King Sports International

Only 10 days to go before the start of the final 2007 KSI Coaching Program!

A quick email to let you know that in 10 days time we start the final KSI CIP 102 program for 2007.

Why is this important to know? Because this is the last chance to qualify to join us in August for the famous KSI three day boot camps (now the KSI CIP 103; a program that many have attempted to copy but no-one can do it the way we do it!)

So in just 10 days time the KSI CIP 102 (Tele-conference Series) commences - the final opportunity in 2007 to qualify to join us in August 2007, and the final chance also be considered for the 2008 KSI Coach Mentoring Program (CMP) intake!

Nearly ten years ago we introduced the first physical preparation coach education 'boot camps' to the industry, and have seen hundreds participate in this life changing even since.

What has changed is we now make it more pre-qualified. To be able to enroll in the three day boot camp, you need to have completed the KSI CIP 101 and 102 programs, and the 101 is a pre-requisite for the 102.

Bottom line - those who are eligible and register will join other CIP coaches, all the KSI CMP Coaches, and all the KING Coaches (CMP Graduates) in our annual get together and professional development program in August this year in the beautiful ski resort and US base-central for winter sports - Park City (also home of the 2002 Winter Olympics).

No other annual event pulls the KSI Coaches together like this one!

From our ground-breaking, industry original three day boot camps in the late 1990s, we decided to focus on making more significant, longer term and broader ranging changes through a more intensive educational program.

As a result we created the KING Coaching Program. This program has been tweaked a number of times since it's first introduction in 2003, including the more recent changes outlined below to the first stage of the program, the CIP.

We are entering our 5th year of this program, and have seen our first graduates (KING Coaches) in the last 12 months - amazing coaches teaching the world's #1 physical preparation methods!

The KING Coaching Program is totally original and unique, yet to see any imitations. To imitate this high level of program would not be easy, as the discipline, integrity and consistency required to provide a multi-year results-based program is not commonly found.

We are proud of our contribution to the significant changes in the lives of our coaches. We also appreciate their commitment and loyalty to KSI.  They are contributing to the continual building a something great with KSI and can take pride in their own contribution to this.

Our focus on athlete and coach education is in its 21st year. If you would like to be part of our focus as a physical preparation coach, we invite you to read on!

So in 10 days time the KSI CIP 102 (Tele-conference Series) commences - the final opportunity in 2007 to qualify to join us in August 2007, and also the final chance to be considered for the 2008 KSI Coach Mentoring Program (CMP) intake!

Tele-Conference Program
Starts Fri 8 June 2007
8:00-9:30pm EST USA
Pre-requisite: KSI CIP 101
KSI CIP 102 is a requirement for entry into KSI CIP 103

Register Now!

Looking forward to seeing you join us in August 2007 in Park City!

Ian King

Multiple knee ligament reconstruction - update #1

It's been approx 1 month since Ian's initial post and my initial interview with this former athlete for rehabilitation of his seriously challenged knee (2 x ligament repairs and meniscus trim on the one knee).

My initial contact with him was 14 weeks post surgery, up until that time, his physio (for the past 10+yrs) had been rehabbing him with very limited success. This measured by his lack of range at the knee, pain, swelling, altered gait via a large limp, recommendation of further surgery to the knee, muscle atrophy and a compromised life style with very limited signs of any improvement up until that 14 weeks!

So the first 'shift' had to take place. I had to learn why he likes to partner/associate with total incompetence and see if he was willing to break this tragic pattern. In other words, find out how willing he was to change. He passed the tests there, so on to the next step with the interview and assessments complete.

The next step was to get hands on and test my hypothesis as to the reasons why he had such limited improvement after 3 and one half months. Knowing the (lack of) competence of most therapists and the paradigms they subscribe to, we measured a few aspects of his current knee status then I spend maybe 30 mins all up working on some things and re-tested.

The changes were definitely in the right direction and in 30mins we were able to get more improvement than in his previous 14wks combined! That also carried through to the next day, with him saying it’s the best his knee has felt since the surgery!

This had a huge impact on his belief as to what is possible, as previously his belief (and therefore results) were reflective of the competence he chose to engage - low!

