RUNNING AS FAST AS THEY CAN FOR A FUTURE - RIFT VALLEY RUNNING

The Rift Valley is famous in sport for its rich history of endurance running. With daily incomes of around 2$US per day the running that provides a means of getting to and from school in these areas can also provide a change of life for those with ability, desire, and the aggression to win competitive races. 

Jimmy Simba Beauttah
speaking at IFAC, Glasgow OCT 2011

An historic 1-2-3 clean podium sweep of the womens' marathon in Daegu at 2011 World Championships, and with Kenyans winning 28 of the last 30 marathons of significance, it seemed appropriate to listen to one of their High Performance coaches speak of desire & training last week at the International Festival of Athletics Coaching in Glasgow. Jimmy 'Simba' Beauttah was a keynote taking the audience on a journey of recent times, with medallist tales right up to the last Olympic Games in Beijing.


It rang bells as there was a lecture given some years ago in Dundee based on a research article on genetics in runners from the East African Rift Valley area, and the paper was published in Sports Medicine in 2007 (Genotypes and distance running : clues from Africa. Scott RA, Pitsiladis YP.) Their findings were fascinating: despite the speculation that African athletes have a genetic advantage for physical performance and the biomechanics of running, there is no genetic evidence to suggest that this is the case.  Another text worth viewing would be found in 2009 Sports Medicine (East African runners: their genetics, lifestyle and athletic prowess. Onywera VO.) which explores the foundations of running excellence, talent identification, diet and injury management methods used by East African runners.


For a view of the training camp at Iten I commend the recent blogposts at recent SPACE physiotherapist Oliver Finlay. Read the this entry and the few before to get a flavour of conditions in Kenya at the altitude training camp as experienced by Olli as physio to UK Athletics and the endurance squad for a training camp. 
Click here to read : Olli Finlay blog from Iten

Finally a newspaper article caught the eye discussing points about desire & the drivers for Kenyan runners, and it is where the title for this piece came from. I include it here from the  paper that reproduced it in NZ. 

Independent / NZ Herald article: Newspaper article, OCT 2011

This follows on the excellent series in the Gaurdian newspaper in UK where a journalist and keen runner experienced life in Iten to generate a feel for the conditions this amazing group of athletes come from, and how their fiercely competitive natures keep some runners ahead of the others in a bid to become the next leader in the future generation of endurance winners.

"Keeping Up With The Kenyans" series

Vern Gambetta & Functional Training

Vern Gambetta, coaching legend, was in Scotland this past week, and Australia earlier that month. You will see a link to his blog on the right of this posting, and he has been an influence to many more skilled & thoughtful practitioners than us at SPACE over the years, but to hear him is a rare privilege.




We plan to implement some of his functional training ideas into rehab sessions for patients and sportspeople attending Space Clinics here in Edinburgh.






His focus is on function, and on functional training: he describes these below (from his website www.gambetta.com)

What is Function? Full spectrum work, in multiple planes, using multiple joints, incorporating full range of motion that is proprioceptively demanding.
What is Functional Training? Training that incorporates a full spectrum of training methods, designed to elicit optimum adaptive response appropriate for the sport or activity being trained for.

• No one system of the body is emphasized to the exclusion of another.
• No one training method or physical quality becomes an end unto itself.
• Each athlete is a case study of one–
  respect the individual.
• Be real – Avoid artificial restraints and positions.

The goal of Functional Training is to develop Athleticism, the ability to perform athletic movements (Run, Jump, Throw, & Lift) with sound technique at optimum speed, with precision, style and grace within the context of your sport. 

Now you can see why these principles seem attractive to SPACE physios, and their long-held interests in total body movement and fascial fitness.

Mission Statement: 
To follow the functional path to "Building the Complete Athlete" or if the athlete is injured by "Rebuilding the Complete Athlete."

The Gambetta Method is based on the following functional path principles:

• Dynamic Postural alignment and balance are the foundation for all training.
• Train movements not muscles.
• Train fundamental movement skills before sport specific skills.
• Train core strength before extremity strength.
• Train with body weight before external resistance.
• Train joint integrity before joint mobility.
• Train synergistic muscles before prime movers.
• Train strength before strength endurance.
• Train speed before speed endurance.

So why do we rate him so highly?


He's a personable and engaging speaker. His knowledge is impressive. He still reads widely, and he meets specialists in the academic & applied worlds of science in sport & medicine. Often whah he says or writes or describes just makes good sense.


He has a wealth of experience: just clock this incredible CV:

Track & Field:
Specializes in Coaching Multi-Events, Decathlon and Heptathlon. Consultant coach for Nike Oregon Project. Edited Track Technique, the technical journal of USA Track & Field. Associate editor of the IAAF technical journal, New Studies in Athletic. Co-founder of USA Track & Field coaching education program.
Baseball:
Director of Athletic Development, New York Mets. As Director of Conditioning pioneered conditioning for baseball with model program for Chicago White Sox. Consultant to Cincinnati Reds. University of Texas.
Basketball:
Assistant conditioning coach for Chicago Bulls. Conditioning coach for Canadian National men’s team and the Canadian women’s team.
Soccer:
Conditioning coach for Tampa Bay Mutiny. Conditioning Coach for US Men’s World Cup team. Conditioning coach for New England Revolution. Consultant to Chicago Fire. Consultant, University of Virginia Women’s Soccer. Consultant, University of North Carolina Women’s Soccer.
Hockey: 
Consulted with San Jose Sharks.
Tennis:
Conditioning coach for Monica Seles. Consultant Billy Stearns Tennis Academy, Sarasota, FL.
Softball:
Consultant to Australian women’s softball, bronze medalists Olympics.
Swimming:
Consultant to the Carmel Swim Club, Harvard University Women's Swimmimg. Consultant to University of Michigan women’s swimming, Consultant, Kenyon College Swimming. Consultant to Mission Viejo Natadores.
Football:
Consultant to San Francisco Forty Niners. Kansas City Chiefs.

Teaching: 

First Director of USA Track & Field coaching education program. Developed successful seminar series “Building and Rebuilding the Athlete” which is directed to physical therapists, athletic trainers, conditioning coaches, personal trainers and sport coaches. Served on Faculty of the National Coaching Institute in Canada.

Books:
Editor TAC Coaching Manual Authored of seven books "Hurdling and Steeplechasing", "How Women Runners Train", "The Complete Guide to Medicine Ball Training", "The Gambetta Method", "The 3S System – Soccer Speed", "Sport Specific Speed - The 3S System", and "Athletic Development".
Education & Certification:
Master of Arts in Education with an emphasis in Physical Education, Stanford University, Calif. Standard Secondary Teaching Credential, History and Physical Education, UC Santa Barbara. Coaching Minor, University of California, Santa Barbara, Bachelor of Arts, Fresno State University, Social Science major, Physical Education minor, USAT&F Level II Sprint & Hurdle Coach and Jumps Coach USA Weightlifting Club Coach.

For further information on The Gambetta Method which represents a unique and innovative approach to training and rehabilitating athletes based on thirty+ years of experience working with a multitude of sports at all levels of competition, then check out his website or blog.