Takano Weightlifting

HOW GOOD MUST BEGINNER TECHNIQUE BE?

As a coach who is deeply interested in coaching education, I frequently peruse social media pages to get some feeling for problems that coaches might encounter. One of the interesting phenomena that I’ve encountered is the practice of coachless beginners posting videos of their lifting and then asking for feedback. Nothing wrong with that. I’m sure that the inquiries are sincere.
What happens next, however, can morph into a source of confusion. Well meaning coaches and/or interested weightlifting fans then begin to provide a flood of responses.
• Some responses tend to cover each technical error in excessive detail that provides an overkill that is too difficult to understand or implement.
• Other responses might identify technical errors but provide no advice for correction.
• Some technical errors will correct themselves as the athlete performs more lifting.
• Some responses identify a technical error, but do not or cannot identify the cause of the error.
So through no fault of the lifter in question, he or she is presented with information overload that may or may not identify the actual problem nor provide an appropriate remedy. Part of the problem here is that the lifter has not developed the filters to sift through all the input.
To add to the situation many new lifters are perfectionists. They’ve been informed that technical mastery must be achived before moving on with their weightlifting development. At a certain point the beginner must move forward with slightly imperfect technique in order to develop athletic qualities in proportions that lead to weightlifting proficiency. The fact of the matter is that beginners only need to develop technique that is proficient enough that injury is minimized and sound biomechanics are employed.
THE REALITY
Beginners need to realize that technique changes over the career of a dedicated weightlifter. A beginner is attempting to perform weightlifting movements with a body that is not balanced for weightlifting. If the beginner continues forward on a weightlifting developmental pathway, the following aspects will change:
• Kinesthesia or body awareness develops. This will influence the ability of the lifter to always position the body into the most biomechanically favorable positions.
• Relative strength ratios will change. For example grip strength may increase that will allow the lifter to hold and pull on a barbell that can fully tax the pulling musculature.
• Speed should change as the motor nervous system is remodeled by training. Not only will more motor units be stimulated, but antagonistic muscles will be inhibited more quickly.
THE REMEDY
Once the proficient level is achieved, the beginner lifter can move forward with a well designed training program that includes enough of the classic lifts to enable reinforce their neuromotor patterns. The programming should also include enough volume in the proper auxiliary exercises to bring the various components of the technique into balance.
STILL THE BEST
There is still no better solution than to train under the watchful eye of an experienced weightlifting coach. The technical corrections can come immediately, be prioritized and in some cases be remediated concurrently with other technical flaws.
The other very helpful supplemental factor is training in a community of weightlifters. Sharing a platform with other lifters can provide more eyes on the technique and peer pressure to improve.
These two factors will save time in the developmental process and seriously, no lifter can afford to waste time.

https://sportsedtv.com/blog/jumping-hip-extension-and-hip-flexion-what-really-determines-explosiveness

JUMPING, HIP EXTENSION AND HIP FLEXION: What Really Determines Explosiveness? | SportsEdTV This blog explores how mastering hip extension and flexion is key to improving vertical jump performance and rethinking the value of box jumps.

https://sportsedtv.com/blog/dance-training-and-weightlifting-unlikely-connections-for-mastery

Dance Training and Weightlifting: Unlikely Connections for Mastery | SportsEdTV This blog explores how dance training enhances neuromotor skills, benefiting weightlifting performance by promoting mimicry and rapid mastery of complex movements.

https://sportsedtv.com/blog/weightlifting-coach-what-i-am-thinking-about-during-a-competition

Weightlifting Coach: What I am thinking about during a competition | SportsEdTV A coach’s competition-day focus is to shield the athlete from distractions, manage strategy, and ensure peak performance from weigh-in to the final lift.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE = TIME SAVED