Additionally, while I was working with the client, Ian was busy creating an electronic version of a 'monitor' he has successfully used over the years with numerous athletes, that I can't talk too much about it here. This was another responsibility the client had and monitor continues to guide us in his rehabilitation daily.

So for the past 4 weeks he has happily made the 3 hour round trip (that's just the driving time, not including his time with me!) a number of time each week to get serviced to the level he deserves and continue to move forward in improvement.

Earlier this week Ian set our client up for a meeting and second opinion based on the apparent need for further surgery, with possibly Australia's leading sports surgeon who Ian knows well. This was another great learning experience for our client as the surgeon was able to share the grim long term realities for his knee if he continued on his previous course.

This was another wake up call for him, giving him greater appreciation for straight/blunt communication Ian and I use with him when it appears he is (or in the past was) selling himself short, expecting too little, and using blame or lack of control over life’s events as excuses…

More updates to follow...

Mitchell Kochonda

Over-trained? Impossible!

I continue to be amazed at the ease at which coaches and administrators (and sometimes even the media) brush away and trivialize the insidius impacts of over training.

Meanwhile, the atheltes who have been flogged in training get whipped in the media because they are under-performing. The decision makers responsible for the over-training seek to deny this possibility, and sometimes even the press are used to support them.

Here are three examples of this:

1.  2006: A team playing at national league level begins to decline rapidly in performance.  They are apparently being flogged in training to the extent that the players begin to make comments about their predicament. In response, their concerns are not only denied by the club officials involved, the media comes on board with articles calling the atheltes gutless!

2. 2007: A national team struggling, experiencing performance decrement. When the possibilty of over-training is put to the coach, his response is quoted as: "...the notion of overtraining, iId like to know what the definition of that is... some people link that (recent losses) to injuries and workloads. i find that commentary unhelpful. injuries occur in sport, simple as that..." (Badel, P., 2007, Warne told to butt out, The Sunday Mail, p 102, Feb 18, 2007)

3. 2007: A once proud sporting team playing internationally at provincial level has achieved some forgettable milestones, continuing a downward trend that has been going on for a decade or so. Not only have they come last in their annual competition, they finished the season with a record loss.  A media representative interviews the most powerful board member, during which he lists some of the things the incumbent coach has been accused of.  One of them was training the team too hard.

To which the administrator is quoted as replying: "A wise man said 'No one ever drowned in his own sweat, so discount the first [this] accusation...."  (Tucker, J., 2007, The grill, The Courier-Mail, Brisbane, May 9 2007, p. 103)

4. 2007 - The above mentioned team lost mroe than 50% of its playing roster to varying forms of injury that cost one or more games played, during this season. When over-training was put to the coach of this team as a possible reason for the massive injury tool, the coach argued that the bulk of the absences have been caused by contact injuries, saying "we've only lost one injury through training, apart from (Chris Latham), Caleb Brown to a hamstring. They're not soft tissue injuries. It's not the training parameters; it's the contact injuries during the game." (Sportal.com.au, 2007, Jones assesses injuries, Monday, 12 March 2007 @ 2:21 PM)

Over-trained? It can't be!

(Why? Because that would mean I would have to admit that I or the person I employed to do the job stuffed up. That's not going to work - better blame the athlete's...or maybe the 'curse'...)

Sport Administrators - the great escapists

When individuals or teams perform poorly, the first to be blamed are the athletes. Next on the menu is the coach. Tragically, rarely is any attention focused on the administrator.

Yet in any organization, leadership from the top down sets the direction.  Its an unlikely combination to have incompetent leadership and successful elite sport.

In my 20 plus years of being involved in elite sport I have lost count of the times I have seen administrators make poor decisions, in areas they have no idea, that adversely affect the on-field performance (even if it may take a few years to filter down) - and walk away intact. I have even seen these performance wreckers get promoted!

I have always maintained - how can an administrator make decisions about physical preparation at that level of performance?  The best they can hope for is to make smart business and leadership decisions, which include putting the most appropriate people in place to make decisions about areas they have no idea in.

Here's a great example of an administrator whose opinion in a subject is not likely to be his area of expertise, making a comment that will affect the outcome.

