Nike SPARQ Training

U-District is proud to announce that we are an official Nike SPARQ Rating Facility. The SPARQ Rating system is a tool to measure a person’s overall athleticism and stands for Speed, Power, Agility, Reaction & Quickness. There are 5 sport-specific SPARQ Ratings: basketball, baseball, softball, football, soccer, and track & field. Athletes can now come to U-District to complete the sport specific tests, receive their SPARQ rating, and have their information uploaded to Nike’s website. From there, coaches can track their performance against other athletes from across the world!

European Football

Soccer tryouts are just around the corner for the majority of soccer clubs and the boy's side of high school soccer, so I thought it would be fitting to write a post with a few interesting and important facts about soccer from a book I have been reading titled Conditioning for Soccer by Dr. Raymond Verheijen, who is Dutch and brings a unique European outlook to the game. European soccer is like the NBA or NFL here in the states, and Europeans have studied and broken down the sport in order to maintain the production of elite teams and players. Below are a couple things from the book that were quite interesting as well as encouraging, as we base our soccer training here at U-District on a similar philosophy in an effort to stay on the cutting edge and help our athletes improve and enhance their game and athleticism and strive for the elite level that players in Europe are trained for.

- "Soccer actions are never undertaken in isolation. The manner and the moment of execution are always related to the game situation. Drills must therefore incorporate elements of these game situations. In this way players develop fast reactions, linking ability, orientation, differentiation, balance, agility, and a feeling for rhythm."

- Here is an interesting excerpt from an interview with a player on the top Dutch club team Ajax. He says "It often annoys me how people compare soccer with other sports. Naturally long-distance runners, etc., have to go to the utmost, but you cannot make such a simple comparison. Soccer is more variable. First of all you have to use your feet and that is more difficult than using your hands. Then you have to use your brain, because tactics now play a large role. There is a lot of physical contact and you are regularly knocked to the ground or fall. On top of this there are 200 sprints. This demonstrates that soccer is very complex and very strenuous."

- On average, for elite players, defenders run 9.0 km (5.6 mi), midfielders run 12.1 km (7.5 mi), and attackers (forwards) run 10.4 km (6.5 mi).

Although soccer training in Europe is very successful, and as a country we could learn a lot from their approach, there is not one ideal way to train. Determining what is best for the individual athlete and helping them become better and enhancing their athletic experience, and life, is what training is all about.

Good luck in tryouts!

Coaching the big picture

Throughout the typical athletes career they will have many different coaches, as I did. Although all of my coaches growing up had great things to teach me about my sport, the ones that I appreciate the most now are the ones that took the time to teach me life lessons. Now that my competetive organized sports life is behind me, I carry on those life lessons that I was taught while a part of a team. Some, more in your face than others, like sometimes you will get your butt kicked but you have to stand back up and move on, and others more subtle and harder to learn like, learning to take something positive out of negative situations.

As coaches, it is important to take advantage of our (most of the time) captive audiance to instill lifelong values that our atheltes can use when they enter their "glory days" years!

The best example I can think of is the concept of mirroring people. If my basketball player wants to become a better shooter, then I will tell them to find someone who they think is a good shooter and mirror their actions. It's the same off the court, pick out things you like about other people and mirror those actions. It can be anything from how they organize their time to how them and their spouse treat eachother.

The athletic arena is such a great place to help instill great values and make great people. The options are endless and the opportunities are aplenty, so I challenge you to start coaching the big picture and not only, make students of the game but, students of life!

-KM

Minor League week 4

Travis Webb Week 4 - 3 sets
Rope Pullacross 37.5 kg x 10ea
Bosu SL Squat x 15ea
SL One Arm DB Row 30lb x 15ea
Burly Diagonal 20lb x 20
Barbell Side Lunge with OH Press x 10ea
Bosu MB Slam 10lb x 10ea
Coreboard SA Snatch 20lb x 10ea
Uneven Pushup x 10ea
MB Situp twists x 20

Supplements

Athletes are constantly looking to gain an edge in their sport by minimizing recovery time, increasing energy or building muscle mass. I am cautious to recommend supplementation because the world of supplements is not heavily regulated and the benefits and risks of taking various supplements are unknown. A sports nutritionist gave a presentation to the Gonzaga University athletes last fall and sited that the IOC (international Olympic Committee) did a study of 100 supplements taken off the shelf of a chain store and found that over 20% would lead to positive drug tests and over 10% contained steroids that weren’t listed on the label. This was a BIG eye opener. Any athlete looking to take supplements should seriously look at the risk vs reward and make sure that the supplements they purchase are from large, well known companies with good reputations.

