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OH! My Aching Back!

What a story I have for you...

On Wednesday I took both my daughters out of school to drive with me to Philly (9 hours of driving one way) to see the opening round of the NCAA tourney. We went to see BYU and Texas A&M. My nephew is the point guard for BYU (Jimmer Fredette). Anyway. We arrived Wednesday night and stayed in a hotel about 30 minutes from the arena. We got up early and were going to have a good breakfast and then drive into the arena. Well, as I was getting dressed I dropped my sock and squatting down to pick it up and I felt like a had been stabbed in the back. I shuffled out of the bathroom and told the girls I hurt my back so but should be OK to get to the game. So I sat down and asked one of my daughters to help me with my sneakers. The minute I lifted my foot my back went into overdrive. I fell to the floor and was in a major spasm. I was unbelievable.

To make a long story short; I ended up having a family member (the father of Jimmer) drive to our hotel that was 25 miles from where they were staying and pick the girls up and take them to the game. I layed flat on my back for a the entire day and through the night. I never felt so much discomfort. Talk about a disappointing time. I was thrilled my girls got to see the game and their cousin (plus other family) but I couldn't believe I drove all that way and missed the game. well the next morning I got back in the car and drove back to Indiana- it was a tough drive.

For the past 20 plus years I have been dealing with occasional back pain and it really snuck up on me on that day. I think the long drive to Philly made me tight plus the combination of being tight in the morning- the timing was just right.

Being Proactive

My back injury I believe is a product of a frozen big toe on my left foot. In 1985 during a basketball practice I complained to my coach about my toe hurting. I had been complaining for a few weeks and it finally got to be too much. He set up an appointment for me with a foot specialist. The specialist took an ex-ray and noticed I had a bone spur growing over my toe joint. He told me I would be OK for the rest of this season but at some point I would need to have it taken care of or it might cause issues with my gait and possibly posture. Well, I never did anything about it. I believe I have been paying for that stupid toe ever since.

Now, when I train clients and they present an injury or a possible postural issue I always urge them to be proactive and take care of it now. Don't let it become a problem when it can be managed now- I tell them.

Many times it is just a matter of them doing more flexibility. If I could wind back the clocks I would have taken care of my toe immediately after the season.

My advice to you is do what ever you have to (avoid surgery if possible) to gain full and correct movement- you will be glad you did!

Yours In Speed,

Lee

PS: If you like to read more articles about proper training and check out great resources so you can move great and be healthy go to www.SportsSpeedEtc.com

PSS: Now that basketball season is winding down it is time to really get focused on off season training. Go to www.BasketballSpeedInsiders.com so you can get a jump start on your off season training.

Saturday Tip Blog; Hidden Secret Of Shoulder Pain?

Before I run off to work with a group of 1st and 2nd grade basketball players I want to share a tip with you that can help avoid shoulder pain.

Thoracic Extension: What is it?

The thoracic region is basically the upper back (between the neck and the lower back). More and more we are seeing athletes and non-athletes have a frozen and or overly flexed thoracic region. This mean the thoracic spine isn't able to extend back from it's fixed or partially fixed forward flexion. Think hunchback of Notre dame- not really that bad but to give you and idea of forward flexion.

When athletes perform skills overhead (throwing, hitting in volleyball, pitching in baseball, and even lifting weights overhead) but are unable to get extension in the thoracic region the shoulder has to do more external rotation then normal. This constant overuse and over range of motion can lead to mild to serious shoulder issues. Here are some great ways to increase thoracic extension.

IMPORTANT! Seek a qualified professional if unsure of how to perform these exercises!

1. Foam Rolling of the thoracic region. By performing simple extensions in a short range of motion you can begin to open up the thoracic region and allow extension to occur. If you have a pre-existing back issue consult a doctor or therapist. Do not force the extension- it should be a comfortable range of motion. Breathe out during the extension and in when returning from extension. Perform 3 reps in the lower thoracic, middle thoracic and upper thoracic.

2. Single sided flexion extension. In a hands and knee position place the right hand behind the head- now tuck the elbow under the body as you flex forward with just the right side. Now extend back and up with the elbow and chest. Perform 6-10 reps on each side in a controlled speed.

3. Prone cobra. Lying on your stomach raise your upper body off the ground while externally rotating the arms. Squeeze the shoulder blades together and down while focusing on extension in the upper back. Squeeze the glutes together to minimize lower back extension. Perform 10-15 second holds to for 5-8 reps to develop endurance or perform 15-20 reps to mobilize the region.

These 3 exercises have helped me tremendously over the years. Like to hear you advice.

Once again. Check with a professional before performing any of these exercises.

Yours in Speed,

Lee

PS: If you want to discover proper movement patterns for strength training check out www.SportsSpeedEtc.com and look up Strength Through Movement Patterns DVD. You will love the information in this product

Why The Heck Are You Running???

It has been a long running argument and it will continue on for many more years. Why are coaches having their explosive sport athletes pounding the pavement doing miles? Why are basketball teams, football teams, sprinters, volleyball teams, and any other court or field sport team running long slow distance? I have written and spoken about this before and will continue in the future- but many do not want to listen. Let me outline what we should be doing rather than spending time in the argument...

If the reason for distance running is to build a base the only base being built is a base for running long slow distance- not much else.

Let me show you how I design a program to "build a base" for explosive sport athletes:

I prefer to use a combination of many training components together through out the year. I am not a fan of always working on just one area. For example: I will not simply work on speed for several weeks, then conditioning, then.... First off, I will work on what is needed based on an assessment. Secondly, I will develop the components together...the way the sport uses them. Here is an example of a monthly program broken down into weeks/days:

Week #1 Speed focused, endurance secondary

Day#1 Speed and agility skill based training. Drills are at a highly intense effort with adequate rest and recovery between drills. The focus on day one is linear and lateral acceleration.

Day #2 Endurance based training. The speed and agility drills are going to be focused around interval and short rest period station training. Shuttle runs with a 1:1 work to rest ratio. Obstacle based races lasting 30-45 seconds to complete, and true short burst intervals (30 yard acceleration with job back- 6-10 reps)

Day #3 Speed and agility focus. Resisted and deceleration/change of direction drills. Drills can be lateral shuffle and crossover change of direction drills reacting to coach's signal or partner mirror, Box 4 corner cone drills, resisted agility drills focusing on cutting and change of direction.

Week #2 Endurance focus, speed and agility secondary

Day #1 would be the same as day #2 in week #1. Use appropriate drills for athletes.

Day #2 All Random reactionary speed and agility drills. Tag games, coach lead directional games, mirror drills, all the drills are 100% effort with an emphasis on using learned speed and agility techniques in a random setting. Coach can really teach and correct during these drills

Day #3 Endurance focused but only linear drills. forward and backward shuttles and intervals, short hill interval runs, stay away from hard cutting on this day but push the endurance hard.

Week #3 Speed and agility focus, endurance secondary

Day #1 Sport Specific agility drills. Example; 6-10 reps of fielding footwork for softball/baseball or tight cutting drills for soccer or retreating shuffle for basketball. Make the drill specific to your athletes- be explosive with effort though.

Day #2 Metabolic drill- mark off a 50 yard area in 5 yard increments. set 1-4 quarters as the length time the drills will be done. CAUTION! you will have to build up to more quarters as the athletes get better conditioned. First quarter consists of 10 reps- each rep is a sprint to a yard mark (looks like; 10 yrd, 25 yrd, 5 yrd, 35 yrd, 5 yrd, 20 yrd, 15 yrd, 50 yrd, 25 yrd, 15 yrd- rest for 2:00 minute and repeat) One quarter consists of two 10 rep cycles. This can be done using different movement patterns- angled take offs, crossover runs, backpedal... each sprint can be a different movement. tough drill!

Day #3 Random Speed and agility. All drills are based off the coaches signal. This will allow the athletes to really focus on the coach and it allows the coach to teach and correct mistakes. Example of drills; random 5-10-5 drill, multi-directional random drill (shuffle, backpedal, forward, jump...)

Week #4 Endurance focused, speed and agility secondary

Day #1 Resistance based endurance work. Sled drags, partner tubing resisted runs/shuffles/cutting. All the drills are using power and or quickness but are resisted and for 30-60 seconds. In other words the athletes will go full out pulling the sled displaying power but must work hard for a longer duration than most power drills. Example drill: Sled sprint for 25 yard- quickly reverse and pull sled back to start backpedaling hard, then finish with a 25 yard sled sprint. You can use many different drills but make the athlete work with good technique so injury potential is reduced.

