Archive for April, 2008
« Previous EntriesCommon Running Mistakes
Tuesday, April 29th, 2008Whether you run outside or on a treadmill there are some things to keep in mind about your form. Bad form can lead to injury and make your running experience harder than it has to be.
Hunched Shoulders
I’m guilty of this one. You may catch yourself running at a good pace but then realize [...]
Train To Improve Change-Of-Direction Speed
Tuesday, April 29th, 2008Having great change-of-direction speed (agility with quickness) allows the athlete to beat her or his opponent “to the stop” or recover from mistakes in positioning. How many times have you seen a player with “not great speed” repeatedly make plays to help the team win. This is not an accident. You can improve your change-of-direction speed with proper training.
As with any athletic move, core strength is critical. Overall body strength is also important. Before an athlete begins to train for speed and power, the foundation should be laid with sufficient core and body strength. Failure to lay this strength foundation will lead to certain injuries for the athlete.
Body positioning is critical if you want to improve your change-of-direction speed. You will need dynamic balance. In many sports, it is not that easy to change direction and accelerate because the athlete is often off balance. Some sports, such as football and basketball require running with or bouncing a ball. And, other sports, such as soccer require moving a ball with the feet. The best running backs, tennis players, basketball players, shortstops, etc. all have great dynamic balance. Having great dynamic balance means that the athlete is able to maintain her or his center of gravity over a constantly changing base of support. Thus, quickness and agility drills help the athlete to improve dynamic balance and change-of-direction acceleration while not wasting motion.
To improve change-of-direction acceleration, the athlete should have a shin angle of approximately 45 degrees for the first few steps. The shoulders should also be slightly leaned forward. The body lean should be at the ankles and not the hips. Having the feet just wider than shoulder-width apart will give an athlete the most stable base of support. This is not always possible during athletic competition. Therefore, stability needs to be added by lowering the center of gravity. Change-of-direction acceleration could be laterally, at an angle or forward (when back pedaling) and will catapult the athlete to near maximal speed quickly.
The first step in the change-of-direction is important. If this step is too long, the athlete will over-stride and bring the shin to a vertical angle instead of 45 degrees. This will slow you down. So, the first step should be under your hips. Again, the body lean should be at ankles and not the hips.
When running forward or back pedaling, it is often necessary to slow down, change direction at an angle and accelerate in a straight line. As a defensive back, I often had to back pedal before accelerating in a different direction. This meant that I had to plant my foot aggressively (with my knee inside my ankle) to accelerate quickly out of my cut. Failure to do so meant that I was “burnt toast” for the laughing receiver! This positioning was also achieved by forcing the plant leg (opposite the direction I wanted to go) into the ground while my shoulders remained in the same position (slightly leaned forward). If my shoulders were out of position, I wasted motion and accelerated at a slower rate (burnt toast!).
Lateral change-of-direction technique is similar. Shin angle remains important. Shuffles are often followed by sprints. The athlete will use short, quick steps to decelerate and bring the body under control. A “jump stop” can also be used to change directions. The athlete’s knees and hips should be bent with the shoulders aligned over the knees and toes.
Shuttle drills, lateral shuffle/cuts, back pedal/turn and run, back pedal/lateral break, back pedal/diagonal break, crossovers, cariocas, tapiocas, ladder drills, etc. can all be used to improve change-of-direction speed. The athlete should perfect technique at half speed before progressing to full speed drills.
Train To Improve Your Speed Strength
Monday, April 28th, 2008Speed strength is a combination of starting speed, explosive speed (maximum velocity in the shortest time) and reactive speed. Speed strength is also known as power. Proper training methods will produce the strength, power and speed the athlete needs to succeed in his or her sport.
The three building blocks of integrated training for the athlete are:
STABILIZATION (2 Phases) – Primary goals are to correct muscle imbalances, joint dysfunctions, postural distortion patterns, improve kinetic chain (human movement system), integrity and recondition/rehabilitate.
STRENGTH (3 Phases) – Primary goals are to improve stabilization strength/endurance and increase muscle hypertrophy (growth) and strength.
POWER (2 Phases) – Primary goals are to enhance neuromuscular efficiency, increase power production, increase speed strength and create neuromuscular adaptations throughout the entire range of motion.
All seven phases of training may not be necessary for all athletes. For example, some sports do not require optimum levels of muscle hypertrophy.
The training program is Multi-Planar (sagittal, frontal, transverse), Multi-Joint (exercises such as bench press, squats, lunges), Multi-Dimensional (stabilization, strength, power) , Proprioceptively Enriched (high neural demand) and Sport-Specific.
The fitness professional follows a systematic approach with the following goals in mind for the athlete: injury prevention, body fat reduction and increased lean muscle mass, strength, endurance, flexibility and performance. Rate-of-Force Production (muscles producing force in the shortest period of time) is one of the best physical indicators of the level of an athlete’s performance and future success.
