Do You Have a Protocol?
By Charles Staley, B.Sc, MSS
Director, Staley Training Systems
http://www.staleytraining.com/ecm8/ezGaffurl.php?offer=xxxxx&pid=1
If not, this might be great timing for you…please read on. If you haven't been to our discussion forum lately (http://www.staleytraining.com/ecm8/ezGaffurl.php?offer=betteru&u=http://www.teamstaley.com), you'll certainly notice some significant changes- we've got a new look and (more germane to this article) a new name: Charles Staley's Athletic Dominance Protocol.
I've had a lot of questions about what this means, which isn't surprising, since we made these changes rather abruptly and without explanation. This then, is the first in a series of weekly articles I'll be writing in an effort to explain what "The Protocol" really means, why we developed it, and what it can do for you.
You Either Have One, Or You Don't
We all have habits and tendencies. All of us have habitual ways that we go about our lives, including the relatively small portion of our lives we spend in the gym. The real question is whether or not your habits are reactive and spontaneous, or proactive and procedural. For example, if, on your second set of presses you notice a sudden dull pain behind your right shoulder, do you have a set of principles to help you arrive at the best decision? Or do you simply make a spontaneous decision, based on nothing more than gut instinct? Which scenario do you think will most likely lead you to a better outcome?
That's the difference having a protocol can make. Many of us have incomplete protocols- procedures for certain aspects of their training, while other areas are left to "fend for themselves." For example, most of you probably "taper" for important competitions- you take a "down week" to facilitate complete recovery so that you'll perform at your best on meet day.
That's a protocol, or at least a component of one. If, however, you deal with your post-weigh-in hydration in a completely sporadic and haphazard way, that's a hole in your protocol. And that hole may be the one that sinks the ship, no matter how well-constructed the rest of that vessel happens to be.
The Rules Are Best Written When You're Of Sound Mind Back to that post-weigh-in hydration issue: If you create that aspect of your protocol right then, while you're half-dazed from sweating off that last 5 pounds, it might not be representative of your best thinking. But what if you'd thought this through already? What if you'd studied the science, and/or spoken to other successful athletes and coaches who deal with this procedure on a regular basis? Then, based on your research, you developed a set of rules- a protocol for handling your post weigh-in. Now you've got a procedure that's presumably a lot smarter than you are in your current dehydrated fog. Now you've got something you can trust, even when you can't trust yourself.
And that's really the point of having a protocol. In all professions where failure isn't an option, there's a protocol that must be followed. Surgeons have a very detailed protocol that must be adhered to, and so do pilots. Likewise for soldiers, lawyers, pharmacists, and accountants. The greater the potential consequences, the more detailed the protocol. Now needless to say, all of the aforementioned professionals are highly skilled, tremendously intelligent, and thoroughly trained. So why do they need a protocol? Here's a tip- they don't need it for the times when things are going well. Here's what I mean:
I've flown a small plane before, as a student. If you've never had the experience, the amazing thing is not how difficult it is to fly a plane, it's how easy it is! What I mean is, assuming the plane's in good repair, the weather is good, and you have at least a cursory understanding of the skills required, it's really not that big a deal. As you're accelerating down the runway, that plane just wants to take off, and that's just what it'll do, unless you make some type of bonehead mistake.
The problem is, things rarely go perfectly. There's bad weather, fatigue, mechanical problems….all sorts of things can go wrong. And when they do, it'll be your protocol that saves your ass (provided you have one of course. Meaning a protocol, not an ass). Now I've just outlined a case for the prevalence of specific protocols in high-risk professions, but they can also be found in any successful profession or industry. Think about the last time you went to Burger King.
After you said "Hi" to Phil, the zitty high schooler handing you your 2000-calorie obesity maintenance kit will probably say "Would you like fries with that order?" That's because, long ago, the researchers at BK determined that annual revenues would skyrocket if every employee asked this question on every order. For those of you who just thought the kid was being unusually considerate, think again. He'd be reprimanded if he failed to ask the fries question each and every time.
I'll end this article with a question. Is your training important enough to have a protocol? Or are you OK with the last 16 weeks of training going down the toilet because you carelessly make a single stupid decision 2 days before the meet? Are you satisfied with 65-70 percent results, or would you rather tease out every last speck of your potential?
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