Day #2 Speed and agility. Timed drills. This is a great time to have the athletes compete and challenge their times during timed speed and agility drills. Examples; 5-10-5 shuttle, 4 corner X drill, W-drill, T-drill, 60 yard shuttle... Great motivational day and coaches can still teach proper movement technique.

Day #4 Endurance challenge day. Have the athletes compete on the 300 yard shuttle. Each athlete must perform the shuttle 3 times but all 3 shuttle are set up differently. Example; first shuttle is 25 yard up and back 6 times. Second shuttle is 50 yrds up and back 3 times. Third shuttle is 4 up back at 25 yrds and 1 up and back at 50 yards. Give the athletes 5-6 minutes between each one. This is a great drill to pair athletes up with comparable talent and make them compete.

This format will get your athletes in shape and keep them fast and quick. Plus, you will develop the "base" you were looking for in a much more effective way than long slow distance running (which accomplished little toward the goal of making more skilled athletes.

Yours in Speed,
Lee

PS: If you are looking for great speed and agility exercises and skills check out the DVD's at http://www.sportsspeedetc.com/. Ground Breaking 2 and Low Box Training are hot items that coaches use all the time.

Push Ups During The Tournament?

This post is more of a rant- so excuse me. But I have an extremely important message about youth coaching.

This past weekend my daughter's team played in their first AAU volleyball tournament. They play in the 12 and under bracket. There were some very talented teams in this tournament and we (the parents) were all so proud of our girls because they came in second. The reason for the hint of surprise is due to the fact we played against regular volleyball club teams. I mean these girls practice all the time and that is pretty much what most of them do. We came in with little experience and practice time and performed outstanding. On to my rant....

The team that ended up being the 1st place team- and rightfully so, was a team made up of very good players. However, their coach did not represent what youth sports are about at all. She obviously knows the game and coached the girls well, but she is a bully and a poor example of a youth coach.

When we first arrived she had her team on the court warming up- no problem and great idea. When the girls made mistakes she barked at them relentlessly and made them do push ups and suicide runs. If they didn't do the suicides correctly they did them again. THIS IS WHILE THEY ARE AT A TOURNAMENT!? There are spectators in the crowed watching this. She would single out any player and embarrass them. Did I mention they were 12 and under???

This type of behavior tells me she is a bully and only can get what she wants out of these girls by using a motivation tactic of "Fear." The girls played hard out of fear of what she would do to them.

I know there are many coaches out there who agree with this type of coaching but I can't imagine how many kids she has left in her wake. Kids that loved volleyball when they started and ended up hating it by the end. There are going to many girls on that very team of 12 year olds that will have burned out and had enough before they ever play a varsity game. It is wrong!

The sad thing is I watched her coach her girls strategically and she knows the game well. She made great cues to help the girls when they needed it and put them in positions to play effectively. But she blew it when it comes to how to behave as a coach of young athletes.

Many parents will tolerate this because she turns her players into good players (those who last anyway), but once again we forget that the sports are about the kids, not the coach or parents. If this coach would just back off on the form of discipline she uses she would be fantastic for the girls. I am sure she loves the kids and is supportive of them, but that doesn't give her a free pass to act the way she does.

There are many ways to coach but the two main approaches is to coach from a dictator and fear standpoint (kids play hard from out of fear) or a respectful leadership approach. In other words you lead the athletes by being strong and direct with your coaching but you respect them and their opinions and don't try to fear them into doing things.

An example of coaching through fear is when a player makes a mistake and you threaten them with conditioning/running or by taking them out of the game and not letting them play and by embarrassing them in front of their peers and possibly audience. The athlete in this case doesn't want to make a mistake because of the negative consequence.

The other example is when a player makes a mistake and you talk to them and explain why what they did was wrong and how to correct it. You make it clear to them that you except more but you also let them know that you like their effort (as long as their effort is good).

The second example will most likely create a mutual respect between coach and player and the player will play hard and not want to disappoint the coach out of respect for them rather than fear of discipline as in the first example.

I know my rants won't change the world but hopefully a young coach getting into the profession will take a close look at his or her options as a coach and realize kids deserve better and being a bully of a coach isn't what young athletes deserve.

Like to hear your feedback.
Your in Speed,

Lee

PS: Hey, have you thought of becoming a Speed Insider? You will receive a great newsletter each month full of articles and facts- plus other tips you will enjoy. Best of all you can try it out for 2 months FREE! Go to www.SpeedInsiders.com and sign up now.

PSS: If you are a coach or trainer and looking for some great resources for you athletic programs go to http://www.sportsspeedetc.com/ and check out what they offer. You will be glad you did.

How Often Do I Perform Single Leg...

I am often asked what kind of strength training I use with my athletes. My answer is always "What they need". I don't follow a particular training program like BFS or Husker Power. I use what strength training is needed. However, I do have a philosophy and have believed in this philosophy for some time.

Strength training is a process in which I attempt to increase the overall stability of the athlete and force production. I have never been caught up in numbers. In other words, if an athlete could not squat 300 or 400lbs I could care less. What I do want is the athlete to be able to produce force correctly and with speed. I also wanted the athlete to be able to produce force correctly with one leg.

When I coached football my teams were not going to go to some power lifting contest and kick butt. But my teams were always fast, strong, and safe. I bet if I took my team to an Olympic lifting contest (Weightlifting contest) we would have done very well. With my teams, I emphasised strength so we could transition it into power.

Two of the primary lifts I use have always been lunges and step ups. I have since added a lot of single leg squats. I believe these lifts challenge more components of athleticism then only focusing on traditional squats. Please don't get me wrong. I love traditional squats and use them- just not as much as single leg exercises. I have seen my athletes learn a ton about how to move their bodies doing single leg squats, lunges, and step ups. I watch them begin to understand how to adjust their center of mass to execute the lift properly and with more power. I have seen unstable weak athletes get stable and strong performing step ups and single leg squats. I have seen knees that use to collapse no longer do so. I watched feet hold their arch while the athlete performs intense single leg lifts. In my personal observations athletes learn so much from these exercises and it translates into what they will do on the field, court, and track.

Not only do I use single leg exercises for strength training I also use them often for warm ups and activation. I love leaps, hops, and balance exercises on one leg. As I wrote earlier the athlete is required to focus and learn how to balance and correct poor positioning when on a single leg. Let me share with you some routines I typically use...

Warm up:
1. Single leg stance with multi-directional reaches with free leg. Great exercise to increase hip stability and strength. The feet and ankles must do a ton of proprioceptive work. I will typically do 2 sets for 20-30 seconds on each leg.

2. Lateral leap and hold. The athlete will leap 18-24 inches and stick the landing for 2 seconds. Because we are leaping laterally the athlete only has the width of his or her foot rather than the entire length to use as a balancing tool. This really challenges the hips (and their control of the knee), and the feet and ankles. Not to mention the adductors and core. I will typically perform 6-8 in each direction for one set- then perform lateral leaps again but add a single leg squat to each landing.

Power:
1. Power skip to lunge holds- The athlete will perform a power skip and upon landing on the hop leg step out into a lunge and hold the low position for 1-2 seconds. The athlete will then power up out of this low lunge stance into the next power skip. I am looking for great upper and lower body posture. The athlete learns to decelerate the body correctly. I will have them perform 5 reps on each side for 1-2 sets.

2. Bench blasts- On a 12 inch box the athlete will perform a power step up. This means he or she will leave the ground explosively pushing off the top leg (the leg on the box). Because this exercise is quick and there is little time to see poor movements I try to focus on body position through out the jump (correct jumping). The athlete learns to keep the knee in alignment with the feet and the hip from kicking out. 5-8 reps per leg and 2-3 sets.

3. Ice skaters- The athlete will leap explosively from the right leg jumping to the left and land on the left leg. They will land in a single leg squat position with the right arm/hand reaching across the body to create a pre-stretch on the cross posterior chain. Then explode back to the right side. Great hip power and stabilizing exercise. 5 reps in each direction for 2-3 sets.

Strength:
1. Lunge- I love lunging in all directions. These are both great strengtheners and super for balance training. I generally perform 2-4 sets for 5-8 reps per leg.

2. Step ups- This exercise has always been a favorite of mine. When athlete have a difficult time keeping the feet from pronating I will get the doing step ups with a little feedback to keep the arch up. Great exercise for overall leg and hip strength and for controlling the positioning of the hips. 5-6 reps per leg for 2-4 sets.

