USOC Olympic Coach E-Magazine
Winter 2008

By Doug Ingram One of the most successful USA summer sports seasons has ended and a very promising winter season has begun. Our summer teams are in a great position today for next year’s Olympic Games. These Games will be spectacular for not only the culture of China, the architecture of the Games structures, the tight competition battle, but it will be the “coming onto the world stage” party for China. Full Article...

20 YEARS LATER—WHAT HAS CHANGED IN AMERICA’S ELITE COACHES? By Catherine Sellers- USOC Coaching Even though there is a considerable amount of literature on coaches and the coaching process, there is no single framework or empirical model of effective and successful coaching that has achieved consensus (Lyle, 2002). Given that there is a wide variance in athletes’ needs between sports and competitive levels, gaining consensus may not necessarily be crucial. Nevertheless, there may be some coaching behaviours and approaches that make a particular contribution to effective coaching. Full Article...

TRAINING DESIGN: A ROAD MAP TO SUCCESS By Dave Shrock, Modesto Junior College Coaching has been described as the science of total preparation (Plisk & Stone 2003). Effective coaches of all levels rely on systematic training design, or periodization, as a road map to optimal individual or team success (Bompa 1999). Full Article...

CYCLING YOUR PERIODIZATION PLAN By Michael H. Stone and Meg Stone (East Tennessee State) and William A. Sands (United States Olympic Committee) The “principle of the cyclic arrangement of load demands” consists of two concepts working simultaneously: 1) cycling and 2) stages (Harre 1982, p. 78). Cycles of training are organized so that work is punctuated with rest and so that athletes progress through a program that systematically varies the training tasks and load. Full Article...

DAN CAMPBELL - USA BOXING At the end of October, USA Boxers Rau’Shee Warren and Demetrius Andrade won gold medals at the 2007 World championships. Luiz Yanez, Gary Russell, Jr. and Raynell Williams secured Olympic berths. This was a huge improvement from the 2005 performance of two bronze medals. Dan Campbell, USA Boxing’s National Director of Coaching, has changed the outlook of the USA team. Full Article...

THE VEGETARIAN EATING LIFESTYLE By Bob Seebohar Vegetarian eating is widespread among athletes these days and it is important for the coach to realize a few of the effects that this eating plan may have on your athletes. The term vegetarianism is used loosely with many athletes from those who do not eat red meat to those who do not eat any animal products at all. I encounter many athletes who claim to be vegetarian when in fact they are not because they may not fully understand the different classifications associated with vegetarianism. Full Article...

FEEDBACK TRAPS By Cheryl Coker, Ph.D, New Mexico State University The importance of providing athletes feedback regarding their performance is without question. Unfortunately, a number of feedback traps exist that coaches can fall into. These traps reduce feedback effectiveness or worse, create unintentional consequences that can hinder performance. Here are five common feedback traps that should be avoided. Full Article...

THE HEART RATE RESPONSE TO EXERCISE: APPLICATIONS TO MONITORING TRAINING By Krista Austin, Ph.D. USOC Laboratory Manager This is the second in a three part series about RPE and Heart Rates. Today, heart rate monitors have become one of the most commonly utilized tools to assess exercise intensity in the training setting. This is primarily due to the ease of monitoring and the immediate feedback which is provided to the coach and athlete. Most find the greatest benefit of monitoring heart rate to be the ability to immediately alter training intensity when necessary. Full Article...

"Hot Off The Press" is a regular feature of OLYMPIC COACH. This column provides a reading list on a topic or topics covered in the current issue or information that is of interest to the coaching community. The list will take the form of websites, books or journals. To obtain a copy of the books and journals listed here contact your local library. If they do not own the publication, they may obtain a copy for you through interlibrary loan. Full Article...