What workout is best? The one that works for you.

Top-end strength coaches get big bucks to figure out what workout plan is best for what athlete. What exercises to do, at what intensity, at what time of year as it relates to a training program, and a competition schedule is a science. The coaches who do it best are in high demand. And for good reason. It’s not easy to blend the knowledge of a physician with the passion of a motivational speaker and the instructional skills of a school teacher.

 

But for most of us, it’s not necessary to hire one of the world’s most knowledgeable strength coaches to make major improvements to you game, your fitness level, and your overall health. For the vast majority of us, we can make major strides with two words at the core of our workouts: consistency and variety. Keeping those two words in mind will make just about every athlete more fit, more efficient on the court, and an all-around better athlete.

 

Consistency should be goal number one. I had a coach in who used to preach consistency with this line. “Do you know what lifting weights twice a month will do for you? It will get you really tired and really sore, twice a month.”

 

The general idea is that if something is important to you, it shouldn’t be something you do once in a while. The more specific idea is that it’s difficult to build a foundation of strength (or endurance, or flexibility) without making that type of training a part of your regular routine.

 

What you do when you get to the gym is not as important as walking in the door. Some days, you’ll feel like setting a personal record in the clean and jerk. Other days, you’ll feel a little less motivated and you’ll settle for a little circuit training, a game of 3-on-3 hoops, or a long walk on the treadmill. Just walking in the door and go.

 

I didn’t always think this way. For a long time, I made my money as a personal trainer. I thought my input was why my clients were getting in shape.

 

What changed my mind was a series of conversations with the most fit men and women in the gym. I was trying to see what kind of input they got from “experts” like me to get where they were. I found out that most of these people had never spoken with a strength coach or personal trainer about their workouts, and probably would have avoided me if I didn’t initiate the conversation.

 

Some of these people were on a workout plan that they put together by themselves or with their training buddies. Some of them showed up at the gym and decided on the fly what they were going to do. Sometimes they did the same thing over and over and never made an adjustment. Some of them did something different every time they went to the gym; everything from group exercise classes to heavy deadlifts to distance runs on the treadmill. Some trained seven days a week, some five days a week, and some three.  But they always showed up. The workouts weren’t just something they did. It was a part of who they were.

 

That’s consistency. It’s what you do regularly. It really matters.

 

But what about variety? I just said that some of the most fit people at the gym implemented variety and some did not. There’s one key difference between those people and you. They were not all competitive athletes.

 

Variety in a workout plan matters for a tennis player for a million different reasons. But, in my opinion, the most important reason to vary your workouts is to avoid burnout.

 

In a previous life, I was an assistant strength coach at a small college. The head strength coach was a great workout programmer. He had periodization, percentages, and lifting form down to the science that it is. We had one major problem. Our athletes weren’t into it.

 

I came from the other side of the weightlifting world. I grew up on do-it-yourself workouts with fun elements and impromptu adaptations, and I learned more about the science later.

 

My workouts were fun. His were scientifically excellent.

 

One year, the athletes were programmed his workouts. Very few of our athletes improved that year. Why? They weren’t enjoying their workouts and, subsequently, they lacked effort.

 

The following year, he let me program all of the athletes, presumably so I could flop and he could say “I told you so.” Whatever. If I fail miserably, so be it.

 But a funny thing happened on the way to the weight room. Every one of our athletes got better that year. Every single one of them. Why? They loved their workouts and their effort level was never an issue.

 

My program design sucked, I didn’t even consider periodization, and I certainly didn’t check with any scientists on my linear progressions. We just did hard stuff that was fun, competitive, and challenging. And we crushed it.   

 

We lifted heavy, we did circuits, we sprinted, we jogged, we did yoga (or my bastardized interpretation of yoga), and we even turned some of our workouts over to the players with no coaches influence whatsoever.

 

Productivity improved right along with the players’ attitudes and effort levels.

 

It’s just like every tennis coach has every told you. There’s no substitute for hard work. But hard work and smiling are not mutually exclusive.