I know I’ve alluded to this topic before, but I don’t think its importance can be minimized. The topic is time and it is a factor that has a critical impact on the acquisition of weightlifting proficiency on lifters everywhere on the age spectrum.
If you are a junior, you need the guidance of a skillful coach to insure that you can master technique in the shortest amount of time so that you can devote more of your youthful years to developing the physiological pathways that will enable the quickest recovery and the performance mastery necessary to compete successfully.
For seniors you are in that golden period wherein you’ve reached physical maturity and your greatest lifting accomplishments will take place. No time to waste here as your recovery capacity will wind down in your mid-thirties.
For master lifters, each year your recovery capacity winds down which means that training sessions will become shorter and less demanding in addition to becoming less frequent.
The culprit that gets in the way for the majority of lifters as they develop is the many misleading rabbit holes they may be misled into exploring. These misguided pathways may divert lifters for weeks, months or even years. The old saying of “fail early and often” is good advice, but new lifters may not realize the problem they are encountering. They might even make some progress going down the wrong rabbit hole but it well might turn out to be less than what might have accomplished by pursuing a wiser path.
Sound knowledge, good judgment and an experienced eye can aid a lifter in avoiding the rabbit holes.
The best alternative is to seek the guidance of an experienced weightlifting coach. The best factors to discern about a coach are:
• The number of athletes the coach has developed to compete at national events.
• Whether or not these athletes have been developed from day one or whether or not the coach is merely a good recruiter.
• How frequently the coach is in the gym actually coaching.
A coach who qualifies on all three criteria is probably going to provide excellent guidance.
You also need to postpone any activities when possible until after your peak competitive days are over. This can get touchy or plain difficult, but it is part of the self-discipline necessary to become the best weightlifter you can be.
If you can’t access the guidance of an experienced coach, you can try to acquaint yourself with as much knowledge about the sport as is possible. Reading is helpful as well as watching videos, but it is the optimal impressions that you take away from these resources that will help you to develop the instincts that will guide you.
So at some point you need to decide how important becoming the best weightlifter you can be is to you. If you’re happy being a dilettante, then so be it. If, however, you have a burning desire to find out how much weight you can lift and/or how good you can be, you need to decide what you should prioritize.

REFLECTIONS AND THOUGHTS ON COACHING CONFERENCES

I think often about coaching education and the means by which learning can be delivered. I think this is only natural for me as I have a 50 year history as a weightlifting coach and a 40 year career as a secondary science teacher.
Recently I found myself reflecting on coaching conferences that USAW used to conduct annually at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. They were quite effective in a number of areas, especially for the mid-level coaches.
The conference would convene on a Friday evening and last until Sunday afternoon. All the attendees were housed in the dormitories and this was an important factor as it enabled total immersion. The dining hall and dormitory lounges became settings where extensive networking could take place in addition to lively exchanges of unique approaches and the telling of tall tales.
ACTIVITIES
• Presentations: The range of topics was considerable. One lecture might be provided by a member of the world championship coaching staff detailing competition management at the elite level. Another might focus on talent evaluation of middle school athletes. Sports Medicine, Sport Psychology and Sport Science also provided presenters.
• Roundtables: These were not formally scheduled but they seemed to develop spontaneously at a number of locations including the Finish Line, a popular dive across the street.
• Demonstrations: These included watching the national team train and afforded the coaches an opportunity to learn about the layout of the training hall and the Sports Med facility
• Informal conversations: There were so many opportunities afforded to the attendees. Besides networking, there were plenty of conversations about problem solving, programming, teaching and competition strategy. The less experienced coaches were able to learn more about the mindsets of the veterans.
A great deal of these interactions went a long ways toward developing and maintaining the culture of the national weightlifting community. Furthermore everyone attending, even the veterans, learned some valuable insights to improve the sport overall.
The presence of the national team training at the Springs also afforded the conferees the opportunity to meet with our very best lifters and get exposed to their perspectives on the sport. The elimination of the Weightlifting Training Hall at the Colorado Springs Training Center has meant that the sport no longer has a physical location.
Education and culture are valuable components of any organization and coaching conferences did a great deal toward nurturing them. While competitions enable a sports body to display its product and test its progress, some attention must be given over to developing the leaders who guide the product.

