The best way to train speed...

Many sports performance coaches, trainers and facilities say they are "research based." But often times their research consists of nothing more than a quick perusing of YouTube to see what the latest gadget is.

But we at Pair & Marotta do read A LOT of research. We understand how specific exercises train the muscular system and what techniques work the best. So today we'll cover a very HOT topic: Methods for Speed Training.

Everybody loves speed. They love to watch players literally move like electricity and yet do it so smoothly. But how do we train it? Should we use parachutes? Bands? Sleds? Hills?

In the most recent edition of the "Strength & Conditioning Journal" Matthew Behrens, MS and Shawn Simonson, EdD reviewed the options for improving sprint speed. Here is my brief summary.

The first point is that there are two parts to improving speed: Stride frequency and stride length. The authors state that assisted sprinting is used to improve stride rate. Stride rate is otherwise known as the speed that the legs are moving. The legs can move fast, but if they aren't taking long enough steps, then they're literally just "spinning their wheels."

Over speed training can be accomplished using various methods. The first is to be towed. To do this you'll need 2 people or a fixed anchor point. Generally an elastic band is hooked to 2 athletes and the person in the back runs at supra-maximal speeds. I generally describe it to athletes as "running faster than you ever have before." Obviously without the demand on the legs to push harder, they just have to keep up with the body being towed.

The second method the researchers discuss is high-speed treadmill sprinting. This has been demonstrated to be effective, but is usually cost-prohibited in addition to restricting training to 1 person at a time. 

Downhill training is also effective but only at specific angles. The problem with downhill training is that the slope should be a maximum of 2-3 degrees. Usually finding a slope long enough at this angle becomes a problem.

Behrens and Simonson recommend that the best recommendation is assisted towing. This still allows the athlete an acceleration phase but with a much faster top end. One area of concern with over-speed assisted training is the risk of hamstring strains due to a braking effect. If the leg extends too far out during the pull-through of the running cycle, the hamstring attempts to slow the body down and often this is where we see a multitude of hamstring injuries.

Assisted sprinting is used to develop stride frequency. On the other end of the spectrum is resisted sprinting. Resisted sprinting is used to develop stride strength and length. The only 2 options the authors give for resisted training is resisted towing and uphill sprints. 

Resisted Sprinting

The concern regarding resisted sprinting is that if the resistance is too great, sprint mechanics will be altered and as a result the transfer over to normal sprinting will not be as great. As a result, parachutes have been developed as they provide resistance, but not so much that the mechanics are changed. Finding an appropriate hill is also problematic as too steep of an incline will surely change sprinting mechanics.

Although sprint training might seem simple, it is a highly complex topic that takes proper prescription of exercise and drills. Think of training like a prescription medicine. If the dosage is too high, there will be severe side effects and the medicine will be ineffective. If the dosage is too low, the medicine will have minimal effect. In order to train athletes to be their best, you must have the correct prescription.

Fortunately, Pair & Marotta Peak Performance training has the solution: Summer Speed, Strength & Power (SSP) Camp. By attending this 6-week camp, your athletes will get faster, stronger, more powerful, more resistant to injury and have a refined work ethic. We have 2 camps, one for junior athletes age 8-12, and a high school camp for athletes ages 13-18. Camps start June 6. For more information and costs, please contact Aaron@pairmarotta.com or call 661-912-9991 or visit www.pairmarotta.com/fitness.

How much core training is REALLY necessary?

Postural endurance is foundational at Pair & Marotta.

Many coaches will ask, how much core training do I really need? Often times its completely dependent upon the moaning and groaning of their team. But at that point, you're letting the team run the practice. And that's just your first worry. 

In addition to that, consistency will lack and so will results. But if you have a plan that is scheduled and gradually progresses the exercises, then you can guarantee that your team is all meeting a minimum level of performance. So once the plan is established all you have to do is keep raising the bar!

So how much is really necessary?

Well Dr. Stuart McGill talks about this in his book, "Ultimate Back Fitness and Performance," he states that the core muscles that stabilize the back are type-I, slow twitch muscles that are meant to make small, adjustments to keep the spine steady instead of making large range of motion adjustments. So core stabilizing muscles should be trained for muscular endurance. And as the coaches who attend our "On-Field Core Training" workshop last weekend saw, there are many ways that we can do this. But think about how the abdominals are used during throwing and swinging a bat. They act like any other muscle does, requiring a strong, fast contraction to allow the larger muscles of the hips and shoulders to pull from. Basically they have to act like an anchor. So those muscles need to be trained to react quickly to a stimulus. 

