Today’s podcast is with Vern Gambetta. Vern is currently is the Director of Gambetta Sports Training Systems, and a seasoned coach in athletics, coaching techniques and physical preparation methods, with a career spanning over 50 years.  Vern is recognized internationally as an expert in training and conditioning for sport having worked with world class athletes and teams in a wide variety of sports. He is a popular speaker and writer on conditioning topics having lectured and conducted clinics in Canada, Japan, Australia and Europe.

There are two side of the coin in coaching, and while the maximal strength and data-based side is heavily emphasized, the more creative, adaptable and “functional” side of human performance is far less built out in programming. That base of knowledge and core process is certainly important, but it can choke out problem solving, fostering adaptability, while developing a creative, dynamic process.

In this episode, Vern delves into the fundamental elements of training athletes for optimal performance. He explores the intricacies of his training system, drawing on historical references and influences. Vern articulates his perspective on maximal strength training and emphasizes the significance of rhythm, tempo, and flow in the training process as well as cultivation of movement quality and long-term athlete longevity. Additionally, Vern highlights the crucial role of creativity in coaching, underscoring the continuous refinement of coaching systems and observational skills over time.

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Timestamps and Main Points

9:27- The Influence of passionate and eclectic coaches

20:47- The rhythmic evolution of coaching through music

21:54- The artistic expression of swimming technique

24:49- The eclectic approach to coaching athletes

33:57- Developing athletes' cue systems and body connection

35:29- Building upon progress for long-term success

39:03- The impact of throwing ability on athletic performance

44:47- Real-life movement-based training for athletic performance

53:54- Training for long-term athletic success

1:03:12- Enhancing performance with split work

1:13:29- The relationship between flexibility and performance

Vern Gambetta Quotes

"But I'm really curious how in high school I didn't even start until I was a senior in football. But I don't know why I wanted to be a college football player. My brother was a great athlete, and he was a really good football player, that never everything came easy. I was the opposite." - Vern Gambetta

"Coaching is managing complexity and harnessing chaos." - Vern Gambetta

"Strength training is coordination training with appropriate resistance." - Vern Gambetta

"I always just kind of weigh the Olympic lifts against a good backward shot put, or even like a good depth jump to a med ball overhead type thing, something like that." - Joel Smith

"It's about curiosity. It's about deep investment in a process, creating a system, you know, your own system. And the core of that system, once you coach a few years, never really changes. But on the outside, you're constantly fine-tuning." - Vern Gambetta

"Creativity, first of all, is not getting weird.