Archives for December, 2010
The Squat is under much scrutiny among health professionals, coaches, parents and players—and for good reason. If this exercise is done improperly and without expert supervision, it is very dangerous. Lower back and spine problems will result, due to the combination of improper technique and heavy loads. Conversely, this exercise is extremely beneficial for the baseball athlete and will undoubtedly improve his lower-body strength and power. Hip extension is important in the acceleration phase of throwing and hitting. The ability to decelerate the lower body to accelerate the upper body is important when hitting, and again at ball release when throwing. Baseball is ground-based, and although many movements are performed with one foot and then the other touching the ground, all movements on the field yield more successful results when both feet are on the ground. These are all great reasons to perform the Squat—with correct supervision.
Winning is a habit. Unfortunately so is losing. Keep the following contrasts in mind—and strive to always be a winner.
In the video below, Tim Robertson Jr., owner of Speed Strength Systems, discusses the benefits of developing a multi-faceted approach to speed. He also shares great exercises to use to increase speed.
One of the most significant ingredients to success is your ability to be comfortable being uncomfortable. Your comfort zone is your enemy. It makes you soft. It leads to complacency. You have to constantly and consistently step out of your comfort zone and challenge yourself. There is no reward for always playing it safe. The player who can push himself further once the situation gets uncomfortable is the one who will win. That is what makes a great player so lethal—he thrives in adversity.
In the video below, Tim Robertson Jr., owner of Speed Strength Systems, discusses proper workout length—and why longer isn’t necessarily better.
When putting together a training program, athletes are sometimes torn between a strength or speed focus. However, you must have a focus on either strength work or speed training because if you do a speed workout at full effort, you will be too fatigued to do a strength workout immediately after. The same goes for training speed after lifting for strength—your speed workout, including fast twitch muscle movements, will suffer following a strength workout. Depending on how much time you have to work out during the day, you have a few different options. If you have the time during the day to work out twice (with at least a three-hour break in between), you can do both strength and speed training in the same day. Another great way to structure your strength and speed workouts is breaking it down by days. Try this plan: Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, start the…
Should an Athlete Train Speed and Strength in the Same Day? continued »
As a high school or college basketball player, you probably feel overwhelmed at times. It can be tough balancing classes, homework, practice, weight training and time to relax with family and friends. As challenging as it can be, you have to remember “to whom much is given, much is expected.” Being a basketball player means you have more responsibilities and obligations than a “regular” student. Wear it like a badge of honor—and keep in mind you have the same number of hours in your day that the world’s best NBA players have in their day!
For athletes, this is a much-debated question: When should I start training after a long season ends? There are several different methods in attacking post-season training. Some programs are designed as year-round, where the athlete never truly takes time off. Instead, the volume and intensity of the workouts are adjusted to complement the workload used on the playing surface. When I was at LSU, Coach Tom Moffitt focused on technique and bar speed in the post-season phase. At De La Salle High School, Coach Mike Blasquez has athletes lifting heavy the day after the season ended. There is not a right or wrong answer because both work. What they have in common is that no one took off much time off following the end of the season. The more time an athlete takes off, the harder the athlete has to work to get back in shape.