Think about how the core must contract at the moment that the baseball hits a bat? The core must contract and stiffen the spine to prevent any absorbing of force. If this is done correctly, the batter will be able to transfer up to 90% of his power back into the ball to create a hard hit.

So in prescribing exercises for this type of contraction, you can prescribe it just like you would any other plyometric exercise, intensity of the exercises will play a large role. For our capability of using only body weight, a partner or a bat,  2-3 sets of 8-20 repetitions per exercise is optimal. A good method would be to operate in phases. 

Cable lifting is near the top of the core training pyramid.

 For example phase 1 would be 2 sets of 8. Phase 2 would be 2 sets of 12-15. Phase 3 would be 2 sets of 15-20. Phase 4 would be to add another set and decreasing repetitions. So 3 sets of 10-15 would be optimal and then finally phase 5 would be to have 3 sets of 15-20. But as a coach you CANNOT let form and technique deteriorate. Remember, you play how you practice. This goes with core training too!

Close your eyes, you're not going to want to see this...

With the start of baseball season, we are bound to see the rate of injuries go up. Yes, things happen and accidents occur. But many of these accidents do not have to happen. Many of them can be avoided if we only trained the muscles and reactive systems required to prevent many of them. It almost seems too easy.

Lets start from the ground up: the ankles.

Baseball along with many other sports is played on two feet. It also involves running. For the most part, the players are running on a flat surface. But it never fails you will see an athlete round the bases and sprain an ankle. Why does this occur? I mean he's done it thousands of times before, right?

We have no problem standing flat on our feet. But when we get a little sideways and we are standing on the outside of our feet, our ankle wants to keep on rolling. That is inertia - an object will maintain its path of travel until acted upon by an outside force.

If we can get the nervous system to recognize that our ankle is about to roll and quickly react and fix it, then we can prevent it from rolling. Some of you may have had this happen; you're running and the ankle starts to roll but you catch it and although it scared you, thinking you're about to sprain your ankle, but you caught it and it was nothing more than a scare.

To train this reactive ability, we need to train in what we call a proprioceptively enriched environment. Or simply a stability/balance challenged environment. At Pair & Marotta, we do this by having you stand on a single leg, or closing your eyes or placing you on an unstable surface such as an air disc, half a foam roll, or a airex pad.

This trains the muscles of your ankle to quickly recognize a potentially dangerous situation and react as opposed to having to think about it. The most convenient and beneficial time to work on balance and stability is during warm-ups. Balance on a single leg and reach in different directions, skip in different directions, shuffle and then change direction, run in different directions. These are all good things that will help prevent injury!!

You will see many of these types of exercises in "Peak Preparation: A On-Field Guide to Performance."

Are you doing more than just "something"?

I have to tell you guys, I am a big fan of music. But then again, who isn't?

One of my favorite bands is the White Stripes. I know it might be a bit trendy but they are great musicians. What does this have to do with sports performance? What does this have to do with getting stronger, faster, quicker and more powerful?

The White Stripes have a song called Blue Orchid. And in that song, Jack White sings something so profound that it took me till now to get it. What did he sing?

"Something's better than nothing...Something's better than nothing is giving up!"

As an athlete, no... as a person, you should never catch yourself saying, "Well, something is better than nothing."

Something's better than nothing is not giving your all. And not giving your all, is giving up my friend.

So whether you are in school, or you're practicing, or your doing chores around the house or your mowing the lawn, or you are at Pair & Marotta getting your sports training done, give it everything you have. Make it the best you've ever done. Make it something to be proud of, something that when people see it, they are amazed at the effort that went into it.

Sports is all about giving everything you've got. The ones who win, who are champions, who outlast and play their opponents...they out "give" their opponents. Because they have more to give. That is what Pair & Marotta Sports Performance training is all about. We give everything we've got, to give you more. We want you to be so well conditioned, so well athletically trained, so focused on the task at hand, that you give everything and not a drop less.

When you give your all, it says something about you as a person. It says something about your parents, it says something about your friends. Actions speak louder than words. So don't give anything less than 100% and never let anybody hear you say, "something is better than nothing."

