Coaching Archives - Page 9 of 19 - Robertson Training Systems

RTS Coaching: The Quarters Cue

on April 20, 2016 | by Mike Robertson

When it comes to training, I’m constantly searching for new cues that help my clients and athletes better understand how their bodies should move. For instance, for the past couple of years now I’ve been talking about feeling the whole foot when squatting, deadlifting, lunging, etc. The RDL is a particularly salient example here because […]

RTS Coaching: The Reaching Dead Bug

on April 14, 2016 | by Mike Robertson

I’m pretty sure if you’ve hung out around here for a while, you know I’m a fan of the dead bug. Whether it’s core engaged, a standard variation, or even with a twist like wall press abs, dead bugs are a staple in many of my programs. Along those same lines, I’m also obsessed with […]

RTS Coaching: Lats vs. Abs

on March 31, 2016 | by Mike Robertson

Whether you coach personal training clients or overhead athletes, one of the biggest issues that I see is an inability to go overhead safely and effectively. Now there are obviously a ton of reasons why someone may not be able to go overhead effectively, but one of the biggest reasons is poor muscular balance between […]

RTS Coaching: How to Plank

on March 9, 2016 | by Mike Robertson

Everyone and their mother knows that the plank is a solid core training exercise. However, just because it’s a great exercise doesn’t mean that most people are doing it correctly! In fact, my model actually shows one of the most common technique errors I see in the plank, so watching the video should help you […]

5 Goals of Pre-Season Training

on March 1, 2016 | by Mike Robertson

Pre-season is here for the soccer bros. And whenever we have one of these big shifts in mindset, it often leads to some good insights from myself as a coach. Quite simply, what are our goals for this period of time? Are we doing everything in our power to serve our athletes? And perhaps most […]

RTS Coaching: How Wide on Split-Squats?

on February 25, 2016 | by Mike Robertson

One of the most common questions I get asked is: How far apart should my feet be on a split-squat? For many years, I always had my athletes start in a 90-90 set-up. But over the years, I’ve changed this position ever so slightly, which this video will describe. After watching the video here are […]

RTS Coaching: Hips Up on RDL’s

on January 27, 2016 | by Mike Robertson

Like I mentioned last week, the RDL can be a very difficult lift to coach. Another common mistake I see is when athletes want to bend the knees excessively, or almost try and “squat” the weight down. Not only does it make for a terribly inefficient lift, but you fail to load the hips and […]

RTS Coaching: Chest Over the Bar on RDL’s

on January 21, 2016 | by Mike Robertson

I’ve been a firm believer for years that the Romanian Deadlift, or RDL, is the most difficult lift to teach in the gym. Whether it’s poor stability patterns through the spine, failure to move through the hips, or too much knee motion, there’s just a lot going on in this seemingly simple exercise. As such, […]

Dissecting the Wall Drill

on January 19, 2016 | by Mike Robertson

When it comes to speed development, no topic is more polarizing than the wall drill. (Except maybe the speed ladder, but that’s a discussion for another day.) Some coaches love wall drills and use them as their go-to tool when teaching acceleration mechanics. Others feel that they are absolutely worthless, and would never consider using […]

RTS Coaching: The Knees Extended Bear

on January 13, 2016 | by Mike Robertson

A few months back, I introduced you to a new core training exercise: The Bear. I love the bear because it really targets the obliques, and also reinforces good reaching patterns for my athletes. However, if you’re anything like me, you always want to get to the next level. Enter, the knees extended bear… Now […]

Do’s and Don’ts of Coaching

on January 12, 2016 | by Mike Robertson

I don’t know about you, but when I went to school there wasn’t a textbook or a course for coaching. We could get all the anatomy, physiology and biomechcanics that our little heart desired. But when it came down to the nitty gritty details of helping a real, live person get better? Sorry, but that […]

RTS Coaching: Foot-Knee-Hip on Unilateral Work

on January 6, 2016 | by Mike Robertson

A few weeks back, I wrote an article about five of the biggest benefits of single-leg training. If you haven’t read that, take a few minutes and review it first, as I think it gives unique insight into the true role of unilateral training. And if you want the Cliff’s Notes version, here goes: […]

RTS Coaching: The Cat-Camel

on January 1, 2016 | by Mike Robertson

The year: 2003. I was just getting into the worlds of rehab and “corrective exercise” when I had the privilege of spending an entire day learning from Craig Liebenson in his office in California. That day really changed my life in a lot of ways. Up to that point I was your average, run-of-the-mill meathead, […]

My 2016 Coaching Agenda

on December 28, 2015 | by Mike Robertson

Last year, I wrote a rather lengthy post on my personal goals for 2015. It was pretty cathartic to get all of this written out and on paper, but at the same time, I’m not sure how valuable it was to someone like you, who is sitting at home trying to learn! So this year, […]

RTS Coaching: The Arm Bar Series

on December 25, 2015 | by Mike Robertson

If we jump into the way back machine, it was around 2009 or 2010 that Pavel Tsatsouline personally invited me to attend an RKC seminar. Needless to say, it was an amazing experience, and one that I feel made me an infinitely better coach. And while I was familiar with the bulk of the exercises […]