After an adequate strength foundation has been built, the athlete can work on increasing speed strength. This is best done by using a combination of:
1) Plyometrics
2) High speed medicine ball exercises
3) High speed weight training exercises
4) Multidimensional speed training exercises
Train To Improve Your Acceleration Speed
Friday, April 25th, 2008During intense sports competition, getting to the spot quicker is often more important than being faster than your opponent. Maximum speed is rarely reached in many sports, so your acceleration speed becomes crucial to your success. A sprinter can win a race without being the fastest runner in the race by attaining his or her maximum speed before the other sprinters. That’s acceleration speed. You can apply this principle to any sport. Researchers from New Zealand found that athletes with quicker ground contacts produced better acceleration.
Acceleration techniques are different for the various sports. The track and field sprinter accelerates out of the blocks with low body lean and legs behind the body. The arms are pumped as fast as possible to gain momentum. The sprinter won’t “run tall” until the 4-5 second mark (it takes about that long to reach maximum velocity).
In other sports, it is not that easy to accelerate because the athlete is often off balance. Some sports, such as football and basketball require running with or bouncing a ball. And, other sports, such as soccer require moving a ball with the feet. Acceleration techniques used by track sprinters can be used, namely body lean and arm movement. The best running backs, tennis players, basketball players, shortstops, etc. all have great dynamic balance. Having great dynamic balance means that the athlete is able to maintain her or his center of gravity over a constantly changing base of support. Thus, quickness and agility drills help the athlete to improve dynamic balance and acceleration while not wasting motion. It is important for the athlete to train on different surfaces (grass, soft, etc.) to prepare for game-like situations.
While sport-specific plyometric training improves power, non-specific power training should not be ignored. Researchers from Canada found that athletes who performed better with weighted squat jumps were the best accelerators at 10 meters. Therefore, concentric force development (jumping power) is critical to improve sprint acceleration. The first step from a stand-still (or near stand-still) position requires concentric muscle power.
What about training with weighted sleds and the like? First, this is an advanced training method that should be used after the athlete has obtained foundational core/body strength and foundational power training. I have seen young athletes beginning training with sleds and other resistance apparatus. This is definitely a no-no and will lead the young athlete to certain injuries and postural problems.
Using sleds, car tires, etc. will force the athlete keep a low body position, drive hard through their legs and pump the arms with great force. Two-point, three point, standing and sprinters stances can be used to train for the various sports.
Greek researchers found that athletes training with towing methods (sleds, tires, etc.) improved their running velocity over the first 20 meters (i.e. acceleration) but that overall maximum speed did not improve. The researchers found that unresisted sprint training techniques improved maximum speed velocity more. So, resisted and unresisted training has a place in the overall speed training program. Finally, the researchers found that towing sleds that were too heavy forced the athletes to use bad running mechanics.
What about over-speed training as it relates to improving speed acceleration? Over-speed training can be done with downhill runs and with elastic pulling cords. California researchers found that over-speed training had no significant impact on speed acceleration.
Improving sprint acceleration requires a structured sport-specific program of agility drills, quickness/reaction drills, weight training, plyometric (power) training and speed training.
Everyone Has a “breaking point”…at Different Times
Thursday, April 24th, 2008This is a guest post by author Matthew Perry
I personally believe that proper meal plans and exercise can “fix” just about everything that ails us. And if you feel the same way, maybe something happened in your life to get you “moving”. As Oprah says, an “ah ha” moment…(not that I’m admitting to [...]
Try To Avoid Achilles Tendinitis
Wednesday, April 23rd, 2008Dealing with injuries is as big a part of playing sports as, well—playing sports! The ideal solution is to prevent injuries. While that’s not always possible, I will help you recognize some of the warning signs (and treatments) of achilles tendinitis.
Treatment of any soft tissue injury during the first 24-72 hours is important to offset any further injury and inflammation. The general rule of thumb is to use the R.I.C.E.R. principle (REST, ICE, COMPRESSION, ELEVATION, REFERRAL FOR MEDICAL ASSISTANCE).
Have you ever had achilles tendinitis? If not, then be grateful because you don’t want this pain! Achilles tendinitis is a leading injury among athletes. And, this injury can last for months or years if not treated.
Achilles tendinitis is an inflammation of the achilles tendon (the largest tendon in the body). The pain is felt just above the heel. The achilles tendon connects the two major calf muscles (gastrocnemius and soleus) to the heel bone (calcaneus) and it stabilizes your heel. Check out the anatomy of the heel area:
Common causes of achilles tendinitis are over-training (or a sudden huge increase in training load), cheap footwear, weak or tight calf muscles, a weak achilles tendon or an unstable ankle joint.
