USOC Olympic Coach E-Magazine
Spring 2008

By Doug Ingram Every coach at some time in their career will wake up in the middle of the night thinking about what has happened in a competition or practice. The struggle will be how to solve a problem AND how to get back to sleep. We may spend hours at night worrying about things we can’t change—particularly at 3 am. The double edge sword of worry and lack of sleep compounds the next day as we aren’t as sharp as we want to be or need to be. We may be more irritable than normal, less patient with our athletes and staff and make decisions that are not well thought out. Full Article...

PEAK PERFORMANCE REQUIRES OPTIMAL SLEEP AND ALERTNESS By Mark R. Rosekind, Ph.D., President and Chief Scientist--Alertness Solutions Coach, I had so much to do to prepare for today’s competition that I had to stay up all night to be ready. Coach, to prepare for the time zone change at the international competition I have been sleeping during the day and staying awake all night. Coach, I couldn’t relax and just kept worrying about today’s big event but after a few beers I feel much better. Full Article...

HEAD COACH SELF EVALUATION By Dave Shrock, Modesto Jr. College, Kyle Coffman, USOC Performance Services Intern, Catherine Sellers, USOC Coaching This is a self-evaluation tool. It is an aid for self-reflection on how you work with your athletes, staff and administration. We encourage you as the coach to keep a record of this evaluation and periodically review it as a means for your own personal growth. Please rate yourself using the scale below. If you feel you do not have enough personal experience in one area, or a question does not apply to you in this circumstance, please answer NA for not applicable. Full Article...

DEVELOPMENT OF EXPLOSIVE POWER: PLYOMETRIC TRAINING By Kimberly Sanborn, MS, CSCS, Performance Services Strength & Conditioning Specialist, Endurance Team In most sports or events an athlete’s ability to produce force quickly in a dynamic movement is of utmost importance. Explosive muscle power has been shown to be a limiting factor in sports performance and is highly related to the muscle’s ability to carry out the stretch-shorten cycle (SSC). Several different training methods are commonly used to improve power including resisted sprinting, over-speed training, strength training and plyometrics. Full Article...

ROUTINES, RITUALS, AND PERFORMING UNDER PRESSURE By Sean McCann, PhD, Performances Services Sport Psychologist (Strength and Power Sportfolio) I have a pre-shot routine for every shot, but none is more important than when I have to hit a big drive in a pressure situation. Not only does my pre-shot routine allow me to focus on the task at hand, but it also keeps me in my natural rhythm. Every 300-yard bomb in my bag starts with a pre-shot routine that has a calming effect on me as much as anything. - Tiger Woods We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit. - Aristotle Full Article...

MIKE KING - BMX CYCLING Mike King has been involved with BMX for over 30 years. Recently, Mike has been named by USA Cycling as the BMX Program Director. Full Article...

THE ROAD OF PORTION CONTROL By Laura Anderson MS, RD Would you like a “portion” or a “serving”? This seemingly simple question, if asked to the average individual may not raise a brow. However, for athletes who are diligently tracking their food intake, this question should be regarded with great importance. I say with great importance because in today’s society portions are out of control and have become increasingly larger over the years. Athletes who are constantly on the circuit or traveling to train or compete may have difficulty establishing set eating patterns when they are unsure of how much they are being served or eating. Full Article...

THE BLOOD LACTATE RESPONSE TO EXERCISE By Krista Austin, PhD, Manager, USOC Performance Services Laboratory Often the word “blood lactate” or “lactic acid” is thought of as only being associated with monitoring endurance training. However to ask any athlete involved in team, speed or even technical sports such as tennis, one rapidly realizes that these sports involve very high levels of lactate in the blood. Thus, examining the ability of an athlete to tolerate the accumulation of lactate and how well they remove it can be applied to these types of sports. This article will help to further define what lactate is, how and when to measure it, the relationship to measures of heart rate and rate of perceived exertion (RPE) and how it can be applied in multiple sport settings to monitor performance. 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...