Many people have asked me to share some techniques online. The short answer to this request is no, I won't share techniques openly online, and I want to elaborate a bit on why that is.
The first obvious reason is that my team and I need to survive. The moment I share something online, I know many companies and individuals twenty times bigger than we are that would take this material, rebrand it, and call it their own in a heartbeat. (And on top of this, they would probably not even share and teach the material properly.)
In fact, a few weeks ago, I posted my personal progress, and one of the big names in the industry was quick to try and claim that he was ultimately the one responsible for those changes. The comments are still on the post. You can read them for yourself.
That said, until my company gets so well established that it practically runs on its own, sharing techniques online is the best way to drive us out of business.
The second reason is that if we start sharing techniques online, we would be contributing to a phenomenon I greatly despise: the shiny object effect.
The shiny object problem (which leads to the shiny object syndrome) in the movement health industry occurs when companies lure their customers using flashy techniques. I define flashy techniques as those that either visually look impressive online or techniques that are appealing because there's an elaborate theory or concept around them. It’s the kind of stuff that is generally advertised as such:
"If you do this technique, then your myofascial spiral line will become decongested, your joints will decompress, and your organs will function better.”
“Do this technique to activate your glutes better to [insert fancy concept]”
“Do this technique to get rid of [insert body part] pain in 15 minutes!”
These types of techniques and narratives sell really well, but they benefit the company more than they help the customers. So, I don't want to play this game.
I am well aware that by not participating, I might be limiting the growth of the company, but that's something I'd rather deal with than having to work with individuals who are only chasing the next cool thing but can't think critically—or worse: having to admit that I lured in people using flashy techniques that don't produce any substantial changes.
Nowadays, it seems like every movement-related brand is contributing to the shiny object effect, but goal is to teach people how to think—not to teach them how to do mindless activities simply because they look cool—so, I don't want to be one of them.
The third and last reason why I don't share any techniques online is that many of the techniques we teach are boring… at least to the general public. That said, even if we were to share them online, they probably wouldn’t generate that much attention.
I know this may sound like a strange thing to say, but I prefer to say it straight up because if you happen to be someone who ends up working with us at some point, then you'll know what to expect and I know you won’t reach out to us simply because you’re looking for the next shiny object.
Now, don’t get me wrong here: while our techniques might be boring and while they won't attract as many followers online if we were to share them, they are techniques that work really well. They provide their users with very clear insights about what's going on with their bodies, which further improves the chances of them making changes that stick.
But even if they work, they aren’t the coolest-looking techniques that exist, so I’d probably be wasting my time sharing these online.
So, these are the three main reasons why I don’t share techniques online.
Now, I want to end this short text with a few thoughts:
If the goal is to improve the way people move, I’m not sure if we really need that many new techniques. I’m open to being totally wrong about this, though.
That said, the way I see it, I feel like the proper methodology combined with the right state of mind—one that is grounded in a strong work ethic and an ability to be scientific—is probably more valuable than the "right technique."
Again, don’t get me wrong; techniques matter. If someone has a dysfunction occurring on the transverse plane (rotations), making them do a squat (on the sagittal plane) won't help much. But let's assume that we're accounting for the technique and the technique is "good enough,” in this type of scenario, the methodology would probably account for what the technique can't.
The opposite isn't true, though: you can have a "perfect" technique, but if the person's mindset and methodology aren't on point, the technique won't compensate for their methodological flaws.
So, I still hold the opinion that people need to think better more than they need better techniques.
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If you’re one of those people who’s tired of jumping from one technique to another trying to fix your body—but still lack a solid framework to actually solve your movement-related issues—consider applying to our Mentorship Program.