THE DEMISE OF USA WEIGHTLIFTING COACHING WISDOM

This blogpost is based on a session I taught for new coaches that was assembled by one of my former athletes, Chris Amenta, who is assuming a leadership role in the arena of coaching development. It covers a void and a problem that currently exists. My formal education is in biology and one of the principles that is strongly emphasized for students in the sciences is the need to clearly identify problems in order to solve them. This piece is an effort to identify a problem in coaching education in USA Weightlifting, both the organization and the community.
We need to review some history here.
Throughout the 1940’s, ‘50’s and ‘60’s, there were effectively no weightlifting coaches in this country. From 1946 to 1955 the U.S. weightlifting team won the team title at the IWF world championships. This was looked upon as a golden age for our sport. Yet there was very little coaching taking place. All of the team members pretty much trained alone without any real coaching guidance or oversight. There were a number of individuals who provided training facilities and were identified as coaches, but coaching as we know it in the modern era pretty much was nonexistent. Folks like Larry Barnholth, Bob Hoffman, Karo Whitfield, John Schubert and Ed Yarick come to mind as coaches from that era.
Many veterans of the sport are loathe to acknowledge that our successes during this period were due to the fact that most of the top weightlifting nations in Europe were busy recovering from World War II from 1946 to 1955.
As the Cold War persisted, the Soviet Union declared Olympic sports war on the rest of the planet. This was undertaken as a form of propaganda for the Communist system. One of the primary creations was the Central Sports Institute in Moscow. Admission to this institute was restricted to the brightest individuals in the fields of math and science. The admission exam was a two day affair testing aptitudes in those two disciplines. The curriculum of the first two years consisted solely of Math and Science courses. At the end of the second year, candidates could select betweeen physical education, sport coaching and sport science tracks. Bachelor, Master and Doctoral degrees were available to the graduates. This institute was replicated in each of the Eastern bloc nations. While many Americans like to point out the pharmacological gap between the Eastern bloc and the West, the coaching education gap was far more extreme.
Sport schools were also developed. These schools were made available to the most talented pre-adolescent youths. Academic subjects were covered during morning classes and structured sport training was supervised in the afternoon by professional coaches.
The U.S.A. response was the first Coaching Course developed by then USAW president, Gene Baker. It was a weekend course that covered the basics, and though being far from comprehensive, it was better than what was previously available. Politics eventually drove Baker out of the sport and his course died as well. It wasn’t until 1992 that a U.S.A.W. course was developed by Coaching Director Lyn Jones. That L1 and the subsequent L2 have lasted until present times in a variety of disconnected formats developed by various individuals, none of whom have a degree in weightlifting coaching.
In the 1970’s and ‘80’s, there arose a number of weightlifters and weightlifting enthusiasts who were coming to the end of their active participation, but were involving themselves into scientific research of the sport. This group emerged to provide some scientific underpinning by conducting research on competitive weightlifters and/or providing vetted information about the sport and training for the sport. The incomplete list is as follows:
• Carl Miller
• Gene Baker
• Mike Stone
• John Garhammer
• Bill Kramer
• Steve Fleck
• Andy Fry
• Ralph Rozenek
• Bud Charniga
• Michael Yessis
Moreover Bud Charniga and Michael Yessis provided translations of Soviet training literature. Charniga published translations of the Soviet Weightlifting Yearbooks, as well as other training and coaching texts. Yessis, a professor at CalState Fullerton, published a quarterly called Soviet Sports Review that featured translations of Soviet training articles for a variety of Olympic sports. Their translations combined with the publications of the previously listed sport scientists finally provided U.S. weightlifting coaches with a legitimate body of knowledge from which coaching methodologies could be developed. Unfortunately almost all of this material was only available in hard copy and has not been digitized and thus is unavailable to today’s coaches.
A small number of coaches took this information and applied it to the athletes developing within the American weightlifting development protocol. They figured out which modifications needed to be implemented and successfully developed a large proportion of the international competitors that represented the U.S. for the next two or three decades. The incomplete list of these practitioners is as follows:
• Harvey Newton
• John Thrush
• Roger Nielsen
• Mark LeMenager
• Bob Takano
• John Coffee
• Steve Gough
As we move deeper into the 21st century, no organization has managed to harvest the wisdom developed by these coaches and researchers. Moreoever we are losing the expertise unearthed by them. Carl Miller, Bud Charniga, Michael Yessis, Harvey Newton, John Coffee and Steve Gough have passed away wihtin the the past decade and the rest are not getting any younger.
The final degree of separation from the authorities of the past occurred during the Covid epidemic which drove a significant portion of the weightlifting community into solitary training and distance coaching. This rift created greater detachment from the wisdom of the previous era.
I doubt seriously that anyone will be concerned, but it is a pity to have made such progress only to have it lost.

