Marcellus replied, “Don’t they understand that all athletes can become more cat-like?” I shared this with Marcellus Moore when he was a sophomore. Cats also have a reputation for not liking hard work and are considered lazy.) Many coaches agree with the pillars of FTC training but stay “old school” because they claim to “not have cats.” Coaches who don’t have talented kids choose fitness over speed and slow repeats over high-quality work, exacerbating the problem. (Cats are fast-twitch athletes who can sprint and jump. When 90% of college track athletes fail to exceed their high school PRs, the college model should be reexamined, says Click To TweetĬats? There’s no doubt that the origin of Feed the Cats came from my shameless attempt to get every “cat” in my high school to want to run track. When 90% of college track athletes fail to exceed their high school PRs, the college model should be reexamined. On a further note, I wish college (and professional) coaches who label high school coaches as “developmental” coaches would start attempting to be developmental themselves. In my 22 years of “feeding the cats,” I see both arguments without merit. Obviously, both sides are diametrically opposed and can’t both be right. With elites, keep them happy and healthy and celebrate little victories.ĭevelopmental Athletes? Seems strange that some people argue that FTC is only good for elites while others take the flip side. Anyone who has ever coached an elite understands that elites are closer to their genetic ceiling than those new to training. There’s no doubt in my mind that Marcellus thrived in an FTC program, but his teammates showed even more improvement. Marcellus ran a wind-aided 10.40 at age 14 and a wind-legal 10.31 at age 15 that broke the Illinois state record. FTC Is Only Good for (fill in the blank)Įlites? This take probably came about due to the success of Marcellus Moore. But sometimes misconceptions need to be addressed.Įven though FTC is a growing movement in all sports, including endurance sports and the tough-guy sports of football, rugby, and lacrosse, I will focus this discussion on the sport where it all began, track and field. I like to remind myself to ignore unsolicited criticism from people from whom I would never seek advice. With the growth of the “ Feed the Cats” model of training (high-quality microdosed training that builds racehorses not workhorses, where tired is the enemy not the goal), many low-information coaches have voiced their dissent. I call it “articulate ignorance.” People with misconceptions are not dumb or illiterate, they’re just poorly informed, says Click To Tweet In fact, highly intelligent people often pontificate about things they know very little about. People with misconceptions are not dumb or illiterate, they’re just poorly informed. We are only as good as the information we consume. Misconception: a view or opinion that is wrong or inaccurate.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |