1. I got an interesting surprise the other day when I all of a sudden noticed that Cressey Performance had pictures like this posted all over the place:

It turns out that CP athlete and boxer Danny O’Connor had posted pictures of world title belts all over the facility as motivation.  You’ve got to love a guy who makes sure that the goal is never out of sight!

2. On a semi-related note, the only thing more dangerous than a professional boxer might be a West Virginia Ninja (as promised, Ryan and Evelyne):

3. For those who missed it, I contributed on a pretty cool new compilation over at T-Nation.  Check out In the Trenches: Volume 1.

4. I came to a bit of a shocking realization the other day about just how many so-called experts in the field – those writing books, giving seminars, and making television show appearances – actually train few (if any) actual clients.  As I thought about it, this would never work for me (regardless of how many years of experience I’d have accumulated by that point) simply because I view interaction with athletes as one of my primary means of continuing my education.  Simply coaching athletes, getting their feedback on things, and watching the adaptation process take place is a great way to enhance one’s perspective.

Right now, I’m out there coaching about 35 hours per week, and it’ll pick up a bit more as our pro baseball training group fills up in the next few weeks – and that will last through the third Monday in March.  Interestingly, this kicks off the time of year when my writing is always the most creative and prolific.  In other words, as I digest those 5-6 months of training, it’s very easy to put a lot of new ideas on paper.

Had I just been sitting at a computer that entire time, there’s no way I’d have that perspective.  Just some food for thought: the next time you are about to buy a book, DVD, or attend a seminar, ask yourself whether the “expert” in question actually interacts with athletes/clients/patients on a weekly basis.

5. After Wednesday’s blog post about shoulder health drills, I got several questions from folks asking what I thought the best few shoulder education resources were.  Here are my top three (the first two are for the more geeky of you out there, and the third is more readily usable drills):

a. The Athlete’s Shoulder, by Reinold, Wilk, and Andrews

b. Physical Therapy of the Shoulder, by Donatelli

c. Optimal Shoulder Performance, by Reinold and Cressey (I’m biased, I know)

6. We’ve got a few cool announcements next week.  In the meantime, though, have a great weekend.  And remember that girls just wanna have fun.