Closed-Loop vs. Open-Loop: How to Program

In an age where specificity is taking over in the performance industry, there are a few things that can be forgotten. Most sports involve reacting to an external stimulus, but is the athlete ready to react with the proper movement?

Two great ways to train athletes to react properly are to use closed and open-loop drills. Closed-loop and open-loop drills both have their place in a performance program. I will explain why both should be incorporated into an athlete’s program. But first let’s take a look at the difference between open-loop and closed-loop drills.

Closed vs. Open Loop

A closed-loop drill is a task that is very predictable. Most agility and sprint drills will fall into this category, as there are clearly defined parameters to each drill. An athlete will know when to change direction or when to stop sprinting. Closed-loop drills are great for teaching the mechanics of changing direction and sprinting. Over time, as an athlete performs closed-loop drills, they will begin to perform the movements subconsciously. This is the perfect time to introduce open-loop drills for an athlete.

An open-loop drill incorporates unpredictable stimuli making an athlete rely on their reaction to perform a drill. Open-loop drill examples are: mirror drills (where an athlete mirrors another athlete’s movement), visual cue drills (5-10-5 with the athlete reacting to a direction the coach points), and ball drop sprints (an athlete reacts to a tennis ball being dropped). These types of drills are great to allow an athlete to learn to carry over skills learned from closed-loop drills into more of a sport-specific aspect. But don’t forget about the closed-loop drills completely, because open-loop drills relate more to an athlete’s sport!

Eventually, the goal is to get to a point where closed and open-loop drills are used in a program because there are periods of time in sports where an athlete knows what will happen. Football is a great example. At the beginning of a play, a player knows his job. A wide receiver knows how far and where to make a break for their route. But the play switches over to open-loop once the ball is in his hands. Now he must react to the defenders trying to tackle him.

So what’s the plan of attack to get athletes to the point where both closed and open-loop drills can be integrated into their programs?

Plan of Attack

First, find out the skill level of the athlete. Start them out with basic movements to see where they are at in their skill development. A great way to accomplish this is during a dynamic warm-up. Watch an athlete skip, shuffle, carioca, and their footwork with agility ladder drills. After processing this information you will know where their weak points are.

Second, start with closed-loop drills that are simple. This will allow an athlete to focus on the movements, rather than trying to figure out how to navigate through a complex cone drill. Box drills are perfect for this.  The athlete will do a specific movement to one cone, change direction, and perform another movement.

Third, begin to incorporate open-loop drills using the same simple set-up from the previous box drill. A great drill for this would be a ‘Mirror Drill.’ During this drill one athlete is mirroring the other athlete.

Lastly, as the athlete has improved their movement, they will be ready for integrated drills of both closed and open-loops. These types of drills could either start with a closed-loop drill such as the agility ladder and finish with an open-loop drill with a coach pointing to a direction and the athlete reacting. Or the drill could be reversed and start with an open-drill and end with a closed-loop.

As a performance coaches, it is our job to make sure athletes can move properly and correctly. Closed-loop drills are great to teach the mechanics of various movements. As an athlete gets more proficient, open-loop drills can be used to get more specific to their sport, but remember what got them to move well in the first place.

 

How to Fix and Correct Low ASLR Scores

An athlete walks in wanting to become stronger and more explosive. A program starts forming in your head to load up the posterior chain with deadlifts along with Olympic lifts to help them get explosive. That is until you look at his assessment sheet. Red flags stand out that signal to you the coach that it is not time to Olympic lift or even deadlift from the floor. These red flags must be cleared before we can get athletes into a program that can fully unlock their potential.

The most common red flag seen is a low Active Straight Leg Raise (ASLR) score. If you know anything about the Functional Movement Screen™ (FMS™) a poor ASLR score would rule out any hinging movements such as deadlifts and the olympic lifts. Now you’re thinking, “What on earth am I going to do with this kid?!” Do not worry there is a way to design a program for this scenario that gets an athlete performing deadlifts and olympic lifts in no time.

This can be done by finding ways to attack the weak points typical of a low ASLR score within every exercise possible. A low ASLR usually means an athlete does not have stability over the anterior core. This is very relatable to anterior pelvic tilt (APT). Anterior pelvic tilt will decrease stability in the core by placing the hamstrings on stretch, the abs on stretch and the spinal erectors constantly tonic. This position compromises the natural stability that the core has in neutral position.