These are some of my favorite exercise for single leg work. I DO NOT PERFORM ALL OF THE ABOVE IN ONE WORKOUT. As I wrote in the opening, I do what is needed. If single leg work is too advanced I will gradually bring them into it.

Have fun with single leg exercises and stay focused on technique and stability.

Yours in Speed,

Lee

PS: For a great DVD about fundamental strength training exercises including single leg work in "Strength Through Movement Patterns", go to http://www.sportspeedetc.com/stmp.shtml and check it out.

Final Game. What Now?

The Final Game!

The season for the 5th and 6th grade girls basketball program is over after tonight's game. It has been a learning experience for all involved. The girls learned a lot and so did the coaches. We all had to make adjustments as the season went on. Keep in mind, we are working with first and second year players who have had little if any experience playing. The goal is to keep building a foundation that will serve these girls well as they grow up through the program. Now that it is almost over what comes next?

Many of the girls will join softball programs and some are playing in a local travel volleyball league. What about the girls that are not involved in a sport or activity? This is where the schools can be actively involved with programming for kids not in a sport.

Let me introduce the Mini-Camp

The mini camp is a program that can be used in so many ways to keep kids active and involved. You as the coach can run a mini camp for just about any sport or activity you desire. Let me share some examples:

SAQ Mini-Camp

The SAQ mini-camp is designed to teach kids how to move and become a better athlete. They will develop hand eye coordination, agility and balance, and even strength and power. If organized correctly these mini camps can be a great program to keep kids active but also improve their ability to move.

Sport Specific Mini-Camp

You can run a 1-4 week mini-camp dedicated to one sport. These are fairly common, but if you design it correctly, then it can become a great after school program to keep kids learning and having fun for 1-2 hours 3 days per week. The key is to make sure their a good balance of skill learning, organized game play, and free play. This will surely be a home run with your kids.

Skill Specific Mini-Camp

You could offer periodic 1-2 week mini-camps dedicated to improving a particular skill for a sport. Maybe a passing camp for volleyball, a dribbling camp for basketball or soccer, a throwing camp for baseball, softball and football...the key to the success of these camps once again is to have teaching time, organized practice and game time, and free play.

Game Mini-Camp

A great mini-camp to run is an ultimate frisbee or football camp. I have played this with tennis balls as well. What is so great about the ultimate games is it teaches kids how to play a team game. There is no running with the ball or frisbee so they have to learn to pass and move to get open. This program should be organized with teams and specific rules. The kids will get great physical activity and learn how to throw, catch, and strategies. Fun!

OK, now it is up to you to organize mini-camps at your school or park. These are a great way to keep kids active after a season, especially if they are not involved in other sports.

Yours in Speed,

Lee

PS: If you are looking for fun training tools to use at your mini-camp, go to http://www.sportsspeedetc.com/equipment.shtml and check our great equipment.

Final

Great Event!

Hey!

Let me tell you about a Great Event I just spoke at. This past weekend was the inaugural IYCA Summit in Louisville, KY. Although I was only able to attend for Friday due to coaching responsibilities (more on this later) it was a fantastic atmoshere.

I had the opportunity to meet some fantastic people. One of my favorite experiences at these seminars is when I get to meet the attendees and talk shop. There are so many fantastic coaches out there that are working their tails off to make a difference and I was proud to met several of them this weekend.

Brian Grasso, Nick Berry, Pat Rigsby and the rest of the IYCA staff put on a first class event. It is only going to grow from here on out.

The message of proper youth training is getting out in a big way but there is still much work to do. It is up to all of us to start educating parents, athletes, coaching, and trainers on proper training and coaching methods. It is a big job but little by little the impact will be felt.

Big Basketball Weekend

I left the IYCA Summit Friday night so I could be home and ready for my daughters basketball games. As much I loved the Summit nothing beats being with you kids on their big days. Jae, my oldest, had a game at 10am and Bailee, my 9 year old, had her first game at 2pm. Both teams did so well. I was so proud of my girls and all the girls. They played their hearts out.

Bailee and her team had their first game of the year. The girls were so excited and they couldn't wait. I think they were just as excited to put the uniforms on and ride the bus as a team- this is what makes young kids so special.

The girls played a team that has played much more basketball- they were more talented. But that was ok. Our girls went out and competed hard. I have a feeling from here on out these girls are going to keep getting better and better.

How Can We Improve These Girls In Sports

Hands down, my answer will always be; Improve them as athletes.

If they want to be a good tennis player, basketball. softball player, or track athlete- they have to become more coordinated, stronger, quicker, and more body control. This foundation of athleticism will allow the skills needed for the sport to be more effective.

Regardless of the sport the beginning of each practice should involve athletic movements; skipping, shuffling, retreating, jumping/landing techniques, first step quickness in all directions, and balance and agility training. This will set the girls up for a good practice.

What is important to understand is the exercises you do now will be like putting money in the bank for later. These skills will become more important as the athletes get older. They will help them through difficult times of development.

Don't mis-understand me...You need to practice the sports skills often. This is what will make you a better player as you grow in the sport. NO skills, No play! The key is to make the skills learned be more beneficial due to athletic ability.

So what ever you do, spend time making the younger girls better athletes so they can improve their overall game.

Yours in Speed,

Lee

PS: During the IYCA I had so many people comment on how they enjoyed Ground Breaking 2. This is a 6 video set that is like having a complete program and system of training. If you want to check this out go to www.GroundBreaking2.com to see what it all about.

Not Much Time? Try This Workout

Because I know how busy you are, you will appreciate the workout below. This workout is great for adults with busy schedules and athletes with limited time in the weight room. All you need is a DB, Swim Trainer (go to http://www.sportsspeedetc.com/swimtrainers.shtml), and a Swiss ball.

I do this workout often when I don't have much time or don't feel like working with my usual routine. Check it out.

1. A complete warm up
-foam rolling
-corrective stretch
-activation
-dynamic movements

2. The routine: I perform this routine in a circuit format with 30 seconds between exercises. I do not take a break between circuits.

a. Walking lunge and one arm press- I will walk for 10 steps (5 each leg) while pressing the db overhead on the up phase of the lunge. After 10 steps I switch arms and repeat the 10 lunges while pressing with the opposite arm. Always maintain great posture.

b. One Arm Tubing row- I attach the Swim Trainer http://www.sportsspeedetc.com/swimtrainers.shtml to the squat rack and perform 8 rows on the right and then 8 on the left arm. I will do the first set with a parallel stance, the next set with a staggered stance, and the last set with a parallel stance.

c. Swiss ball push up- You can do regular push ups if you don't have a Swiss ball. I will do the first set with my both feet on a box, the second with one foot off the on the box and the other in the air, and the final set with the other foot in the air.

This workout allows me to train the entire body, especially my core, in a short time period. My primary goal with this type of workout is to get a decent strength workout but more importantly push my endurance. If I want more strength, I would obviously give more rest and keep my reps lower with higher intensity, but because this is a time saving workout to challenge my endurance it is perfect.

Give it a try and let me know what you think.

Yours in Speed,
Lee

PS: If you are looking for some simple great training equipment go to http://www.sportsspeedetc.com/ and check out the store.

A Fun Tournament!

I apologize for the late blog post. Normally I try to post on Saturday but our 5th and 6th grade girls and boys hosted a four team tournament yesterday. It was an all day event and a blast to be a part of!

Our teams didn't do as well as hoped, but all the games were played hard and the crowed support was fantastic. Several of the games came down to the wire with a final shot winning in the closing seconds winning the game.

Many of you may not have any connection to youth basketball but I encourage you to become involved or at least watch these kids play. You could catch a game at your local YMCA, Boys and Girls Clubs, or any elementary school. These young athletes really compete hard and do their best. It is a pleasure to watch them become better as the season goes on. It is much easier to see the consistent improvement at this level because it is all so new to them and every day they develop new skills.

My Saturday (even though it's Sunday) Tip:

Become involved with the young players and teach the following fundamentals:

1. One and two ball dribbling- Obviously if the players can't dribble one ball you can't introduce two ball dribbling yet. But as soon as they can handle one, then get two in their hands. This will improve their weak hand quickly and give them great control overall.
2. Passing to a moving target- Just like dribbling, you have to start with the basic partner stationary passing. But, have the players hitting a moving target asap because this will teach them touch and how to lead a pass.
3. Shooting off the dribble and the catch- After the players learn the fundamentals of shooting you will need to have them to shoot off the dribble. In the game, they have to learn to shoot quickly when open. Same goes for off the catch. They need to learn to get the ball into the shooting pocket quickly and release.
4. Defending on and off the ball- It isn't too difficult to get the players to learn how to stay in front of a defender but it is difficult to get them to understand playing off the ball defense. They have to learn how to play one, two and Three passes away. They need to learn help defense and how to see man and ball- this is a big one at the youth level.
5. How to Pivot in triple threat position- This is also a big one. How many times do you see young kids put the ball behind their heads of try to protect the ball by not move their body? You must teach them to stay athletic and pivot to protect the ball. They will be able to buy time to get passes to open defenders just by using the pivot.

