I'm always a fan of studying other disciplines, because usually there's something to be learned where they intersect and at the friction points where they differ.
Bill Starr has just posted on the Starting Strength board an essay on the importance of overall strength. It's interesting to check out the similarities (and differences) between his ideas and Coach Sommer's.
One quote that jumped out at me was when Starr stressed the importance of simplicity, as well as exercises that stress the most joints: "[T]he more simple a program, the more it will achieve the desired results, which is greater functional strength. The exercises chosen must be specific for the three major muscle groups: shoulder girdle or upper body, back, and hips/legs."
Very reminiscent of the way Coach Sommers stresses the importance of the full-body exercises, specifically the back lever, front lever and planche.
If anyone's interested, the article is here:
http://startingstrength.com/index.php/site/resources
I wonder what Starr makes of the conjugate method of training, which the Soviets used and Westside Barbell uses?
best,
jason