Random Thoughts

I think this set of notes goes back as early as the Fall maybe around when we got back from Mexico with Canada Basketball.For the first time someone reading one of these types of post, it is just a random amalgamation of notes that I jot down throughout my days that either don't make it to Twitter, or I wanted to expound more than fits on Twitter.In a figurative petri dish, we can always write up a program that should reflect certain results.But how do you know if the individual can do all of those movements?  Well?  Well enough?  At all?How do you know if every day is the right day to do what you had planned to get those results?And do we really think genetics don't matter?There's more than exercises and acute variables that are required to yield results.Several months ago, Keir Wenham-Flatt had me on his Podcast at RugbyStrengthCoach.com, and one string of conversation was based on do I think we can limit the effects of severe collisions in sports like rugby or American football.I quickly said yes, of course.  But I have no idea how.And the reason would be that if we study extensively the unique physiology and neurology associated with the worst results of contact, and we train the be exceedingly robust at those measures, even if they don't make sense, we should be able to absorb the predictable compensations of the collisions.  You can actually substitute any costly event such as poor sleep or travel or wild crazy training with this thought process.  It just takes a wealth of data and strong beliefs, and of course costly errors come along with this process.So if there is such logic, why can't we mitigate these collisions.  I think the reason is because collisions are different every time, and how the body compensates for each different collision is mutually exclusive from the next collision.  I think other stressors are more explainable and understood than how we compensate from these incredible collisions.Some neat notes from Greg Rose..........Restricted in 1 plane = TEDRestricted in all planes = JMD or Neuro-LockedResting the Faber Test with some mild upper body loading can clearly change the result of the test.  Obviously if upper body loading changes hip motion performance, it can't be the joint structure in need of intervention.In this case, start with the traditional Faber and then go to Core Activation Faber if it is positive.Keep in mind when you champion or challenge the validity of your favorite PT special tests.I wonder if vestibular issues would be more common than we think, especially if we just do some rudimentary CTSIB for everybody as a Screen.Actually, I don't wonder.Lateralizations & Regressions can be from a terminal fitness exercise.The concept can also be applied to work:rest ratios where maybe we have to build up more work capacity to participate in the intervals that are more special or specific.It can also be applied to technical skills.  Maybe you can use a different, maybe less effective, skill in the short-term while you back-brief the limitations for the A+ technique that you'd like to use.  We can just coach around the limitations.Or you can Lateralize alone if you're happy with Plan B technique.Or you can be screwed if you think this approach doesn't apply.Consistent ordinal scores across vertical jump, seated medball throw, and sit-up medball throw is a powerful predictor of ball speed in golf.Would it not be reasonable to test it for everybody?  These movement patterns do not reflect golf, but they are valid.  Maybe this will work for other, getting the same number in jumping inches and throwing in feet.https://www.mytpi.com/articles/swing/key_to_long_drive_powerSome other TPI Strength Tests with as little learning curve as possible........Split Squat - 150%BW / 2 DB in each hand1-arm Cable Chest Press - 20% BW1-arm Cable Low Row - 30% BWThe logic of evaluation for fundamental joint competency....1) Change Positions of Stability2) Remove Joint Continuity3) Test Active vs. PassiveIt seems like the best way to coach is to let the learner tell you how to help them or let them coach themselves.It's hard to suck when you know exactly what the problem is.The real problem is our health care folks don't look widely enough.The body follows the eyes, not the neck.When the SFMA doesn't reveal pain, go to the FMS, then go testing under fatigue, then go technical analysis, then go back to medical evaluation even if it's already been cleared.Changing words for a commercial model should make understanding the concept easier, not confuse the learner and force them to choose sides.Less than 6% of poor balance performance tests are because of poorly functioning proprioceptors.So are you really training proprioception?Flexibility, the ability of an individual tissue to reach a new length, is really an output measure.And it's a fairly insignificant one because when does 1 tissue speak to the function of the joint as a whole?Do you say, out loud or even to yourself, "I don't know?"Do you say it enough?In the seemingly mysterious categorization of novice-intermediate-advanced lifters, I think the advanced lifter is one that can strain.  He/she is one that can stay under an enormous load and stay in there, not lose form, and keep going and not lose the lift.Silly pet peeve = people who put a small towel on the benches they use in the gymIt just irks me.I wonder if the answer exists to the question of which is more important in elite work capacity: Staying under threshold or buffering lactic by-products real-time.Listening to traditional medical or academic people talk injuries and return from injury really seem to make things complicated.  I just squint my eyes.20% of consumed calories are used by the brain.  I'm guessing that matters.Decreasing load to a lift may be just as risky as too much load.When you are legit #2 in command, the goal of the relationship of #2 to #1 is to make him/her feel liberated, educated, enlightened, and authentic.......................even if they're not.Sleep monitoring in professional athletes is not about knowing or penalizing for what they do or don't do at night.  It's about putting them into a position to succeed in the subsequent opportunities to get better.It's a total joke to consider sleep monitoring any different from any other relevant health or performance test.Some blanket options (from Chris Johnson) when running leads to pain1) Be quiet2) Increase step rate3) Take shoes offThe Serial Control Theory basically states the CNS is the only control mechanism of the locomotor system.The Distributed Control Theory states that the CNS distributes or delegates control, and then the periphery self-organizes.The Dynamic Systems Theory acknowledges multiple components and interactions, literally endless strategies for success, and a constantly changing environment.If you believe in Dynamic Systems, everything else is covered.The best constructs are inclusive and systematic and philosophical, and don't simply tell you what to do.And it's interesting how usually everybody is correct, just some are more complete than others.Fascia answers a lot of the why and how to errors and successes in movement.The brain can't control everything all the time, especially when movement is governed by the M1 reflex.We know NCV is slower than the reflex arcs.  