A lot of times as an athlete we get too focused on numbers and test's and times and forget about how we actually perform. Performance on the field is often measured in quantity, but change in performance can also be measured in quality. How well does a person move, or how much better does this kid move than 3 months ago?
Changing direction is one of those things that is qualitative. It is very hard to time change of direction alone. But if you're looking for it, the change can stand out like a sunflower in the outfield.
Changing direction is all about angles. The most glaring culprit of poor performance is the inability to change directions efficiently without wasting movement. Whether it is during linear transition or lateral change in direction, many athletes are "too tall" when changing direction and have a lot of wasted movement. Athletes will lack stability through the truck and hips and lose a lot of energy transfer due to what we call upper body sway. This occurs when the lower body plants and attempts to push back the other way, but the upper body continue's moving opposite to where the lower body is now attempting to go. When you see this it looks like the lower body is dragging the upper body back the other way with it.
Upper body sway results in a lot (relatively speaking) of wasted time as the upper body must now get pulled back and dragged the other way. This is one very good reason why situps and crunches are a waste of time. They do not train the core muscles to be stable during change of direction. Planks, side planks and lateral stability exercise's are going to be the agent of change.
Changing directions will also involve maintaining a low ground position. This allows the proper angle to be taken so that force is transfered down through the leg and into the ground horizontally rather than vertically. What happens when we push our legs quickly into the ground directly below us? We jump straight into the air.
To change direction, we must produce force that transfer's down and horizontally so that we may move in the opposite direction of our force production. We are pushing ourselves away from the ground. Change the way we teach lateral change of direction and we will change the speed of our athletes.
Monday, July 28, 2008
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Pool Time
Our summer Speed, Strength & Power (SSP) Camp just wrapped up its fourth week. All the kids are moving more efficiently. Which translates to faster foot speed and less fatigue. Some are learning faster than others but the interesting thing is how much faster the younger kids are learning than the older kids.
This is probably because we have unlearn all the bad habits the older kids have while with younger kids, there are not many bad habits to fix. So things are going good. But today they got great.
All 4 groups met out at the pool at CSUB. Most thought we would be swimming all day long. So they were kind of excited, but mostly they were just looking forward to getting out of the bakersfield heat.
What they got was more than they bargained for.
The beauty of perfoming speed and power drills in the water is that it slows everything down and makes it much safer to do plyometric exercises and speed exercises. The water produces the resistive forces against the jumps and movement, but also produces the force that slows the athlete down.
Some may say, well doesn't moving slow produce slower players. Well yes and no. If athletes are chronically using heavy resistance that does not allow for use of the entire muscle contraction and speed spectrum then you will start to see a decrease in movement speed and power. But when providing resistance such as water the athletes intend to contract quickly and the water simply slows them down. They are not moving at "slow" speeds. Simply slower than out of water.
Give it a shot. I'm going to have 40 high school athletes that will have an entirely new view of aquatic exercise.
This is probably because we have unlearn all the bad habits the older kids have while with younger kids, there are not many bad habits to fix. So things are going good. But today they got great.
All 4 groups met out at the pool at CSUB. Most thought we would be swimming all day long. So they were kind of excited, but mostly they were just looking forward to getting out of the bakersfield heat.
What they got was more than they bargained for.
The beauty of perfoming speed and power drills in the water is that it slows everything down and makes it much safer to do plyometric exercises and speed exercises. The water produces the resistive forces against the jumps and movement, but also produces the force that slows the athlete down.
Some may say, well doesn't moving slow produce slower players. Well yes and no. If athletes are chronically using heavy resistance that does not allow for use of the entire muscle contraction and speed spectrum then you will start to see a decrease in movement speed and power. But when providing resistance such as water the athletes intend to contract quickly and the water simply slows them down. They are not moving at "slow" speeds. Simply slower than out of water.
Give it a shot. I'm going to have 40 high school athletes that will have an entirely new view of aquatic exercise.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Do Quick Improvements Last?
This is one of those double edged questions. If we say that athletic improvement doesn't last well then what's the point of working with kids in 6 week camps? If we say improvement does last, then why not work with them for 6 weeks and send them on their way?