Finally, you want to teach boxing out and rebounding, but this is tough to teach young kids. They will pick it up it as they become older but because it isn't a natural thing to do they struggle with it. Heck, college and professional players struggle with this.

Have fun and help they young players develop.

Yours in Speed,

Lee

PS: Take a FREE ride on the Speed Insiders train. Go to http://www.speedinsiders.com/ and sign up now. You are going to love the New Source4Speed Newsletter!

Take A Deep Breath Lee! OK, I'm Back

I must have blacked out for a couple days. I got so worked up over the poor state of our nutrition in this country that it caused me to see stars and become dizzy.

If you read my last blog, then you realized I was very upset. Believe me, this wasn't the first time and it certainly won't be the last. I just had my fill of watching kids destroy their bodies with JUNK, GARBAGE, POISON, and I wonder why no one else sees this as bad. I know this story will continue for years and years...

Today I am writing about KNEE DRIVE. Wow! What a change of direction. One minute it's junk food and the next it's knee drive??? Welcome to the mind of the "Speed Guy".

Acceleration and Knee Drive

In a training session the other day, I had thee athletes all working on short burst acceleration. The goal was to get up to speed as quickly as possible in as short a distance as possible. Because I am currently training out of my home facility the distance is real short- but it works great.

My goal with these three young athletes was to have them drive out with their knee in order to cover more distance while making sure the step was not over-reaching/over-striding. When the lead knee drives aggressively and the upper body is in a forward lean (from the ankle through the head is straight) the force of the knee drive causes a more powerful push off from the back leg (this is the law of action reaction). And, if the arm drive is aggressive, tight, and long, then action reaction forces help once again. My goal is to eliminate an athlete from taking short choppy steps for acceleration and replace them with big powerful driving steps. Here is how I progressed these athletes in the workout:

1. Wall Runs- the first thing I had to do is make sure the athletes understood body lean and how to drive the knee forward and punch it down and back during the drive phase. I used the good old numbered wall runs. Here the athlete gets in a forward lean with the arms straight out from shoulder level. The head is neutral and eyes focused between hands. The right leg is up at 90 degrees but not parallel (being parallel would mean the knee is higher than 90 degrees and this can hurt the support leg/hip extension ability). The ankle should be dorsi-flexed. When I say "One", the athlete snaps down and back with the lead leg and fires the opposite knee up and holds. I do not want posture form head to toe to break. I will call out a series of numbers- "One", "Two", "Two", One", "Three", and so on. The athlete will switch the legs that many times. I don't have them perform the drill for too many second because I don't want poor form to creep in. Great drill to get them focused on posture, knee drive, punch down and back, and aggressiveness.

2. We then moved to light tubing resisted short accelerations. I had the athletes start in a staggered stance. On "go" they accelerated hard for 4-5 steps. I want aggressive arm swing, knee drive out, punch down and back, and great acceleration posture. The tubing resisted was used to slow them down at the end and to add a stimulus at the start to get them to drive and lean. It is important to remember that the lean is a by-product of how hard and fast you accelerate. The lean can't come first. They performed approximately 5 reps of this routine with a lot of coaching to clean up bad habits.

3. Then I moved them into 1/2 kneeling starts. This drill brings in the element of strength and power of the hips to get up and out of the 1/2 kneeling position. The athlete must also learn to drive down and back hard to get into a positive lean without breaking at the waist and dropping the head. This is the tendency at first. Once the athletes learned to be super aggressive with the push off (arm drive was aggressive), keep the head neutral and eyes looking forward, they were able to drive themselves through the start. This is a great strength builder for young athletes. We perform 4 starts on each leg for 3-5 hard steps.

By the time we finished this last exercise the athletes had a pretty good understanding how to drive out and punch down and back while maintaining posture.

One of the three athletes likes to take short little choppy steps when accelerating and it hurts his initial speed. He now is understanding what he needs to do. It will simply take time to re-program the computer (his brain) to develop a new motor pathway so it becomes normal for him to drive his knees more. Plus, he needs more strength and this will come as he gets develops.

Give these three exercises a try and see if you can get more extension with the driving leg down and back into the ground. This can only occur if the lead knee is aggressive and gets out in front. Don't ever let the athlete over-stride and land on the heels. Let me know what you think.

Yours in Speed,

Lee

PS: I recently filmed a short video that outlines the importance of aggressive leg and knee drive in a lateral drill. This movement is SO MIS-UNDERSTOOD. You really should learn how to teach it properly to make your athletes faster. To access this video and many others, go to http://www.speedinsiders.com/ for a FREE test drive.

Are Steroids Really The Problem???

This blog post in not the first time I have GONE OFF on this topic and it probably won't be the last. But it is bugging the crap out of me and I believe it is my responsibility to write about it as often as I can.

Unless you are living under a rock, you are aware of the latest MLB steroid user. A-Rod has come out after being noted as a performance enhancing drug user by his own union. He is one of many high profiled players named in this on going scandal.

LET ME FIRST STATE THAT I AM 100% AGAINST THE USE OF ILLEGAL DRUGS OF ANY KIND TO ENHANCE PERFORMANCE. ESPECIALLY WHEN THEY HAVE BEEN PROVEN TO CAUSE HARM TO THE HUMAN BODY! IN NO WAY AM I DIMINISHING THE IMPORTANCE OF NOT USING THESE DRUGS WITH WHAT I AM ABOUT TO WRITE.

The steroid issue is not the problem we should be focusing on in this country regarding what goes in our bodies. It is plane and simple. OUR CONCERN NEEDS TO BE WITH THE JUNK FOODS WE ARE INGESTING. Those are the true killers of our mental and physical health. I ask you to go ahead and google some of the ingredients found in the candy, soda, ice cream and chips eaten daily in this country. Most of the chemicals in the junk foods are toxic at higher levels, yet we feel it is OK to eat them in our foods. Many of the dyes can cause neurological issues among other things.

OK, lets not even go as far as all the toxic chemicals in the junk foods. Lets simply look at the amounts of sugar. This one nutrient alone is taxing our bodies ability to deal with it. Sugar alone is responsible for many of the diseases our kids and adults suffer from today. High blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, mental focus issues, rotten teeth, and the list goes on. Now add in the toxic chemicals I mentioned above and you have a recipe for sick and un-focused people.

Come on people. It is right in front of us. You want to know how powerful marketing is? Right now go ahead and look in your cabinets and that will tell you how powerful it is. Food companies convince you that if you buy the color coded cereal and the phosphoric acid laced soda you will be HAPPY. What a bunch of crap! I want to know why these companies are not being held responsible for the declining health of our children and adults (well, I actually know why-$$$).

I want to know how many people were watching the A-rod steroid case on ESPN while drinking a soda and eating junk food? Think about it. We are consumed with what the media makes important rather than looking under our nose (literally) and seeing what is going into our bodies. Come on!

I had to laugh when Kellogg's dropped Michael Phelps for smoking marijuana. It was WRONG what he did and he should be punished. But, Kelloggs is the same company that keeps kids addicted to sugary cereals and causes the decline of health from an early age. Give me a break! When they start coming out with more healthier foods then maybe I will take them seriously.

I may be jumping from one spot to the next with this post but I am really frustrated and tired of all the obvious mistakes we are making with our health choices. We have physical education going down the tubes in many schools because the lack of professionalism by our teachers. We have video games re-directing our kids natural urges to play with sitting on a couch and playing these games. We have food that isn't fit to be eaten in many countries yet being devoured in ours. We have such a high increase in childhood diabetes, obesity, attention issues, cancers, and many other diseases but we keep trying to come up with more drugs to cover up the symptoms. How about treating the problem?

I have been deeply touched by what cancer can do. My mother passed from this horrible disease when she was 77 years old. I have a hard time supporting cancer fundraising when the real issue is to support healthy eating and lifestyle. Cancer is rising because our food choices are getting worse. I KNOW THERE ARE CASES WHERE KIDS GET CANCER DUE TO NO FAULT OF NUTRITION- IT IS JUST AN UNFORTUNATE SITUATION. My heart goes out to these kids and the families. We do need cures for these types of cancer.