Because that my friend, is giving up.
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Below is the workout of the week for your week off. Take it, work on it and give everything you've got.

Circuit type workout (follow each exercise immediately with the next, minimal rest)

1. Push-ups x 5
2. Rocket Jumps x 5 (tuck in when on ground, explode arms and legs into a star at highest point of jump)
   
3. Mountain climbers x 10
4. Hip Bridges x 10
5. Reverse Snow Angels x 10 (lie on belly, keeping arms and legs off the ground and make a snow angel)
   
6. Lateral shuffle 10 times each side
   

Do as many circuits as you can in 15 minutes. Coaches, this is a terrific workout to end a practice with. This is just a sample of what you can expect in "Peak Preparation: An On-Field Training Manual." You'll get that this summer.

Arm Care is Career Care

For a baseball or softball pithcer, their arm is often their career. Any quality sports training program bakersfield should consist of an arm care program. If an athlete does not know how to take care of their arm, then their career won't stand a chance.

But what does arm care really consist of? Arm care consists of many things. Not the least is proper preventative care and proper recovery.

Many baseball and softball players go wrong with arm care. They often abuse their arms without ever knowing it. But I have a very knowledgeable person who is very excited to help you with any problem you might have. Click here to visit their website.

So lets talk proper warm-up. Personally, I am sold on Jeager Bands. These things are awesome and can be taken anywhere. No matter what position you play, you gotta have these bands. Pitchers throw every couple of days. Position players throw every day. So don't think they are only for pitchers. They will strengthen your arm to create a cannon and keep you fresh and able to play day after day. The entire Jeager Sports program (long toss, arm circles, bands) is terrific. Their program is highly recommended.

The second thing is knowing when you've thrown enough. And that can be a bit more tricky. Follow this link to get some guidelines on throwing volume. Odds are most coaches are throwing their kids way to much and not giving them enough rest. Coaches, if you don't know how many pitches your athletes are throwing, you are doing them a disservice. Don't be that coach.

The last but possibly most important is proper recovery. Recovery is what we do to our body to help get fresh blood, oxygen and nutrients to the area that follows the stress of pitching at a very high velocity. We should take this very important. The first thing to do is ice it. Almost as soon as you come off the mound. The second thing is to exercise it the day after. Perform very low resistance exercises such as arm circles, fly's, and arm pendulum exercises to help loosen up the tight muscles of the shoulder.

These three things will take some extra effort, but rest assured, they will keep you throwing for years to come. Being consistent is the key. If you want to throw consistently, you need to

1. Prehab your shoulder for what you are about to ask of it.
2. Count your pitches. Have a coach keep your pitch count so you can track performance
3. Take care of yourself after the game. Ice, compression, and elevation. The next day, start your exercises.

If you have any questions, feel free to email me at aaron@pairmarotta.com




Sports training Bakersfield, Baseball training, Pair Marotta Physical Therapy

Coordinating Coordination

Just about every day players or coaches ask me what they can do to get faster or help their players get faster. The top item I tell them is to work on coordination and stretching. I could talk about both here, but you don't have all day and I don't want to overwhelm parents, players or coaches with a bunch of technical jargon.

So onto the coordination explanation.

Most if not all kids these days are already specializing in sports. I don't want to talk about whether or not I think that is good, I'm just going to explain how it can hinder performance.

When kids begin to specialize at a young age, they start to go through repetitive motions over and over. Many times this goes on for years. And because they specialize, they are not exposed to other stimuli that could be beneficial. Baseball is a prime example of that. 

There is not a lot of running in baseball compared to soccer or football. This unfortunately does not bode well for the young player when he really needs to start running during a game. His body has essentially developed the movement patterns that he trains the most (Pitching and hitting) and everything else just kind of gets left to the wayside.

Running requires coordination: you have to know how far should I extend my knees, how far forward should I lean, how big of an arm swing do I need, should I bend my knees more, should I land on my heel or on the ball of my feet, etc, etc. 