The truth is it depends on the learning environment. This is where many coaches go wrong. They don't make for a very conducive learning environment. There are different types of learning styles. Some kids are audible learners, some are tactile learners, some are visual learners. Most are a good mix of the 3.
Movements can look right and feel wrong, but it is almost impossible for them to feel right and look wrong. It just doesn't happen. If muscles are activating and recruiting properly in the right sequence and timing, then the movement will look smooth and effortless.
Learning takes place over a period of time. But the principles of why we move in certain skills/patterns can be learned quickly. The key is simply implementing the principles into the movement skills. Learning movement skills should be an everyday thing. When we learn math we progress from simple things such as 2+2=4 to more complex ideas such as 12x6=72. But when we are learning multiplication, we don't forget that 2+2=4. It is our foundation.
The same route must be taken when developing athletic skill and movement. Progress but don't forget the basics. When movement is first, sports skill will come much easier.
The truth is it depends on the learning environment. This is where many coaches go wrong. They don't make for a very conducive learning environment. There are different types of learning styles. Some kids are audible learners, some are tactile learners, some are visual learners. Most are a good mix of the 3.
Movements can look right and feel wrong, but it is almost impossible for them to feel right and look wrong. It just doesn't happen. If muscles are activating and recruiting properly in the right sequence and timing, then the movement will look smooth and effortless.
Learning takes place over a period of time. But the principles of why we move in certain skills/patterns can be learned quickly. The key is simply implementing the principles into the movement skills. Learning movement skills should be an everyday thing. When we learn math we progress from simple things such as 2+2=4 to more complex ideas such as 12x6=72. But when we are learning multiplication, we don't forget that 2+2=4. It is our foundation.
The same route must be taken when developing athletic skill and movement. Progress but don't forget the basics. When movement is first, sports skill will come much easier.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Eating Like a Champion
Feuling a high caliber athlete isn't easy. Most high level athletes work with a nutritionist to ensure they are getting proper caloric intake and the right ratio of macronutrients.
Certain foods are much better for you than others. Fruits, vegetables, milk, lean meats, fish, nuts and water are all important in building and re-building your body. This is true for everybody. But it is especially important for athletes because athletes break down their bodies faster than non-athletes and need to rebuild it faster as well. Just as important is what you rebuild your body with. A perfect example of this can be seen in the tale of the “3 Little Pigs”.
You see each home of the pigs was built with something. The first house was weak and didn’t stand up against the rigors of the wolf. This is what happens when you work hard (like you do during our camps) and then try to rebuild your body with candy, sweets, cookies and you leave out vegetables and fruits. Your body is going to breakdown easily and not be very strong when it needs to be.
The second house was built a little bit stronger but not by much. His house was still pretty easily taken down by the wolf. This is like drinking sugary, caffeinated drinks like Starbucks and eating greasy hamburgers and hotdogs with a few veggies on the side. Your body will still not be able to stand up to the work you put it through. You will be tired, sluggish and you won’t play too well.
Now the third pig, he had one heck of a strong house. It was made of brick and strong cement. Nothing could take it down and it was always ready for the next challenge. This is what your body feels like when you eat lots of vegetables, fruits, lean meats like chicken (no chicken strips!!), fish, low fat dairy like yogurt and chocolate milk.
These are just a few, but here are good food choices:
Breakfast
Wheaties w/ milk
Whole Wheat Toast and Peanut Butter
Yogurt and granola
Strawberry Banana Smoothie
Oatmeal
Scrambled Eggs w/Salsa
Lunch
Turkey sandwich
Chicken salad
Buffalo Burger
Turkey Burger
Turkey Hotdog
Apple-Banana-PB Smoothie
Dinner
Chicken
Fish
Goat cheese Salad
Spaghetti
Chili
Soup
Snacks
Raisins
Strawberries
Pineapple
Granola
Sunflower Seeds
Yogurt
The key to making good choices is keeping added sugar out and eating foods that are minimally processed. Don’t eat food that is deep fried with batter, drenched in butter, and here is the kicker…
Ice cream only once per week and No FAST FOOD!
