There are dozens of long-term athlete development models out there that try to explain the best way to turn youth athletes into champions. The problem is that they incorporate much more theory than practice. In reality, success cannot be broken down into one pathway or plan. On this episode of the podcast, leading youth coach James Marshall talks about how the systems fail us and what he's doing to make youth athletics better in his community. For more information on this topic, read the complete show notes at: http://www.hmmrmedia.com/2019/05/gaincast-episode-160-beyond-pathways-with-james-marshall/

This episode is brought to you by HMMR Plus and GAIN. Learn more about GAIN 2019 on GAINcast 154. Applications are now open at www.thegainnetwork.com and we just released the final schedule this week.

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

• This month’s HMMR Media site theme is the young athlete. Join HMMR Plus to get access to all the new resources coming out. We also have looked at it on past episodes of the GAINcast. On GAINcast 79 we explored talent development models. We've also looked at the concepts in practice with school sports (GAINcast 69 with Patrick McHugh), professional soccer (GAINcast 96 with Des Ryan) and skiing (GAINcast 114 with Finn Gunderson).
• Marshall has also been a guest on Episode 175 of the HMMR Podcast to talk about rediscovering the value of play.
• You can read Marshall’s blog and find more resources, including upcoming educational opportunities, on the Excelsior Group webpage. You can also find him on Twitter (@CoachExcelsior) and Instagram (@excelsioradclub).
• You can get an idea of what a session at Excelsior looks like in this recent video Marshall posted on Youtube.
• One book recommended on this podcast: The End of Average: Unlocking Our Potential by Embracing What Makes Us Different by Todd Rose

There are dozens of long-term athlete development models out there that try to explain the best way to turn youth athletes into champions. The problem is that they incorporate much more theory than practice. In reality, success cannot be broken down into one pathway or plan. On this episode of the podcast, leading youth coach James Marshall talks about how the systems fail us and what he's doing to make youth athletics better in his community. For more information on this topic, read the complete show notes at: http://www.hmmrmedia.com/2019/05/gaincast-episode-160-beyond-pathways-with-james-marshall/

This episode is brought to you by HMMR Plus and GAIN. Learn more about GAIN 2019 on GAINcast 154. Applications are now open at www.thegainnetwork.com and we just released the final schedule this week.

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

• This month’s HMMR Media site theme is the young athlete. Join HMMR Plus to get access to all the new resources coming out. We also have looked at it on past episodes of the GAINcast. On GAINcast 79 we explored talent development models. We've also looked at the concepts in practice with school sports (GAINcast 69 with Patrick McHugh), professional soccer (GAINcast 96 with Des Ryan) and skiing (GAINcast 114 with Finn Gunderson).
• Marshall has also been a guest on Episode 175 of the HMMR Podcast to talk about rediscovering the value of play.
• You can read Marshall’s blog and find more resources, including upcoming educational opportunities, on the Excelsior Group webpage. You can also find him on Twitter (@CoachExcelsior) and Instagram (@excelsioradclub).
• You can get an idea of what a session at Excelsior looks like in this recent video Marshall posted on Youtube.
• One book recommended on this podcast: The End of Average: Unlocking Our Potential by Embracing What Makes Us Different by Todd Rose

Creating mentally strong athletes that can bring the right focus to training and perform under pressure is no easy task. While specialists can help in this area, every coach needs to understand that how they design training can also help develop the athlete mentally as well as physically. On this episode of the GAINcast we talk about sports psychology and how to integrate important concepts into daily training sessions. For more information on this topic, read the complete show notes at: http://www.hmmrmedia.com/2019/04/gaincast-episode-159-sports-psychology/

This episode is brought to you by HMMR Plus and GAIN. Learn more about GAIN 2019 on GAINcast 154. Applications are now open at www.thegainnetwork.com.

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

• Join HMMR Plus so that you get full access to our video, article, and podcast archive.
• This month’s site theme is mental training. For more on the topic listen to the HMMR Podcast which covered mental skills and got inside the mind of elite athletes. We've also put together new articles on dealing with fear, mental toughness and mountaineering, mental toughness and strength training, real life lessons from Sergej Litvinov and Szymon Ziolkowski, and designing holistic exercises.
• This episode touched on some prior topics we've looked at on the GAINcast, including GAINcast 151 on goals, GAINcast 124 on making the champion's choice, GAINcast 130 on cognition in sport with Len Zaichkowsky and Daniel Peterson, and GAINcast 68 on the silofication of sport.
• Vern has also written about a number of these topics like mental toughness, failure, Navy Seal training and other nonsense, >The Little Engine That Could, and preparing the path.

