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.