration
- Do drill at the % intensity that you would see in the sport, does not need to be 100%
- The false step or what he calls “plyo step” is just a repositioning to control force
John Berardi –the creator of Precision Nutrition– he did a great job!
- Give one new habit and give them 2 weeks to work on just one habit. If that habit does not take, do not move on to the next one.
- Here are a few of the habits he starts his clients with – fish oil + multi vitamin, slow down your eating, stop eating when 80% full, eat 5 servings of vegetables each day, eat lean protein with each meal, eat about 4 times per day
So hopefully you picked up a few ideas there – saved yourself a 7 hour drive to Chicago and the cash for a hotel room. But if you are in the business and want to open your eyes and mind to a few new ideas, then book in for the Perform Better Summit next year – well worth every penny!