Dr. Yessis Sports Training Blog

The recently completed football combine once again brought out the need for not only more accurate testing but more game specific skill testing. With all of the technology available today it is somewhat surprising that times are still done by hand watches. They show some electronic timing but is only for show.

It is well established in sports science that in order to test a particular ability, the test must duplicate the exact conditions under which the ability is displayed in game play. For example, the test should involve the same muscles, same type of muscle contraction regime and the same sequence of including the muscle actions.

In addition, the test must duplicate the same technique as involved in competitive play, i.e. duplication of the same sports skills and should utilize the same energy producing systems as in game play. If we use these criteria it is easy to evaluate the tests used in the combine that coaches rely on to select their athletes. For example: Read more… »

I have been asked many times to define what is meant by a high level or elite athlete. Many definitions/explanations have been given to these terms and they are quite diverse. Some define it as the highest rank achieved by the athlete. For example, anyone who makes a professional team in baseball or football is usually considered an elite athlete.

According to Bondarchuk, and others in the sports science community high level or elite is defined as the athlete who is capable of making constant improvement in his performance. This is based on the fact that most athletes stop improving after a certain number of years no matter what they do in their training. This applies to most athletes. Because of this they are never capable of achieving the highest levels possible, i.e. , the elite level. Read more… »

In parts I, II, and III of this article, I described many aspects of viewing and analyzing sports skills. First, it was brought out that it is impossible to see what happens in execution of a sports skill by eye. Second, it is necessary to know – and to know well –what constitutes effective technique execution.

In addition, it is necessary to know the role of each action that occurs and the sequence in which it occurs. Third, was the need to know the key elements that are most important for successful execution. Read more… »

To improve performance, runners typically get involved in a weight training program to strengthen mainly the legs. Many also do core training (strengthening the midsection), and only rarely the arm and shoulder muscles. Strengthening these muscles is very important for successful running and your running will benefit.

For an even greater benefit to your running, the strength exercises should duplicate the joint and muscle actions displayed in your running. In other words, the strength training should be specific to the running technique. This means that you develop greater strength in the same neurological pathway established in your running technique. Read more… »

In most any professional sport, injuries to the players is not uncommon. To have a high level player unable to play, especially in playoff games is fairly common. According to the teams and players, such injuries are inevitable. They blame it on the game. For example, “It is an explosive game the way it is being played. The body is going to take only so much punishment”.

On the surface this statement is true. But it is also important to understand that the training that many of these players do, and the use of steroids or other ergogenic aids have little to do with prevention of injury. In fact the use of steroids may be the cause of so many injuries. I base this on the type of injury that some of the players sustain and on how their physiques have changed in a relatively short period of time. Read more… »

I am very familiar with Transfer of Training by Dr. Anatoly Bondarchuk not only from translating the book, but from referring to it every now and then. Each time I do this I pick up another tidbit of information.

One excellent example is referring back to the different use of exercises with different level athletes. Knowing when to use an exercise so that it has a direct transfer to the competitive skill and knowing when to stop using it when the level of skill increases sufficiently so that no transfer takes place, appears to be quite an art. Read more… »

According to Runners’ World, “most Kenyans have a balanced running posture… with the shoulders always slightly forward of their hips. This extends their forward momentum with each stride and results in a natural heel kickup.” Sadly, there are no photographs to substantiate these statements.

If you look at films of the Kenyans running, they have an upright posture. They are not leaning forward. If you look at the support phase, you may see the shoulders slightly in front of the hips. This occurs for cushioning on the landing, but in the push-off, you see a very erect body position until the next footstrike. Read more… »

To run faster, it is often recommended that you should pump the arms faster in the belief that the faster the arms move, the faster the legs will then move to keep up with the arms. However, this is a fallacy. You may notice a slight increase in speed when you first begin to speed up the arms, but the faster you pump the arms, the more you will interfere with your running technique.