There are many instances of coordination being needed but when  a child specializes they tend to not get exposed to these tasks that demand coordination. So at our In-Season Baseball Training, we are laying a base and developing coordination each and every day by doing this sequence of a warm-up:

1. We start with the agility ladder. Most of these exercises are designed to get the kids to move their feet and place them in a specific position, while also learning to transfer body weight from one foot to the other.
2. We then progress to active stretching that requires strength to get through the stretch, but also has a very high balance demand to it. 
3. Next comes our skipping, bounding and more dynamic warm-up. These require, rhythm and timing, coordination between muscles and muscle groups as well as a spatial awareness that most youth athletes are not exposed to.
4. We then go into postural exercises and skill development such as the mini-hurdles or rapid response exercises to teach asymmetrical movements while maintaining proper posture.

The one thing about this program is it is highly asymmetrical, meaning that when one side is moving the other side is either not moving, or it is stabilizing or moving at a different rate, in a different direction or through a different range of motion. This is what kids MUST develop in order for them to become better athletes. They need to focus on movement first in different directions, with different tempo's, different ranges and different rhythms. 

If you notice that there is just something off with the movement of you or your athlete, that things just look a little off, odds are it has to do with coordination. And if you really want it to improve, do it more frequently than just at Pair & Marotta. Do the skipping in the back yard, add rapid response exercises to your pre-game warm up, and start working on running and moving in different directions than just those used in baseball. I enjoy baseball. But what I enjoy even more is watching young players become better athletes, not just better ball players.

This is what we do at Pair & Marotta Sports Performance. We teach athletes how to move their body. They are starting to see how amazing their body really is and once they realize that, their potential is unlimited in not only sports, but also in life.

Computers and...Baseball?

We've now started our In-Season Baseball Training Program and one thing is for sure. There are a lot of things that need improvement. And here is one thing I have noticed from working with kids in a learning environment:

They do not think before they move.

When learning a new movement pattern or exercise, especially in a sports training environment, it is very important that a baseball player think about what is about to happen before trying to go through the movement pattern.

So many athletes just try to make the exercise look like the person who demonstrated it. But when players go based off of what it looks like as opposed to how an exercise FEELS, they tend to get it wrong. It's like trying to run a computer program without the necessary software.

The brain is the software. It controls the entire program. It stores the motor programs and cues for going through an exercise. The muscles are the hardware. Now most computers have appropriate hardware to run most programs. However, it is the software you have to buy and upload.

If the software isn't there, then no matter how hard you try to create a program or mimic a program, it's not going to operate correctly. You must have the software for the program to run right.

By going through a Baseball Training Program, like ours at Pair & Marotta Sports Performance in Bakersfield, we are installing the software necessary to make the computer (body) and programs (swing/pitch) run faster and more efficiently.

So before we try to learn an exercise or movement pattern, we need to think about what is going to happen, take the time and effort to feel the exercise in the muscles and make sure that you are feeling what you should be feeling.

It's like I have said for so long, an exercise can look right but feel completely wrong. However, it is virtually impossible for a movement pattern to feel right and look wrong. This can be applied to a baseball swing.

So many people are paying for their kids to get hitting lessons. And many coaches are concerned with only the visual aspect of the swing. Only those who understand movement science will ask how the swing feels and which muscles the batter feels it in. If you're not doing focusing on the causes of Movement First, then you're simply putting a band-aid over a larger problem.

Here is the take away for the day: Before paying to give your child the perfect baseball swing, pitch, or lead off, make sure they can go through the basic movements. Make sure they can squat, lunge, rotate and reach before trying to change the swing. Or else you might just be putting a band-aid over something that has deeper causes.

The In-Season Dilemma

The baseball season is already here!!


Local high schools are getting ready to start practicing and many youth leagues are already on the diamond!! They practice and play, play and practice. They practice hitting, bunting, fielding, throwing, leading off, pickoff moves and learn the coaches signs from third base.

But lets take a step back. What is it that allows kids to play baseball? More generally, what is it that baseball requires to be good at? Movement. And that is what we at Pair & Marotta Sport Performance specialize in: Teaching Movement.

Movement is what allows baseball and softball players to swing a bat regarless of whether they hit the ball. But rarely do kids focus on just movement. They would rather make contact with an ugly swing than strikeout with a powerful swing. Don't believe me? Watch a youth athlete in the on-deck circle and then watch them at the plate. When there is no ball coming at them, their swing is simply a flop of the bat. Watch them when they step out of the box between pitches. These are the times to be focusing on a good swing.