Major League Preparation Minor League Pitcher Pt1

Travis Webb - Cincinnati Reds Week 2 of 6 Offseason January 24.08

Balance as the Key to Application

As a coach, are you emphasizing balance enough in your programs? Whether it is in practice or training in the weight room, balance plays an important role in both sports performance and injury reduction. Try Single Leg Balance with a Toe Touch or Single Leg Broad Jumps as an easy way to incorporate into your program

-TK

Jumping High Up The Incline

Today we are featuring a new exercise to help push our athletes to the next level in jumping higher. We are using a super stretchy and soft bungee chord tied off and anchored to the ground. This exercise is done either single leg or double leg. Making sure we are getting the same amount of reps on the left leg as the right leg. Our goal each set is to get 5 or 6 jumps in while working our way up the incline to have our maximal jump on the last rep. With the bungee there are also foam pieces that we are able to slide up the bungee to help our athletes have a goal on how high up the incline they want to go.

Featured Pitcher Workout

Stephen is a long (6'6") pitcher with great leverage. We work a lot on core strength and upper body strength, especially the back because of the relationship between upper back and shoulder to rotator cuff health. Look for more in the future regarding modules for pitchers

T-Test

Once again, here is another video coming from Russell and his terrific day of post-testing. This test is the T-test where the athlete incorporates another plane of movement front and back into the Shuttle test that is often used in football combines which is strictly lateral. This test, though wasn't a U-district record (8.41), his time of 8.66 seconds did send the trainers running to the record books to check for sure what the record was.

Record Breaking Ladder

With each athlete as they come in to U District we do pretesting and postesting. One of the tests that we perform is the 30-second timed ladder drill. In this drill they pefrom the 3 step shuffle, Alternate Leg Hopscotch, and the crossover with hopes of completing the drill in under 30 seconds. We were lucky enough to have had the camera ready for this post-test as Russell broke the previous U District record of 20.00 with at time of 19.85 seconds. Congrats Russell

Sharing Ideas - Featured Athlete

Over the next several weeks, you will see a new addition to our blog titled, "Featured Athlete." The athletes you see are currently training with us, and we will give you some insight into how we are training our individuals and groups. We want our athletes to be able to share what they are doing with their family and friends. We want to be able to share what we are doing with you.
This is part of our vision to improve the coaches and athletes in our community, but to take it one step further, we want to challenge other trainers and clinics to raise the level that they provide. We are willing to share how we do with anyone anytime, because we believe that if we are all pushing each other to improve, everyone will benefit.
Keep an eye out for our Featured Athletes. You may even recognize them as one of your own!

-TK

Competition

There are advantages to both working one-on-one with athletes and working with them in a team setting. With small group training, I love the high energy and competitive spirit that arises when 2 athletes want to better themselves. With Grant and Justin, I have tried to capitalize on their competitiveness by turning standard drills into challenges. Instead of trying to coach every movement they make, I pose a challenge to them and let their bodies figure out a way to solve it. They're such great athletes that they seem to always find the most effecient and effective way to complete the drill.

Featured Athlete

This is a high school athlete who is a freestyle skier. In order to get her ready to compete this winter we are working on strengthening her legs, as well as, developing her explosive leg power. For her rest periods we work on balance, core strength, and upper body strength. The goal is to have her in mid to late season shape during her first run of the year!

-KM

The Well Rounded Athlete

Cross training is a great way to develop well rounded athletes. Although sport specific drills are important, it is equally important to mix things up every once in a while in order to keep your athletes on their toes! For example, having your basketball team play a quick game of soccer allows them to naturally develop their footwork, cuts, and straight ahead speed.