To move your arms faster, you have to keep them bent at a 90-degree angle in the elbow which is effective for long-distance running (in which the arms are held in position), but not in sprinting. In sprinting, the arms straighten as they are driven down and back to coordinate with the touchdown. Read more… »

Ever since Deena Drossin said she did plyometrics in her workout prior to a PR in the London Marathon, plyometrics is now recommended for all distance runners. According to her (and her trainer), plyometrics are for leg endurance and quickness.

However, these are two diametrically opposed objectives. Plyometrics cannot do both—-at least true plyometrics. By true plyometrics I may jump exercises that are executed in 0.15 – 0.2seconds or less. Because of the extremely short amount of time involved in executing a jump, plyometrics is used may need to develop explosive power. Read more… »

Most golf instructors will correctly tell you to bend over from the hips when assuming your stance. Even exercise trainers correctly advise their clients to bend from the hips when doing exercises such as the squat, good morning and dead lift. It is usually taken for granted that you know how to do this. Read more… »

In parts I and II of this blog I brought out the fact that it is impossible to see what happens in execution of the power phase of a sports skill. The action is too fast. The power phase, the crux of the skill execution, is found between the preparatory backswing movements and the follow-through.

Also brought out was that the person looking at the skill execution must have prior knowledge of what should be or is involved in execution of the skill. He must have the base knowledge needed to identify what occurs, how it occurs, and if it is effective. Such knowledge is needed before any corrections or modifications can be made in the skill technique. Read more… »

It seems that college baseball coaches are now copying the words of the pros. For example in yesterday’s newspaper in an article on Strasburg, one of the top collegiate baseball pitchers, Tony Gwynn the coach, made some comments heard many times before from pro coaches.

He stated that, Strasburg is “… better this season. He’s throwing more downhill now. And he has added a pitch (a two seam sinking fastball)”. These are comments that I have read before - several times - and I believe even wrote a blog about them. Because of this, I’m tempted to say that coaches just parrot what they hear without knowing for sure if this is what actually takes place. Read more… »

In a Golf Magazine article it was brought out that a top professional golfer had great footwork. However, this statement leaves much to be desired. Since when do the feet move during the swing?

Does the author mean that the feet respond well to what the hips and upper body do during the swing? If yes, it is not the feet that do the action, but the body actions that determine foot actions and position throughout the swing. Keep in mind that you cannot move the feet (or even roll them) during a swing to create movement of the upper body. Read more… »

Another indication that recruiting is the key to success on the college level was brought out in a very disturbing newspaper article. The NCAA has decreed that seventh graders are now officially classified as prospects.

They changed the definition of a prospect from ninth grade to seven grade — for men’s basketball only — to nip a trend in which some college coaches were working at private, elite camps and clinics for seventh- and eighth- graders. The NCAA could not regulate those camps because those youngsters fell below the current cut off. Read more… »

In recent times there have not been many articles in literature regarding the need for pain before you can experience a gain in your training. This is great to see as it indicates that this myth is finally dying. But I saw that it was alive and well when I read an article in a recent issue of Runners World.. The title was, The Warm-up: Pain.

The article went on to describe four different ways that you could “brace for the hurt”. These were mostly training tips and for the most part were good recommendations. But when given to people who are not ready for this type of training they will produce pain if not injury.
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In part I of this blog it was brought out that in order to see exactly what took place in execution of a sports act, is necessary to have knowledge of not only what should be included in the skill action, but also how the action is executed. Without this knowledge each individual looking at a skill execution may see something completely different from what others see.

This knowledge is a prerequisite not only to seeing what occurs, but also to analyze the performance. In order to analyze you must be able to recognize the changes that occur during execution of the skill. This means you must be able to pinpoint what is happening, inch by inch, as the skill execution takes place. Read more… »

Runners and many other athletes are advised to do static stretches before, after, and often, during the run or workout. Many reasons are given for such stretching, which include:
1. An increase in the range of motion (ROM),
2. Reduction in the incidence of injury,
3. Delay in the onset of muscular fatigue, and
4. Prevention and alleviation of muscle soreness after exercise.