Yesterday, I watched kids at a basketball game absolutely gorge themselves with sugar sticks, ice cream and ring pops, then wash it down with a soda. My blood pressure was rising by the second. To be honest with you, I blame the school for having this CRAP available. Parents should tell them "NO", but many parents are not there at the time. If it isn't available, then they can't eat it.

This is another big issue I have. Our schools are failing to properly educate our kids about nutrition simply by having vending machines with soda and junk food available. IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE SCHOOLS TO SET AN EXAMPLE!

Three years ago I was a member of a wellness committee at the school my kids attend. The high school principle and the former athletic director were also on this committee. I argued with them about getting rid of the junk food and soda vending because it is an opportunity to say "KIDS, YOU ARE NOT GOING TO HAVE JUNK FOOD AND SODA DURING OUR WATCH". What the kids and parents decide outside of school is up to them. You know what the athletic director and the principle said, "WE MAKE MONEY OFF THESE MACHINES". That one statement told me where the priorities are and it isn't with the kids.

All I know is I can't change things by myself. It takes a huge effort by a lot of people. Parents, schools, and kids have to be willing to make the change. I have been called crazy for even attempting to fight this battle. But to me, our health is the most important thing we have. If I am crazy for fighting for it then I proudly accept that title.

Lee

Saturday Weekly Blog Tip- Mobilize To Dominate

Sorry about not getting my blog out on Thursday. It was one of those days where I had to let something give and the blog took the dive for me.

Mobilize To Dominate:

Are you the type of coach or athlete that uses the first part of a game to get loose and work your way into the game??? BIG MISTAKE! Not only are you risking injury you could get blown out in the first part period and never catch up. Let me share with you a great way to get in the groove immediately...

Mobility Exercises to get the hips, knees, ankles, back, shoulders, and BRAIN, ready for action.

Part of the problem with the slow start to games is lack of mobility of the muscles and joints but also the nervous system. You want to perform exercises (I will share some below) that force the joints and muscles to move through a full range in a fluid manner. As you get the body more "lubricated" due to all the movement the nervous system starts to get moving and become more active. Not only that, the blood gets flowing and the entire set of systems become ready to participate and give their all. So don't take the warm up and mobility session lightly.

Exercises for Mobility (you still have to do the foam rolling, corrective stretching, and dynamic runs but I am only focusing on mobility for now):

1. Start with Ankle mobility- Keep you heel down and rock your knee forward and back over the big toe. Go the full range of motion for at least 10 reps. Make sure the arch does not collapse and the knee does not travel inside the middle of the foot (stay to the outside)- 10 reps on each
2. Elbow Lunge with Hamstring Stretch- Perform a lunge with the right leg. Drop the left hand to the floor and the right elbow toward the instep of the right foot. The left leg should be straight and the back should be as flat as possible- hold for 2 seconds. Now rock back so the right leg can straighten somewhat. Keep the hands down and the back flat while stretching the hamstring. Now drop back into the lunge come into a good lunge posture and step forward to the opposite leg.- 5 on each side.
3. Bench slides- Spread the feet wide with toes facing forward (like a long snapper in football). Bend the knees slightly with hands on the ground. Keep the hips level and shift your weight side to side stretching the hips, hamstrings, adductors, shins, and back. As you get more limber begin to drop down when you get to one side so you get a greater mobility in the hips.- 5-8 each side
4. Mud walks- Begin walking backward by bringing the right leg up to 90 degrees at the hip and knee. Swing it open to the outside and step backwards. perform the same action with the left leg. Keep the upper body in good posture. Great exercise to mobilize the hips for performance. 8 on each side.
5. Elbow circles- Start with both forearms touching in front of the chest. Bring both arms up trying to keep elbows close together, circle your elbows out tot he sides trying to swing the shoulder behind the body and then return to the starting position. Basically you are making a big looping action with the arms and shoulder but keeping the elbow bent. Reverse the pattern and perform 5 going in each direction.

There you. These mobility drills will warm up the joints, muscles, get the blood flowing, fire up the nervous system and get you off to a great start.

Yours in Speed,

Lee

PS: I recently released my new Source 4 Speed Newsletter for all Speed Insiders Members. If you want to test it out for a couple months FREE- go to www.SpeedInsiders.com. Plus I would like to get your feedback.

You Want To Get In Shape? Try This...

Long slow running is the enemy to getting in really great shape for court and field sports and many other sports for that matter...

I would say the most difficult job I have is convincing parents and coaches to stop having their athletes run long slow distance (LSD) as a primary way of getting fit. It is one of those in-grained beliefs that is hard to rub out. Simply because their coach did it, and the coach before did it, and the coach before him did it and blah blah blah. Without going into the science behind it in this blog post I am just going to tell you there are better more efficient and safer ways of getting athletes in shape then LSD training.

Let's consider a couple points here; If you want to get lots stronger do you lift really light weight all the time- no you lift heavier weights. If you want to lose weight do you continue to eat and drink poor food choices, and lots of it- no you choose healthier foods. But when I have parents and coaches come to me and tell me they are frustrated with their athletes slow feet and lack of explosiveness , and in the same sentence say "I am having them run distance for 30-45 minutes 4 times a week", it makes not sense (sorry for the long run on-sentence). They are having the athletes do exactly what is slowing them down and making them less explosive.

Long slow distance running will do this:
1. Train the nervous system to recruit slow twitch muscle. It slows down how quickly a muscles will fire.
2. Reduces the ability to get much stronger due to the energy system being pre-dominantly used. The ability express higher levels of strength is being diminished.
3. In many cases it is causing overuse injuries of the feet, ankles, knees, hips, back, and neck. Not many athletes are physically designed to run long distance and endure the consistent pounding of step after step.
4. It will ingrain a running pattern that is not conducive to quick cutting, change of direction, and acceleration more commonly seen in court and field sports.

Long Slow distance running will also do this: (just to be fair)
1. Relieve mental stress by allowing a person to think and relax will out on the road
2. Burn calories (too many other ways and better ways to do this though)
3. Hmmm- that's all I've got.

Keep in mind. I am talking about athletes wanting to get in shape for their court or field sport. I don't want you to think that I am totally against an occasional run every now and again if someone wants to do it. I just personally think, unless you are a distance runner, it is a waste of time when there are too many other better options.

OK. I am going to challenge you to do the following workout for the purpose of getting in shape. You may gain some strength from this. You many increase posture, you most likely will drop some fat doing this workout but I promise you this....YOU WILL GET IN SHAPE! You will feel like you just sprinted a 200 meter race- several times.

Here is goes:

Warm Up:
1.Do roughly 5 minutes of foam rolling to prepare the muscles
2. Stretch what needs to be stretch on you. Not along stretching session, just stretch what's needed.

3. Activation:
-Glute bridge- 1 x 10 reps
-Hip flexor holds- laying on your back with the hip bent past 90 push drive you knee into your hands and hold the position for 3 seconds. do 3 sets on each leg.
-Side lying leg raise- 1x10 reps on each side. Keep belly forward and toe pointing down toward bottom foot. don't let the toe turn up.

4. Dynamic Movement Preparation
-Reverse lunge hold with arms overhead. Bend slightly to the side away from the back leg- 3 reps on each side
-Side lunge walk- perform 5 reps to the right and left
-Inch work walks- from a push up position walk your feet in toward the hands without bending the knees, then walk the hands away. perform 5 reps
-1 leg RDL body weight- stand on one leg with the knee slightly bent. Bend forward keeping the back flat and by raising the free leg straight out and up- squeeze the glutes. 5 reps on each.
-Skips- skip for 20 yards up and back or skip for 10 seconds
-Jumping jacks- 20 reps
-Lateral shuffles- 10 yards up and back or 10 seconds
-Heel toe walking- 20 yards up and back or 20 seconds

5. The workout: Perform the two circuits 3 times through. There is no rest between exercises. You do get 90 seconds between circuits (one you have done all 3 exercises it counts as one set- you then get 90 seconds)

Go through 3 times
1a. Front lunge with DB's- 8 reps on each leg
1b. Push up walks- 8 reps (perform one push up and then take 4 steps forward- perform second push up and repeat)
1c. Dumbbell row or tubing row- 8 reps on each
rest 90 seconds and repeat

rest 90 seconds and begin second new circuit below:

2a. Side squat walk- Hold one db at chest height. squat down to nearly parallel. Walk 8 steps to the right slowly and 8 steps to the left slowly- stay in squat the entire time.
2b. pull ups or pull downs- I prefer pull ups if you can do them- 8 reps
2c. Alternate shoulder press- 8 reps each side
rest 90 second and repeat

rest for 2 minutes and finish with the cardio routine below:

do this in circuit format as well

3a. Lunge cycle jumps- start in a lunge position- jump up and switch the other foot forward. repeat for 20 reps
3b. Forward and backward runs for 30 seconds
3c. Medicine ball quick rotations. hold the m-ball out in front of the chest with both hands roughly 12 inches away from body. Keep feet panted firmly and rotate the ball quickly from the right to the left (only go about 1/4 rotations). Perform for 20 seconds.
repeat this routine 1-3 times total.