In the weight room, think in terms of muscle groups. If your athletes do a lot of forward/backward movements be sure you are strengthening the muscles that move the body laterally. I run between 10-15 miles a week, so I am constantly using my muscles to propel my body forward, so when I am in the weight room I make sure that I strengthen my hips and do frontal plane exercises in order to strengthen the lateral movement muscles.

Cross training is a great way to reduce injury, to keep practice new and exciting, and to develop well rounded athletes. Afterall, ATHLETES ARE MADE!
-Katie

Featured Athlete of the Day

Today's Feature Athlete is JB. We love this guy. He always brings energy to his workouts and loves "getting after it". It was his vision for Gonzaga Athletics that allowed us to build a strength and conditioning staff and facility there. Recently, the Josh Burrows Performance Athletic Center was dedicated in his honor. We are proud to be the Trainers for the Zags. Thanks JB! By the way, a 1:24 leg circuit is pretty studly!

Leg Circuit (per Gambetta)

20 Body Squats

20 Forward Lunges (10ea alternating)

20 Stepups (Repeats on 12inch box)

10 Squat Jumps

Gold Standard 1:15

-TK

Physical Education Conference (WAHPERD)

Thank you to WAHPERD for inviting me to speak at your state physical education conference. The topic was youth sports performance training. We discussed the philosophy of functional training, proper warmup with dynamic flexibility, agility footwork training, and balance exercises. Thanks for all the great questions. Please let me know how I can make the presentation better! Also, let us know if we should host a mini-conference this summer to expand our discussion on youth training.
Thanks, Brian Cronin

Single Leg Triple Jump

In working with young athletes, it is important to teach jumping with both feet together and individually. Single leg triple jump provides us with a leg strengthening exercise, a test for bilateral comparison, and coordination. This is a modification to work on coordination and requires (3)- 6" hurdles. This athlete is covering about 20 feet in 3 jumps.

TK

Big Picture

The following is an excerpt from Vern Gambetta's blog - www.functionalpathtraining.blogspot.com. This describes our philosophy and helps maintain balance between sharing exercises and promoting this belief.

Exercise or drill selection is one of the last steps, if not the last step in the process of planning a training program. I emphasize the last step, not the first step or the focal point. It is always more than the exercise, it is the big picture.There are no magic exercises. There are some key focus exercises in the menu that must be done to accomplish specific tasks in specific sports with specific individuals. Those tools are based on key movements’ that must be accomplished to train for the sport. I know that as I have progressed in my career the toolbox has significantly increased in size but the number of tools that I actually use is significantly less. I used to think that because I had a training tool that I had to use it. It took me awhile to figure it out. I was infatuated by menus of exercises like the book depicted here that was a French translation of an East German book. I thought that was were the secrets were, but when I got around the east Germans and learned from them it was more that going to the book and picking one of the 1,000 exercises, it was the plan and the methodology behind the exercises.
The analogy that I always use is that as a coach you are skilled craftsman, you know what tool to use, to do what job and at what stage of the building process. A tool appropriate in the earlier rougher stages of building will not be appropriate when you are fine tuning details. Know the tools and how to use them. Remember the adage if the only tool you have is a hammer then everything becomes a nail. - Vern Gambetta

Lateral Ladder Drill

Here is another quickness drill that promotes body awareness. The athlete steps over a 6" cone placed every other square in the agility ladder. Each time the athlete steps over a cone and returns to the original start position, they add one more cone the next time out. Both feet land in the ladder with the exception of the first and last step. This athlete's time was 8.89sec. Our record is 7.49sec

Agility Drills

Agility drills are not only a great way to improve athletes footwork, change of direction speed, and multi-directional movement, but also a way to improve body awareness. I use agility drills such as agility ladders, box drills, and wheel drills with all of my athletes ages 9 to 89 because they are functional exercises that will assist the athlete with whatever they are doing, whether it's on the court or in everyday life. Body awareness is an essential part of being a superior athlete, and also, preventing injuries.
-Katie McCaffery

Agility ladder

A great way to improve foot quickness, coordination, and balance is by using an agility ladder. As your athletes master the different patterns, you can progress the drill by using audio and visual cues that signal them to change direction. This requires that your athletes are proficient in doing their patterns forward and backwards. By challenging the athletes to react, it will ensure that they maintain a balanced position where their quickness can be transferred over to their sport.
- Mike Nilson

Reaction Ball

This is a hand-eye reaction drill good for defensive hands. Here the athlete is told to assume a defensive stance 3-4 feet from the wall. A reaction ball is tossed against the wall and the athlete must catch it before it touches the ground. A challenge for this drill is to catch one-handed.

