‘Judge a man by his questions, not his answers.’ -Voltaire. And Judge a Trainer by their questions too. Asking the right fitness question can change your life.
Invariably these questions won’t seem terribly profound, or even relevant. But the right one may change your life. Professional baseball player Steve Delebar’s life was profoundly changed by a question.
A question about tennis.
Delebar’s baseball career had peaked in AAA baseball. He fought for years to rise to AA, A, maybe the pros, but was stuck in AAA. Then he threw a pitch that tore his arm to pieces. A few surgeries, screws, plates and rehab appointments later he was living as a substitute teacher and baseball coach.
He saw an ad for a pitching clinic given by Dr. Tom House. Maybe, he thought, he could learn something that could make him a better pitching coach; help one of his proteges become the pitcher he never became.
Tom House seems eccentric; he’s known for pushing his pitchers to try unconventional methods in search of improvement. In his unceasing search for a breakthrough he questioned everything about pitching mechanics. The breakthrough question arrived while watching tennis.
Why are tennis players able to serve ad infitum while pitchers are fried after 100 pitches? It’s basically the same motion, right?
They hold onto the racket, he reasoned. Baseball players release the ball.
So he trained his athletes to hold the ball.
Steve Delebar completely rehabbed his arm using this method. In fact, he got much better; his velocity increased. He returned to AAA, kicked ass, moved up the ranks to AA, A and then the pros.
He eventually made the all star team.
All because a coach asked an unconventional question.
Another unconventional fitness Question (or 2)
Shoulder specialists asked themselves ‘who uses their shoulders a ton and never has shoulder issues.’
Answer: chimps.
And what do chimps do?
They hang.
Athletic trainers at the university of Cincinatti were searching for a better way to deal with concussions in their athletes. They asked the neurology department for their feedback.
Now neurologists are ask ‘who bangs their heads and lot, but doesn’t suffer mental impairment’.
Woodpeckers.
And now woodpeckers are being studied for a potential breakthrough in protective head gear.
More wild fitness questions
I had a client who’s head always tilted right. I hypothesized his left eye (brought to the center) was too dominant.
‘Can you wear this eye-patch over your left eye?’
He put it on and his head ceased tilting right.
And now he’s a pirate.
A client had balance problems. He had what’s referred to as cerebellar gait (a gait that arises when the cerebellum is under-active).
‘Can you move your index finger while you stand on one leg?’
Index finger movement triggers his cerebellum. His balance instantly, meaningfully improves.
‘Judge a man by his questions, not his answers.’ – Voltaire
The right questions lead to important discoveries. Discoveries that could aid your sore shoulder; your surgically repaired elbow; your vision, your balance.
Experienced Trainers ask these kind of questions. They’ve taken the courses and rendered enough sessions to know which ones questions to ask. Questions about tennis, and chimps, and woodpeckers.
About the connection of vision to posture.
Or brain function to balance.
Now the only questions are:
Are you ready for a breakthrough? Can you handle the tough questions.