Posted on Mar 11, 2010 under Specificity, exercises |
As is well known, specificity of training is the key to improving an athlete’s performance. However, exactly what specificity means is not always clear. The most popular definition is that the exercise duplicates the entire sports skill.
But if this is the case, it becomes impossible to create different exercises that will enable the athlete to perform better. You have to do the entire sports skill all the time. In essence, this means playing the game or doing the same thing over and over. Read more… »
Posted on Mar 08, 2010 under Coaching, coach traits, coaches |
What makes a great coach? This is a frequently asked question, the answer to which it is easy to come up with by giving a multitude of traits that a successful coach has or should possess.
Most often these are general characteristics such as, “gets along well with his players”, “treats everyone equally”, “is strict but firm”, “does not have favorites”, “has great strategies” and so on. It is rare to see something like, “knows how to develop the physical and technical abilities of his players”. Read more… »
According to various coaches, even high level runners have flailing arms and slumping shoulders in a race. Because of this they wonder if form is that important when even the world’s best runners do not always possess the best form.
There is no questioning the fact that form is important on all levels of running. All runners can be better if they would improve their running form. As I have stated many times in the past everyone, regardless of level, can be better. Read more… »
Posted on Mar 06, 2010 under Seminars |
For those of you who have been asking when Dr. Yessis will be on the east coast, this is to inform you of a seminar in which he will be participating.
The 2010 Central Virginia Sport Performance Seminar, April 17th, 2010
For detailed information see www.cvasps.com
The Strength Bar is typically used for development of the muscles involved in supination and pronation. For this it is very effective and has found its place not only in the main training of an athlete, also in rehabilitation, especially for tennis elbow.
In addition to this, I have been using the Strength Bar for strengthening the muscles of the rotator cuff in actions that are not typically covered in standard exercises. This includes the common exercise of medial and lateral rotation holding the upper arm at the side of the chest.
Read more… »
Posted on Mar 02, 2010 under First step, Quickness, Reverse sit up |
In watching the speed skaters in the Olympic Games it was rewarding to see the start used by the skaters. They do exactly what I have been preaching for many years.
In essence, you push off with the rear leg and step out with a front leg. But yet, many coaches maintain that this is incorrect. Read more… »
Posted on Feb 27, 2010 under Golf, Golf swing |
According to some professional golfers, is important to keep the arms in close to the body in the downswing. The reason for this given by the pros is that it is necessary in order to rotate the body faster and hit the ball farther.
That you can rotate faster with the arms in close to the body is a well-known fact. From physics we know that the more mass (as in limbs) and the closer to the body it is, the faster you can spin. The further away from your body that the limbs are, the slower you will spin.
Read more… »
Today’s headline, early in the second week of spring training, is already hoping for injury relief for Padres’ pitchers. The only preventive measure taken consists of “a cautious approach”.
The injuries to the players are quite diverse consisting of a quadriceps strain, sore arm and hip problems. By taking a cautious approach the team hopes to avoid some of the physical issues seen last year.
Read more… »
Stride length and stride frequency are the two variables that determine running speed. Stride length is determined by the amount of ground that you cover in one step while stride frequency is measured by how many strides you take per unit of time.
In general these two factors have an inverse relationship. If you increase stride frequency, stride length will decrease and vice versa.
Read more… »
This is a tricky question. It is well known that more strength can improve the performance of most athletes. But is there a limit to how much strength you should gain? Can additional strength make you a worse athlete?
If you talk to a typical strength coach he will tell you that athletes need more and more strength in order to perform better. This is why their typical programs consist mainly of developing more strength. Athletes are judged in relation to how much weight they can overcome.
Read more… »
Most golf players believe that you swing the arms through a great range of motion in the downswing. In reality, however, the arms go through a very short range of motion with independent action. Most of the range of motion seen is created by hip and shoulder rotation.
Because the arms and shoulder girdle are connected, in order to move the arms through a full range of motion, you must move the shoulders and vice versa. In other words, when the hands are held together you create a “single” arm which greatly limits their ability to move through a great range of motion. Read more… »
Many professional athletes use different types of running in their training. This includes hill running, sand running, sand hill running, etc. to improve their ability to run faster. In addition, they do strength exercises such as the lunge, squat, leg extensions and leg curls.
To top it off they also do core work. This is the core training developed in balance training with some simple abdominal and/or lower back exercises. This includes crunches and planks for the abdominals and superman’s for the back. Read more… »
Whenever a new fad hits it appears that it takes over all common sense and permeates all levels of fitness and athletic training. And so we continue to read more about core training and how great it is for improving athletic performance and giving you a body “to die for”.
There is no questioning the fact that core training is effective but it is as effective for the elite athlete as it is for the person seeking fitness in the gym? The answer here is no and in fact, may actually be detrimental to an elite athlete. Read more… »
Beginning and novice runners typically are not capable of running sufficiently far in order to get a good training effect to improve their aerobic capabilities. Higher level runners are often unable to improve their aerobic abilities by not being able to run further with greater speed.
As a result their training is held back. They can show much greater and faster improvement however, if they would first do some specialized (dynamic correspondence) strength exercises that will enable them to go longer and faster. Read more… »
Posted on Feb 12, 2010 under Backswing, Golf |
Maintain a firm grip on the club at the top of the backswing. Do not open up the hands as this will lead to an excessively long backswing and a slower downswing.
This tip may appear to be elementary, but you would be surprised to see the number of golfers, including high-level golfers, that do this.
But by maintaining a firm but relaxed grip at the top you will be able to start the downswing faster and with more force (see Exer Rings for affective grip development). This will give you not only greater distance but also accuracy.
For more information on this topic, see Explosive Golf. For visual demonstration exercises for the grip and other exercises specific to the golf swing see the Explosive Golf DVD
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