Here's the example. A once proud sporting team has achieved some forgettable milestones, continuing a downward trend that has been going on for a decade or so. Not only have they come last in their annual competition, they finished the season with a record loss.  A media representative interviews the most powerful board member, during which he lists some of the things the incumbent coach has been accused of.

One of them was training the team too hard.

"...has been accused of training the players too hard, berating young players, overdoing his post-match scoldings, having flaws in his vision of how the game should be played and being responsible for the drought. Is anyone on the review panel going to have the expertize to decide what's rubbish and what's true?"

To which the administrator is quoted as replying: "A wise man said 'No one ever drowned in his own sweat, so discount the first accusation...."

So there you have it - one of the major contributors in my eyes for this team's predicament - swept aside with one pearl of wisdom...

As for the journalist question if "anyone their review panel the review panel going to have the expertize to decide what's rubbish and what's true" - that won't be necessary in relation to overtraining - expert opinion has already been given...

Tucker, J., 2007, The grill, The Courier-Mail, Brisbane, May 9 2007, p. 103.

Body shape, posture and strength training

It has become clear to me many times over the impact strength training exercises have on body shape and posture. Not just the exercise, but also the way the exercise is conducted.

Most of us would be familiar with the typical rounded shoulder shape brought by an imbalance between say benching and rowing. (despite the number of 'know' about this, it is still appallingly common).

Injuries to the shoulder and associated connective tissue are too many to mention.

But I want to take it a step further.

Take shape. Even if bench pressing is balanced in volume and sequence by rowing movements (rare), note the shape of the body during the row. If it is anything less than optimal, you will see the same shape in posture - less than optimal. The opportunity to counter the bench has been lost.

The most common flaws in share in rowing are rounded upper back, rounded from shoulder to shoulder (protracted scapula), lower back arched (anterior rotated pelvis) combined with the rounded upper back.

Another example in shape is excessive (over-frequent) use of the arch in the bench.  There is one particular athlete who from a distance appears to stand in the shape an arched bench press. Not good for lower back. I believe an review of his training would support my observations/conclusion that he over-uses the arch in the bench press.

Further to that, and this again is tragically common - either the deadlift and related lifts (e.g. power clean) are inadequately present in his workout, or his shape in them is far from satisfactory.

The role of the deadlift and related double joint/off ground lifts is a critical one, one I have not found any acceptable substitute exercise for. I am going beyond the performance and size benefits of this lift - I am speaking of its role in correcting and maintaining appropriate shape and its contribution to posture.

Note the existence in the program of the deadlift is not sufficient - the relative sequence and volume is critical, relative to the current shape of the body. And the following is non-negotiable - the posture/technique used - this is FAR MORE important than the loading in the first instance. There is no excuse for inadequacies in the shape used in the lift. The most common reason poor shape is used is lack of knowledge/value placed on this lift and shape by the physical preparation coaches advising the athlete.

This is good news for those wanting a competitive advantage. Simply study and implement the recommendations for this lift in my DVDs (see below for options) and you can be ahead of 99% of professional athlete guidance.

Ian King's Guide to the Deadlift;  How To Teach Strength Training Exercises (both are based on same footage, the HTT contains over 100 lifts for the whole body)

Celebrating before the big one may mean you lose the big one

I have a rule that athletes/teams should contain their emotions, especially when they are nearing completion/attainment of their goals.

When I see what I feel to be excessive jubilation over a success/win that simply gives them a shot at the 'big one', I am concerned that they have celebrated the peak of their success, and risk stumbling at the opportunity to win the big one.

I was further concerned when I saw the coach being quoted* expanding on the stratetgies he used to get them up for game. He should have brushed over this and said the focus is on winning the next two, rather than glorify his achievement in being associated with this win.

This is because I feel they are more than satisfied, and feel they don't need to more to feel accomplished. Therefore they lose the drive or hunger to win at the next level up.

I saw that in a team during the last weekend, when they won a game that gave them the right to not only participate in but host a semi-final.

They had 2 more things to do - they needed to win that semi-final, which would qualify them for the finals. Then they need to win the final.

