I attended the SWIs symposium this weekend, which quite possibly is the last one. Overall I would give it a 10 out of 10.
Seemed like their was alot of tension in the air though with Poliquin, Chel, Ikei, Tate, Staley, DeFranco, and Goldenburg running around. I guess alot of strength coaches dont like to share territory.
The info was good.
What was interesting in the last session was that Kinakin was explaining the whole symposium feild has changed dramatically since most people have access to the internet. People would rather not pay for inforamtion and get it off the net. Unfortunately, this is not the way bills are paid so eventually someone will suffer.
Alot of presenters thought that the direction as far as professional developement is concerned lies with interning with coaches, DVD’s, and books for a reference library.
Some peoplwe in the audience said they would be willing to pay double the the price and would put their money down now.
What are some peoples thoughts on where the industry is headed?
The internet is great for information but there is also so much misinformation that it causes problems. At the end of the day if you want to get to the top you will have to pay someone for thier time (its only fair).
For me the interent is great because flying from the UK to US/Canada is petty expensive and I can only afford to do it once or twice a year tops. But it is necessary to really gain the final 10%. You need to do your homework before hand though… no point going out there with no prior knowledge. Better to have specific questions and seek them out.
As for conventions. They are more than just information. They are about networking and talking to people. For this reason they will always be of value.
Your response on travelling is true. I wouldnt travel overseas unless it was a real MEGA symposim and atleat for 3 days.
Which is why Im shocked that Toronto, a city that has lots of tariners and sportsmed people, dont rush out to thse seminars in support of them.
When you consider that most of thse presenters charge in excess of $150 US per hour for their services, paying $150 CAN for 16 hous of seminars isnt too bad.
We had people from all over the states and I bumped into a few guys from overseas.
travelling aside, I still think technogy has screwed things for many people. Example
1)Why go to seminars when I can get free stuff on the net.
2) People copy books.
3) Copy DVD’s
4) Steal other peoples info, repackage it, and call it your own (Staley can probably do an extensive seminar on this topic)
When you have guys putting on a show like that It always amazes me when people dont support it. Now the people in Toronto will have to spend 300-500% more to attend seminars of this magnitude in the future. I guess thats what you get for being cheap.
Does anyone know of some of the bigger-worthwhile to attend symposiums in Europe?
One factor is that if I am going to Fly to another location the information better be new or wise. I am tired to flying to a conference and listen to various presenters making a vague presentation on factors we all know about.
300+ conference fee
200 hotel fees
400 for flight (sometimes car rental!)
and then what? When I can buy a consultation for 100-200 and speak for an hour with the person I got to listen to instead of raising my hand in hopes to get one question answered?
What I think I will try to do at my job is host a dirt cheap clinic. What we don’t see enough networking to offer a room and board to other coaches. Anyone wishing to stay with me is fine so long as they get enough prep time. Everyone saves money and the exchange of ideas is great.
I went to SWIS a few times and got a great package. I heard Chek, Charlie Francis, and other great people in the world of sports performance. Now that I am a better coach it is hard to get the needed info without talking to many other coaches. I spent years under some great coaches and you can’t replace that.
Thats what I mean: when you factor all that travel expense that a person saves when they live in the same or near the location of the seminar, why wouldnt you go and support the industry.
Over the years Ken Kinakin has brought some of the best minds under one roof.
Anyways, at this stage in my carreer, 2 hour workshops dont do much. Its much better to work with a solid coach on a contuous basis, or some form of long-term consultations / mentoring.
Unfortunately, most people will not part with their money. I on the otherhand like to invest in my industry to keep it growing, but as we just witnessed quite possibly the last SWIS, Its the opinions of most people that most are just too cheap.
This is a problem - unless u are going to a seminar like Charlie’s Vancouver where people are going indepth you really can’t learn that much if you are already experienced. Having reread a lot or your posts from when the forum first began I can see that you have throught about things at a deeper level than most “experts”!
The one great thing about symposiams is that occasionally you get exposed to people you wouldn’t have known about - my personal favourite was Henk Kraaijenhof. Also you get to meet other knowledgable but “unknown” coaches and they help to open your eyes to different stuff.
Theirs always those “unknown” guys you should be on the look out for.