Creating mentally strong athletes that can bring the right focus to training and perform under pressure is no easy task. While specialists can help in this area, every coach needs to understand that how they design training can also help develop the athlete mentally as well as physically. On this episode of the GAINcast we talk about sports psychology and how to integrate important concepts into daily training sessions. For more information on this topic, read the complete show notes at: http://www.hmmrmedia.com/2019/04/gaincast-episode-159-sports-psychology/

This episode is brought to you by HMMR Plus and GAIN. Learn more about GAIN 2019 on GAINcast 154. Applications are now open at www.thegainnetwork.com.

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

• Join HMMR Plus so that you get full access to our video, article, and podcast archive.
• This month’s site theme is mental training. For more on the topic listen to the HMMR Podcast which covered mental skills and got inside the mind of elite athletes. We've also put together new articles on dealing with fear, mental toughness and mountaineering, mental toughness and strength training, real life lessons from Sergej Litvinov and Szymon Ziolkowski, and designing holistic exercises.
• This episode touched on some prior topics we've looked at on the GAINcast, including GAINcast 151 on goals, GAINcast 124 on making the champion's choice, GAINcast 130 on cognition in sport with Len Zaichkowsky and Daniel Peterson, and GAINcast 68 on the silofication of sport.
• Vern has also written about a number of these topics like mental toughness, failure, Navy Seal training and other nonsense, >The Little Engine That Could, and preparing the path.

When you look at teams that overachieve and out perform, the common denominator is often coaching. Coaching makes a difference. We have seen great coaches, good coaches and indifferent coaches throughout our careers. The great ones share some things in common. On this week's GAINcast we discuss the common characteristics of coaching excellence. For more information on this topic, read the complete show notes at: http://www.hmmrmedia.com/2019/02/gaincast-episode-158-characteristics-of-coaching-excellence/

This episode is brought to you by HMMR Plus and GAIN. Check back for new videos, articles, and podcasts on the topic. Learn more about GAIN 2019 on GAINcast 154. Applications are now open at www.thegainnetwork.com.

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

• Join HMMR Plus so that you get full access to our video, article, and podcast archive.
• You can read more about each of these points in Vern’s recent post.

When you look at teams that overachieve and out perform, the common denominator is often coaching. Coaching makes a difference. We have seen great coaches, good coaches and indifferent coaches throughout our careers. The great ones share some things in common. On this week's GAINcast we discuss the common characteristics of coaching excellence. For more information on this topic, read the complete show notes at: http://www.hmmrmedia.com/2019/02/gaincast-episode-158-characteristics-of-coaching-excellence/

This episode is brought to you by HMMR Plus and GAIN. Check back for new videos, articles, and podcasts on the topic. Learn more about GAIN 2019 on GAINcast 154. Applications are now open at www.thegainnetwork.com.

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

• Join HMMR Plus so that you get full access to our video, article, and podcast archive.
• You can read more about each of these points in Vern’s recent post.

Supporting a track and field team might sound like a simple enough, but when you look a bit closer you see it can often mean helping 100 athletes competing in vastly different sports. John Baumann knows the sport inside and out, having helped develop NCAA champions as both a technical coach and strength coach. He joins this week's GAINcast to talk about his work as the head strength and conditioning coach for the University of Kansas track and field team, how he learned from his background as a throws coach, and finding the right program for athletes from varied backgrounds and diverse events. For more information on this topic, read the complete show notes at: http://www.hmmrmedia.com/2019/03/gaincast-episode-157-find-the-right-fit-with-john-baumann/

This episode is brought to you by HMMR Plus and GAIN. Check back for new videos, articles, and podcasts on the topic. Learn more about GAIN 2019 on GAINcast 154. Applications are now open at www.thegainnetwork.com.

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

• This month's HMMR Media site theme is throwing. That ties into today's episode, and we have more resources on the site. Click here for an overview of our top resource on all the throwing events. Join HMMR Plus so that you get full access to our video, article, and podcast archive.
• You can learn more about Baumann on the University of Kansas webpage.
• Baumann was mentored by and used to work for the legendary sprint coach Gary Winckler. You can learn more from Winckler on GAINcast 9. For more on Gary Winckler, his training philosophy, the concept of reactivity, periodization, and more, check out our four-part training talk from 2014.

