Last month we hosted the GAIN Coaching by Design Workshop. A recurring theme in the workshop was process. Coaching by design requires process. On this episode of the GAINcast, Vern Gambetta dives into his process which starts with defining what he calls the six abilities: trainability, adaptability, recoverability, durability, availability, and coachability.

For more information on this topic, read the complete show notes at: https://www.hmmrmedia.com/2025/01/gaincast-episode-288-the-six-abilities/

The following links were also referenced in the podcast or provide some additional reading material on the topic:

• The GAINcast is sponsored by GAIN and by HMMR Media. Join HMMR Media to get access to a vast library of online training resources, video, articles, podcasts, and more.
• For regular updates from us, you can sign up for the GAIN Newsletter and HMMR Newsletter.

The GAINcast is back. To kick off the New Year, Vern Gambetta shares some lessons and reflections on the current state of training. On this episode he covers topics like the erosion of fundamentals, load management, strengths and weaknesses, innovation, and searching for questions.

For more information on this topic, read the complete show notes at: https://www.hmmrmedia.com/2025/01/gaincast-episode-287-new-years-lessons-and-reflections/

The following links were also referenced in the podcast or provide some additional reading material on the topic:

• The GAINcast is sponsored by GAIN and by HMMR Media. Join HMMR Media to get access to a vast library of online training resources, video, articles, podcasts, and more.
• For regular updates from us, you can sign up for the GAIN Newsletter and HMMR Newsletter.
• We recorded similar episodes to kick off 2024 (GAINcast 278), 2023 (GAINcast 258), 2022 (GAINcast 234), 2021 (GAINcast 206), 2019 (GAINcast 150), 2018 (GAINcast 98), and 2017 (GAINcast 46).

Tradition makes baseball a great game, but tradition also holds it back. If you read or follow baseball, the sport often seems like it is in a constant civil war between the data analysts and the old school coaches. Coach Paul Davis pulling together and balancing both sides of the spectrum, helping move the sport forward while respecting and learning from its past. He joins us on this week's GAINcast to talk about creating a learning organization, finding usable data, the evolution of the game, rethinking the demands of pitching and athletic development for pitchers, and a look at velocity and pitcher health.

For more information on this topic, read the complete show notes at: https://www.hmmrmedia.com/2024/11/gaincast-episode-286-developing-pitchers-with-paul-davis/

The following links were also referenced in the podcast or provide some additional reading material on the topic:

• The GAINcast is sponsored by GAIN and by HMMR Media. Join HMMR Media to get access to a vast library of online training resources, video, articles, podcasts, and more.
• The GAIN Workshop on planning will take in Los Angeles on December 14-15. If you are a GAIN member, renew your membership to get free access.
• Davis was also a guest back on GAINcast 35 where he discussed balancing traditions in baseball with the modern analytics movement. We also discussed some of his presentations at GAIN in HMMR Podcast 276.
• Baseball was also a topic on GAINcast 169 with Ron Wolforth of the Baseball Ranch, HMMR Podcast 69 with Driveline Baseball founder Kyle Boddy, as well as a chat with motor learning specialist Rob Gray.

Coaches education is filled with lessons on technique, methods, sport science, and more. What is often missing is how to put it all together. How to design a training session, training cyle, or training year is a key skill that many coaches struggle to learn in the trenches. On this week's GAINcast we bring together an elite roundtable with Nick Garcia, Brian FitzGerald, and Jimmy Radcliffe to discussion their own mistakes in planning, putting together progressions, planning in-season training, defining themes, and much more.

For more information on this topic, read the complete show notes at: https://www.hmmrmedia.com/2024/09/gaincast-episode-285-training-by-design-roundtable/

The following links were also referenced in the podcast or provide some additional reading material on the topic:

• The GAINcast is sponsored by GAIN and by HMMR Media. Join HMMR Media to get access to a vast library of online training resources, video, articles, podcasts, and more.
• The GAIN Workshop on planning will take in Los Angeles on December 14-15. If you are a GAIN member, renew your membership to get free access.
• FitzGerald was a guest on GAINcast 139 and HMMR Podcast 153. Radcliffe was included on roundtables in GAINcast 163 on progressions and GAINcast 190 on creating adaptable athletes.
• For more on planning in genreal, list to GAINcast 4. We also looked at planning the training session on GAINcast 249.

The Olympic Games wrapped up earlier this month in Paris. We had both personal connections at the Games, as well as a fan interest. On this week's GAINcast we break down our insights from watching the Games.

For more information on this topic, read the complete show notes at: https://www.hmmrmedia.com/2024/08/gaincast-episode-284-olympic-debrief/

The following links were also referenced in the podcast or provide some additional reading material on the topic: 

• The GAINcast is sponsored by GAIN and by HMMR Media. Join HMMR Media to get access to a vast library of online training resources, video, articles, podcasts, and more.
• The GAIN Workshop on planning will take in Los Angeles on December 14-15. If you are a GAIN member, renew your membership to get free access.
• For more Olympic track and field coverage, check out our latest HMMR Podcast 319 where we look at the throwing events in Paris, as well as our global throwing trend analysis
• Some media resources that we referenced in this episode: The U.S. Wasn’t the Most Successful Country at the Olympics in the New York Times and The Rodchenkov Affair: How I Brought Down Russia’s Secret Doping Empire. More about doping history in Germany from the BBC as well.
• Past GAIN episodes have also look at Olympic performance. Check out our post-Tokyo analysis on Episode 222.
• GAIN Swimming just took place last weekend. More information is available on their webpage. You can also follow them on Instagram (@gain_swimming).

