Things are heating up – literally, it was 82 degrees yesterday!

But in the shade there’s a little breeze blowing, making coaching the throws my favorite part of the day; being outdoors is part of what feeds my addiction.

As the outdoor season is starting all over the country, videos from ATN members are coming in every day, and requests for private training are piling up.

In yesterday’s private session I was reminded of an expression, “Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater.” When you coach throwing, you should keep this in mind.

When making changes, either as a coach or a thrower, it’s important that in the pursuit of improvement you don’t undo the good that you have done so far.

Some coaches get a little nuts, and change the good when trying to improve the bad. This can be a slippery slope.

Yesterday, I had Benedict Draghi and his Coach Josh Patulski fly in from Virginia. They’re here for our throws camp today and for some private training over the next few days.

Benedict was a 65 footer last year as a junior, and 172′ in the discus- very good marks!

He’s a strong, quick, powerful thrower.

On Monday I’ll put up a few video clips of where he was at the start of the practice session and then how we made too many adjustments…

… seeing this was too much, we pulled it back and he started hitting some really nice throws.

So when I work with coaches and throwers, and they come to learn the TCR™ system, I’m always careful to look at what they do well and try to enhance it.

When I have a 65 footer, I clearly recognize the coach and thrower are doing many things right, so I don’t try to rework everything to fit what I want…

… I always add to that base the next level of what they need to know mechanically to throw far farther.

The base of the TCR™ system is focused on mechanics and science. It is structured this way to help coaches and throwers not confuse style with mechanics: it is crucial to understand their differences and their relationship.

Does the style you are trying to teach enhance the mechanics?

… And what changes are “style” changes vs mechanical?

( I’ll save that tip for next week).

In the TCR™ Online System, we don’t confuse the two…

… and often when people start to make changes, they change style too much and start messing up the mechanics that were good.

This is something we talk about in the online course: How to Coach The TCR™ System 2.0… and something I will be expanding on more this season! (This course is included in the Alpha Coach System)

Another example of this is from another online member whose athlete is a 55’ thrower as a junior and is now struggling to throw beyond 50’ .

Something I always suggest to coaches is to compare film. In this case it was a comparison between his 55′ throw vs the 50′.

The video analysis clearly shows how the changes to try to get him to throw farther are actually affecting the mechanics.

This full comparison will be posted in the TECH LAB section of the membership dashboard on Monday. I will post a portion of it on our Youtube Channel as well.

… but the full version is inside the TECH LAB Section 😉

The point is, as you learn more as a coach or a thrower, you will naturally want to change more and improve more, but sometimes the changes are too much and can result in throwing progress taking a step back.

That’s what we don’t want!

Don’t change the good when trying to fix the bad!

Nobody does it intentionally; so when it happens, be proactive and switch back.

Often in a practice, there are things I will try, and if they don’t click quickly, I have them go back to what sets up a better chain reaction… I will always will go back to Pillar 1 &2.

Remember, it’s all about the Throwing Chain Reaction.

If it looks super weird or even ugly, but the thrower is throwing better and is more fluid, the TCR™ is in action.

If they look a little choppy and there is no power being generated… the TCR™ isn’t in action.

Pretty simple.

So, as you go out to throw, don’t lose sight of what is working well in the pursuit of training to make it look better.

Coach & Throw Smart,

– Coach Johnson

P.S. I’m off now to our Throws Camp in Queens Creek, AZ. I will be collecting A LOT of content, so get ready for more good stuff in the TCR™ membership!

One more big camp: FEB 18th in Southern California. Click here for more details.