 Time under tension.
In the gym, we know the concept well. If we want something to adapt, it needs an appropriate stimulus. And in general, if we want a muscle to grow, we need adequate load, sustained for (relatively) long periods. Time under tension. I think professional development works the same way. The long summer that we’ve (unfortunately) had this year has afforded me the opportunity to spend a lot of time in the gym. Not necessarily for my own training, but in support of others. It’s what I’ve done for years. Time. Performance therapy. Trackside therapy. Or in this case, “rackside” therapy. Watching. Listening. Asking questions. Putting my hands on someone. Often suggesting an exercise or making small adjustments. Other times doing absolutely nothing. Mostly, just being present. Under Tension. It (the long summer) has also reminded me of a few posts I wrote many years ago about the guiding framework behind what I do and, perhaps more importantly, how I think. At the time, I wrote about starting with a technical model, sticking with basic principles, thinking motor learning, understanding regressions and progressions, and not being a slave to our methods. (See the post here) Later, I simplified some of that thinking: Know what you see. Know what you don’t see. Know why you don’t see what you don’t see. Know how to best get what you want to see. …so that you can see it consistently. (See those posts here and here) Looking back now, more than a decade later, I don’t think the underlying principles have changed that much. But I have. I think. I hope. Because frameworks aren’t particularly useful if they don’t (generally) evolve with experience. Which brings me back to time under tension. I’ve spent many years doing this. Many hours in the clinic, in gyms and in sporting settings. Many conversations with athletes, coaches, other practitioners and athletes. A lot of observing movement and performance. A lot of examining. A lot of intervening. A lot of load, sustained for (relatively) long periods. Time under tension. Trial and error. Practice. Reflection. Trying something. Watching what happens. Questioning why it happened. Adjusting. Trying again. Professional development time under tension. Working and practicing with continuous and dynamic intent, paired with self-critical appraisal. Time under tension. So as this off-season nears its end, I find myself thinking about what my guiding framework looks like today. Interestingly, in a landscape where almost everything seems to be getting condensed - social media, reels, less long-form writing, etc - I’ve thought about how I can condense my guiding framework as well. Not that I needed to. But simply because that’s where my mind went. Observe with attention. Examine with curiosity. Intervene with intent. So that’s probably where I’m at today. At least for now. Comments are closed.
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