James Clear writes a great blog about the power of habit, and systems, to create change and maximize performance.
After reading his most recent article, and seeing that double-unders are programmed in today’s workout (and knowing they are a big source of frustration for many of you), I wanted to share it with everyone.
Its called How Experts Practice Better Than the Rest, and its about how high performers use Deliberate Practice to get to the top of any field.
Deliberate Practice is more effective than rote practice:
- Practice with the explicit goal of getting better
- Break down complex tasks, and focuses on improvement on each chunk
- Stay in the moment. Stay focused
- Seek regular feedback
- Continually build mental models of your situation
- Repeat 1 – 4 regularly, not sporadically
Now, I’m not judging, but for those of you who have trouble with Double Unders, ask yourselves, is this how I practice?
Or do I futilely whip the rope around trying to catch the eye of a sympathetic coach who will tell me I can sub 3:1 single skips for DUs?
My suggestion is to embrace the process, and set aside 10min before class to practice with the explicit goal of getting better.
Below, you’ll find three very different Double Under tutorials that will help you break down this complex task into small chunks.
Andy
Wednesday’s Workout:
Warm Up: 3 rounds of
5/5 Box step ups
10 TSpine bridge
10 Bulgarian split squat
10/10 Single leg glute bridge
Workout #1) Front Squat Madness
5 sets of 10 reps
This will be the first of four times we will see this workout. Coaches get peeps on the bar around :15 past the hour. Have them start the their first set of 10 by :25. Athletes have 20 minutes to complete the sets. That’s a set every 4 minutes. Stay on time!
Coaching Points: I often see front squat fault that come from a lack of focus. Keep those elbows up on the way down and way up. Its so easy to drop them only a little and then you have rounded shoulders and top of your back. Stay sturdy and flat on your feet. Brace your core and drive with those hips!
Workout #2) Hollow Rock Annie
50-40-30-20-10
Double Unders
Hollow Rocks
Cheers!
House of Shepherd