In the Moshofsky center at the University of Oregon hangs a giant sign. The sign list things such as “tradition has a scary mascot, tradition punts on fourth down, tradition eats turkey for thanksgiving, etc.” It ends with “tradition never changes, champions do”. As corny as some people think that is…it’s a valid point.

3) Adapt to survive

It really is a simple concept. Animals have been adapting for a long time and the ones that haven’t aren’t around anymore. Athletes however, still commit performance extinction by not following what their bodies tell them due to the looming umbrella of tradition.

I observed this recently in the weight room with Bob the sprinter. Throughout Bob’s career he has struggled with a peculiar bone located on the inside of his left foot. Bob has poor ankle mobility largely due to anthropometric factors.

That afternoon in the weight room Bob was cranking out some back squats, and like any good coach would do, I told him he needed to get his thighs parallel to the ground for “proper” squat depth. What I noticed is that after a certain depth, Bob’s ankle mobility would reach max capacity, but he still needed to go down further due to my instruction. He achieved this “proper” depth by slightly pronating his feet that allowed his mobility to increase to get his thighs parallel to the ground. This put great stress on that peculiar bone previously mentioned.

Thankfully I was able to correct the problem. This required me to change my views about the traditional squat depth. To change tradition as a coach, you need to be on a constant educational journey. Tradition is tradition because it works and has worked for a long time. A coach needs to have a sound understanding of anatomical, physiological, mechanical and psychological factors before breaking traditions that are rich in proven research.

To change tradition as an athlete, you need to listen to your body. Pain is a tricky sensation and I am not going to lay the blanket statement that you shouldn’t push through pain because there are times where it is appropriate to cross that bridge to be better. So I will say be wise and be attentive to your body.

The best in the sport have faced the adversity of tradition and overcame it with change. Is there something you need to change to #TrainBIG?

Schaudt is out!