So are you talking about improving the understanding of the philosophy behind eastern bloc training or the actual training? I think most are just starved for information on eastern bloc training and they’ll read what’s available on the subject. What do you think would be the best way to better understand their concepts? Most here are just trying to find an easier way to get things done.
My point is that most coaches do not understand the underlying philosophy of Eastern Bloc training methods. Namely, the improvement of the athlete’s on-field performance.
The best way is to learn biomechanics. But most people would just do well to realize that everything isn’t about increasing your squat and bench press. Technique in the competitive skill is of the utmost importance.
Good points tony, I agree very much with what you said about the Soviet reviews, if you are not really smart or overly knowledgable in this field (like myself), you read them thinking they will tell you the secret percentages or exercises, but I have found that, that is not really the case. If I am understanding what you are saying correctly, one should think up specific exercises that have a direct relation to their sport and then vary in the russian protocols for percentages, rest/recovery, reps ect…for example instead of having a football lineman bench press on a bench, it may be more productive to have them do a bench pressing movement in a standing athletic positon due to the closer specificity of the movement to their actual movement. Am I correct or am I way off 
ok learn biomechanics, can you suggest some resources?
An understanding of biomechanics is a fundamental requirement for a specialty coach. This alone, however, does not constitute the makings of a competent coach. There are enough self proclaimed ‘experts’ in the field, who interestingly have a very short list of talented athletes, to satisfy this statement.
In many ways the S&C field is a complete joke.
‘Sport Specific’ is a concept which has been utterly perverted by westerners who understand just enough overseas material to be complete bafoons with the application. This is a topic in which I experience great relief in co-miserating with Buddy Morris and Tom Myslinski.
Correlating a sport skill movement pattern with non-specific means is not to be confused with trying to recreate sport actions with non-specific means in a non-specific setting.
Gain a clear understanding and delineation between GPP and SPP.
Most importantly, above ALL is practical experience/application. All of this information proliferated by ‘various’ certifying organizations and internet sources yields a situation which is very conducive for completely ‘wet’ individuals to throw around this term and that method, etc. However, how many individuals can program and organize training which exists beyond the theoretical. Joe Kenn and I discussed this very subject over the phone today.
Tony is absolutely right on, with respect to the Eastern Bloc literature. This material is the source, in my view, however far too many individuals are attempting to (in this case) sprint before than can even crawl, with respect to being able to fully comprehend and practically and effectively apply the information in a dynamic/organic training environment. More importantly we must not make the all too common mistake of directing inappropriate training means towards athletes who are insufficiently prepared to effectivley accomodate the advanced stressors.
We can left brain this until we are blue in the face, but it is all entirely incidental until we can apply the information in an effort to effectively develop an athletes potential to more proficiently demonstrate sport skill.
There is no substitute for working with athletes.
We westerners are so behind our overseas counterparts it is laughable. (My view of course)
Everyone would do well to have the opportunity to talk shop with Val Nasedkin, Tom Myslinski and Buddy Morris.
You have the basic idea down. As for the exercise you described, it is a much more involved process.
Also, keep in mind that specific exercises are only part of the training. General strength exercises comprise an important portion of the training as well.
I have written several articles about this with Dr. Yessis on another site. Do a search and you should come up with something.
I was being somewhat sarcastic when I made that comment, as I know most people here aren’t coaching athletes for a living and therefore don’t have the desire needed to learn biomechanics.
But if you are interested you should start be brushing-up on basic physics if you don’t know it already. Then check out any intro to biomechanics textbook. These two things will give you a basic background knowledge.
Then, for more theoretical stuff check out Zatsiorsky’s “Kinetics of Human Motion” and “Biomechanics in Sport: Performance Enhancement and Injury Prevention.”
For more practical stuff check out any of Dr. Yessis’ books. These books give frame-by-frame analysis of a variety of techniques. This will give you a good background to read the old Soviet Sports Reviews, which also give frame-by-frame descriptions of techniques.
Absolutely. To add to what I said in my previous post, if you really want to understand something you must have the theoretical background as well as the experience.
James,
Great points,
Siff once stated: So, what do we do about it? We can start off by once again focusing on the
very incomplete job being done by most certifying organisations and many
universities in spending little or no practical time in teaching students
how to do ALL resistance exercises efficiently and safely - and not leaving
the job of teaching novices to certified novices (or self-proclaimed gurus).
At least in Russia and eastern Europe, the approach there was to use top
level coaches to teach children and novices because they felt that this forms
the most important foundation for the future of all athletes. Yet, what do
we usually do in the West? - leave the beginners to teach the beginners"
Hmmm…No wonder OL’s have gotten such a bad rap from you guys!!!
Frit17, Just to add what you said, in Yessis book “secrets of Soviet Sports Fitness and training, " it talks about how the coaches have to go through rigorous training and assesment in their particular sport, he writes that " In the Soviet Bloc , then, one does not become a coach on a whim, rather, coaching is viewed as a career that requires special training and education.” It talks about how coaches go through all of the training methods and educational understanding of the methods, they are then tested and then IF they passed they moved on to coach elite athletes. Sounds like a cool system! I wonder if they still operate this way?