Archive for June, 2008
« Previous Entries Next Entries »Sports Flexibility Tests, Part 1
Friday, June 20th, 2008Many injuries can be avoided by athletes if they have adequate flexibility. The sit and reach test measures the flexibility of the lower back and hamstrings.
You will need a box about 12 inches (30 cm) high and a ruler:
1. Sit on the floor with your back and head against a wall. Your legs should be straight ahead and flat against the floor.
2. Place the box flat against your feet (no shoes). Keep your back and head against the wall and stretch your arms out towards the box.
3. Have someone place the ruler on the box and move the zero end towards your fingertips. The beginning measuring point is where the ruler touches your fingertips.
4. Lean forward slowly and smoothly (do not bounce) as far as possible keeping the fingertips level with each other and the legs flat.
5. Slowly reach along the length of the ruler 3 times. On the third attempt, reach as far as possible and hold for 2 seconds. Have someone record the score. Do the test 2 more times to see if you can improve your score.
The American College of Sports Medicine gives the following as good and sub-standard scores:
Men, Ages 20-29
99 Percentile - 23 in (58 cm)
80 Percentile - 20.5 in (52 cm)
50 Percentile - 17.5 in (44 cm)
10 Percentile - 12.25 in (31 cm)
Men, Ages 30-39
99 Percentile - 22 in (56 cm)
80 Percentile - 19.5 in (50 cm)
50 Percentile - 16.5 in (42 cm)
10 Percentile - 11 in (28 cm)
Women, Ages 20-29
99 Percentile - 24 in (61 cm)
80 Percentile - 22.5 in (57 cm)
50 Percentile - 20 in (51 cm)
10 Percentile - 15.5 in (39 cm)
Women, Ages 30-39
99 Percentile - 24 in (61 cm)
80 Percentile - 21.5 in (55 cm)
50 Percentile - 19 in (48 cm)
10 Percentile - 14.5 in (37 cm)
If you fall below the 80 percentile rank, you need to improve your hamstring and lower back flexibility to enhance your athletic ability.
Some good hamstring flexibility exercises are walking lunges, resistance band eccentric stretch, bodyweight deadlift and hamstring static stretch (static stretch should be done after workout or game). Good low back flexibility exercises are double knee-to-chest stretch, pelvic tilt, lower trunk rotation, trunk flexion and prone lumbar extension.
Master The Fundamental Skills Of Your Sport!
Thursday, June 19th, 2008There are no quick fixes for achieving excellence in your sport! We see it in our sports culture today. Athletes are taking shortcuts with athletic training. When free throws are missed and balls are dropped by good players, it is usually because of poor fundamentals. The Boston Celtics won the NBA Championship last night because they played great fundamental defense against the L. A. Lakers (who played very little defense). Playing defense is hard work using proper footwork and body positioning to defend the opponent! It’s not rocket science!
Here are some fundamentals that you need to master if you want to compete at a high level in your sport:
1) Practice proper running mechanics. This applies to any sport that requires running (or similar motions). “Efficiency of movement” (no wasted motion) is necessary in sports.
2) Improve your playing speed (quickness, agility, closing speed, acceleration, top-end speed, etc.). You may not be a track star but you can always improve your speed.
3) Improve your power (how fast your muscles produce force). This can be done with explosive training techniques.
4) Improve your dynamic balance (ability to maintain your center of gravity over a constantly changing base of support). The best athletes have this quality.
5) Practice doesn’t make perfect, perfect practice makes perfect. Do the drills the right way in practice every time!
6) Study the game, study your opponent and be mentally sharp. Many games and matches have been lost due to mental errors. In fact, coaches hate mental errors more than physical errors (trust me on this one)!
Great practice habits lead to great fundamental players and teams!
Big Breakfast Diet Helps Shed the Pounds
Wednesday, June 18th, 2008I always find it fascinating when new studies are released about a new way to eat in order to lose weight. For example, I came across this new study called the Big Breakfast Diet in which a group of obese individuals were split up into two case studies. One group was assigned to [...]