 

GET ON THE FLOOR

I have found that getting an athlete supine whenever possible helps give them an internal feeling of what it feels like to properly brace the core because of the proprioceptive feedback. The floor acts like the training wheels on a bike. By being on the back the athlete will have a physical cue as to whether or not their core is properly braced. If the athlete is not properly braced, they will have immediate feedback proprioceptively because they will not feel the floor flush against their back.

I like turning toward floor presses, deadbugs and wall press abs to get an athlete on the floor. Each of these exercises gives immediate feedback to the athlete as to whether the core is braced properly or not. As a coach you will look for daylight under the low back and flaring of the ribs. A simple cue to tell the athlete would be to feel the entire back against the ground or ribs down toward the pelvis.

BUILD THE GLUTES

Another problem associated with a low ASLR score is having weak glutes. An athlete with weak glutes will really struggle to properly extend the hips. Now if you are following the rules set forth by the FMStm, deadlift variations are out of the equation with a low ASLR score. Supine bridges or glute bridges are a simple way to work around this rule.

Supine bridges fall outside of the rule because of the nature of the exercise. Instead of only two points of contact, the supine bridge has multiple contact points. These multiple contact points make the hinge movement easier and the supine position allows the athlete to continue learning what a it feels like to properly brace the core.

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

Here would be an example of balanced program to help an athlete get off on the right foot toward their long-term goal:

Day 1

1) Goblet Squat 3×10

2A) DB Floor Press 3×10

2B) TRX Row 3×10

3A) DB Step-up 3x10ea

3B) Deadbug 3x10ea

3C) SL Supine Bridge 3x10ea

Day 2

1) Barbell Supine Bridge 3×10

2A) DB Chest Supported Row 3×10

2B) ½ Kneeling SA Cable Press 3x10ea

3A) Split Squat 3x10ea

3B) Wall Press Abs 3×10

3C) Carry Variation 3x40yds

Train the athlete with these concepts in mind for 4 to 8 weeks and in no time they will be deadlifting and Olympic lifting their way to being a better athlete.

 

How to Become A Faster Athlete

Being fast is a goal of many athletes. If you’re faster you have an extra step up on your opponents. You’ll be able to cover more ground in less time. This could mean an extra base in baseball or a few extra yards in football. The problem today is the multitude of information and gimmicks available to help an athlete get faster, that people have forgotten the basics. Below I have laid out the basics along with one forgotten concept that contributes to an athlete’s speed.

Movement Quality

Yes, many of my points involve movement quality. But that is how important moving well is! An athlete who has great movement patterns will be more efficient than an athlete who has many movement patterns that are compensating a movement restriction. A great coach will take an athlete through an initial assessment to look for any red flags of poor movement. A great assessment for athletes is the Functional Movement Screen™ developed by Lee Burton and Gray Cook.

Proper Form

As absurd as this sounds, there is a proper way to run, and most young athletes do not run properly. The big issue is teaching kids how to accelerate properly. Since many team sports revolve around short sprints, teaching proper acceleration is the best use of your training time. My favorite drills to teach acceleration are Wall Marches, Falling Starts and Band Resisted Sprints.

Being Strong

If you listen or read articles on athletic performance, you’ve probably heard many strength coaches talk about the importance of strength. There’s a reason many coaches firmly believe in strength as a big factor for improvement for athletic performance. If an athlete moves wells and demonstrates proper form, then being strong will allow an athlete to move their body with more power. If an athlete can perform walking lunges with seventy pound dumbbells, just think about what they can do when they’re running without seventy pounds in each hand!

Reaction

All team sports revolve around reacting to something. In baseball it’s a fielder reacting to a ball hit off a bat. In basketball it’s a player reacting to the opponent they are defending. That is why it is crucial to include drills that have some type of reactive element to them. These drills give an athlete a similar environment to their sport and help train their auditory and sight reaction abilities. My favorite drills involve any type of auditory or visual cue for an athlete to sprint or change direction.

Athletes want to be faster for their sport and the answer is plain and simple. Get an athlete moving well, teach them how to run, get them strong, and give them drills to train their reactions. Over time your athletes will turn into monsters on the playing field.

