I spend countless hours scouring the internet to satiate my curiosity. This wasn’t always the case. My tryst with reading began after a series of niggles left me feeling flustered and wanting to understand how the body worked. I believe that it’s every players responsibility to understand how their body functions. “Why not leave that to the specialists?” you may ask. My reasoning for this might sound cynical, but here goes.
Note: This has been my experience growing up and not many of you might echo my sentiments.
It’s rare to find someone who knows why they’re doing what they do. It’s even rarer to find someone who can articulate this effectively. It’s important that you as an athlete buy-in to what you’re being told to do. For this you need to ask questions, and to ask questions, you need to know a thing or two yourself. In asking questions, you realise that not many people have answers they’re supposed to. Too often, coaches or trainers do as they were asked to growing up, not really knowing why. Truthfully, I catch myself doing this as well. I got tired of physios telling me to RICE as a solution for everything and irritated with doctors who told me my pain meant nothing (because that very pain was trying to tell me something). Now, I’m not telling you to fill the shoes of everyone in your support system. You needn’t know how to create meal plans, treat your own pain and diagnose your symptoms. But it’s your responsibility to know a thing or two so that when someone tells you something, you can smell if it’s in the ballpark of bullshit. For example, if the first question a sports nutritionist asks you is whether you have a six pack or not, you need to know better than to throw your money at them. Trust me, it has happened.
When you do your research, you realise that your problems aren’t unique and several others have sought answers to the same questions. This saves you from the pitfalls of self-pity and ignorance. Not to sound too dramatic, but reading something that you can resonate with emboldens you. Now the problem is in locating verifiable sources. The world wide web can be a daunting place to look for information initially. There are way too many options and numerous “gurus” to choose from. With the advent of social media, fitness influencers (whatever that word means) have become dime a dozen. For every fitness YouTuber with a six pack gorging down cupcakes and waffles, there are thousands of people failing miserably trying to do the same. Irrespective of your moral stance on this, how do you separate the wheat from the chaff?
Two things are evident when you read the creme de la creme, the so called experts. First, they are prolifically churning out free content. This doesn’t strike me as coincidence. I’m not saying that they’re the shizz only because they put out free content. The fact that they disseminate outstanding information with no monetary reward goes to show their commitment to advancing the truth. Next, they have a knack for simplifying information. Contextualising problems is what the best guys do well. Their line of reasoning is robust and their “why’s” are always intact.
The following is a list of people whose content I consume. The list isn’t exhaustive and I’ll keep updating it as I read more. If you’re someone who’s interested in nutrition, strength and conditioning, rehab, exercise technique, tennis, etc, the following list is for you.
Chris Beardlsy
One site to rule them all, One site to find them, One site to bring them all, and in the darkness bind them. Reading Beardsly won’t make you invisible but will leave you triumphantly exclaiming “my precious!”. Currently reading Strength is Specific.
Lyle McDonald
Lyle’s acerbic sense of humour coupled with his unfiltered style of writing make for a fun read. In times where everyone is an expert on nutrition and almost everything is taken out of context, he manages to contextualise everything in a no BS manner.
Eric Cressey
Eric Cressey, aka “ the shoulder guy” has carved out a niche for himself in the sport of baseball. Anecdotally and through my coaching experience I’ve noticed shoulder injuries to be the most prevalent amongst tennis players, and so find myself turning to Cressey’s work on managing the throwing shoulder.
Menno Henselmans
Its hard keeping up with the plethora of research articles that Menno doles out. As a Menno Henselmans certified personal trainer I can assure you you get more than your money’s worth.
Starting strength
The brainchild of the legend himself that is Mark Rippetoe. You either love the guy or ya don’t. Only Rip in his Texan drawl can convince you that you need a 240$ bench. All said and done, the Starting Strength book would have to be the most comprehensive piece of literature on the Big 4 lifts and a must read for any powerlifter or strength enthusiast.
Just Fly Sports Sports Performance Podcast
Just Fly is a goldmine of information when it comes to training athletes. if you’re an athlete or an athletic coach looking to sprint faster, jump higher and/or eat better, check them out.
Dr. Quinn Henoch
A physical therapist who lifts iron? YES! These unicorns are few and far between and Dr. Quinn’s suggestions on rehab, prehab and movement are right on the money.
Matt Kuzdub
Matt Kuzdub brings the latest in evidence based tennis research. Matt coaches tennis players on and off the court and his holistic approach to training is what uniquely differentiates him from the rest of the crowd, and what drew me to him.
Lee Taft
When it comes to all things speed, look no further. Lee’s understanding of biomechanics and his ability to convey it simply has earned him the title of “the speed guy”. If you want your athletes to become faster and more efficient movers on court, Lee will show you the light.
The Adam Blicher Show
The best resource for tennis coaches out there. Adam interviews the best in the business. Quit making your own mistakes when you can learn from the mistakes of those before you. If you want to learn from the who’s who of the coaching industry, then don’t give this show a miss.
Conclusion: Take responsibility for your nutrition, your pain, your fitness and heck, even your practice sessions. Ask questions however stupid you may find them. Read, if nobody can answer them for you. Reading can answer questions you didn’t know you had. Read so that you can make intelligent choices, because it’s our choices that make us who we are, at least according to 21st century philosophers Peter Parker and Albus Dumbledore.
What I read
Naithrav-I thoroughly enjoyed reading your write-up. I love it that you are so well read,and I find your brief critiques and recommendations very informative.
Young as you are, I find nuggets of sports wisdom in what you write.
I would love to have you as a personal trainer and bombard you with questions thru out the session .
Keep up the good work 👍
Kamini