Like everyone else I’m always up for the possibility to learn more about Charlie’s methods and the way he appraoched coaching/training.
I’m with devils on this one tho… I wouldn’t care as much about having a certification (because I dont think it would mean much for me professionally) as I would increasing my knowledge for coaching and training (which I could obviously I could gain through a certification I guess)… Probably semantics like devils said but just trying to explain why I would have interest in the certification
Even if its not a certification but some type of a program/association that you can sign up for that has monthly or yearly type of events or courses that people can take part in like seminars, webinars, online classes, etc…
To my way of thinking, this is the standout area: evaluation of individual needs and customization. Everyone gives lip service to it, but very few actually implement it with any degree of competence, and I think this was one of Charlie’s key fortes. As part of this I would emphasize that athletes do not fit neatly into the typical beginner, intermediate and advanced categories that are often seen in program design discussions. For example, there may be relatively advanced athletes that require remedial work on areas of general fitness or strength endurance, etc.
I would also suggest creating some type of adjunct program related to recovery and regeneration methods. This might help fill that gap for coaches and athletes that do not have regular access to therapists. Ideally, Waldemar would have input on it. This would definitely need to have some type of hands-on training at some level.
all good points and add to that when things don’t go to plan, an athlete isn’t progressing, gets injured (physically and mentally), other things come up etc. Its dealing with those situations that IMHO really make a difference.
I am also very interested in something like this.
How “basic” are you starting, as it doesn’t take much before I’m “overloaded” with information…some of this I learn more easily, other stuff takes time…
The idea would be to make all aspects of the program accessible to everyone, regardless of distance. In some cases, we may do in-person seminars or workshops, but this would be infrequent and the video content would be available to others or could be broadcast via Skype or some other new technology.
As far as progressions and sophistication go, the initial level would be basic (and may even be redundant to many of you) but it would be a necessary step so that everyone can demonstrate their full understanding and competence in the fundamentals.
Numbertwo- i want to do this and honestly we must all start from the begining no matter how baic it is
once we all start singing from the same sheet we can learn together. its a fantastic idea which will do great things for this site and charlies teachings
im 100% behind you on this one and again great idea
I’m very much in agreement. In this vein I also suggest having a special section of the forum that is only open to those who have at least the Level 1 certification to ensure that people posting there are on the same page and understand the basics of the system.
One of the things that made the forum so productive when it first started was that most of the initial members had read Speed Trap and CFTS and knew both books fairly well. So people tended to be on the same wavelength in discussions. A lot of the newer members that have joined over the years have not read these books (or the newer ones), and threads often get bogged down by misunderstanding or the need to get people up to speed (no pun intended).
Number Two, I am with ESTI and some others on this. I love the idea of filling in the holes in my CFTS understanding. I am not much of a certification guy per se, but I would love to learn with others from the ground up. It serves the purpose of helping many coaches become better and at the same time, help Charlies teachings survive though a broader out reach. In this day and age of so much “piss poor” training, it would be great to see a bunch of Charlies supporters have his methods reach every nook and cranny on this planet. That is the one of the most noble things about your undertaking, letting Charlies body of work live on in us, those who truly care about doing things the right way.
Like speedcoach and ESTI, Im not much of a certification guy (alot of them dont mean jack) but they look good on a resume and as we all know there’s TONS, I mean TONS of WANNA BE coaches and trainers out there. At least a CFTS certification would give even the idiots a excellent ground base.
The thing that I have trouble with is, as has been said by many, taking the overall conceptual framework and applying it with confidence to various situations.
To give specific examples, the following are a few questions that I think about fairly often.
How should a track and field program for students in grade 3-6 differ from a program for students in grade 7-8?
How should a high school program progress?
What does an acceptable level of fundamental general fitness look like, and how do I get people there?
How should I plan a masters program, (especially for athletes with average or below average genetic potential, because hey, track needs more athletes of all ages and backgrounds)?
What I’m hoping for is a program that early on, teaches understanding of the overall framework so we can get specific examples once we have demonstrated we are ready for specifics, and can understand examples contextually within the overall scope of a CFTS program.
Please keep all the great ideas and feedback coming. It will be a great help in the production of the final program.
As far as the “certification” concept goes, it will be more of a means to identify how far you have come with regard to understanding Charlie’s concepts and methodology. I don’t know if any of us will be putting it on our resumes. In a perfect world perhaps. But it would be nice if athletes could go to someone with CF-Certification and have the utmost confidence that they will be provided the best training possible and treated with the utmost respect and a positive attitude (i.e. like going to train with Charlie).
If it can be made easily accessible then I’m up for it. Don’t think a certificate would mean anything to most people here in the UK but I would be proud to have it, but more importantly a chance to increase my knowledge of Charlie’s ideas is a chance not to be missed. Thanks number 2, your efforts are always appreciated.
Derek,
You know who might be of help in regard to this is Ian King. Ian has KSI University where he has King coaches. Bascially deeply knowledgable people in his methodology. He has differing levels of proficiency and milestones that need to be eclipsed to move to next level. People have the choice to stop where they see fit. Obviously this forum has some solid out reach even if Charlies teachings are not mainstream. The beauty of this system is that due to regionality of athletes, peoplecould be referred to a CFTS coach, therefore further strengthening the justification to follow the program. It incentivizes the investment and gets CFTS spread further. Just a thought. I did some intensive work with Ian and it accelerated my career path by at least a decade. I just want to see Charlies extrodinary work live on and also help Angela and James solidify the business they have been a big part of forming.QUOTE=NumberTwo;246147]Please keep all the great ideas and feedback coming. It will be a great help in the production of the final program.
As far as the “certification” concept goes, it will be more of a means to identify how far you have come with regard to understanding Charlie’s concepts and methodology. I don’t know if any of us will be putting it on our resumes. In a perfect world perhaps. But it would be nice if athletes could go to someone with CF-Certification and have the utmost confidence that they will be provided the best training possible and treated with the utmost respect and a positive attitude (i.e. like going to train with Charlie).[/QUOTE]
Getting back to course content, in the case of planning and especially adjustments, if possible I would love to see examples of how Charlie dealt with interruptions in training (e.g., illness, weather, access to facilities) while maintaining or reestablishing the planned progression. And it might not necessarily mean all training is interrupted. For example, you might have four or five days of thunderstorms (or severe cold/snow, etc.) and no indoor facilities, which precludes speed work. How would you compensate with other high intensity components so that speed work can be resumed with minimal disruption to the progression? The indoor tempo videos provide an excellent example of alternate approaches to tempo and general fitness, but it’s easier to compensate in the case of general components by their very nature. What are some ways to handle disruptions to the specific stimulus?
Even full time athletes have to deal with occasional interruptions. Therefore, anyone else with additional responsibilities such as school, work, families, etc., have to deal with this all the time.
I just went to a strength and conditioning clinic this weekend at Michigan State and talking to several College & NFL coaches, they knew or at least heard of Charlie Francis. So in my opinion, Im like Flash, if they can do it Charlie most definately can.. With that being said, why not put it on a resume?
. With that being said, why not put it on a resume?