The Education Gap: Becoming a “Pracademic”
I’m a big fan of education. In fact, I went back to school the better part of four years ago to pursue my PhD in Kinesiology. I guess you’d call me a passionately curious life-long learner. I’ve also run a private business for the better part of 18 years. These experiences, both academic and pragmatic have shaped my current view pertaining to the educational landscape of the strength and conditioning profession. I’ve spoken about this before with my friend Keir Wenham-Flatt.
Some say there are two worlds. World #1: academia and world #2: the real world. Perhaps there is a third, where both academics and pragmatists thrive? This to me, is the gap! The world of the “pracademic.” I believe this education comes from the apprenticeship model of learn by doing, coupled with relevant academic readings attained with a library card or trusted search engine. Bottom line, from my personal experience, a lot of my undergraduate work was not relevant to becoming a successful coach in the private sector.
“We teach a lot of things in medical school that are completely irrelevant to the practice of medicine. A lot of things, actually. And then we do not teach things which are extraordinarily relevant to the practice of medicine.” - Anupam Bapu Jena (Econ Talk Podcast Interview)
What is a Pracademic
Pracademic = Apprentice + Relevant Couse Materials
Apprenticeship is crucial in the development of great strength and conditioning coaches. Without it, one is stuck in world #1. The problem with world #1 is that learning in this world is highly reliant on rote memorization. In addition, course materials taught in this world may not be overly relevant in the pragmatic setting. You can become a great race car driver, without knowing the details of EVERY nut and bolt underneath the hood. In my 18 years of private sector coaching, I have never had a conversation with an athlete about muscle spindles, actin, myosin, or cross bridging. Is it good to know? Perhaps. Need to know? I would suggest not. If you want to become an outstanding coach, become an apprentice. Seek mentorship. Mentorship fosters the autodidact approach to knowledge acquisition coupled with real world application in the target environment. This is learning in both worlds #1, and #2. This is the first step in bridging the educational gap.
Relevant course materials are the final piece of bridging the gap between world #1, and world #2. Education is a process that is never complete. The best coaches provide the best EXPLANATORY theories (yes, theories are educated guesses). Education in this world is not multiple choice or rote memorization, but explanatory knowledge. Theorizing. The best theories provide superior explanation and are tested frequently. Perhaps this is why I enjoyed my PhD journey so much. I enjoyed the subject matter, my mentor/supervisor and the apprenticeship model of knowledge acquisition. My “test” was an oral defense and written defense, not fill in the blank. What are the relevant course materials you ask? Here are the topics that I believe EVERY coach should have at surface level competency. I call these first principles.
Critical thinking: How to interpret data – information. Embracing skepticism
Programming: Contrast between world #1 and world #2. Complex systems
Physiology
Psychology
Physics
Biomechanics
You don’t need a four-year degree to attain baseline understanding of these principals. A library card, an hour a day reading, and mentorship are the best ways to start this journey. You can learn via the blocked approach (choose 1 principal to study for said time period), or a random approach (choose multiple principals to study for said time period). Great, so what books, what articles? Revert to your mentor. The best mentors point you in the right direction without telling you what to see. Bridging the educational gap between world #1, and world #2 is not overly complex, but the work involved in a never-ending pursuit. In my opinion, there is no undergraduate degree that compares.
