Can You Go? by Dan John, (10) Stay on track!, Notes

Post date: Mar 2, 2016 2:36:48 PM

Can You Go? by Dan John

Stay on track! - 10 commandments for keeping the goal the goal.

• • 1. Train appropriately for the goal.

       1. Find someone who’s already achieved your goals, someone who has been there, walked the walk and train accordingly.

          1. Some of the advice may be wrong but the good advice will turn up over and over again.

    2. Train little and often over the long haul.

• • • 1. Train for mastery while minimizing injuries.

         1. Seek to grow in all areas of life.

            1. Excellence takes time in hours over years

• • 3. The longer it takes to get in shape, the longer the shape will remain.

• • • 1. Strength seems to stay for a long time if it’s built up over a long time.

         1. For both a yearly approach and one that reaches across an athlete’s career, the longer we spend getting into condition, the longer those gains seem to hold.

• • 4. Warmups and cooldowns really do play important roles.

• • • 1. Try to make warmups and cooldowns seamless (students don’t even know that they are changing gears.)

         1. Warm up in waves: first let the little waves splash over you, then slowly make way to the big ones

         2. Rest of the time:

            1. Think like a jazz musician: experiment with movements, reps, volume, intensity.

               1. Playfulness in warmup and cool downs brings people back.

                  1. Secret Sauce: Keep them coming back.

               2. Sometimes very little warmup is needed

               3. Sometimes the warmup is the workout

• • • • • • • 1. Fine tune the body 1-2 times a month, especially the day prior to competition.

• • 5. Train for volume before intensity.

• • • 1. We need to build a peak by ensuring a broad base.

         1. Volume builds the base. Once base is there, it tends to last.

            1. Ross’ Conditioning Program: 12 to 15 minute walks, go further each time - no running or jogging

• • 6. Cycle the workouts.

• • • 1. Go with two week blocks.

         1. Maintain constant vigilance over:

            1. Omissions

            2. Errors

            3. Poor movement

            4. Lack of mobility

         2. Adaptation is the king of performance.

• • • • • 1. Stick with a program for a minimum of two weeks

• • 7. Train in a community.

• • • 1. Success leaves tracks.

         1. Constantly follow the successful tracks of others.

            1. Community increases intensity.

               1. The teacher in these groups learns the most:

                  1. How to regress movements.

                  2. How to explain movements.

• • 8. Train the mind.

• • • 1. The mind is fifty percent of performance.

         1. The right mental tools -- the right mental toughness -- carries into all aspects of life

• • 9. Keep the training program in perspective.

• • • 1. In the big picture of things, not everything we do is especially important.

         1. There are more important things than six pack abs

• • 10. Fundamentals trump everything else.

• • • 1. The basics bring everything home:

         1. Fundamental movements

         2. Basic flexibility and mobility

         3. Basic technique

      2. Basic nutrition