So how does Pair & Marotta Sports Performance fix that? How do we work on the quality of the swing without the stress of them worrying about hitting a ball, but rather focusing on a good quality swing? We teach hip rotation and extension to drive the swing. We teach athletes how to put a stretch in the muscle, then to unleash it by getting a good solid contraction out of the muscle. We start in a squat to load the hips, then explode out and release the elastic energy we just created.

This is just one example of the types of exercises each athlete will be performing while at Pair & Marotta Sport Performance.

Many people think when the season begins, the strength program must stop. This could not be further from the truth. Strength training during the season actually improves the sport skills that are being taught while at practice. Watch as the athleticism of a player who trains during the season improves, while that of others is stagnant or declining.

Pair & Marotta Sports Performance In-Season Program starts February 2nd. If you're in Bakersfield and would like to be a part of it, email me at aaron@pairmarotta.com or call 661-912-9991. We are capping each group at 10 players, so don't wait too long!!

Are you better than the pro's?

I just got back from a trip to Washington, DC. I did not go to see the inauguration but rather to attend the Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers Society (PBATS) conference. At the end of our conference, we got to visit the new Washington Nationals baseball stadium. It was pretty awesome. We had lunch at the restaurant behind home plate and got a small tour of the Nationals locker room, athletic training room and strength training facility.

Here is my assessment: Although about half the size of Pair & Marotta Sport Performance here in Bakersfield, they had a lot of equipment in their strength room. Most of the stuff I have seen before but is still a little rare in training facilities. The aquatic facility is pretty awesome: two jacuzzi's, an underwater treadmill and a sauna. These guys definitely get to the special treatment!!

Here was the most interesting thing: a handful of the National's players are getting by on mere talent. Word has it a few of them cannot hold a :15 sec plank. FIFTEEN SECONDS!! And most of the guys do not spend much time training at the facility. What does that mean? Well they have finished in the cellar of the NL East the past few years.

Imagine if they spent more time in strength training. They would probably find their way towards the top of the standings!! The baseball season is long enough for pro's. The college and HS season's are shorter. What this means is that you have to stay in shape for the season and you cannot let practice be your conditioning.

Most people are under the pretense that you start the season at your best and the champions are decided by those teams that don't break down physically. But what if you could get stronger during the season?? You can. It doesn't take much.

By combining strength training exercises, such as a DB Squat and Overhead Press, and placing them in a type of circuit, you can prevent injury and actually get STRONGER as the season goes on!! Pair & Marotta Sports Performance is doing just that for you. Our In-Season Training Program is geared to getting you in, working your butt off and then getting out in about 45 minutes.

Want to be part of it?? Send us an email. aaron@pairmarotta.com or call 661-912-9991. If you want this season to be your best, you'll be here.

Empty - Reset - Clean

What a great weekend!! The Jaeger "Thrive on Throwing" Clinic was great!! We had an awesome turnout (45 baseball and softball players) and once we got going, it just seemed like everybody was excited to get going with the bands and start throwing!!

One thing I heard over and over from parents and coaches was that the initial talk from Alan Jaeger was worth its weight in gold. What he had to say about staying "in the present" and staying focused was indeed something that every youth player needs to hear. Not just because it will help him or her on the field, but because it will help you in life.

There is no way you can give quality effort if you are not focused on what you are doing. When you are in the batting cages you cannot be focusing on the big truck that just drove by, or the horrible a la carte pizza you had for lunch. You need to be in the present and focusing on seeing the ball.

The same goes when you strength train for baseball. You must stay focused. When you are going through the warm up, here at Pair & Marotta Sports Performance or pre-game on the field, you must focus. There is a purpose to the warm up and if you are not focusing on what your body is telling you, you will be missing out on a HUGE part of the training session. By focusing on form and technique of movement, you will teach your body to go where you want it to rather than you being dragged around by gravity and the other physics of baseball.

My final point today just repeat's what Alan talked about at Saturday's clinic: choose 3 key words to help you reset your focus. My words are

1. Empty
2. Reset
3. Clean
   

Those are the words I use to get re-focused. Whether I'm in the batting cages just having fun, or if I am lifting and trying to get stronger and build muscle. These are my words. Yours may be different. But they need to work for you.

I'll have pictures of the Jaeger Clinic up next week as I am heading out to Phoenix for the rest of the week. One quick note: Don't forget about the Player's Edge New Year's Mini-Camp. Some big names are going to be there and it's going to be a great 3 days of learning.