Dr. Yessis Sports Training Blog

Some corrections were made to a professional baseball pitcher that raised more questions than answers. It was stated that the pitcher “redoubled his efforts to not spin off his landing foot as he released the ball.” According to him,” my pitching coaches, for years they’ve been telling me to do it this way.”

These statements bring several factors to mind. First, how was it determined that a pitcher spins off his landing foot as he releases the ball? Second, is this a needed or desired action? Third, why do some pitching coaches advocate this action while others are against it? Read more… »

To increase the force of shoulder rotation, do the reverse trunk twist exercise. Not only do you strengthen the abdominal rotational muscles in this exercise, but you also increase your midsection flexibility.

For more information on this topic, see Explosive Golf. For visual demonstrtion of this and other exercises specific to the golf swing see the Explosive Golf DVD

It is a well accepted fact that without science, this country would not be as great as it is. Science has proven to be the backbone for success in any country and in any field of endeavor. This includes sports but with one major caveat.

Countries can be successful in a particular sport when they have large numbers of participants in any one sport. When you have hundreds of thousands of players the laws of chance dictate that you will have some outstanding world-class performers. But it has also been proven that fewer numbers coupled with science can produce comparable or even better performances. Read more… »

According to Toby Tanser, who trained and help coach top Kenyons, runners “who do nothing but run have pure symmetry because they have only strengthened the muscles needed for running”. He believes that a runner’s arms are needed only for balance, and that the legs are best strengthed with running and plyometric drills.

These may be logical conclusions if you see runners only doing running training. However to fully evaluate running progress, it is necessary to look closely at how much hill running is done, the angle of incline of the hills and how much speed work is done and the terrain upon which it is accomplished. These are crucial factors in regard to development of strength and speed. Read more… »

“Get those knees up” is a familiar expression heard by many runners. However, how the knee gets up is often misunderstood. All too often runners are told to merely lift the knees with no emphasis on a forward drive. However, you should not simply drive the knee upward; you should concentrate on driving the knee forward in a forceful manner.

When you drive the knee forward as the initial driving force, the thigh (knee) will rise up on momentum. When you forcefully drive the knee upward, with no emphasis on a forward drive, you create excessive vertical forces, which get you higher into the air, but do not contribute to forward running speed. Read more… »

In popular weight training terminology the term biceps curl is very common. It is used to describe most any arm curling action regardless of grip or joint angle.

What is commonly ignored is that the arm flexion is produced by the cooperative action of the biceps brachii, brachialis and brachioradialis muscles. Of these, the biceps crosses the shoulder and elbow joints while the other two flexors act only on the elbow. As a result, the biceps does not act by itself. Read more… »

It is not uncommon to hear pitching coaches say that they work with pitchers on their mechanics. But they rarely if ever spell out what the mechanics are. In general, they use the term mechanics in place of technique. It can refer to certain actions of the total technique or to the entire throwing motion.

Mechanics should refer to throwing technique since the limbs and muscles act as lever and pulley systems which can be evaluated in a very scientific and precise manner. However, instead of determining the exact actions or movements that are in need of improvement, we instead usually hear general terms such as they are working on full extension of the arm. When this occurs or why it is even needed, is not mentioned. Read more… »

After reading the reverse sit up blog, a few readers asked if the hanging leg raise was a good substitute exercise for strengthening the lower abdominal muscles –along with the hip flexors. Both of these muscles are strongly involved in hill running as well as in sprinting.

The hanging leg raise is a good exercise, but it mainly targets the lower abdominals. The hip flexors are involved but only moderately, unless you do straight leg raises in which you have a long lever and great resistance. If you raise the knees with the legs bent there is much less resistance. Read more… »

Rather than saying another step backward, I probably should say another year backward. I say this because the practice of holding a youngster back in his or her schooling for a year is now becoming more prevalent.

This practice probably makes the parents feel better about the youngster in the false belief that it will make their child a star player in the future. There’s no questioning the fact that being a year older makes their child a better player but for how long? Read more… »

It is very frustrating for me to keep reading about what teams are doing to or for their players. The reason for this is that they use absolutely no science and their actions are based on hearsay, myths and pseudo-experts.

For example, pitcher Mat Latos of the Padres, who was brought up from the minor leagues and is doing very well, knows that his season will end shortly — before the end of the baseball season. Why? Because the team will not allow him to pitch more than 125 innings. Why? Because they are “looking out for him … they are watching his career… they are trying to save him”. The team knows that he “must be protected”. Read more… »

I have been writing about the role of breathing in execution of sports skills and the need for respiratory muscle strengthening for athletes since the early 1970s. In the last few years I have even written articles bringing out the role of respiration in fatigue and how it can be prevented through respiratory muscle development.

But it was only until a couple of months ago that I finally saw a a few articles bringing out the need for respiratory muscle training in magazines dealing with running. They quoted a few studies that brought out the role of respiration in the onset of fatigue and how it could be counteracted with respiratory muscle strengthening. Read more… »

Even though the last place Padres baseball team made somewhat of a come back, based to a good extent on recent acquisitions from trades and farm teams, it is worthwhile to look at the comments and actions of the new owner and team in general.

For example, CEO Jeff Moorad’s first major actions were in relation to the business side of the ball club rather than player development. There is no questioning the fact that the internal structure of the team is very important. But should it be the number one priority when the team is on a major losing streak? Read more… »

Are the strength and conditioning programs prescribed for tennis specific to execution of the tennis skills? In general, the answer is no; they are are very general in nature. They deal with basic exercises that are great for overall general conditioning but they are not specific to the skills that tennis players must exhibit.

Many of the exercises used usually involve the muscles that are used in these sports but not in the manner that they are used in execution of the skills. As a result, they are not as functional as they can be, that is, they will not improve stroke execution to a significant degree. Read more… »

If you closely examine what is printed in newspapers, magazines and online, or what is said before, during or in postgame commentaries, I feel confident that you will agree that most of the comments are directly related to a limited number of players. Most attention is usually given to only one or two players.

For instance, look at the amount of press and commentary given to Manny Ramirez and his return to Major league baseball after being suspended for drug use. It is almost unbelievable to see the amount of attention given to him and his return. Is it truly warranted? Read more… »