Certain foods are much better for you than others. Fruits, vegetables, milk, lean meats, fish, nuts and water are all important in building and re-building your body. This is true for everybody. But it is especially important for athletes because athletes break down their bodies faster than non-athletes and need to rebuild it faster as well. Just as important is what you rebuild your body with. A perfect example of this can be seen in the tale of the “3 Little Pigs”.
You see each home of the pigs was built with something. The first house was weak and didn’t stand up against the rigors of the wolf. This is what happens when you work hard (like you do during our camps) and then try to rebuild your body with candy, sweets, cookies and you leave out vegetables and fruits. Your body is going to breakdown easily and not be very strong when it needs to be.
The second house was built a little bit stronger but not by much. His house was still pretty easily taken down by the wolf. This is like drinking sugary, caffeinated drinks like Starbucks and eating greasy hamburgers and hotdogs with a few veggies on the side. Your body will still not be able to stand up to the work you put it through. You will be tired, sluggish and you won’t play too well.
Now the third pig, he had one heck of a strong house. It was made of brick and strong cement. Nothing could take it down and it was always ready for the next challenge. This is what your body feels like when you eat lots of vegetables, fruits, lean meats like chicken (no chicken strips!!), fish, low fat dairy like yogurt and chocolate milk.
These are just a few, but here are good food choices:
Breakfast
Wheaties w/ milk
Whole Wheat Toast and Peanut Butter
Yogurt and granola
Strawberry Banana Smoothie
Oatmeal
Scrambled Eggs w/Salsa
Lunch
Turkey sandwich
Chicken salad
Buffalo Burger
Turkey Burger
Turkey Hotdog
Apple-Banana-PB Smoothie
Dinner
Chicken
Fish
Goat cheese Salad
Spaghetti
Chili
Soup
Snacks
Raisins
Strawberries
Pineapple
Granola
Sunflower Seeds
Yogurt
The key to making good choices is keeping added sugar out and eating foods that are minimally processed. Don’t eat food that is deep fried with batter, drenched in butter, and here is the kicker…
Ice cream only once per week and No FAST FOOD!
Friday, May 30, 2008
Breakfast: What you need to know
What is the point of breakfast? I’m not even hungry when I wake up!! I have been going without breakfast for years. I get sick if I eat breakfast. These are just a few of the excuses I hear for not eating breakfast. But there really is no good reason not to eat breakfast. Perhaps it is our idea of what breakfast is. First let’s talk about what breakfast is not.
Breakfast is not a calorie bomb, biscuits and gravy with a stack of pancakes, home-style potatoes, bagel and cream cheese, smorgasbord. Breakfast is not a sweet-n-low, half and half coffee on the way out the door. Breakfast is not that venti frap with cream on top on the way to work. There is this misconception that breakfast needs to be either a Saturday morning feast or a pick-me-up-because-I’m-drained on the way to work. Breakfast does not have to be long and drawn out and it cannot be something you pick up on the way to work.
Breakfast is a way to break your body out of that 7-8 hour starvation you have been in. Breakfast is when you give your body enough fuel to replenish what it lost over the evening and enough fuel to get you to the next feeding (3-4 hours later) with out feeling incredibly famished. Whether we are hungry or not, we need to eat breakfast within the first 30 minutes of waking up. The reason most people claim they are not hungry in the morning is because their metabolism has slowed so much that they have gotten accustomed to not eating. The metabolism is the engine of the body. If it is slow, than you will feel lethargic, slow, unmotivated and worst of all, your body will actually hold on to body fat because your body will enter “energy saver” mode. Who wants that? When we eat, our metabolism actually speeds up because it has to breakdown the food it just took in. This is known as the thermic effect of food! Eating more will help me lose weight?? Interesting concept.
Most people when they start eating breakfast as a habit will notice that their appetite will increase, and they will be hungry again soon. This is the thermic effect of food and trust that your metabolism will now rise and your body will use more energy because it has more available. The human body is a marvelous thing.
What is a “Good” Breakfast?
