Awareness = capability
We have a general guideline: each day that you train, you are either proving that you are not lazy or proving that you are not stupid. In establishing one you tend to negate the other and vice versa. It is hard to fathom, but some people still believe that real fitness can be made without hard work, and others believe it only takes hard work. So we need to be clear, there is “no free lunch.” Developing meaningful amounts of fitness will involve your genuine effort in both physical labor as well as purposeful consideration and contemplation.
We have a bias. We tend to look for and teach work ethic before promoting recovery skills, that is, we want to foster a natural inclination to go hard first, so the rest can act as recovery. This is not a perfect method, perhaps not even a good one because often we are stuck watching players increasingly throw effort at a problem that can only be solved intelligently and intuitively. And it appears that we are not the only ones. Looking at systems that utilize or depend on intensity, we notice predictably bad outcomes when the problem of mindless intensity is not addressed. We are looking to apply intensity as a very sharp tool to a finishing procedure, not as a selection method to prove ourselves or our bias. Too much intensity can break down the foundation of a system (strength and/or endurance) and leave athletes in a compromised state. To avoid this, we need to be clear on the proper order of applying intensity.
Practice - Awareness = 0
Intensity is one factor of stress that tests the resilience of an entire system—a lynchpin of sorts. But it is not the only ingredient and should be the last one added and the first removed upon any reflection that something in the system needs to be addressed. If the system can tolerate the pressure, a signal will aid adaptation through recovery, and higher amounts of intensity can be tolerated. Applying intensity to an overtly faulty system is a surefire way to corrupt the system. This is avoidable as long as players are aware that intensity is more like a condiment than the meal itself, that’s not to say it isn’t important, but that it accentuates whatever skills you have and exacerbates any deficiencies. Truffle oil can’t fix spoiled food and ketchup can ruin the nicest cut of beef.
The lure and appeal of the running clock or the competitive urge to best a training partner can be some of the most potent adaptations in training—they are very useful and we apply them frequently—but when it is put first or as the only focus, it erodes the entire foundation that makes fitness a sustainable practice. Below is a “concept equation,” Its purpose is to illuminate the point that intensity would be an appropriate stress. This is, dependent on movement proficiency and skill acquisition, which are layered into the equation as a seamless system. Intensity is a small fraction of possible stress. The rest of what corresponds to capability is a meaningful blend of energy expenditure and skill acquisition that constitute each attribute in the fitness continuum. If we all had to wait until we “moved perfectly” to apply intensity, then we would never be able to do it. In fact, Intensity—when done mindfully—can be an excellent tool for exposing certain issues structurally and energetically—it just shouldn’t be the only tool.
We are talking about developing intuition, which is an indescribable blend of experience and natural, subconscious inclination. Can you teach intuition? It is anyone’s guess, but we do know that you can learn intuition, especially when it comes to movement. Moving well is about distribution. Dispersing energy within a time domain, splaying load between as many groups of muscles as possible according to personal anatomical geometry, and absorbing impact in the connective tissue in a way that allows it further adaptation. IT IS NOT ABOUT FORM. In fact, moving well changes form, depending on the time domain, intensity, movement patterns, situation, and of course, “the mover.” The intuition that you develop through training should allow you to shift stress around as your body becomes increasingly fatigued from effort. This happens without thought. Strides shorten, cadence increases, and loads will vary, but awareness is paramount. A generally prepared player’s biggest asset is being amorphic and adaptable. We look to specialists as experts in movement but in many cases, it is a bad trickle-down effect. Being special is about being specific, it means defined parameters of ability, narrow ranges, and limited tolerance—that might mean “higher” performance—but it is narrow nonetheless; and when that system breaks, it breaks down completely.
Almost all injury gets blamed on “form” but people get indoctrinated into a homogenized form which is training the same pattern repeatedly and ignoring variations in order to attain efficiency and performance. This causes second-order adaptations such as accommodation, or the narrowing of range in specific joints in order to increase performance to a specific task. After this adaptation, one might very well be fit for the movement and the intensity that they trained it, but that exact ability is pulling at other imbalances and might eventually corrupt the system if it is not addressed. In our experience, there is no such thing as “bad form” only unprepared tissue. That goes for movement patterns as well as applying intensity to these exercises.
There may be some inappropriate movements for intense sessions, but it can only be known to the player through experience, and it is almost always only “bad” because of a prior history of inattention.
Becoming capable is to understand and balance this equation so that it equals out. Proficient movement is not about a defined pattern but an ability to pattern your movement on feel for the requirements of the task. Applying intensity can test the ingredients of physical exertion. It can exonerate a practice or condemn the practitioner. Capacity work can drastically improve the system, so long as it is used intentionally and responsibly. In case you miss it awareness is equal to capability.