Try to prevent this injury by increasing flexibility/strength in your calf muscles and stabilizing your ankle joint. A good flexibility exercise is the leaning calf stretch. And, there are several calf strengthening exercises such as calf raises and step-ups. Stabilize your ankle with one-legged exercises such as standing/stabilizing/hopping on one leg or step ups with stabilization.
Bleeker Does The Boston Marathon
Wednesday, April 23rd, 2008How To Improve Your Speed Endurance
Tuesday, April 22nd, 2008When I played college football, the teams who were stronger and faster in the fourth quarter often won the game. This applies to any sport, whether individual or team. Speed endurance is the ability to maintain maximum velocity or a percentage of maximum velocity for a prolonged period of time or in a fatigued state. When you are fatigued, it is important to maintain proper running mechanics. Doing so will give you an edge over your opponent.
Several sports require speed endurance including football, lacrosse, basketball, soccer, field hockey and tennis. These sports require repeated sprints followed by short periods of rest (walking or jogging).
Interval training for speed endurance is different than regular speed training. Speed endurance sprint intervals last from 30 seconds to 3 minutes. Also, recovery time is reduced to prevent complete recovery by the athlete. A variation would be to use metabolic speed endurance training to simulate actual game time activity. An example would be for an offense in football to simulate the entire game in practice (i.e., huddle, run a play, huddle, run a play).
Some drills that are used for speed endurance training are:
Shuttles - Place cones at 5, 10, 15, 20 and 30 yards. The athlete would sprint to the 5 yard cone and sprint back to the start. The athlete would then sprint to the 10 yard cone and sprint back to the start. The same would be done at the 15, 20 and 30 yard cones. That is one set. Rest for 2 minutes between sets. Do 5-6 sets.
Pyramids - Place cones at 10 yard intervals for 60 yards. The athletes would: sprint 10 yards and walk 50 yards, sprint 20 yards and walk 40 yards, sprint 30 yards and walk 30 yards, sprint 40 yards and walk 20 yards, sprint 60 yards and sprint back to start for 60 yards. That is one set. Rest 3-5 minutes between sets. Do 4-5 sets.
Hollow Sprints - Sprint for 30 yards and jog for 30 yards. Do this for 2 minutes. That is one set. Rest for 2-3 minutes between sets. Do 5-6 sets.
Run and Sprints - Set a distance of 80 yards. Start out running and build up to full speed at 50 yards. Sprint the final 30 yards. Slow down, turn around and repeat. That is one set. Rest for 2-3 minutes between sets. Do 5-6 sets.
Remember, the strongest and fastest athletes/teams at the end of games are the ones who win!
Proper Use of the Leg Press Machine
Monday, April 21st, 2008One machine that I rarely use in the gym is the leg press. It is often in use by others but the main reason I shy away from it is because I wasn’t exactly sure about the proper way to use it. With that being said, I looked up videos on how to [...]
Article Series–Strength and Power for Baseball Players, Part 4
Monday, April 21st, 2008In part 3 of this series, I discussed general core strength and sport-specific core strength for baseball players. In this article, I will cover the basics of general strength and conditioning for baseball players. The most successful baseball players have adequate amounts of strength, power and speed.
Foundational Strength
Strength gains should be obtained in the off season and maintained during the season. During the off season, you have adequate time to strength train and recover. Maximal strength is not the goal here. Rather, the baseball player’s objective is to achieve adequate core strength and limb strength to aid in training for sport-specific power. So, forget about lifting as much weight as you can (i.e., one-rep max) and concentrate on building full body strength and conditioning. Exercises such as dumbbell bench press, squats, step-ups, rows, shoulder press, lunges, etc. are used. Also, every baseball player needs a strong shoulder/rotator cuff of the throwing arm. There are a series of exercises designed to strengthen and stabilize this area. This will be covered in more detail in parts 5 and 6 of this series.
Muscle Growth (Hypertrophy)
The baseball player needs a certain amount of muscle growth but not so much as to inhibit playing the game with fluidity. Power is more important to achieve.
Power and Speed Development
Rate-of-force production or power (how fast your muscles can produce force) is one the best physical predictors of success in baseball and sports in general. Power is achieved by performing resistance and plyometric exercises at maximum effort. This type of training has great potential for injuries. So, it is imperative that the athlete have adequate core and body strength before starting power training.
The speed 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, acceleration and lateral speed should be emphasized during speed training.
Cardio Training
Long distance running for position players should be limited. Too much long distance running decreases speed. A player must train fast in order to get faster. A better alternative would be to do high intensity interval cardio training. This type of cardio training would consist of rotating sprints and walking/jogging. A good example would be to sprint for 30 seconds and walk or jog for 1 minute. Do this rotation for 20 minutes. This type of cardio training has been proven to produce superior heart health and fat burning results.
These aspects of baseball training will be covered in more detail in my coming eBook, “Strength and Power Training for Baseball Players.”