Now, after you have completed this routine you tell me if you had your cardio system challenged???

This is one of the many ways to get in shape and never pound the pavement with long slow distance running. Plus you get so many other benefits.

let me know your thoughts.

Yours in Speed,

Lee

Saturday Weekly Tip- Shoulder Strength For Speed

Good Morning!

Hey, it is certainly basketball season but you have to be excited to watch the Superbowl. It should be a great game. Enjoy the game and don't eat too much during the game!

Weekly Tip- Shoulder Strength For Speed

We are such a push happy fitness society and don't do enough pulling. Pulling strengthens the upper back/shoulder region of the body and this helps speed. How?

When the athlete can pull the shoulders back and lock in the upper back the lower back can arch which allows the hips to get into a better position for the athletic stance. Try this; round your shoulder forward in bad posture. Now try to arch your low back as if you were getting into a good athletic stance. You can't do it.

What does this mean? When the shoulders are pulled back and the athlete is able to "Lock In" to a great stance. the rest of the body can get tight and be ready to explode in any direction. So once again- when the shoulders can pull back and allow the upper back to get tight the lower back can get in a good position which allow the pelvis to rotate and put stretch on the glutes and hamstrings. This in turn put the legs and the lower legs on a stretch and the athlete is loaded and ready to fire out.

Coaching point. When you see an athlete moving sluggishly and not changing directions well check out his or her posture. If the posture from the top down is poor start by getting the shoulder pulled back slightly. Don't exaggerate the shoulder being pulled back- just enough to lock in the posture.

Have the athlete practice these 3 things with great posture and see if it helps:
1. Lateral shuffles
2. Crossovers
3. Athletic stance to turn an run- like a baseball player stealing

Watch to see if the athlete can maintain great posture.

Keep in mind there are going to be plenty of times when the athlete will break posture to make a play in the sport. Volleyball players will round the back "cat back" to perform a pass in volleyball, fielding a ball requires the player to round in order to get the hands in front of the body more... The bottom line is start with good posture and make necessary adjustments.

Let me know if you have questions on this topic

Yours in Speed,

Lee

PS: The Speed Insiders Newsletter is a big hit. Check out www.SpeedInsiders.com so you can test drive the program and receive the NEW Source 4 Speed newsletter.

Assess or Guess

Family Update

Well Brennen is officially 1 year old. The next thing you know he will be asking to take the to the movies- well maybe not too soon. Guess what one of his first gifts from us was??? No, it had nothing to do with academic developmental learning...IT WAS A TODDLERS BASKETBALL AND HOOP- Yeah!!! Actually, I use it more than he does:).

My oldest dughter, Jae, has had 4 games cancelled this year so far due to snow days. Bailee has had practices canceled as well. I am so sick and tired of the snow and cold. I have asked before, but if you or someone you know lives in a warm climate and has a spare bedroom, I am looking to get away (I will accept Hawaii, Bahamas, Miami, Arizona for starters).

That's pretty much it for now for Team Taft.

Assess or Guess

I have spoken and written on the topic of assessment/evaluations before. Not only is it important for you to do each time you first meet a new athlete or team, it is also important you assess each workout. The athlete will bring something new to the table each time you workout. Sometimes they are sore (and didn't tell you), tired, or injured themselves slightly. These issues will show up during the workout. You have to be prepared to assess what is going on.

Let me give you an example of why assessing is so important. The other night I had a new athlete start training with me. I asked him to touch his toes from a standing straight leg position, a simple basic toe touch stretch. He was able to touch the floor with most of his hand. Then I started to take him through the Functional Movement Screen (FMS). When he got to the supine straight leg raise his left leg was pretty good- it received a 3. Which is the best score, but the leg didn't move as easily as I would have thought considering how easy he touched the floor on the standing toe touch. Then I asked him to raise his right leg. It was only a two. Even he was surprised on the difficulty he had in raising the leg. We talked about how the hamstring might actually not be tighter but the abdominals might not be stabilizing his pelvis not allowing him to raise his leg correctly. Sure enough, I had him perform a core activation exercise and his left leg shot up about 6 inches more. TO MAKE A LONG STORY SHORT.... Because I took the time to assess him I was able to find an issue that will be easy to rectify. Had I not assessed, then the lack of stabilization of the pelvis due to uncoordinated abdominals would have most likely shown up in poor stability during running or cutting- which it actually did when I did leaps and hops as an assessment.

The point is, It doesn't matter how in-depth you get on your assessments, just know what you want to assess and what you are looking for. In my assessments I need to find out any potential reasons an athlete might not move as well, have the potential for injury, and why their posture is not where it should be according to the movement pattern. You might just be assessing how fast your team is or how strong an individual is. The bottom line is if you don't assess or at least have someone that knows how to assess come in and do it for you you are GUESSING.

My advice would be for you to learn how to perform the FMS. It is simple to administer and the results will save you a lot of work. You will be able to have better moving athletes from the get go.

Best of luck and keep assessing.

Yours in Speed,

Lee

PS: I recently had a woman tell me she never paid a lot of attention to the separate sheets of paper that come in the monthly packet for the Speed Insiders, but then she saw the first edition of the new Speed Insiders Newsletter- "The Speed Source". She loved it. Don't miss out on your opportunity to get your hands on The Speed Source Newsletter in your mail each month. Go to http://www.speedinsiders.com/ and get 2 months FREE!

Great Leadership!

Recently I sent out a survey asking you many questions about business, training, my service, what you want to learn, how you like information delivered, etc. The response was outstanding.

What I appreciated most was the honesty everyone shared with me. No one likes to be told they are wrong or are not doing a good job but it is important to hear. I had some responses that were good for me to hear. It allowed me to see my business through someone else's eyes.

I was humbled by many of the positive responses. The thing I am most proud of, and I know my wife Jenn is as well, is the positive comments we received about Sports Speed, Etc's customer service. My wife and I as well as our staff pride ourselves on working hard in this area. The only reason we are in business is because of people like you. Thank you!

More Feedback

We need your help once again. We are completeing another survey to find out some important information about a possible certification and a seminar series.

Woule you be interested in a Sports Speed, Etc./Lee Taft System certification on multi-directional speed and coaching techniques. I have been asked for many years to offer a certification. I have held off because I thought there were too many certifications the way it is. But I also know the value of having a certification to expand your resume, increase your salary, improve your insurance, and add credibility to your work. So, please let me know if this type pf certification would be of value to you.

Secondly, I am organizing several one or two day seminars this year around the country. If you would be interested in a sports specific or area focused seminar in your area please let us know. If you would like to be a host and have your facility marketed during a campaign to drive people to the seminar please let us know this as well.

To receive the expanded version of the survey, go to http://www.sportsspeedetc.com/ and sign up for the SSE Training Journal. It will be sent out tomorrow. Thank you for you support.

Great Leadership!

Last night I had the privilege of speaking to one of the most powerful volleyball clubs in the nation, Munciana. Munciana's organization is located in Munice, Indiana. The director of the program is Mike Lingenfelter.

Munciana has roughly 60 coaches and 350 athletes in the program. Many of their individual players are among the highest ranked players in the country. It is basically a program that builds great players and teams... The right way!

What impressed me the most was all the coaches were so attentive and eager to learn. I basically held the clinic in a big hallway at a school. My oldest daughter and two high level players from Munciana demonstrate for me. They were awesome! The coaches were focused and wanted to get better. It is not mistake that the best programs keep learning more than the lesser programs.

Mike is not only an accomplished volleyball coach, but he is an physical educator and an athletic development coach. He really knows his stuff and he passes his information on to his coaches. It is all about improving the program and the players within.

I can't say enough about what Mike has cultivated in the Munciana programs. He pushes education, focus, attention to detail, and setting up a situations where his and his coaches players can have success.

