Archive for March, 2008
« Previous EntriesWhat Is SPARQ Training?
Monday, March 31st, 2008I’m sure you have seen the recent commercials touting the benefits of SPARQ Training. It is nothing new with regard to power training. See my article series on Power Training.
SPARQ stands for speed, power, agility, reaction and quickness. It tests and rates a person’s pure athletic ability. For instance, one athlete had an incredible total score of 103.89 on his SPARQ test. A very good score would be 100!
WHAT IS SPARQ Training?
It is simply a scientific and comprehensive measure of athleticism. It is used by coaches and scouts to assess athletic ability for players in sports such as baseball, basketball, football and soccer. Any player can train to improve his or her athletic ability. Here is a breakdown of what is tested in a particular sport:
Baseball/Fastpitch Softball - vertical jump, 30 yard dash, rotational power ball throw and shuttle.
Basketball - one-step vertical jump, 20 meter dash, 30 second endurance jump, overhead power ball throw and agility cone drill.
Football - vertical jump, 40 yard dash, bench press and shuttle.
I can help you to start tailoring your training regimen to increase your sports power. More and more camps, coaches and scouts are adopting this impressive measurement tool. It is best to be ready for it.
Mother Nature Is My Coach
Sunday, March 30th, 2008Yes, Running Can Make You High (NY Times)
Friday, March 28th, 2008Return to the Rucky Chucky 50k
Thursday, March 27th, 2008Improve Your Hip and Core Strength with Hip Circles
Wednesday, March 26th, 2008Core strength and hip flexibility/strength is critical for achieving athletic success. Great athletes dominate movement with the core, hips, glutes, quadriceps and hamstrings. Add Hip Circles to your exercise routine. It will be well worth your time. It is important to execute the exercise movements with quality.
1. Sit on the floor and place a balance disc underneath your hips.
2. Raise your legs off the floor and keeping them together rotate them around in a circular motion.
3. Repeat for the prescribed number of repetitions.
Have a great workout today!
Calves - Give them More Attention
Wednesday, March 26th, 2008Calves are muscles which are easy to neglect when working out. These muscles are usually very tough due to daily walking and can be hard to train. If you haven’t focused on your calves very much, when you do work them out, they may feel sore for several days. I remember having [...]
Build Explosive Arm Power With Lying Medicine Ball Throws
Wednesday, March 26th, 2008If you want to build power in your arms, try the Lying Medicine Ball Throw. Remember, rate-of-force production (how fast your muscles can produce force) is one of the top physical predictors of athletic success (the other is dynamic balance). It doesn’t do any good to continually get stronger without an increase in power.
The Lying Medicine Ball Throw is a plyometric exercise that will force you to contract your arms forcefully in order to execute the movement. Choose a medicine ball that you can only toss 2-3 feet above your outstretched arms. Also, perform this movement at full speed for the required repetitions to get optimum benefits.
This exercise can also be done on a flat bench.
I Want This Book
Tuesday, March 25th, 2008I’m sure most of you have at least heard of the book “Eat This Not That” and I have added it to my Amazon wish list and will be ordering it pretty soon. The reason I bring it up is because I was browsing around and found this article “9 Health Foods That Aren’t” written [...]
Article Series–Strength and Power for Baseball Players, Part 3
Monday, March 24th, 2008Every baseball player needs general core strength and sport-specific core strength. About half of the power in baseball swings, throws and speed are generated by your core. So, it is essential that you stabilize and strengthen your core to endure the rigors of high level competition. Because baseball requires many transverse (twists, turns, rotations) and frontal (lateral movements) plane motions, sport-specific core strength and power is also critical.
Progressing too fast up the core strength ladder will lead to injuries. A strong core will help you stabilize your spine, transfer power while hitting and throwing and protect your trunk while diving, sliding and jumping. You also need a strong core to maintain a strong upright running posture.
Guidelines For Core Training
Core stabilization training progressions should follow these paths:
1. Slow to Fast
2. Known to Unknown
3. Stable to Controlled to Dynamic
4. Low Force to High Force
5. Correct Execution to Increased Intensity
The athlete can start at the highest level of core stabilization training that she or he can control.
The dimensions of core stabilization training are:
Stabilization - The core exercises at this level involve very little joint motion and are designed to provide optimum neuromuscular control. An example would be the planks, bridges, cobras and supermans.
Strength - At this level of core training, isometric exercises are replaced with dynamic, multi-planar and multi-dimensional exercises with the full range of motion. Examples would be ball crunches, back extensions, reverse crunches, medicine ball trunk rotations and oblique crunches.
Power - At this level, sport-specific core exercises are used in all 3 planes of motion. Examples would be the medicine ball throw, medicine ball rotational throw and medicine ball chops. Exercises in the power category at performed at full speed. Therefore, if you progress too fast or perform the exercises incorrectly, you are at high risk of injury.
Adequate core strength will maximize your extremity (limbs) strength and prevent injuries during intense competition.
Part 2, Strength and Power for Baseball
Part 1, Strength and Power for Baseball
Article Series–Strength and Power for Baseball Players, Part 2
Saturday, March 22nd, 2008Baseball requires a series of rotational and lateral movements. Therefore, the baseball player needs a strong core to generate rotational and lateral speed and power.
The physical demands of baseball are: starting ability, acceleration, stopping, cutting, stride rate, stride length, sprinting form and speed endurance.
Most explosive movements occur after some other movement (swinging, sliding, etc.). Maximum velocity is rarely reached except in the case of hitting a triple, inside-the-park homerun or running down a long fly ball. Therefore, starting ability and acceleration should be emphasized during training.
Major League Baseball scouts use these drills/exercises/sprints (among others) to test a player’s speed, agility, acceleration and power:
30 and 60 Yard Sprints - The bases are 90 feet apart (30 yards). Scouts routinely time a player’s speed from home to first base during an at bat or from home to second base on a double. Running from home to first base in under 4.0 seconds is exceptional (especially for a right-handed batter). Times of 4.1 - 4.4 are more common. A major league average time for the 60 yard dash is 7.0 seconds, 6.5 - 6.8 seconds is good and 6.2 - 6.4 are great times.
Vertical Jump - The height of your vertical jump shows the amount of power in your lower body. A high vertical jump is also an indicator of great speed. A vertical jump of 35 is good and any jump 40 or above is exceptional.
Medicine Ball Rotational Throw - This exercise is a good indicator of core strength—especially the critical rotational power needed for baseball (swinging, throwing, etc.).
20 Yard Shuttle - This drill tests agility, explosion, postural control and quickness at high speed. The best players cover the 20 yard shuttle in about 4 seconds or less.
In the following parts of this article series, I will show you how to improve your performance in these drills and exercises. If you do this, it will improve your game on the field.
General Core Strength, Part 3
General Strength and Conditioning, Part 4
Infielders and outfielders, Part 5
Pitchers and catchers, Part 6.
Read Part 1 Of The Baseball Article Series