https://sportsedtv.com/blog/why-adaptability-matters-in-weightlifting

Why Adaptability Matters in Weightlifting | SportsEdTV Adaptability in weightlifting is the mindset that turns obstacles into opportunities and separates champions from the rest.

DIGESTIVE TALENT

This topic is not a common one, and certainly not an obvious one during talent selection, but in a sport where the top placings may depend on relatively insignificant factors, digestive talent may affect the outcome. While the perfect diet for a specific individual may vary slightly from athlete to athlete, the athlete who can derive the essential nutrients from a subpar diet may have the advantage during situations of scarcity.
If you are one of those who is educated about sports nutrition by assimilating nutritional supplement advertising, you might find it surprising to learn that the supplement industry does not want to hear about mutant athletes who can derive vital nutrients from what many would consider a poor diet.
We need to realize that humans are a unique species. They are the largest mammals to have literally expanded their territory by walking over the planet and residing on four of the five continents. They were forced to consume, digest and assimilate nutrients from whatever foodstuffs they encountered during their journeys. As a result humans, bears, pigs and rats are the great omnivores within the mammals.
I came to this realization one day when Albert Hood, my best lifter ever, wandered into the gym eating a Hershey bar and drinking a Coke. I asked him what that was and his reply was “dinner”. I later found out that that was a typical meal for him. Still he was able to sn**ch double bodyweight, squat 180 k at 56 k bodyweight and break all the national junior and senior records before the age of 20. I became fascinated with the idea that Albert must have been capable of secreting transaminases that most people could not. A transaminase is an enzyme that can convert a non-essential amino acid into an essential one thus providing an amino acid profile favorable to recovery from hard training. Only mutants can do such things.
For years I had been hearing the Soviets talk and write about “Special Diet” for weightlifters. What I found out during a study tour of the Soviet Union was that meat was only available through stores that specialized in selling meat. The average citizen had to get there when the store opened at 5:00 AM, and the day’s rations were normally gone by 8:00 AM. This meant that most families could normally have meat once a week. Weightlifters on the other hand had their food delivered and could expect to dine on meat 3 times a week. So that was “special diet”. Definitely not as special as what was available to lifters in many other countries, and yet the Soviets frequently won the medal count at major international competitions. Some digestive mutants!
Most lifters don’t have this mutation and must concentrate on ingesting enough calories and making sure that the diet consists of 60% carbohydrates, 30% proteins and 10% lipids in addition to sufficient micronutrients (vitamins and minerals). Ideally these should be consumed in five meals that are timed so that the digestion does not interfere with training.

https://sportsedtv.com/blog/extensions-vs-high-pulls-which-is-best-for-weightlifting-training

Extensions vs. High Pulls: Which is Best for Weightlifting Training? | SportsEdTV This article compares extensions and high pulls in weightlifting, explaining their differences, benefits, ex*****on, and how to incorporate them into a training program