Strength is one of the most important qualities in athletic performance. Athletes need to be able to express force in the context of their sport. But much of what goes on in strength training starts to substantially deviate from this maxim. On this week's GAINcast our friend Chris Webb joins Vern for a discussion on what strength is, moving beyond numbers, the role of the strength coach, transfer, injuries, and much more.

For more information on this topic, read the complete show notes at: https://www.hmmrmedia.com/2024/07/gaincast-episode-283-training-strength-with-chris-webb/

The following links were also referenced in the podcast or provide some additional reading material on the topic: 

• The GAINcast is sponsored by GAIN and by HMMR Media. Join HMMR Media to get access to a vast library of online training resources, video, articles, podcasts, and more.
• GAIN Swimming will take place at the end of August. More information is available on their webpage. You can also follow them on Instagram (@gain_swimming).
• Past GAINcast episodes diving further into some similar discussions about strength Episode 276 and Episode 57.

A lot has been going on in the sporting world this spring, and in our worlds as well. On this week's GAINcast we discuss a variety of topics including finding and measuring training quality, variability in skill execution, the right role for biomechanics analysis in coaching, and unstructured training.

For more information on this topic, read the complete show notes at: https://www.hmmrmedia.com/2024/05/gaincast-episode-282-coaching-quality/

The following links were also referenced in the podcast or provide some additional reading material on the topic: 

• The GAINcast is sponsored by GAIN and by HMMR Media. Join HMMR Media to get access to a vast library of online training resources, video, articles, podcasts, and more

Communication is the cornerstone of coaching. Garr Reynold's best-selling book Presentation Zen explains how to reach the audience through simplicity and storytelling. He joins us on this weeks' GAINcast to discuss how these lessons can be helpful for coaches as well, including insights on editing, simplicity, material, and methods.

For more information on this topic, read the complete show notes at: https://www.hmmrmedia.com/2024/04/gaincast-episode-281-presentation-zen-with-garr-reynolds/

The following links were also referenced in the podcast or provide some additional reading material on the topic: 

• The GAINcast is sponsored by GAIN and by HMMR Media. Join HMMR Media to get access to a vast library of online training resources, video, articles, podcasts, and more.
• You can learn more from Reynolds on his website, including 10 presentation tips. His book Presentation Zen is also highly recommended. You can also follow him on X (@presentationzen).
• Some more insights on communication up on HMMR Media: Lessons in communication from Wade Gilbert, Training talk with Harry Marra on coaching cues, 4 ways to rethink how you give feedback, and GAINcast 191: Teaching better with teacher Doug Lemov. Communication was also our theme in December 2021.

On this week's episode we discuss some recent training trends and current events, including the World Indoor Championships, competition scheduling in an Olympic year, zone 2 training, the NFL combine, and much more.

For more information on this topic, read the complete show notes at: https://www.hmmrmedia.com/2024/03/gaincast-episode-280-training-trends-and-current-events/

The following links were also referenced in the podcast or provide some additional reading material on the topic: 

• The GAINcast is sponsored by GAIN and by HMMR Media. Join HMMR Media to get access to a vast library of online training resources, video, articles, podcasts, and more.
• Our 2024 schedule for GAIN is online, including several weekend workshops. Sign up and we'll see you there.

What sport you play is different than how you play that sport. In the game of tennis, for example, vastly different styles of play emerge, which require a different approach to preapre for. On this week's GAINcast Jason Hettler of IMG Academy Tennis explains their process of profiling athletes, matching to game style, and individualizing training.

For more information on this topic, read the complete show notes at: https://www.hmmrmedia.com/2024/02/gaincast-episode-279-athlete-profiling-with-jason-hettler/

The following links were also referenced in the podcast or provide some additional reading material on the topic: 

• The GAINcast is sponsored by GAIN and by HMMR Media. Join HMMR Media to get access to a vast library of online training resources, video, articles, podcasts, and more.
• You can learn more about Hettler on his webpage or follow him on Instagram (@jhettler24).
• Gareth Sandford has also shared some great examples of the athlete profiling for tennis on Instagram here and here.
• To develop the athlete profiling system, Hettler worked together with Johnny Parkes, Joe Eisenmann, and Gareth Sandford. All have been previous guests. Parkes was on GAINcast 171 and HMMR Podcast 227 and also is a contributing writer on this site. Eisenmann was on GAINcast 264. Sandford was on GAINcast 203.
• Hettler's former colleagues at Altis have also been on the HMMR Podcast previously. Stuart McMillan was on HMMR Podcast 202 and Dan Pfaff was on on HMMR Podcast 59 as well as two written interviews here and here.