 

So, science be damned, right? No. Exercise science is a fascinating field with some of the world’s greatest coaches. But I’ll take the athlete who’s consistent and committed to loving exercise with no particular plan over the kid with the world’s best coaches and a half-hearted effort any day.

I Lost, therefore I failed. WRONG!

 

 Sports have results. Wins and losses. It’s the greatest blessing and greatest curse of athletics. The result is final, public information. That’s not always the case with your criminal record, your academic record, or your financial history. You can hide that stuff if you want. Not sports. The result is out there somewhere, and if you’re playing at any level worth its salt, there’s probably a website or a newspaper somewhere that will preserve that result for all to see.

 

At the professional level, that makes sense. It’s their job. They play to win the game. Just ask Herman Edwards. He’ll tell you exactly that. To paraphrase the great Bill Parcells, you are what your record says you are.

 

But that’s the pro’s. We’re talking about athletes who are still developing.

 

I remember my first ever coaching gig. I was 16 years old and the head coach of the Milton Recreation Association Bulls middle school girls’ rec basketball. I’d never even been to a middle school girls’ basketball game, but I knew I wanted to get into coaching, so here we go.

 

 I chose my roster based on t-shirt sizes and last names that I hoped were related to somebody locally that I knew was a good athlete by the same name. The problem I had was that the girls who wore large t-shirts were not because of their height, and the girls I thought might be related to a local stud athlete were not.

 

I had a team full of first time athletes. Most had never been on a team of any kind in any sport. We lost our first team to the Milton Recreation Association Knicks 52-2. Those girls were running pick-and-rolls. They had an outstanding understanding of the 1-3-1 zone. They made about 65% of their free throws; not bad for middle school girls. My girls were still learning why we all had to wear the same color shirts.

 

Fast forward to the championship game three months later. Yep. I said championship game. My group of rookies made it that far. We had to play the undefeated Knicks again. The same team that beat us by 50 in our first game of season. The same team that beat us by about 30 two weeks earlier.

 

But we found ways to beat enough teams to make the playoffs, and win two playoff games by hook, crook, smoke, and mirrors.

 

Final score: Knicks 52, Bulls 50. We lost. Success. Major success in my book.

 

Fast forward about a dozen years and I’m coaching arena football. I took over a team with no direction and even less talent in a league that worked to promote players to higher levels of minor league football. My NY/NJ Revolution lost in week 2 to the New England Surge 66-6. They were, bigger, faster, stronger, and, quite frankly, we were outcoached. After a season of learning hard lessons, we were finishing up after 14 long weeks. We put our 1-12 record on the line against the 8-5 New England Surge who, with a win, would clinch a playoff spot. Along the way, we made adjustments, changed how we did things, found ways to put the ball in the end zone and found other ways to keep the other team out of the end zone.

Final Score: Surge 29, Revolution 27. We lost. Major success.

 

Fast forward another 3-4 years and I’m coaching tennis at Fairleigh Dickinson University. We played Arcadia in a match that, on paper, should have been 9-0 FDU. We were better at every spot. Our players had better pedigree. Our players had more experience. Our team had a better record and had beaten multiple teams that Arcadia had lost to. Easy day. Chalk up the win before we show up.

 

Their coach preached a survival philosophy all day. “Just one more ball. Make that kid hit one more ball. I don’t care if you dye trying, but give it all you’ve got.” His guys were ready, hungry, and had nothing to lose. Mine assumed we had a win locked up and played like they would rather have been somewhere else.

Final score: FDU 5, Arcadia 4. We won. I failed. I was outcoached, and our players were outworked. We were lucky to get out of that one on the winning side. Arcadia made progress that day and we regressed.

 

If you judge these games by final score, you’re missing all of the little success that went into the process. It’s all about progress, process, and getting better. A loss is not always a failure. A win is not always success. Moving in the right direction is always good. Moving in the wrong direction is always bad. 

Judge your progress as an athlete or as a coach on direction, not results.