These are valid outcomes but at the same time we should remember that inappropriate stretching can be detrimental to joint integrity and stability. For example, tendons and ligaments can be permanently deformed or damaged by overzealous or prolonged stretching that decreases joint stability. Read more… »

When discussing specificity, many coaches state that it refers mainly to mimicking the conditions of the event. This is accurate. For example, if you run the mile, training must be specific to the mile and the speed of running the mile. However, there is much more to specificity of training than these two factors.

In essence, all aspects of training must be very specific. You cannot just say that you should keep your long runs at the upper end of the given range of time. This is not specific — the run should duplicate exact conditions, i. e., the exact duration and the exact speed. Read more… »

With the Buick invitation now being played in San Diego I see that many writers are having difficulty writing about the tournament. Almost all the writers in both of the major local newspapers are having trouble finding someone to write about since they no longer have Tiger Woods.

There’s no questioning the fact that Tiger Woods adds a definite dimension to the game of golf. He is a great if not fantastic, player who has dominated the golf game in recent years. But, this does not have a mean that there aren’t other golfers who possess some, if not most,of the traits that Tiger has. Read more… »

To strengthen the bones, many trainers now recommend jump training. There’s no questioning the fact that jump training will improve bone density and thus strengthen the bones. The question one must ask is whether jump training is the most effective ways for you to strengthen the bones.

According to the studies, the higher the impact, the stronger the bones can become. But high impact can be quite stressful to the body and can cause injury. Because of this, in order to do high impact (and in many cases, low impact) jump training, you must be physically prepared.
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It appears that sportswriters continue to confuse the terms powerlifting and weightlifting. For example, in a recent major article on a local athlete was written up in one of the two newspapers in San Diego.

In the article the author constantly reminds the reader that the athlete was a weightlifter who took up weightlifting after being injured. It helped improve his football play and his weightlifting. His accomplishments in “weightlifting” consisted of 600.7 pounds in the deadlift, posted at the World Association of Bench Pressers and Deadlifters World Championships in Las Vegas. Read more… »

In an article describing how to do the jump squat it was stated that you should keep your shoulders down and abs tight as you straighten your legs and jump up. Is this good advice? Sadly the answer is no, and it would be obvious if the author looked at live digital film of good athletes doing the jump squat.

An additional training tip stated that you should keep your abs actively engaged to avoid arching your lower back as you begin the jump portion. There are two problems with this recommendation. First, there is nothing wrong with arching the back. This is recommended has no substantiation whatsoever. Read more… »

I continually come across articles in running magazines bringing out the need for mileage increases in order to become a better runner. Why increases are needed or how they are best implemented — aside from the amounts — are rarely if ever, brought out.

Most articles agree in that you should not increase your weekly mileage dramatically as this can lead to injury, lingering fatigue or mental burnout. In some cases all three effects can be seen. To stay physically and mentally strong, they bring out the need to gradually increase the length of the long runs by one to 2 miles every other week. Read more… »

In watching the Super Bowl it was great to see quite a few great, if not spectacular plays. However in listening to the commentators, especially Madden, I began to wonder if he needed glasses because what he said often did not correspond to what was recorded on film.

For example, early in the game when Roethlisberger scored a touchdown that was recalled, Madden extolled his tenacity and pushing power to get over the goal line. However, in the replays, it was obvious to see that he was stopped short of the goal line and that another player wrapped his arms around him and literally pulled him over line as they fell to the ground.
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For years, runners resisted any form of weight training in the belief that it made you muscle bound, decreased flexibility and, in essence, made your running worse. However, research and practical experience have shown that weight training, which is the most effective method for developing strength and strength endurance, is a must for all runners and athletes who must run in different sports.

Effective strength training can enhance your running greatly. In addition, increased levels of strength plays an important role in the prevention of injury. Strength and strength endurance are so important that no runner can do his or her best without at least minimum levels of development of both. Read more… »