Leadership is one of the most important qualities a head coach, director of programs, and a team captain should posses. Athletes and coaches will fall in line and perform for someone who is leading them in the right direction. If a coach truly show he cares about the program and wants success throughout, then everyone else will usually follow.

Best of luck leading your athletes, coaches, and programs!

Yours in Speed,

Lee

PS: We have received many positive comments about the new Speed Insiders Newsletter. Members love the in-depth articles and tips throughout the multi-page newsletter. It is definitely a keepsake. Go to http://www.speedinsiders.com/ and receive your monthly newsletter, plus the additional benefits...Best of all you can try it out for 2 months FREE.

Starting Em Now...

Hey,

Don't have much time because I have to run to get to school for 1st and 2nd grade practice. This is the first day.

Basically what we are trying to do is teach the young boys and girls (it is a mixed group of boys and girls) how to move (skip, run, shuffle, bend, squat, jump, land...) and then introduce them to basic skill of basketball. They will learn how to catch, pass, dribble, move with and with out the ball, and so many more fun fundamentals.

Here is the Saturday Tip of the week: Catching Under Control

Purpose: To teach the players to catch the ball while moving and immediately jump stop and pivot.

Drill: Chase and catch- The first player will start in an athletic stance next to the coach. The coach will toss the ball out in front of the player far enough where the player must really hustle to catch it off one bounce. Once the player catches the ball they must jump stop and pivot back to the line and dribble the ball back to the coach. The next player is ready to go as soon as the first player begins dribbling back.

Drill 2- Approach and catch- This time the line of players is formed away from the coach and the coach will pass the ball toward the player. The ball will be tossed short so the player must hustle to get to it. Once the ball is caught after one bounce a jump stop should occur. The player then performs a pass back to the coach and them runs back in line.

Perform 5 reps of each drill. This will definitely help the players learn to get under control. Great drill to use with volleyball as well (I learned it from a volleyball coach).

When performing this exercise with baseball, softball, football, or tennis athletes you have them attempt to catch the ball in the air (no bounce allowed) and then get under control with their feet.

Have fun playing with this drill and coming up with many variations.

Yours in Speed,

Lee

Understanding What Is Appropriate And What Is Not

Family Update:

The family is doing well, although a cold as spread first to Brennen, then to Jenn and now the girls. They are all coughing and sneezing. I have been pretty fortunate over the years. I rarely get sick and if I do it is only a slight cold or something that is gone quickly. I think it is because I had every sickness known to man when I was little that God is giving me a break:) .

Sunday we are having an birthday celebration for Brennen's 1st B-day. The girls wanted to invite some friends over so they can take part in this BIG event (can you imagine when he turns 2- we'll be bringing out the fireworks). It should be a fun day and I know we will all enjoy his big day.

Understanding What Is Appropriate...

There is such a need for quality training and fitness information to hit the mainstream and it needs to happen quickly.

The other day I watched a club volleyball team perform "Big" box jumps. The boxes were easily 24-26 inches high. The girls are only 7th-8th graders and not very athletic at this stage. By no means am I mentioning this to disrespect the coach or the girls but attention needs to be paid to poor training techniques and strategies to make sure change occurs. These girls had to jump onto the boxes (which none of them could get high enough to perform properly), then they had to jump off (this was even worse because none of them landed properly). The coach then had them perform single leg step up jumps (I call them bench blasts). Now think about this folks... the boxes were easily 24-26 inches high. Most of the girls were 5'5" and under.... so this means when they put their foot on the box they were well over 90 degree at the hip. They couldn't even perform a normal step up let alone explode. Imagine the compressive forces in the hip and low back, not to mention the landing on one leg. WE NEED CHANGE FAST!

Once again I am not picking on this coach or team, but it was a perfect example of what not to do and it needs to stop or we will continue to have injured athletes due to poor training. It was my obligation as a specialist in training to say something to the coach. So, I told her my background and that I would be willing to come in and teach the girls how to jump and land as well as move correctly. I also mentioned I was concerned about the drills she was having the girls perform and how they could lead to possible injury. She was open and willing to have me come in. I thought that was awesome. Many times when I have offered to help coaches who badly needed help they refused and became irritated that I would even ask to help.

We need to understand what is appropriate if we are going to train athletes. In order for this to occur in the mainstream coaching community the professionals who understand need to speak up and share more information. The more you share the more coaches will realize they need your assistance. This will not only help you as a professional, but it will begin to help hundreds and possibly thousands of athletes as it trickles down over the years. Change doesn't occur by itself. It takes persistent action by dedicated professionals.

The best course of action is to create simple templates of how to perform basic exercises (strength, speed and agility, and flexibility to start with). Exercises should be broken down into the most fundamental patterns so it is easy for all coaches to understand and teach to their athletes. As the coaches becomes more comfortable with the fundamentals they can learn how to advance to the next level. HERE IS THE MOST IMPORTANT FACT: We, as professionals, must make coaches understand by starting with the fundamental patterns and doing them correctly it will bring the athletes to a higher level of performance then if they use more advance skills the athletes are not ready for. Coaches have to know why we do it this way.

Our goal is for all athletes to perform at their highest potential and to be safe in the process. So, we must start with the basics and bring them along at the appropriate pace.

Let me know your thoughts....

Yours in Speed,

Lee

PS: Hey, Speed Insiders! I can't wait until you receive your new Speed Insiders Newsletter this month. It is really sharp and full of info. If you are not a Speed Insider then quickly go to http://www.speedinsider.com/ and try out my Speed Insiders program for 2 months completely FREE!

PPS: 2009 means some new positive changes for the Speed Insiders program- the awesome newsletter is one of the changes and more changes are on the way. You are going to love them!

What A Difference Fundamentals Make

Last night our girls 5th grade team had a game against a 6th grade B team (the lower level 6th graders). It is the 3rd game the girls played (they have had 2 cancelled due to weather) in 2 months of practice. From day one we have stressed fundamentals like dribbling, passing, catching the ball, moving defensively, hitting the open person. For 5th graders, many of whom never played before, the improvement is drastic. In last nights game, which ended in a 12 to 12 tie (long story why it ended in a tie) our girls looked fantastic. They are understanding how to play better each time they step on the floor.

Let me outline what a typical practice looks like so maybe you can see why each day we make it a point to make them better athletes, improve the skill level, and put them in positions to learn the game.

Touch Shooting- When the girls first get into the gym the grab their shooting charts and start on shooting 35 shots. There are 7 spots and they must shoot 5 from each. The focus in on a consistent routine with the shot. We want a good follow through and squared up body on each shot. The spots are right and left low block, middle of lane in front of hoop, short corner, short wing. All shots are close but give a different angle to shoot from. We want to have 560 shots taken by the end of the year- minimum. They record how many the made at each and try to improve each practice. Coaches walk around and help with form.

1. We always start with a good warm up of form running and dynamic movement. It will look like this:

• Skipping, backward drop step skips, 3 steps and split step, carioca, lateral shuffles
• Knee hugs, lunge reach, bench slides, hamstring reaches backward, Numbered push ups (they stay in the top push up position and tap the opposite shoulder with hand), and supine leg circuit (raise the leg up and down in all planes of movement)

2. We transition straight into agility and speed:

• Acceleration and Deceleration combination drill- the girls start in a defensive stance on the baseline and on the command sprint to the foul line extended and perform a controlled jump stop. They repeat they 3 times. Then we have the sprint again but stop using a angled stop as if doing a shuttle run. we want to see good control on stopping. Then we have them sprint out and back 3 more times. So for a total of 9 runs we accomplished a lot of learning.
• Jumping and landing- we always emphasis straight up jumping and lateral jumping with perfect landing positions. So we will give 5 controlled jumps on (each jump starts on my command for 5 reps) then we let them do 5 repeat jumps on their own. We teach if the landings are bad.

3. Fundamental Stations:

Station #1 Slalom Dribbling- we set up 8 to 10 cones the length of the floor and the girls must dribble, using various dribbles, through the cones with great control. They then perform a speed dribble back in line. We emphasize control all the time.

Station #2 Offensive moves- Here we teach the girls how to make offensive moves out of the triple threat position. Jab step, pause step, rocker step, and others. We teach the girls how to protect the ball and swing it quickly in the direction you want to dribble to beat a defender.

Station #3 Cutting and Shooting- The girls are taught how to get open using various cuts. They then are taught how to show their hands to receive a pass where they want it. Now once they catch it they can make an offensive move and shoot a layup or short shot. We always emphasize the things that will help them perform better.

