75 That’s my number. No, not that number. 75 is the number of continuing education classes, conferences, home studies, etc that I’ve completed since physical therapy school. Though the courses are many, it was probably too much in a short period of time. When quantity is pursued, quality suffers. Sadly, I didn’t figure out how to get the most out of each class until the latter end of my career. Two classes in particular stand out: Mobilisation of the Nervous System by the NOI Group, and ART lower extremity. Yes, the content was great, but these classes stood out for a different reason. You see, instead of just doing a little bit of prep work, I kicked it up a notch. I extensively reviewed supportive material, took impeccable notes, and hit all the other essentials needed to effectively learn. I was prepared, and because I was prepared I got so much more out of these classes than my typical fair. The lessons learned in those courses stick with me to this day. For the stuff you really want to learn, I’ll encourage you to do the same. Here is the way to get the most out of your continuing education. By the time you are done reading this post, you’ll understand why I now recommend a more focused learning approach and fewer courses. Let’s see how to do it.
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Course Notes: The Elite Speed Seminar
I just finished up the Elite Speed Seminar at what has become my home away from home, Indianapolis Fitness and Sports Training. The presenters were Lee Taft and Nick Winkelman, and I learned a great deal in an area that I am weak in. Here are the notes and quotes. Multi-Directional Speed Tools That Make Change – Lee Taft Lee talked about 5 qualities to train that separate great from good athletes. Performing well under urgency, as sympathetic states change how we move. Reactivity – These are reacting to finite reactions, such as a gun going off in a sprint. Random reaction – This uses the stretch-shortening cycle more frequently by foot repositioning. Think a shortstop. Tactics – Reacting to fakes and deception. Mistake Recovery – Training to recover from worst case scenarios. Here were Lee’s recommendations for program design. Skill acquisition – The ability to control desired movements. This portion can be trained by either skill components (3-4 exercises), skill itself (1-3 exercises), or linking skills (shuffle to sprint). Force application – Performing the desired movement patterns with increased force or resistance. Random reactive training – Challenge movements under a random setting, but make sure the above 2 components are rock solid first. Here were Lee’s recommendations to progress to reactive training Acceleration → deceleration → Change of direction →One direction reaction → Multi-direction reaction. Some great cues that Lee used Stay in the tunnel. Arms long and strong. Tear the paper – Get in the athletic position, load the big toes, and try to rip
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