Perhaps it's the fascia that allows this to happen.Responsiveness is how fast we can respond to a stimulus.Resolution is how precise the reaction is.Treatments targeting the fascia improves both.You can only prove 2 things: 1) what you believe you're doing, and 2) did your result actually happen.Every time we deform a muscle, tension generated to the cells triggers metabolic reactions.This leads to transcription of RNA and duplication or destruction of a cell.This is manual therapy.Epimysial fascia can largely be ignored for purposes of affecting motor coordination, but that doesn't make it ineffective as a target to change pain.Excitation of  the spindle starts with the gamma nerves exciting the fibers belonging to the spindles.Inside the spindle, the nerve coils around the muscle and sends feedback back to CNS via 1A n. fibers.In response Alpha fibers send signal to fibers around the spindle.What if the threat response doesn't allow this excitation as a unique or random response to stop?And then you say there's no such things as trigger points or tissue tensions?The story continues as these strangled tracks of tissue hold many mechanical receptors, all now responding to mechanical stressors.And then motor strategies change when these "proprioceptors" are sending inefficient messages.Now we went from a tissue mobility issue, and now we have a motor skill issue.  And maybe we have one possible construct as to why.When the above occurs, which is maybe the same start of the Energy Crisis story, the accumulation of Substance P, histamines, and ACH, the tissue changes, densification if you will, as shown by ultrasound studies.Where the Energy Crisis Theory does not continue is that an area of this process from at times years ago can affect the current area of complaint again based on the vast connections of fascia.The science of Fascial Manipulation is really quite logical.  But it is still a construct.  Stuff can just make sense.The layering of aponeurotic tissues of fascia and tendons are layered at 78 degree, not 90 degrees.Maybe Scapaticci's FAT Tool and the bevels of other IASTM tools are actually like that for a reason.The retinacula purpose is to keep tendon in place and allow for much more force to be distributed than without a retinacula.But if the retinacula has experienced changes as above, perhaps the proper treatment targeting the fascia can instantly change strength.Well, I think force production would/could increase, but the actually strength of the muscle cells never really changed.  That is the science of the what is far to often bandied about, the term Reset.I like the term Motor Skill Exposition since the manual therapy exposed what was already there.  Now you can call it a Reset.40C breaks down hyaluronic molecules.  That appears to be the threshold of manual therapy and heat and positively interact with the construct of fascia, reflex arcs, aponeurosis/retinacula, etc. discussed above.Of the sports I watch, I see football players warming up all the time while they are on the bench.Why can't this happen in basketball?  There's room somewhere in the arena and yelling distance to the bench.I don't think elite level basketball players don't need to lift or can't benefit from lifting.I do think that it's pretty obvious that one can attain elite level status in the game of basketball without lifting weights.Maybe lifting weights can improve daily resiliency and long-term durability.  Who knows?As discussed above, tendons are every bit a part of the motor skill acquisition process maybe simply because every tissue is contiguous with fascia.Maybe it's better said vice versa.Setting up pre-participation daily monitoring needs to be reproducible, yield information in a timely fashion to make a potential decision, and can't wildly challenge the intended plan, unless for a legitimate health concern.Hitching the wagon to 1 single marker of training load seems to have a lot of holes.For instance, wellness questionnaire and sRPE seem simple, but like more technological choices, they seem to have easy to name cons.But with all the holes that each model has, I compare to a piece of Swiss Cheese.If you put a bunch of pieces of Swiss Cheese on top of each other, meaning you use multiple markers on a regular basis, the holes seem to get covered up.Pavlov used 1 dog.Broca used 1 brain.Tell me more about your means and SDs.Humans respond to stress explained by a particular construct, but 2 humans do not respond the exact same way.If overtraining does not lead to GAS or frank tissue failure, it probably will lead to some unpredictable performance.That is Readiness.Performance = Intelligent Training - Managed FatigueWhen we look at reinjury or poor tolerance to training load after "medical clearance" and return to play, the functional tests are not where the answers lie.  Most of these "valid" functional test may reward special skills and capacity even when mobility and fundamental motor sills are deficient.Targets: Central-Spinal-Peripheral Joint-Local TissueUnderstanding the physiology and neurology of what is behind the Excel cells is more important than the exercises that you type into them.Shoes are not always evil for safety and performance, but there is no denying that when we wear shoes, we negatively impact sensorimotor inputs.And given the sacral plexus distribution, we probably also negatively impact sensorimotor pathways to the pelvic floor, multifidus, intertransversarii, rotares, and other deep abdominal muscles.In my fantasy weight room, there is a pit of Airex pad, one of beach sand, and one of those rocks on the green bottom.Wall Slides were invented because they show EMG of muscles that are typically down-regulated in the presence of threat or injury.Does that mean targeting these muscles when there is no threat or injury is useful?  No.  It doesn't.Plus, if you walk into any gym, and the crowd is doing wall slides, I'm putting my money that 80% of them don't pass the poop test.  Of course, this can be from absent coaching.Basically anybody that needs what a wall slide can provide can't actually do a wall slide.  This is what happens when you hitch your wagon to EMG.Is it a bad warmup?  No, but I do think we have much better options.Does it do what it is designed to do when you use it in a warmup?  Another resounding no.R leg Vertical Hop + L leg Vertical Hop > Vertical JumpThat's actually compelling considering the balance demand to start and go off 1-foot.I still say there's room for both single leg and double leg training, even blocking it if there's time.But this is very compelling.  Very compelling.[video width="1280" height="720" mp4="https://charlieweingroff.com/wp-content/uploads/JURASSIC-WORLD-Teaser-Trailer-Announcement-2015-Chris-Pratt-Dinosaurs-HD.mp4"][/video]