From Nowhere To Super Bowl Champ? It Happens All The Time. Here's Why

 

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers won the Super Bowl with the usual collection of well-pedigreed players and coaches. They have All-American’s from Michigan, LSU, Nebraska, Iowa, Arizona, and other top-flight football schools all over the place. They’ve got coaches who combined for over 100 years in the NFL as players and nearly double that many years in the league as coaches.

 

What might be a little surprising is that Tampa Bay also has 15 players in their program, more than half of whom were active for last night’s game, that did not play at the FBS level. Schools like Hobart, Wagner, Southern Arkansas and North Carolina Central are represented among the players who will be wearing shiny rings from Super Bowl LV. Great rags-to riches stories. Every one of them.

 

But, that’s not even the group of champions that will surprise fans the most. Fans will be shocked to know that the former Assistant Defensive Line Coach of the Semi-Pro Central Penn Piranha will get a ring. The Former Head Track and Field Coach at California University of Pennsylvania will get a ring. Schalick High School (NJ) will see it’s former Running Back’s Coach get a ring. Whittier College of California can boast that it’s former Wide Receiver’s Coach is getting a ring. The same boasting is going on this week at dozens of high schools, division III colleges, and other smaller, lesser-known programs around the country, all because a coach who was once theirs is now a Super Bowl champ.

 

Lifelong coaches are not surprised. We see it all the time. The coach that spend three seasons getting the head man’s coffee as a freshman assistant basketball coach at the local high school may someday be the head hoops coach at a Power 5 school. The coach that volunteered to coach soccer clinics in a small town in Texas might someday be the 3^rd base coach for a big league team.

 

What matters in coaching is not where you start. Where you start is often a product of the opportunities afforded to you by others; your parents, your high school coach, your neighbor with connections. What matters in coaching is your ability to adapt, your commitment to coaching, and your network.

 

Tampa Bay’s Head Coach, Bruce Arians, is known throughout football for being willing to give a shot to somebody in whom he sees potential regardless of what other coaches think. He’s the only coach in the league with black coordinators on offense, defense and special teams, and he’s the only coach in football to employ two women on his coaching staff. And, while both of these facts are impressive, noteworthy, and noble, they’re a product of relying on his network and committing to coaches who can adapt and are committed to the game.

 

Look further into Arian’s staff and you’ll see almost a dozen coaches who once played for Arians, whether it was back in his days at Temple in the 80’s or in the NFL. You’ll see a strong group of young coaches who attended the same university as Arians (Virginia Tech), some of whom Arians would have never even met if he didn’t stay connected to his Alma Mater. And you’ll see coaches who did a ton of winning and had a great reputation as many different levels of football. They stayed with the game, they changed with the times, and they stayed connected to the football community any way they could.

 

With each new season, a coaches’ network grows, as does an athletes network. Players and coaches don’t have to keep in touch with every teammate. They just need to make sure that their connections respect them. I’ve had players and coaches who I haven’t spoken to in years reach out for help, a reference, or a recommendation, and I’ve done the same reaching out. Absence and dime don’t diminish how I felt about that player or co-worker when we were together. I remember what they brought to the table when it mattered. The ones that I don’t have a strong memory of rarely reach out, and I rarely reach out to them. That’s just how it goes.

 

Next fall, when you watch high school football games, your eye will often be drawn by the kids who score all the touchdowns and the kids who look like Greek gods in a helmet. There’s nothing wrong with that. Those kids are impressive. But the kid who’s most likely to take football to it’s highest level is the one who learns from every play. The kid who soaks up the information and finds a way to use that information to help him and his teammates grow is a valuable commodity. And, if the kid who scores all the touchdowns is also the kid who learns from every play, you’ve really got something special on your hands.

 

Just remember that the kid most likely to succeed in any sport might not be the best player. It’s possible that, during any given season, the most successful long-term could be the least successful at the time. In fact, he or she might not even be on the team.

 

The most successful will be the one who is committed to the game, committed to evolving, and committed to their network.