A good breakfast will have a little fat, a little protein and a little more carbohydrates. Here are a few examples of quality breakfast first thing in the morning, within 30 minutes of waking up:
• 1 slice of sprouted grain, flourless toast, natural peanut butter and an apple = 345 kcal
• 1 slice of sprouted grain, flourless toast, vegetable oil butter, and a small container of low fat yogurt = 330 kcal
• 1 cup of Trader Joe’s Organic Soy and Granola cereal, 1 cup of 1% organic milk and 1 medium banana = 473 kcal (for women, cutting the cereal and milk in half will give you a total of 284 kcal)
• 1 hard boiled egg, toast and 1 table spoon of butter, a medium apple = 333 kcal
These examples are all a great start to the day. Each example has carbohydrates, protein and a little bit of fat. It is beyond the scope of this article but remember your body needs some fat. To eliminate all fat would actually be a bad thing.
The calorie content of the breakfast was done by www.calorie-count.com. Feel free to register yourself and start logging your food intake. It will truly help you to see how much food you really do take in. If you have any questions, feel free to email me at aaron@pairmarotta.com
Breakfast is not a calorie bomb, biscuits and gravy with a stack of pancakes, home-style potatoes, bagel and cream cheese, smorgasbord. Breakfast is not a sweet-n-low, half and half coffee on the way out the door. Breakfast is not that venti frap with cream on top on the way to work. There is this misconception that breakfast needs to be either a Saturday morning feast or a pick-me-up-because-I’m-drained on the way to work. Breakfast does not have to be long and drawn out and it cannot be something you pick up on the way to work.
Breakfast is a way to break your body out of that 7-8 hour starvation you have been in. Breakfast is when you give your body enough fuel to replenish what it lost over the evening and enough fuel to get you to the next feeding (3-4 hours later) with out feeling incredibly famished. Whether we are hungry or not, we need to eat breakfast within the first 30 minutes of waking up. The reason most people claim they are not hungry in the morning is because their metabolism has slowed so much that they have gotten accustomed to not eating. The metabolism is the engine of the body. If it is slow, than you will feel lethargic, slow, unmotivated and worst of all, your body will actually hold on to body fat because your body will enter “energy saver” mode. Who wants that? When we eat, our metabolism actually speeds up because it has to breakdown the food it just took in. This is known as the thermic effect of food! Eating more will help me lose weight?? Interesting concept.
Most people when they start eating breakfast as a habit will notice that their appetite will increase, and they will be hungry again soon. This is the thermic effect of food and trust that your metabolism will now rise and your body will use more energy because it has more available. The human body is a marvelous thing.
What is a “Good” Breakfast?
A good breakfast will have a little fat, a little protein and a little more carbohydrates. Here are a few examples of quality breakfast first thing in the morning, within 30 minutes of waking up:
• 1 slice of sprouted grain, flourless toast, natural peanut butter and an apple = 345 kcal
• 1 slice of sprouted grain, flourless toast, vegetable oil butter, and a small container of low fat yogurt = 330 kcal
• 1 cup of Trader Joe’s Organic Soy and Granola cereal, 1 cup of 1% organic milk and 1 medium banana = 473 kcal (for women, cutting the cereal and milk in half will give you a total of 284 kcal)
• 1 hard boiled egg, toast and 1 table spoon of butter, a medium apple = 333 kcal
These examples are all a great start to the day. Each example has carbohydrates, protein and a little bit of fat. It is beyond the scope of this article but remember your body needs some fat. To eliminate all fat would actually be a bad thing.
The calorie content of the breakfast was done by www.calorie-count.com. Feel free to register yourself and start logging your food intake. It will truly help you to see how much food you really do take in. If you have any questions, feel free to email me at aaron@pairmarotta.com
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Changing the Way You Look with Food
Quite possibly the easiest way to change the way you look is to alter your diet. Tired of that lean, muscular look? Start eating twice as much (1250 calories) at each feeding and eat less often (1-2 times per day). This will slow your metabolism to a snail's pace and create a caloric surplus that nobody can over come. You're sure to pile on the pounds!!
Tired of that scrawny, wiry look? Start eating more lean meats and vegetables at each meal and eating more often (4-5 times/day) and do some heavy lifting (4-6 reps of 4 sets) and watch the muscle start coming on.
Tired of the bloated, jiggly, no-muscle-but-plenty-of-the-other-stuff look? Start eating smaller meals, 250-400 calories, every 3-4 hours and watch the jiggle wiggle off and the lean body you've always wanted will come shining through.
