Early in the training week, most of our movement training is geared towards linear speed development. We use a progression of jumps, technique drills, resisted sprints and unresisted sprints to help our athletes maximize their ability to run faster. We always focus on one, maybe two cues during each session. Last week it was "body angle" and "knee punch". The wall drill we used allowed the athletes to support themselves in the body angle that we are always trying to coach. While they held the position, they "punched" their knees forward and then back into the ground in a piston like motion. That was the goal anyways! As you will see in the video, some do it better than others.
After a couple wall drills, it was time to get the kids moving at full speed. I decided to go with a complex of sled pushes and unresisted sprints. The sled push allowed the athlete to perform the same exact motion as the wall drill, but move forward. About 15 seconds later, the goal is to recreate the exact same body angle in a true sprint.
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Friday, April 12, 2013
Basketball Training Has Started
I am very excited to say that I have had more basketball players (especially females) get started in my program this spring then in the last 6 years. As I have stated over and over, if you want to jump higher and improve your speed and quickness, you MUST do more than attend open gyms and play AAU. The body needs trained, and in a manner in which the right dose of exercises are being applied.
At this point in the season, the vast majority of my basketball clients are attending open gyms or practicing AAU 2 - 3 times per week. On top of that, they could be playing anywhere from 3 - 6 games per weekend. I would be doing these clients a major disservice if I ran them through countless ladder and cone drills for the sake of saying - "We do speed and agility". I prefer to say that we do some necessary movement training after our 15 - 20 minute flexibility and mobility routine. Our movement training focuses on improving acceleration and deceleration mechanics in all planes of movement as well as small doses of vertical and lateral jumping exericses. The focus is always quality of movement, not quantity of work. On top of that, if some of the athletes are experiencing knee pain or some other form of pain from overuse, the movement training is the first thing that we take out of the workout. The lifting portion is then tailored to improve strength in areas that will help alleviate the pain eventually.
The main bulk of spring training for basketball players is the strength portion. This is where we are improving weaknesses, building lean mass, increasing power and strengthening the foundation. It is amazing how quickly my female athletes go from not being able to do a good body weight squat to squatting with a 44lb KB. All it takes is a properly designed program and a tremendous amount of attention to detail. The athletes that are here now are the ones who are going to be ready for very intense training come late summer and early fall. This is because they took the time to build their foundation in the spring.
So basketball players, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR!
At this point in the season, the vast majority of my basketball clients are attending open gyms or practicing AAU 2 - 3 times per week. On top of that, they could be playing anywhere from 3 - 6 games per weekend. I would be doing these clients a major disservice if I ran them through countless ladder and cone drills for the sake of saying - "We do speed and agility". I prefer to say that we do some necessary movement training after our 15 - 20 minute flexibility and mobility routine. Our movement training focuses on improving acceleration and deceleration mechanics in all planes of movement as well as small doses of vertical and lateral jumping exericses. The focus is always quality of movement, not quantity of work. On top of that, if some of the athletes are experiencing knee pain or some other form of pain from overuse, the movement training is the first thing that we take out of the workout. The lifting portion is then tailored to improve strength in areas that will help alleviate the pain eventually.
The main bulk of spring training for basketball players is the strength portion. This is where we are improving weaknesses, building lean mass, increasing power and strengthening the foundation. It is amazing how quickly my female athletes go from not being able to do a good body weight squat to squatting with a 44lb KB. All it takes is a properly designed program and a tremendous amount of attention to detail. The athletes that are here now are the ones who are going to be ready for very intense training come late summer and early fall. This is because they took the time to build their foundation in the spring.
So basketball players, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR!
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