THOUGHTFUL COMPETITION COACHING

I’ve often observed strange and thoughtless behavior taking place during weightlifting competitions. Some of them are innocuous enough but others may not necessarily contribute to the purpose of a weightlifting meet.
Lifters who’ve been coached and lifted for several years understand the altered state of competing. When one is on the competition platform, the only clear voice is that of the coach. Vocalizations coming from the crowd are muffled and unclear. Fans in the crowd who are shouting out dubious advice have obviously never been in the altered state.
I also frequently observe coaches who have never been altered as well. They call out cues that are neither helpful nor focused. I know that these coaches have not been lifters otherwise they would better comprehend the dynamic that exists between coach and lifter.
Comments that are too general are not helpful.
“You got this!”
“Easy lift!”
They can, in fact, be distracting.
In each lift for each lifter there is usually one technical flaw that can be the deciding factor between success and failure. For example, if the jerk drive is incomplete, then the cue from the coach needs to address a strong and thorough jerk drive. The specifics of the comment can be very unique, but it should focus the athlete’s attention on overcoming the deterrent. If the athlete is in the altered state, the coach’s cue should be perceived as clear and compelling.
So the function of the coach at the competition platform is to know the weak link in the lifter’s arsenal and address that weakness. It should also be realized that any weakness in performance will be enhanced as the weight gets heavier in the subsequent attempts. Furthermore the coach in question may have another lifter in the same session, but with a slightly difference technical weakness. This will require a different cue as the emphasis must be different.
Another problem that might arise could also lead to another difficulty. For instance a lifter might have a problem getting the center of pressure on the ball of the foot at the power position. If the problem is solved, the weight will be lifted with greater speed and could result in a mis-timed lockout in the sn**ch. So the coach must emphasis the proper center of pressure and being aware of the lockout mechanics. This is a good argument for keeping the cues brief as the coach may have to provide two on a specific attempt. The coach should also keep in mind that the altered state is an internal environment for facilitating adrenaline secretion.
I realize that many lifters are not aware of the value of good platform coaching. This is evident when I see postings on social media that say something like, “I’m lifting in the %& class at Nationals this weekend. Can someone help out by counting lifts for my warm-up?”
The coach also has a responsibility to re-focus the lifter after a successful lift. Too many coaches that I see are mainly concerned with high-fiving the athlete after a successful lift (and sometimes after a not so successful one). At this point the task of the coach is to get the athlete to focus on what technical aspect must be addressed to deal with the heavier weight of the next attempt.
Coaches need to realize that the task of platform coaching ends only after the third clean & jerk.

https://sportsedtv.com/blog/become-a-jerking-fool-mastering-one-of-the-most-difficult-lifts-in-weightlifting

Become a Jerking Fool: Mastering one of the Most Difficult Lifts in Weightlifting | SportsEdTV Master the jerk with consistent practice, technique refinement, overhead strength work, and strategic programming to turn your weakest lift into a championship-winning weapon.

AN OVERLOOKED PARAMETER

Most coaches that are programming training programs are probably used to the parameters involved. They understand more or less, the effects of proper load (total kilos lifted), volume (total repetitions), and intensity zones on the organism when programming. All of these must be given serious consideration during the programming process, but there is one parameter that is frequently misunderstood and as such can dramatically alter the results for the athlete.
The parameter I’m concerned about is the number of repetitions per set. It seems that the Crossfit mentality tweezed a number of coaches into AMRAP-land. The number of repetitions (volume) is critical but there can be too few reps and too many in a set. The physiology is going to dictate the effects of the number of reps per set.
• 25 or more repetitions per set most significantly affects the aerobic respiration pathway and has almost no effect on strength and power development.
• 8-20 repetitions per set most strongly influences muscular hypertrophy and local anaerobic endurance. This range has some effect on strength development, but like many rabbit holes, it leads to time wasted.
• 1-4 repetitions per set is where the vast majority of weightlifting training must take place. Between 5 and 8 repetitions there are some strength gains as well as some hypertrophy.
One factor that is apparently lost on the AMRAP crowd is neural fatigue of some muscles in the complex necessary to perform a sn**ch, clean, jerk or related movement. As an example, let’s take the spinal erector muscles that are necessary in maintaining a lumbar curve during the course of sn**ching and cleaning. If the neurons innervating the spinal erectors fatigue and cannot fire an impulse to these muscles during the fourth rep of a set of cleans, the spine will lose its rigidity. This will change the biomechanics of the movement overall and the performance will be compromised.
It is well known that some hypertrophy should take place during the preparation mesocycles. While most of the explosive movements should stay within the 2-4 reps per set range, a higher number of reps can be programmed for less technical exercises. Squats, presses, deadlifts and pulls can be performed in the 4 to 5 rep range, and this will add to the increased volume.
During the Pre-competition mesocycles, the emphasis should placed on lower rep ranges for explosive, technical lifts although the volume can be elevated by programming more sets. Keep in mind that the sport is about performing heavy singles and these should be perfected during the pre-competition mesocycle.
I’m aware that I harp on this topic quite frequently, but no weightlifter has time to waste. Every passing day gets you closer to the time when your recovery capacity diminishes and that in turn will inhibit your progress. The guidance of a competent coach will help you to avoid wasting time by chasing down the many rabbit holes that it seems are becoming more frequent as we increase the number of undereducated leaders in the sport.

