Inertia: A tendency to do nothing or remain unchanged
Newton’s First Law of Motion: An object in motion stays in motion and an object at rest stays at rest. ⠀
“Nothing happens until something moves”⠀- Albert Einstein ⠀
What is the initial state of your client? Are they simply sitting atop a hill awaiting for a nudge?
Or are they actively flying down a snow covered mountain like Clark Griswold on greased metal?
Whatever the issue they arrive with, the client looks to us for help in overcoming their current trajectory, whether it be stagnation or a run-away train.⠀
The first question we must ask is does this person need a nudge forward or pull back? Is the object in motion that and staying in motion that is deleterious to the end goal (i.e runner with a deeply ingrained habit of running 5 miles on the same loop every day)? Or is the individual at rest and remaining at rest (i.e chronic low back pain fearful of movement? Based on the current state, am I better serving the client in the form of a cattle prod or a speed bump?
But change is hard. How do we overcome this initial state?
The optimal theoretical plan is often lacking in practicality. Often when overcoming inertia we must simply move the ball forward any way we can. Just pick up a few yards. 2nd and 7 is way better than throwing a pick. Get things moving to put inertia in your favor no matter how small the progress may be. One win makes the next win easier. ⠀
Nudge in the right direction, observe, orient, decide. ⠀
Nudge in the right direction, observe, orient, decide. ⠀
Nudge in the right direction, observe, orient, decide. ⠀
Simply stated, as coaches and therapists we are inertia overcomers. We must evaluate the current state of the individual and nudge in the desirable direction. Start small and gain momentum.
-Anthony Iannarino, PT, DPT
FUEL UP!
Book: The Anatomy of Agility: Movement Analysis in Sport By Frans Bosch
- Frans Bosch follows up his excellent books Running and Strength Training and Coordination with a deep dive into agility. Bosch does not shy away from addressing the complexity of movement but provides practical means to train your coach’s eye and evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of athletic movement.
Article: Why “Many-Model Thinkers” Make Better Decisions By Scott E. Page
- What is a model and how do we use them to make decisions? Know it or not, you are using models to make decisions. Is one model superior to another or do we need to interlace multiple for supreme accuracy. Scott Page takes a deep look into what factors best guide our decision making.
Follow: @stevemagnes
- Steve is a performance coach and author of several excellent books including Peak Performance and The Science of Running. His IG and twitter are awash with wisdom for improving performance be it persona, professional, or athletic oriented.
Listen: The Level Up Podcast: Clin Ed Series (Episodes 61-64)
- Our friends over at CALU/The Level Up Initiative are crushing it with their clin ed series. They continuously provide the best resources to provide perspective and inspiration for student and new grads looking to make the most of their career and leave the profession better than they found it. In this series, they in and outs of how to use our clinical education process to provide the best foundation and level up the profession.