Quickstep Drill on Platform

This drill is great for teaching rapid foot contact. We use a 4" olympic platform and tell the athlete to step up with both feet and down with both feet in an alternating pattern. Each complete circuit counts as a cycle. The athlete is timed for 30 cycles. The time for this athlete is 12.75 seconds. Our record is 10.25 seconds.

Resources

As I get ready to post some of the drills that we do, I am always curious what other people are doing. SPARQ is a test-dominant organization that has partnered with Nike to market their systems to young athletes across the country. While our philosophy is a little different, I have found the video section of their website to be a good collection of what others are doing to improve their speed, power, agility, reaction, and quickness. Take a look at some of these at SPARQ Videos.

Quickness...Soccer

This week we will talk about "how do you make your athletes quicker?" We work with a lot of athletes that want to focus on that very goal. They have been getting beat on that first step or change of direction. We will share some insights on how we approach this quality.
A couple of weeks ago, I listened to a wonderful interview with Steve Nash by Charlie Rose. In this interview, Mr. Nash talks about the difference between speed and quickness. He attributes a lot of those skills to growing up playing soccer. One thing that brings up is that you can't be quick without balance. We are always working on the combination between known and reactive quickness (reactive being more sport specific). Stay tuned for drills and conversation about developing quickness.

Mini-band Warmup

Every workout we spend some time working on strengthening the glutes and hip flexors by using mini-bands that go around the ankles. The hips are crucial for knee control as well as a primary contributor to explosive movements (jumping, sprinting, etc.). It is so important to focus on hips for lateral quickness, but also for slowing the body down in order to change direction. We will comment further when we discuss change of direction.

How do you Warmup?

Tomorrow, we will post one more time about warmup. However, we would love to know, "What works for you?" Send your thoughts by emailing udistrictpt@gmail.com, or just comment below. Thanks.

TK
CANI (Constant And Never Ending Improvement)

Crawling...

So how can you warmup your throwers/hitters/overhead athletes? (I am thinking of baseball, softball, tennis players, swimmers, golfers, volleyball players). There should definitely be some overhead warmup that engages the shoulders, arms, back, and core. Here is a great tool for this group. We call this our crawling warmup. Inchworms and Spiderman. Perform each for 20 yds.

Barefoot Warmup...

When looking for answers to your questions, you do your homework - glean the literature, look to experts, but when it comes down to it, you have to look at your athletes and decide whether your plan is working. One warmup technique used by one of our trainers, Nick Carlone, is to have his athletes warmup barefoot. Here are his thoughts:
Since we are on the topic of warm-ups, a great way to help increase joint mobility and heart rate during warm-up is to increase the number of muscles used during the warm-up. Arguably one of the most affective ways to do this while increasing an athlete’s lower leg strength and balance is to perform our dynamic flexibility exercises barefoot. Barefoot work is becoming more and more popular among trainers and coaches across the country for the belief that it decreases the chance of lower extremity injuries such as rolled ankles, planter fasciitas, and shin splints. Here’s the deal, in today’s society we wear stabilizing shoes for most of our day, from the time you get ready to leave your house in the morning, until you get ready to end your day in the evening. This is completely fine and totally normal however, all of the little muscles of our feet and lower leg become comparatively inactive and the more inactive a muscle is the weaker it gets. A barefoot warm-up allows an athlete to use and strengthen these muscles in the way they were designed to work, in a stabilizing and supporting manner. This is great for athletes who experience the previously described symptoms as a way to help reduce the risk of injury.