Don’t Choose D1 or D3. Choose Value

What’s the most common collegiate playing goal college coaches here? Simple. We hear it every day. “I want to play DI.”

The allure of Division I athletics might be a misguided objective. And it’s got nothing to do with any institutions, the level of play, or what is or is not offered at any school. 

It’s about value and being valued.

If you walk in the room and the coaches don’t remember your name, you’re not valued. If you can’t have a frank conversation about your role and your development, you’re not valued. If you don’t get the opportunity to meet people within the program other than your recruiting coach, you’re not valued.

What matters is not the division of competition that matters. In most sports, you’ll find lower division teams that can beat teams in higher divisions. 

It’s not that division I is the only path to success. There are all-time greats who played at places like Yankton, Widener, Kutztown, Chadron State and Central Arkansas. And of course, there are all-time greats from all of the big dogs.

It’s not about being the savior for a misguided program. A program that desperately needs you may have very little to offer you as far as support, competition and growth.

Being valued is where it’s at. And make sure you understand the difference between needed and valued. If the program won’t win without you, you’re needed. If they want to win with you, you’re valued.

So, how do you know that you’re being value? The environment will tell you. 

When you visit the school, do people in the program already know something about you? If they do, you’re probably valued. When you talk to the coaches, do they talk about more than just sports? If so, they’ve probably got a culture of value. When you talk to current players, do they talk about wholistic development? If they do, they’re in a culture where they are valued.

College sports are about more than just sports. They’re about growth. They’re about competition. They’re about value. If you want to be part of a program where you have a great experience, play where you are valued.

Should I attend a showcase?

Collegiate Exposure showcases and college camps are expensive. There’s no two ways about it. I’ve seen prices at low as $300 for a week-long showcase and as high at $5,000. It varies from sport to sport, from location to location, and who’s running the showcase has a lot to do with it.

As a college coach, I recommend that every kid who’s serious about playing sports in college participate in at least one showcase. It’s a great chance for prospects to connect with coaches. But the problem with attending showcases in not the cost or the coaches on hand. The most common problem is that participants are not prepared for what to expect and not realistic about their own circumstances.

Some parents will say that showcases are hit or miss. If the right coach sees you at the right time, you might find the right fit. If they don’t, better luck next time. As a college coach, I say that every showcase can be a hit if your kid is prepared.

Try to find showcases at which players have direct communication with college coaches. If the college coaches are just watching from the sidelines, there’s no guarantee that any of them will ever even look at your kid. Some showcases offer a format in which the college coaches on hand are coaching the showcase. This might happen in a drills-and-skills session. This might happen in actual competition. Either way, hands on is better for the players and for the coaches.

When a prospect has the chance to interact with a prospect, take advantage of their coaching and their expertise. Don’t talk about their school. Talk about the sport. Talk about what they’d like you to do to improve. And, after you’ve developed that relationship, ask the college coach if they have a feel for what level of collegiate athletics is appropriate for you.

When asked what level is appropriate for the prospect, most coaches will be honest. If they like the prospect, but the prospect doesn’t meet their recruiting needs, they might be willing to contact a coach at the appropriate level on behalf of the prospect. College coaches have friends at every level that we like to help.

This summer I worked a three-day camp in Philadelphia. Since that camp, I’ve spoken to over a dozen other coaches about players at that camp. Some reached out to me, some I reached out to, so I bumped into at another event, all of them were looking to either help me or be helped by me. It’s what we do.

If every coach who worked that camp talked to a dozen other coaches about that camp, that means that hundreds of coaches learned about players from that camp. Word travels. Trust me.

And if the coach you are working with is interested in you, they’ll let you know. Silence is not an effective recruiting strategy. When you ask a college coach about your level and they respond with, “I think you’d be great for us,” they’re interested.

Aside from the recruiting end of exposure camps, kids are also getting exposed to new contacts, new competition, new friends, and a new place. Don’t discount that part of the experience. If you ever went away to a sports camp, you remember your experience.