What, when and how often we eat has a tremendous effect on our metabolism. By eating more often your body will begin to use up the excess energy (fat) it has because it will try to use up what you give it. By giving it only how much it needs, which varies depending on your goals, your body will not have much less to store it.
By eating frequently your metabolism will increase, meaning you are using more stored fat during your day. You really can't go wrong. It is simply committing to planning your meals into your day.
Changing the way we look is actually quite simple. It is just how much effort do you want to put in to changing the way your body looks, feels and moves?
Here are a couple of sites you may want to check out to help you with this endeavour:
www.mohrresults.com
www.fityummymummy.com
www.turbulencetraining.com
Tired of that scrawny, wiry look? Start eating more lean meats and vegetables at each meal and eating more often (4-5 times/day) and do some heavy lifting (4-6 reps of 4 sets) and watch the muscle start coming on.
Tired of the bloated, jiggly, no-muscle-but-plenty-of-the-other-stuff look? Start eating smaller meals, 250-400 calories, every 3-4 hours and watch the jiggle wiggle off and the lean body you've always wanted will come shining through.
What, when and how often we eat has a tremendous effect on our metabolism. By eating more often your body will begin to use up the excess energy (fat) it has because it will try to use up what you give it. By giving it only how much it needs, which varies depending on your goals, your body will not have much less to store it.
By eating frequently your metabolism will increase, meaning you are using more stored fat during your day. You really can't go wrong. It is simply committing to planning your meals into your day.
Changing the way we look is actually quite simple. It is just how much effort do you want to put in to changing the way your body looks, feels and moves?
Here are a couple of sites you may want to check out to help you with this endeavour:
www.mohrresults.com
www.fityummymummy.com
www.turbulencetraining.com
Thursday, May 22, 2008
The Magic Pill
One of the most difficult things to understand about the human body is how to feed it. We say we want to change but as soon as somebody offers up dessert, that will goes out the window. Then we cry and complain that we aren't loosing weight, or we aren't toned like we want to be.
So we shoot for a magic pill. But there is one magic pill. It starts with a "Self" ends in an "discipline"
To lose weight, become a great athlete and get more done, we need to eat. And we need to eat right. Here it is, plain and simple.
Prepare to eat 4-6 small meals per day. By small I mean 400-500 calories for men, and 300-400 for women. 1 PB&J sandwich (which I just ate) had 385 calories. But its sprouted grain bread, natural peanut butter and organic jelly.
It doesn't take much, just some planning. When we fail to plan our meals, we get so hungry we could eat our thumb if it had some ranch on it!! You have to eat and eat modest sized meals. Doing this gets your metabolism up so your body will use some of that fat hanging off our waists. Think about it, if you wanted a bigger fire, would you give it a small amount of wood or a nice steady supply?
That is the way our body works. Give it a shot. Plan your meals for 3 days to get 5 meals a day in. Breakfast, snack, lunch, snack & dinner. You'll feel great and your metabolism will roar.
Want some help? Check this out. I highly recommend it.
http://www.mohrresults.com/store-grocery-dvd.shtml
(May need to cut and paste into browser)
So we shoot for a magic pill. But there is one magic pill. It starts with a "Self" ends in an "discipline"
To lose weight, become a great athlete and get more done, we need to eat. And we need to eat right. Here it is, plain and simple.
Prepare to eat 4-6 small meals per day. By small I mean 400-500 calories for men, and 300-400 for women. 1 PB&J sandwich (which I just ate) had 385 calories. But its sprouted grain bread, natural peanut butter and organic jelly.
It doesn't take much, just some planning. When we fail to plan our meals, we get so hungry we could eat our thumb if it had some ranch on it!! You have to eat and eat modest sized meals. Doing this gets your metabolism up so your body will use some of that fat hanging off our waists. Think about it, if you wanted a bigger fire, would you give it a small amount of wood or a nice steady supply?
That is the way our body works. Give it a shot. Plan your meals for 3 days to get 5 meals a day in. Breakfast, snack, lunch, snack & dinner. You'll feel great and your metabolism will roar.
Want some help? Check this out. I highly recommend it.
http://www.mohrresults.com/store-grocery-dvd.shtml
(May need to cut and paste into browser)
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