https://sportsedtv.com/blog/understanding-weightlifting-training-programs

Understanding Weightlifting Training Programs | SportsEdTV Discover how to design effective weightlifting training programs by mastering exercise selection, load, volume, intensity, recovery, and nutrition.

https://sportsedtv.com/blog/stages-of-technique-mastery-in-weightlifting/

Stages of Technique Mastery in Weightlifting | SportsEdTV Mastering weightlifting technique is a continuous process that evolves from beginner to elite levels by improving speed, timing, strength, kinesthetic awareness, and conditioning..

DON’T LOOK FOR GADGETS

With the advent of Henry Ford’s assembly line in the early 20th century, America set forth upon a path largely defined by its capacity to mass produce consummables and devices that would solve problems. Shortly thereafter marketing for these goods developed and then fluorished to an unforeseen extent. The introduction of readily available commercial radio programming, and then television convinced the American consumer mentality that most problems could be solved by new technology producing consumer products.
Certainly no one could successfully argue that the introduction of labor saving devices has done much to shape American culture. It is not surprising to see the trend continuing forward for decades, and for Americans to buy into the idea that most problems could be overcome by the newest gadget. Certain activities, however, remain immune to gadgetry and can only be resolved and overcome by mastery of the medium, skillful artistry and the application of insights.
As things currently stand, weightlifting is not one of those disciplines whose problems can be solved by gadgetry. Although some people may feel that AI can provide some gadgetry to solve lifting problems, AI is dependent upon the volume and quality of weightlifting knowledge that exists on the internet. That body of knowledge is incomplete. I am currently planning to devise a GPT that will do much of the arithmetic drudgery involved in programming, but its capabilities will depend on the quality and quantity of programming knowledge that I provide for it.
Anyway, back to the topic. The only “gadgets” available to weightlifters have long been bars, bumper plates, shoes and racks. Aside from the improvements in bumper durability, today’s weightlifter can train just as effectively using the equipment that was available 50 years ago.
If you are a weightlifter seeking solutions, answers and strategies (and you should be), what you should be seeking are strategies that will save you time. You have a window of time between the ages of 16 and 35 wherein you have the greatest chance of achieving your true potential. Any time that you waste within that window will inhibit your ultimate results. If you are over 35, each passing year will find your ability to recover diminishing due to the lessening of molecular collisions.
What you should be seeking are insights which will allow for the planning of strategies. Don’t waste time thinking there is magic in the brand of equipment you employ.
There are two categories of insights that will enable you to stop wasting time. The first is problem identification and the second is problem solving.
Many problems are not problems. They are just developmental issues that will work themselves out after sufficient proper training takes place.
Other problems are immediately solvable if the proper cause is determined. For instance, a lifter may have trouble locking out the elbows with jerks overhead. A naïve solution might be to work on overhead lockouts when the real problem might be a kyphosis of the spine that does not allow the shoulders to be in a position to enable ideal overhead lockout.
Situations such as the aforementioned could end up wasting precious time before they get solved. An astute coach can figure out the most effective and time efficient pathway to take.
So the concluding thought of this piece is not to look for solutions through gadgetry. Instead seek out insightful experts who can put you on the most direct pathway to weightlifting success.