Supporting a track and field team might sound like a simple enough, but when you look a bit closer you see it can often mean helping 100 athletes competing in vastly different sports. John Baumann knows the sport inside and out, having helped develop NCAA champions as both a technical coach and strength coach. He joins this week's GAINcast to talk about his work as the head strength and conditioning coach for the University of Kansas track and field team, how he learned from his background as a throws coach, and finding the right program for athletes from varied backgrounds and diverse events. For more information on this topic, read the complete show notes at: http://www.hmmrmedia.com/2019/03/gaincast-episode-157-find-the-right-fit-with-john-baumann/

This episode is brought to you by HMMR Plus and GAIN. Check back for new videos, articles, and podcasts on the topic. Learn more about GAIN 2019 on GAINcast 154. Applications are now open at www.thegainnetwork.com.

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

• This month's HMMR Media site theme is throwing. That ties into today's episode, and we have more resources on the site. Click here for an overview of our top resource on all the throwing events. Join HMMR Plus so that you get full access to our video, article, and podcast archive.
• You can learn more about Baumann on the University of Kansas webpage.
• Baumann was mentored by and used to work for the legendary sprint coach Gary Winckler. You can learn more from Winckler on GAINcast 9. For more on Gary Winckler, his training philosophy, the concept of reactivity, periodization, and more, check out our four-part training talk from 2014.

Watch the javelin in full speed and it is a thing of beauty. Watch it in slow motion and it'll often make you cringe. In order to throw a spear the length of a football field requires athletes to put their body in extreme positions with massive amounts of force transferring through the kinetic chain. Mastering it is hard, staying at the top even harder. Steve Backley was not just one of the best javelin throwers of all time, but sat atop the sport for 15 years. On this episode of the GAINcast, Backley joins us to discuss how he developed in the sport, what creates the perfect throw, and becoming a better competitor. For more information on this topic, read the complete show notes at: http://www.hmmrmedia.com/2019/03/gaincast-episode-156-chucking-spears-with-steve-backley/

This episode is brought to you by HMMR Plus and GAIN. Learn more about GAIN 2019 on GAINcast 154. Applications are now open at www.thegainnetwork.com.

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

• This month's HMMR Media site theme is throwing. That ties into today's episode, and we have more resources on the site. Click here for an overview of our top resource on all the throwing events. Join HMMR Plus so that you get full access to our video, article, and podcast archive.
• You can learn more about Backley on his website and Twitter (@Steve_Backley). He has also written a book The Champion in All of Us: 12 rules for success. He also shared 10 lessons he learned from his career in an article for BBC Sport.
• Listening to Backley describe his technique is one thing, but you really have to see it to understand what he is talking about. Check out videos of his 91.46 meter world record and 90.81 meter throw are both on YouTube.
• If you want to learn more about the javelin, we posted some javelin specific strength exercises with coach Terry McHugh. For specific strength exercises for all the throwing events, watch Lesson 9 in the HMMR Classroom.

Watch the javelin in full speed and it is a thing of beauty. Watch it in slow motion and it'll often make you cringe. In order to throw a spear the length of a football field requires athletes to put their body in extreme positions with massive amounts of force transferring through the kinetic chain. Mastering it is hard, staying at the top even harder. Steve Backley was not just one of the best javelin throwers of all time, but sat atop the sport for 15 years. On this episode of the GAINcast, Backley joins us to discuss how he developed in the sport, what creates the perfect throw, and becoming a better competitor. For more information on this topic, read the complete show notes at: http://www.hmmrmedia.com/2019/03/gaincast-episode-156-chucking-spears-with-steve-backley/

This episode is brought to you by HMMR Plus and GAIN. Learn more about GAIN 2019 on GAINcast 154. Applications are now open at www.thegainnetwork.com.

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

• This month's HMMR Media site theme is throwing. That ties into today's episode, and we have more resources on the site. Click here for an overview of our top resource on all the throwing events. Join HMMR Plus so that you get full access to our video, article, and podcast archive.
• You can learn more about Backley on his website and Twitter (@Steve_Backley). He has also written a book The Champion in All of Us: 12 rules for success. He also shared 10 lessons he learned from his career in an article for BBC Sport.
• Listening to Backley describe his technique is one thing, but you really have to see it to understand what he is talking about. Check out videos of his 91.46 meter world record and 90.81 meter throw are both on YouTube.
• If you want to learn more about the javelin, we posted some javelin specific strength exercises with coach Terry McHugh. For specific strength exercises for all the throwing events, watch Lesson 9 in the HMMR Classroom.