VIDEO GALLERY

 "I was asked to present to the Wisconsin Chapter of the National Strength & Conditioning Association in the Spring of 2008.  Having presented at this annual meeting several times, I was worried that I would be simply repeating myself (and boring the attendees) by this point. 
 
‘What would you like me to speak about,’ I asked Bill Ebben (Marquette University; and former Wisconsin State Director, NSCA). ‘I’d like you to give us your philosophy of coaching,’ he replied.
 
Well:  I wasn’t entirely sure I really had one of those—at least a genuine codified ready-to-print version.  But as I thought about the idea, I realized that whenever I work, whomever I am working with, I abide by a set of guidelines or rules developed over two decades of coaching athletes.  On reflection, I discovered there are ten incontrovertible truths which govern, and inform everything I do as a coach.  So, I called my presentation “Rules I have Come To Live By.”
 
These rules are the product of my great good fortune in having had wonderful teachers and mentors to model. I must give these generous people all the credit for my own confidence in believing in my ability to improve athletic performance in the athletes I coach, while protecting them from injury.
 
The links, below, will take you to a reprise of the talk I gave in 2008.  I am indebted to John Pollard and Sonic Foundry (a pioneer company in webcasting and knowledge-sharing software) who kindly offered to tape the presentation and then organize it so those interested could either skim through each “rule” separately, or ingest the thing in its entirety.  This opportunity has permitted me to share wisdom I have gained through my association with individuals who are, at once, brilliant teachers, passionate coaches and wonderful people.
 
These ten rules are the basis for what we do . . . when we Train-To-Play.”
 
Steve Myrland, August, 2010

Click on any Rule below to view presentation in Sonic Foundry's MediaSite online video player.

    * Warning: Beware of "gurus."
    * Rule #1: It's always about difference.
    * Rule #2: We want bodies that are adaptable rather than simply adapted.
    * Rule #3: Athlete-appropriate before sport-specific.
    * Rule #4: Movement is gravity-driven.
    * Rule #5: Train movements, not muscles.
    * Rule #6: Every muscle and joint in the body functions in three planes of motion . . . simultaneously.
    * Rule #7: Movement must be mindful . . . rather than mindless.
    * Rule #8: Simplicity yields complexity.
    * Rule #9: Training is cumulative; progression is everything.
    * Rule #10: S l o w d o w n. (It's about the process.)
    * Bibliography