Archives for January, 2010
Block periodization is a great method of training and improving high-level player performance. This is especially true in sports that have a great deal of competition as in football. Block periodization in this case consists of weekly cycles corresponding to each weekly game.
Before beginning, each player should be evaluated on his performance, especially in gameplay. Then the weekly program is constructed and adjusted according to areas that need improvement or correction or if the player needs rehabilitation, etc.. Read more… »
People who teach yoga often give it more credibility than they should. For example, it is not uncommon to read that yoga will increase your strength, flexibility, breath control and awareness.
Yoga specialists maintain that it is a misconception that too much flexibility can make joints less stable. They maintain that yoga increases the stability of joints by strengthening the connective tissue and muscles that surround them. Read more… »
I’ve run across articles recently dealing with the topic of efficient running. In each the key was to run relaxed. However the definition of what constituted relaxed running was quite different.
For example in one article the running form guru maintained that relaxed running is “quickly lifting your foot off the ground instead of pushing off with excessive force.” Also, …” adding the awareness to just touch the ground and lift on every stride.” Read more… »
When it comes to diagnosing an injury and prescribing a fix (usually surgery) for the injury, doctors typically do a fairly good job, especially those who are trained in this area. Some of these doctors are now getting into the training of an athlete.
Are they qualified to discuss or direct the training of an athlete? The answer here is a big no! Doctors should be involved in rehabilitation but not guiding the training of an athlete. Read more… »
Many more runners now running the marathon. For most runners this run is very difficult and takes a lot out of the body. Many runners have difficulty even completing a marathon! Finishing one not only exhausts the body but often creates additional problems that they did not previously have.
As a result, it requires weeks of recovery. Because of this many runners are now asking how can they recover faster after completing a marathon.
Read more… »
In an article reported in the FITNESS and SPORTS REVIEW INTERNATIONAL, Russian researchers found that the maximum speed reproducible in a specific exercise depends upon many factors. Two of the most important are: 1) The athlete’s level of physical development and 2) The degree of his technical mastery
When an athlete is given an assignment to execute a movement at maximum speed, the movement should have the same biomechanical structure as in the competitive event. This is related to exercise specificity, also known as dynamic correspondence exercises. Read more… »
If you are a runner or have participated on a track team, I am sure you have done many different running drills. Many of the running drills were probably duplicates of some of the key actions that runners perform.
However running drills and doing drills religiously before each practice as many runners do, does not ensure that you are running will be improved or that you will have better technique for the session. There are two or more major reasons for this. Read more… »
Many recommendations for improving your run relate to improving your posture. In this regard we hear coaches tell a runner to be more upright. But how does one get more upright?
You are often told to straighten up and to maintain your head and shoulders in alignment. This typically means that the head should be directly above the shoulders which should be directly above the hips. However, this alignment is only seen momentarily in certain phases of the running stride. Read more… »
Doctors, trainers and physical therapists keep a key a close eye on athletes’ rehabilitation after an injury. They try to make sure that the athletes are fully recovered before allowing them to once again participate in the sport. However do they go far enough?
Most often you’ll find that athletes are ,rehabilitated in relation to having a full range of motion and having no signs of the injury. In other words, the athletes have now strengthened the muscles that were weakened and have brought the joint and mobility in the joint, back to where it was prior to the injury. They now give the athletes the green light to participate.
Read more… »
In the off-season it is typically recommended that you work on your sports weaknesses. This is a great suggestion but how it is implemented often leaves much to be desired.
For example some experts have stated that working on weaknesses are much tougher on you than when you work on your strengths. Because of this they recommend working on weaknesses in small doses with several days rest in between. Read more… »
We have been hearing much about the president and his dealings with foreign countries. One aspect that has been overlooked in the press but which is very important, is the fact that he has been trying to develop partnerships with other countries, especially the Russians.
I would wholeheartedly endorse this and help in every way possible, if one such partnership was to team up with the Russians for the advancement of sports science. As I have brought out in previous blogs, the Russians have the most advanced system of training athletes and we can gain much from them.
Read more… »
There is an increasing number of articles dealing with yoga for athletes. Not distinguished however, is whether the yoga is for a beginner, novice or advanced athlete.
In fact, there is little distinction between some of the yoga poses and some typical beginning strength exercises. For example, in a recent article dealing with yoga for runners, it is recommended that you do the forward bend over which is simply a standing toe touch but with the arms crossed. Read more… »
In a recent article an elite 1500m runner stated that she does a lot of core body and flexibility work in the gym. She does this with yoga.
When you look at her running form you can see almost 70 to 80° of shoulder rotation. This is excessive and slows her down greatly. She could be a much better runner by simply improving her ability to hold her shoulders basically in place during the running stride. Read more… »
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