As great as their acheivement to date, I am concerned for them. As much as I want them to win the semi-final, I am concerned that they have celebrated too early, and now lack the drive to push on and win the next one.

As great as the team they play in the semi-final is (last years champions and the most successful team in the short (15 year) history of the competition -I am concerned that their ability to win has been undermined.

If I was in their circle, I would have inluenced the environment to ensure greater curbing of emotions after that game, with a strong focus on the 'big one'.

When they have won the 'big one', they can celebrate as much as they want. I would even celebrate with them if I was in their circle. But till then....

* Meyer always believed, Monday, 7 May 2007 @ 5:35 AM, sportal.com.au

Postscript 7.40pm Mon 7 May 07 US EST

I have just watched the team the above team is going to play. They appear to be in a flat or down-cycle, losing their 2 most recent games and playing below potential. This will even the contest out.

Coaches who want to see it in training in the week prior to competition - don't usually get to see it in the competition

Once the competitive phase of the year has begun coaches need to make a decision - do they want to see their athlete/teams full abilities in training in the lead up to the competition or do they want to see it in the competition?

Most likely they won't get it both ways.

Too many coaches, lacking the confidence and suffering from fears of inadequacy, want to see if their athlete/team has what it takes during the training sessions in the lead up to the competition. And then there is nothing left for the competition.

Here's an example in print (*) - when I see this I have concerns for the athlete/team's ability to produce their best in the upcoming competition:

"Attitude-wise, the guys have been putting it in at training this week and that's what we need out there to shut our guys like ...", referring to the game to be played in 24 hrs time.

NO! That is EXACTLY WHAT THEY DON'T NEED! THEY DON'T NEED TO HAVE SHOWN THIS WORK ETHIC IN TRAINING IN THE DAYS BEFORE THE GAME!!!! If the line had read 'They have been relaxing on the golf course...' - that is more likely what they need!

Now to make this case even more questionable, this team has flown half way around the world to play this game, which will occur only 7 days after the last, and is their 15th game in row (approx, including trial games)...and if that was not enough, they are playing at altitude which is not their usual situation.

Oh, and did I forget...this team is also about to come last in this competition, confirmed if they lose this game. But should that surprise?

* Tucker, J., 2007, Last call for Reds season of sorrow, Courier Mail, Sat 5 May2007, p. 119, Brisbane.

Postscript: Now the game is over we can assess my concerns. The team in question during this game achieved the following, based on my rudimentary sports history knowledge:

1. Had the third highest (in the approx. 15 year history of this competition) number of points scored against them.

2. Had the higest points deficit (points scored by winning team minus points scored by losing team) in the history of the competition.

3. Had the highest number of points scored against them in the history of this team in the history of this competition.

4. Had the highest points deficit against them experienced by this team in the history of this competition.

5. Could well have been the highest points and highest points deficit experienced by the losing team in their entire history, but not sure of this.

Suffice to say, my concerns were (sadly) well founded....

KSI Coach Education fulfills its goals - again!

We are extremely proud of the KSI Coach Education program, including our Coach Intern Program (CIP). We have been building and improving our coach education for a number of decades. Along the way we have faced choices including should we 'offer certification' or give what we believe is needed, vs what a regulatory body of average people have deemed the basics for the average physical preparation coach.

We have never dwelled on this question for too long - chosing to cut our own path. No doubt we could have more registrations if we offered 'hoop jumping' courses as most do. For me, quality always comes before quantity.  And our values are not for sale.

Therefore it's always encouraging to receive feedback such as the below from our coaches.  This coach, hailing from the land of my forefathers (Ireland) again also reinforces we have achieved our goal of providing global education!

It's been almost a year since I joined KSI CIP 101. And it's been quite a journey. In the last eleven months I received a huge amount of knowledge that now sets me miles apart from any of my colleagues here, I am now well able to make a big difference in the lives of my clients.

Not that this makes me arrogant, I got educated not only in the field of physical preparation, but much wider, in how to be a well rounded person.

This is one thing that I value above the rest, KSI CIP course has given me a perspective, an indication where (and why) I'm now, and where I should be going from here, professionally, personally and financially.

All I can say is, thank you, to Ian, Mike and the whole KSI Team.

--Igor