Exposure camps can be hit or miss for kids with unrealistic expectations and no direction. But if you show up ready to work, informed on the process, and ready to learn from the experts, the camp will be a hit.

Looking to get into racquet sports? Try pickleball first

 Racquet and paddle sports are in a class all their own, and that’s not always a good thing.

Racquet sports are great for developing endurance. They help with the athleticism needed for athletes of all sports. They are relatively social and easy to organize when you don’t have enough players for pick-up basketball.

The tough things about racquet sports? Space, time, money, and competition.

Most racquet sports require a space dedicated to that sport specifically. In the 1980’s clubs everywhere had racquetball courts. While some clubs have held strong, I’ve seen those courts converted into locker rooms, weight rooms, storage closets and even classrooms.

Unlike sports like basketball or soccer, a general athleticism is often not enough to be competitive in many racquet sports. You'll need a specific racquet skill set for that. And while it can be similar from sport to sport, don’t assume that a paddle tennis player can pick up a squash racquet and be ready to compete.

OK. Now that you’ve got a skill set specific to your racquet sport, the equipment and training become very important. Good luck finding a quality tennis racquet for under $150, and that’s before you get it strung for $50 or so. Most competitive players carry at least three or four racquets in their bag, some carry a half-dozen or more. Lessons with a quality instructor can run anywhere from $50 to $500 an hour.   Tennis court rental fees at some indoor clubs are as high as $100 per court per hour, although many clubs will sell time for as little as $25 an hour. Location is key here.

And then there’s the issue of competition. While not everyone is looking to be super competitive, most small towns only have a handful of good players in each racquet sport. Finding a good opponent can be difficult, and the travel to that opponent can be pricey and time consuming. I just got home from coaching at a three-day tennis camp at which each camper paid over a grand for the weekend. 

Pickleball is different. Of all the racquet/paddle sports I’ve been involved in (which is just about all of them), pickleball has the quickest path from beginner to decent.

Most people with any level of hand-eye coordination can play a game of pickleball the very first time they pick up a paddle. Try that with squash or tennis and see how it goes. You’ll spend more time chasing a rolling ball than playing the game. You won’t need to worry about topspin, walls, formations, paddle weight or any sport-specific oddities that take forever to figure out in pickleball. Some players play with funky spin, but most just hit the ball.

 There’s even a safety rule in pickleball that keeps players from standing at the net and crushing the new guy. The area nearest the net is called the "No Volley Zone" or the "Kitchen." Players who step in the kitchen to hit a ball that has not already bounced in the kitchen automatically lose the point. This helps keep intimidation and ego to a minimum.

Pickleball can be played on a variety of surfaces. Those spaces reserved for tennis, squash and racquetball can all be quickly and easily converted into a pickeball court, and then changed right back to their original state just by folding up the net and putting it away. I’ve seen pickleball on concrete, carpet, asphalt, gymnasium floors, linoleum, and even on clay tennis courts.

Check eBay right now. Odds are you’ll find a starter set that includes paddles, a net, and balls for around a hundred bucks. Unless you’re talking about those cheap, backyard badminton sets that are garbage as soon as someone swings hard and gets a shuttlecock stuck in their racquet, your chances of getting started in another racquet sport for that price are slim and none.

The general skills required to play pickleball translate to every other racquet sport. So if you start with pickleball, you've already got a head start in tennis, squash, badminton, paddle tennis, or any other racquet/paddle sport.

Many YMCA’s, town rec centers, public parks, youth organizations and senior centers are now offering pickleball for free. Some are charging a reasonable fee, but “free competition” is something that’s all but been phased out in sports.

Here’s the best part. Because of the easy introduction into pickleball, the small court (about 1/3 of a tennis court), the low cost to get started, and the general social feel that surrounds pickleball, just about anyone can play. I was on a court last week with three different races, four different age groups, three different native languages and four different nationalities. We all had a blast.

T Time with Tarek Merchant

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ql5g2qZ34ak&feature=youtu.be