How to Be A Better Coach

Here’s another article from my good friend Bill Miller. Bill and I were baseball teammates at Trinity Christian College. We were roommates, training partners, and we shared the same major (so we spent a lot of time around each other). Bill and I shared the outfield; I was in center field, and he was in left field. As you know, I have since moved on from baseball (you can read about it here), but Bill’s baseball career is still flourishing. He has played for the Joliet Slammers of the Frontier League and is wrapping up another year of summer baseball in the Chicagoland area. Bill is very passionate about baseball, and his family has many ties within the baseball world. I’ve asked him to write baseball related articles for the site. If you missed his first article you can check it out here. Enjoy!

Bad coaches seldom  realize how bad of a job they’re doing.  Whether it’s a lack of patience, leadership, or understanding of the game, many coaches fail their players on a consistent basis without even knowing it.  I have seen many good players who would not play to their full potential for a coach who is no good.  Conversely, I have seen many players who lacked in ability that played outstanding for a coach who was able to bring out the best in them.

How can you be a better coach?  To answer that, you must first realize the overall idea of a coach’s responsibility.  Coaching is, above all other things, a SERVICE to the players of the team.  Far too many coaches have a selfish mindset for coaching; winning will boost their ego or help them to move to a higher-level program.  Understand that as a coach, players will never win a game because of you.  They are the ones executing plays and scoring.  Also understand that for most teams to be successful, they have to have proper guidance and a plan of attack provided by the coach.  The service you can provide to the players will  help affect the outcome of games. I split the idea of a coach’s service to players into three areas.

1. Instruction

The first is the actual instruction given for the sport.  Most coaches played the sport they coach at some point.  That can be a blessing for some who understand the game greatly, but a curse for many who excelled at the game because of their own “natural ability.”  No matter how good you were at your sport, you owe it to each of your players to research ways of training and performing techniques in the sport to help them improve.  I have seen coaches far too many times who are still stuck in the same training methods of their playing days 15 or 20 years ago.  As an example, if a pitcher in baseball asks his coach about throwing a weighted ball in the offseason (a popular training style in recent years), the coach should have a good level of understanding how to guide the player.  The problem is, most coaches have never heard of such a method to train.  “Well I just threw a baseball every day and ran long distance” is not an acceptable answer from a coach to a player in this instance.  What will begin to happen is a level of dissonance and a lack of respect from the player to the coach.  All of a sudden, the player feels he knows more than the coach, and will never want to listen to any training advice the coach gives.  Conversely, a coach who keeps up with learning the sport will have much more respect from each and every player.  The coach becomes the “guru” that the players deserve.

2. Leadership

The second service a coach should offer to his players is leadership. There are many different styles of leadership and many different aspects that make a good leader.  In sports, the coach must understand his or her place in relation to the players.  I have seen far to many coaches who rule over their players like an evil dictator.  This style is far too ego-driven, and players often do what they’re told to do out of fear rather than understanding the goal at hand.  Let me repeat that: players should do what they are told out of UNDERSTANDING, not out of FEAR.  On the other hand, there are many coaches who do the opposite and are far too “buddy-buddy” with their players.  When this happens, players can often lose sight of the goal at hand.  Even though the players may get along with the coach, there is still a lower level of respect.

3. Work Ethic

The third service you provide for your team is work ethic.  Each athlete joins a team with certain goals in mind.  Some want to put up big numbers and play at the next level; others do it just to have fun with friends and get some exercise.  Though not all of them will leave achieving their goals, they should all leave with the sense of satisfaction knowing that they did something they didn’t believe they could do.  At some point for every athlete, no matter how good or bad, they should have done something, whether in practice or in a game, that forced them to concentrate more than ever before.  At some point they should have pushed themselves to exert physically more than they ever imagined. They will only do this if they see the hard work their coach puts in for them on a daily basis.  Those are the memories players will have later in life when things are difficult.  Those learning experiences are what they will take away most.

Far too many coaches rely solely on their past for coaching.  Far too many also rely on success in wins and losses as to what constitutes a good coach.  Fast food restaurants are extremely successful, but do they leave their customers happier than a 5 star family-owned restaurant?  As a coach, you provide a service to the players and parents of players in your program.

Why You Should Intern

“Do as many internships as possible before graduating college.”

The line above has been one of the best pieces of advice I was  given in college, and I am so glad I listened.

Internships provide aspiring strength and conditioning coaches something the college classroom doesn’t offer: real-world experience and learning from coaches with years of experience.