Team Defensive Drill- 3 on 3 minus one- This is a great drill to teach the girls to help out and talk. We have the 3 offensive players spread out on the baseline and the 3 defensive players across the foul line matched up across the offensive players. The coach passes the ball to one of the offensive players and they take off on a fast break. The defender across from the girl who received the pass must touch the baseline and then get back in the play. The other 2 defenders must talk as to who gets the ball and who drops back. The last defender must find the open girl. Great drill for communication and getting the girls to understand the ball must be stopped first.

1 on 1, 2 on 2, 3 on 3 or 5 on 5- We do spend a lot of time doing 1 on 1 and 2 on 2 drills so the girls get use to making offensive moves. We will play 3 on 3 to get the to work together on screening and moving and passing to the open player. Then we use 5 on 5 to develop the concept of spacing and working together as a unit. They are learning so well.

Each practice we mix up the focus of the practice a little but keep pounding the fundamentals.

The game they played last night was so much fun to watch because we had girls dribble the length of the floor with a defender draped all over them and never lost control of the ball. Sticking with fundamentals and not getting caught up in how to run and offense is paying off. Because the girls can now dribble past a defender and make decent passes we can make offensive moves when needed. Fun to watch.

Even though this is a basketball practice outline I would use the same format for other team sports at this age level. The key is to get the athletes so comfortable moving as athletes- that's why we always do athletic movement skills first. Then we want their fundamentals of dribbling, passing, shooting, cutting, and others to get better every day. Little by little the game will make more sense to them and you now have a pretty good little group of athletes.

Yours in Speed,

Lee

PS: This month is the release of my new Speed Insiders Speed Source Newsletter. It is a fantastic resource and you will want to get it. Go to www.SpeedInsiders.com so you can receive it with tons more this month.

Weekly Blog Tip: The Step Up

Hope you are having a good Saturday

I must tell you, this has been one cold stretch of weather. We actually had school delays and cancellations this past week because it was so darn cold. If you live in warm weather-do you have a spare bedroom or open garage space? I might be moving in with you. I can't stand the cold any more...Brrrrrr!

Weekly Blog Tip: The Step Up

I have always been a big fan of single leg exercises. I love what they can do to increase overall strength and body awareness. The step up, along with lunging, is one of my favorites.

The step up has been performed poorly for the most part over the years though. It can be performed better. Below are two variations I like to commonly use.

The Strength Step Up:
This step up is performed by placing the right foot on the box with the heel completely on. The left foot is on the floor but only the heel is pressured into the ground. The left knee is straight and pushing off is not allowed at all with this leg. The right foot is pressured on the heel as well.

Begin by leaning the shoulders forward with a straight back. This allows you to keep your balance and not fall backward when stepping up. Plus, by leaning forward with a straight or somewhat arched back there is a stretch on the posterior chain which gives more strength to the movement. Once you lean forward press hard into the box with the right heel as you lift your body up without help from the left leg or foot. The knee of the right leg should be over the middle toes and not collapse to the inside. When nearing the top of the motion finish by squeezing the glutes and driving the hips under the body. Next, slowly lower your body under control and land on the heel of the left foot. If you lose you balance and begin to lower down quickly make sure you land on the ball of the foot and bend the knee to absorb the force (only land on the heel if in complete control).

The head and eyes should be straight forward and if you are not holding DB's or any other wt, then your arms can be out in front of the body.

Perform 4-8 reps on the right before switching to the left. Perform 2-4 sets and you will be on your way to having strong legs.

Something to look out for:

1. Don't let your hip kick out to the side when stepping up. This shows a weakness in the lateral hip muscular and needs to be corrected before steps ups continue.

2. Don't let the body rotate away from the leg you are stepping up with. This also shows a tightness in the external rotators of the hips and needs correcting.

3. Don't drop your head down because this tends to round the posture forward- the body follows the head. When rounded forward the pelvis tends to not be in a good strong position to put stretch on the posterior chain.

4. Always make sure the heel is fully on the box.

The Power Step Up:
The set up is virtually the same except the foot on the floor and leg are allowed to push off. In the power step up you will use much heavier weight. The goal is to get up onto the box and into the hip extended position quickly. It is important to have the leg on the box at a 90 degree or more angle. So the push off of the leg on the ground helps you get started but the step up leg must finish with power. When lowering it is important to control the movement and bend the supporting knee.

I have also used this exercise with advanced athletes with a higher box. The athlete was actually below parallel at the start. But with the push off of the opposite leg the athlete was able to get to or higher than parallel before the step up leg had to finish the movement on it's own. This is a great way to develop explosiveness. If the athlete starts in a parallel stance by the time the step up leg takes over they might be at a 1/4 squat. So you want to take box height into consideration.

Things to look out for:

1. Don't round the back during the push off of the foot on the floor.

2. Be sure to lock out at the top with the hip.

3. Control the body coming down- don't slam down.

4. Be sure the hip, feet, and shoulders stay facing forward.

Good luck and hope you become strong with this exercise and variation.

Yours in Speed,

Lee

PS: Join http://www.speedinsiders.com and you will be able to see exercises like the step-up and more any time you want.

Discipline Can Be Fun

I am excited to share with you the following ideas on organized fitness:

As I mentioned in my last post, I had a great experience learning from one of the most knowledgeable fitness experts in the world. What he shared with me was how fitness was performed years ago. He shared with me how the decline of fitness started with the shift going from physical fitness and movement to more sports oriented. Young people stopped learning how to move correctly, be physically fit, and posturally strong to learning how to play more organized sports. I believe both could have been accomplished and flourished simultaneously. Discipline can be fun if done correctly.

What do I mean when I say discipline can be fun? Basically what I mean is if we want to bring back the art of teaching fitness and physical education rather than simply allowing kids to explore all the time and have more of a game atmosphere, then we need to have focus on a few things. First of all we need to learn how to deal with large groups. We need to know how to get them in formation so learning can take place. There are many formations; rectangular, semi-circle, circle, triangular and so forth. By placing students in order the teacher can see all students better. The teacher really should be teaching from a platform and every student should be able to see the teacher. Secondly, everyone should be on the same count. This is fun and it really looks cool. When all students are timed up and count at the same time (like it use to be at practice) it gives a sense of pride to everyone. The kids really want to do well. Finally, The students should begin by learning and following what the teacher demonstrates. They should then work with a partner to check each others form. This is important because each student learns how to teach. There is no better way to learn then to teach.

There are many other reasons but the three I mentioned can bring about a fun atmosphere for all the students yet great discipline. Discipline gets a bad name- I am not talking about a cold harsh environment. If taught and organized properly the students are the ones that want the well organized and disciplined setting. Think of a well orchestrated marching band. They looked terrific when they all move together. Each member of the band has pride in doing their part well. That atmosphere can be brought back and fitness.

Now that I have explained how a form of well organized fitness should be done let me explain the needs of free play and child lead games. They can both exist in a fitness and physical education class. I can honestly say if I had to choose I would make the well organized form of fitness and movement training the priority. Why? Because our country is unfit and our kids don't move well. By the age of 2nd grade you can begin to see the postural deformities begin. This is because we don't move enough as kids and we don't develop strong upper bodies and cores any more. Kids are always going to play. That is what recess is about and playing at the parks or backyard with friends. We have to take our fitness back and strengthen out kids again.

Many of you who have followed me for years and might see a change in approach from more play to more organized fitness. Well, I witnessed such poor physical education classes in my children's school and many others poor fitness programs that I feel change is needed. I have always been a big fan of children playing and exploring how to move and that will never change. But, there needs to be a more organized period of training (even if it is 30 minutes a day) of well performed movements. This should be looked at as a source of pride and accomplishment not taking away the kids freedom of expression.

Often the terms "burn out" and "overuse" come in to play when we discuss organized discipline and fitness. The two shouldn't go in the same sentence if done correctly. The burn out comes from poor coaches and teachers overdoing sports and specific training of sports. When parents make their kids play in several soccer leagues or baseball leagues or practice ice skating for 5 hours per day. The difference is in the intent and the focus on goals. My goal is to bring back healthy movement and fitness. I don't need to overdue this. I just need to have kids move everyday in a fun organized setting (I would even take 4 days a week if that's all I could have).

Over the next few months I will be working on outlining sequences and progressions of exercises that can be put into a healthy physical education and fitness program. I hope you will help me in this process.

Yours in Speed,

Lee

PS: I have been telling you for some time about a few changes that are going to take place to my Speed Insiders program in 2009, well you just had a brief look into what some of the changes will be. Go to http://www.speedinsiders.com/ so you can take part in this exciting venture.