The 1-2 day seminar things works when you are in the earlier stages and you absorb bits and pieces then go research it yourself ( I think everyone should always do their own research, chck peoples references, etc).
But then come a point in your carreer where this is not good enough. You must work with a taem that you can practice with (say myofascial stretching, muscle testing, whatever), have deep discussion on planning / training, etc.
All great coaches had a mentor or a great team along the way.
I brought this up with many coaches over the weekend. Most are already doing that when the oportunity arises but cost is always a factor.
In this field you have to have an open mind. Someone that was their can correct me if Im wrong, but Dave Tate seemed like the most professional presenter this weekend. Consulted with coaches that were willing (again, their was alot of tension in the air with some of tyhe presenters), had traetment done on him (chiro) right on stage by 2 different guys. You can sense that he was here to absorb and interact to see if some one, known or unknown, may have something that might help him.
This is a problem - unless u are going to a seminar like Charlie’s Vancouver where people are going indepth you really can’t learn that much if you are already experienced. Having reread a lot or your posts from when the forum first began I can see that you have throught about things at a deeper level than most “experts”!
I had the gift of running into a Toronto sprinter in Tampa and reading speed trap when I was just a rookie coach in college. The book told me what I needed to do and I started out with a wealth of knowledge. Still I spent hours every week raising money for massage and other expenses because I realized I had to DO WHAT I READ OR SAY! I don’t see that with many new coaches. They can argue about the nervous system all day but their kids eat twinkies…
I was always fascinated with lifting weights. I think my first issue of Muscle and Fitness was Sept 86. I have probably gone through every Muscle magazine that has come out since that time. I could was exposed to alot of garbage informtion (like 20 sets of 20 reps in the squats) but even at a young age alot of these thing didnt make sense to me.
I always liked reading articles by Yessis, Tudor, Fritze, Dr Squat, but i think one guy that really made a diference is Dr. Joseph Horrigan. He used to (stopped for a while now he’s back) write for IRONMAN mag and his articles always made sense and were always referenced. I guess Joe and Charlie may have been friends, or just liked his work, so Joseph made lots of reference to Charlie.
I think I got my copy of the CFTS around 93-4. At this time guyys like King and Poliquin were referncing Charlie. So even at that level you can see how knowledge gets passed up into the next class of coaches. And then you go back to their sources and see if their correct in their interpretation of who they are actually referencing, then you see if they missed something, and then you evolve into your own way of doing things. Thats what I meant about doing your own research.
Alot of times when I go to private seminars and a coach says something I might say did you get it from here or their ( I usually know but Im testing them to see if they’ll let me into the vault) they usually get all offensive and shit but…
As a coach I dont want to imitate another coach. I want to take from who ever is willing to share and through trial and error i will eventually have a formual of what works for me.
A coach at the SWIS said that what he;s going to present is not a recipe, theirs many ways to the top, if you dont agree with me, that cool, if you want to talk it over we can, if you want to share your experiences ill listen, but at the end of this lecture Im going for a beer, and if you want to join me your more than welcome if not get lost.
Dave Tate was the best speaker IMHO! I find the problem with these symposiums is that people want information “they can use Monday”. The problem I find with this is that presenters are now giving protocals which doesn’t allow for discussion for the science as to why it works. Don’t get me wrong I like info I can use immediately, but what happens when people take the program they were given and they find that it doesn’t work for a couple of their clients? How will they adjust or adapt?
SWIS 2002, my first one, I had the theory and the application which provided the opportunity for growth.
Dr Kinakin seemed to shoot himself in the foot though - the line up wasn’t as good as previous SWIS. The marketing wasn’t as fierce as it could have been. After the cancellation of the last SWIS the website was very rarely updated. For some reason the videos / dvds would be available in 2 weeks when ever one enquired.
The industry is evolving and so should the conferences.
Yeah! Nothing spectacular. He only works on 10-60 meters acelerations.
Thinks the better you get at chin-ups the better your runs.
I asked him where his limits is in terms of reps. For example: once an athlete can do 10 reps would you add weight or would you let the athlete crank out as many as possible? He said as many as possible. Im not sure why someone would have to do 20 rep sets. I think this would be more tiring than sest of 4 to 6.
I think he trains more with young kids than anything.
Great marketer. Must have told evrone about his products non-stop. He sounds annoying at times.