I’ve summed up some of the benefits of internships into three reasons why every aspiring strength and conditioning coach should pursue as many internships as possible.

1. You’re Going to Mess Up
2. You Get to See Firsthand What Works
3. Networking

You’ll Mess Up

Classroom settings have their place for learning, but you don’t get firsthand experience about what will translate to the real world. Internships provide you with the opportunity to make mistakes. The best part about these mistakes though, is that you have an experienced coach alongside you to point out mistakes and offer a solution to not let it happen again.

Internships are a time to discover how to coach, which isn’t always taught in the classroom. The athletes and clients you coach will all respond differently to various  coaching methods. This means you’ll have the opportunity to experience a wide variety  of personalities and learn how to adapt your coaching appropriately.

Firsthand Experience

The best part about interning is seeing a client or athlete accomplish their goals from a well designed program. Resources like  books, lectures, and articles about program design are great, but  internships allow you to  go beyond that and  see these programs carried out with an actual person.

You’ll get to pick the brain of a coach who  has experience designing programs and learn the ins and outs of the program that may not be present in a textbook. You also might  get to experience a program being modified on the fly to accommodate the client or athlete for that day’s training.

Networking

Internships provide a great opportunity to network. Not only  through your mentors, but through the other interns as well. As the internship progresses , you’ll begin building professional relationships with the other interns. This can pay off down the road when looking for a job or potential employees to hire for your own gym. You can never network enough, and internships provide the perfect platform to do so.

The rise in quality strength and conditioning facilities has created so many opportunities for aspiring strength coaches to gain experience coaching under a proven coach. Take the advice I was given before graduating, and do as many internships as possible. You won’t regret it.

 

Work Ethic vs. Discipline

As I accumulate more hours of training athletes of all ages and varying sports, I’ve noticed a lack of knowledge about the meanings of work ethic and discipline. The two terms are closely related in nature, and when combined, make up a successful athlete.

Work ethic can be summed up into how hard an athlete works within training sessions, sport practice and actual competitions. But for the sake of this article, I am going to be speaking about off-season work ethic – the work ethic that turns a good player into a great player. Athletes who  possess a strong work ethic will waste no time getting better during the off-season. They will seek out the best ways to prepare themselves for the upcoming season. Athletes with a strong work ethic will put in the extra work, and will push themselves when training gets tough. But times like these is where discipline comes into play.

Discipline for an athlete can be defined as following a trainer’s program or suggestions.

Chris Howell Photography

Discipline is also taking into account the long-term goal, not just the present. Too many times athletes with a strong work ethic will push through a training session when they should’ve listened to their body and backed off a little bit. I am guilty of that even in the present day while training for weightlifting. Athletes should have the discipline to stick to the plan, which is to improve themselves for next season.  This  involves staying healthy.  I am not saying to back off every time you feel a little overworked.  Athletes should still push themselves, but learn to not  be stubborn, and to take a step back when needed.

Athletes who  can learn to balance a strong work ethic and  discipline will have more longevity in their sport. They will  improve each season, but won’t burn out or wear their bodies  into the ground. Listen to your instincts.  If your body is telling you to take a small step back, then do it! But if it’s just your mind telling you it doesn’t want to work hard anymore, ignore it and keeping pushing yourself!

How to Squat More with General Squat Cluster

A training program typically starts with a general physical preparedness (GPP) block the further out an athlete is from a competition or the start of a sports season. This usually means an increase in volume and a decrease in intensity.

In my sport of weightlifting, this means high reps, and yes that means the reps go up for squats as well. I knew I had to do a GPP block to set the foundation for my overall goals, but I was not looking forward to the high reps.

This is where the idea for using cluster sets developed.

Are Planks Enough for Weightlifting?

Weightlifting, or Olympic lifting, is pretty cut and dry when it comes to programming. Squats, pulls, presses and the competition lifts make up a majority of a training program. But what about the core?

Snap, Pop, Reverse Crunch!

Ask an Olympic lifter which injury sidelines them the most and you’ll likely hear something along the lines of a low back injury. Is it because their backs aren’t strong enough?

Not at all.

The Simple Method

Today’s training world features so many different training methods to help a person get stronger or more athletic. Strength coaches use them with great success, but many times an athlete is not ready to be put through a very specific training method. This is where the Simple Method comes into play.