Athletes Need Excellent Vision Performance
Tuesday, June 17th, 2008I spend many hours training athletes to improve their physical skills (strength, power, speed). And, there is no doubt that these physical traits are critical for the athlete to succeed. Mental preparation, mental focus and mental toughness are also very important skills needed for athletic success.
Athletes also need outstanding visual performance to be successful in their sports. The vision I’m talking about is much more than 20/20 vision. Anyone can get lasik surgery today to improve eyesight to 20/20 (or very close). To compete at a high level, athletes need excellent vision performance. And, visual skills can be taught, trained and improved.
Athletes can improve vision performance in these areas:
1. Dynamic Visual Acuity
2. Visual Recognition
3. Depth Perception
4. Visual Tracking or Focusing
Companies have even developed tinted contact lenses to be used at certain times of the day to improve visual focus, tracking and depth perception.
Kevin Gee, a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry, states “The biggest problem that athletes face is not knowing they can potentially see much better than 20/20 vision.” Gee opened the Sports Vision Performance Center in January and uses tests to analyze what he calls the “visual system.”
Gee continues, “The visual system is more than just ‘what’s the smallest line on the chart you can see.’” “The visual system consists of many things, but specifically for sports, depth perception, color, speed and accuracy of movements and contrast sensitivity — or the ability to detect an object off a background.” Gee and his staff can also test for visual skills such as timing, reaction time and peripheral awareness.
Add vision performance to the list of skills you will need to compete at a high level in your sport.
Job Opening - Promotions Coordinator for Montrail/Mountain Hardwear
Tuesday, June 17th, 2008Preparation, Hard Work and Athletic Success, II
Monday, June 16th, 2008Positive mental attitude is critical to succeed in sports. A big part of my physical training for athletes is talking to them about the “head games” involved in competing on a high level.
Here is an exerpt from part 1:
“There is no substitute for preparation and hard work when it comes to succeeding in your sport! All other things being equal, the athlete or team that has prepared and worked harder will win (9 out of 10 times)!
Preparation and hard work will also give an athlete or team one of the most important ingredients it takes to succeed—CONFIDENCE! Self confidence takes away much of the anxiety that comes with competing on a high level. Self confidence allows the athlete to enjoy the sport and compete to win.”
If you have watched Tiger Woods this past weekend, you see mental toughness personified! His knee is not 100% healthy. Besides this fact, he is mentally tougher than his competitors! He knows it and his opponents know it! His attitude is this “I’m better than you in this sport of golf.” To top it off, he also works harder than his competitors. This doesn’t guarantee a win for him every time out but he wins more often than any other golfer. And, non-golfers like me are intrigued enough to tune in and watch Tiger play. Let’s see if he wins the playoff with Rocco Mediate today.
How about you? Are you mentally tough enough to succeed in your sport? If you are not, starting improving your mental toughness today! If you need help, Join Sports Fitness Hut’s “Sports Performance Club” and I will help you!
The Devil Known as the Mt. Diablo 50k
Sunday, June 15th, 2008Core Exercise Challenge: Ball Transfer Crunch
Friday, June 13th, 2008The Ball Transfer Crunch exercise is a challenging one that can be performed with a stability ball or medicine ball (for more weight).
1. Start by lying on your back with a medicine ball held between your legs and your arms directly above your head.
2. Simultaneously raise your legs with the ball and your shoulders up towards the ceiling.
3. At the top, grab the ball with your arms and return to the starting position with the ball in your hands.
4. Repeat this movement and transfer the ball back to your feet.
5. Repeat for the desired repetitions.
Add this exercise to your program to give your core training some variety.
Gym Jerks - Stop Talking and Work Out!
Thursday, June 12th, 2008I go to the gym almost every day so this is more of a rant post. When you go to the gym often, you will begin to see various types of folks at the gym, especially if you go in the evening. I think I have gone enough to break it down to [...]
The Moveable Feast (Monterey Herald)
Wednesday, June 11th, 2008« Previous Entries Next Entries »