About Ian King
Ian King … if you don’t instantly recognize this name, I’d encourage you to take today, tomorrow and possibly the rest of the week off of work and simply read anything and everything you can find on this individual. Why do I say this? Simple – he has been one of the leading minds in the physical preparation of athletes for the past 30+ years; training individuals in every summer and winter Olympic games since 1988, as well as every Commonwealth games since 19841. The list of adjectives one could use in describing him is quite lengthy… physical preparation coach, innovator, educator, challenger of ideas, writer, etc. Previously at CasePerformance, Ian King graced us with his presence and shared many ideas in a 2 part interview that discussed everything from selecting a mentor to training myths. (Part I , Part II)
KSI Coach Education Program & The Legacy Theory Course
Figure 2. King Sport International1
One of Ian King’s goals is educating those who truly want to become the best physical preparation coaches they can be; This is reflected in King Sports International’s motto “teaching the world how to train.” Recently I had the opportunity to complete the Legacy Theory Course of KSI’s coaching program and would like to share with you my thoughts on it.
The Legacy Course starts off with a historical look at physical preparation. It then moves into Ian’s original contributions to the field with respect to stretching, injury prevention, aerobic training, program design, philosophies, and much more. The entire course was 30+ units in length. Upon completing one unit, individuals are given links to the following unit. Thus, you can complete it at your own pace. I enjoyed this aspect of things because time permitting, I always wanted to start the next unit as soon as I finished the previous one. The content for each unit was presented in three different formats – text form (PDF’s), video (youtube) and audio (wma).
Overall, I was well pleased with the content provided in this course. I always enjoy learning from highly accomplished coaches. Ian definitely fits this bill as clearly shown by his track record during the past 30 years. His knowledge of physical preparation and experience in this field is virtually unparalleled. This same standard of excellence shines through the course. I greatly appreciated the large amount of time and effort that Ian put into designing each unit. Everything about it was 1st class. The material was presented in such a way that powerful concepts were easy to understand. I found myself reading each unit multiple times; on each occasion, I picked up new “nuggets of wisdom”.
For individuals looking for a “cookie cutter” step-by-step pre-made exercise program, you may be disappointed. This is not the intent of the course. However, those seeking the tools necessary to design their own training program will be well satisfied as the course provides many simple, yet powerful, approaches to maximizing the training experience. The best part about this learning experience is that it comes 1st hand from the individual who introduced the concepts into the physical preparation field after years of refining it with 1000’s of athletes.
I highly recommend this course as it positively impacted my thoughts on multiple levels. For those interested in learning more about it, click the link below:
PLEASE NOTE:
My motivation behind sharing this course with you is SOLELY to provide you with the tools necessary to enhance your coaching ability.
I DO NOT receive any financial profit if you choose to participate in this course. IE – I DO NOT receive 10% commission per sale that comes in from the link above.
References
1 Photo obtained and re-posted with permission from Ian King. Accessed April 24, 2012 from: http://kingsports.net/