Amazing timing for this article. Thanks Google alert...
I had just finished having 2 different phone conversations with parents about speed training for their kids when I checked my email and found this article. Is that called Serendipity?
The main point behind both of my phone calls was that in order for the child to improve their speed of movement, they ultimately needed to get stronger. While technique is certainly important and part of our everyday training programming at Meyer Athletic Development, athletes need more than proper mechanics and footwork.
Without strength, we cannot produce force. If we can't produce force, we cannot overcome the weight of our own body and move it quickly. So, hopefully, you can see that strength training is beneficial for so much more than bulking up and lifting huge objects.
Take a look at this article and tell me what you think!
http://chiropractorlasvegas-thejoint.com/benefits-of-strength-training-for-kids/
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Monday, May 13, 2013
Value for Money
Parents of youth athletes have many decisions to make when it comes to setting their children up for success in not only sports, but life in general. Many of those decisions involve spending ever-growing amounts of money on team fees, travel, training, etc.
The following article takes a look at youth sports performance training and the benefits it provides to young athletes from all sports backgrounds. As an owner of a small performance/personal training business, I certainly have a reason to support this story. Personally, I feel like I have one of the greatest jobs in the world and I love what I get to do every day.
However, I welcome you to read it, constructively critique it, and give me feedback.
http://www.dailyrecord.com/article/20130511/NJSPORTS01/305110019/Is-elite-training-worth-your-student-athlete-
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
The Art of Coaching
The following story is a fantastic article from a highly-respected youth sports performance coach who truly understands how to reach athletes of all ages and backgrounds. His attitude towards the "art of coaching" is what we are striving to reach here at Meyer Athletic Development.
https://iyca.infusionsoft.com/app/hostedEmail/40627857/8f05e11b5fbe9397
When you work with youth athletes, it is so very important to recognize that they are not just "little adults" but individuals who deal with everyday situations in a much different manner than we do.
You also have to take into consideration that when they arrive in your facility each day, they have just finished being cooped up at school for the past 7-8 hours with very little chance to express all of their bound up energy. The amount of time a young person gets to be physically active in a given weekday is getting smaller and smaller as time passes. Recess is only so long and most elementary-aged kids only get PE class every other day.
So, by the time athletes get to a training session, the last thing they want to do is sit and be quiet and listen to someone else talk "at" them. This is why we always give the kids who train at Meyer Athletic Development a few minutes at the beginning of each session to just run around our turf field and play. They throw footballs, kick soccer balls, play games with each other, or simply just chat with one another. Even our warm-ups can be described as a "structured play" situation with rings, cones, jump ropes, memory card games, cup stacking, etc...
Taking the time to recognize that the young athletes you work with require a different approach can only benefit the coach in the long run. It fosters a greater bond between you and the athlete as well as their parents. Athletes are always going to be willing to work for a coach who they feel understands them and communicates well with them. And parents will consistently see and hear how much their child thinks of you and your program. In the end, everyone wins!
https://iyca.infusionsoft.com/app/hostedEmail/40627857/8f05e11b5fbe9397
When you work with youth athletes, it is so very important to recognize that they are not just "little adults" but individuals who deal with everyday situations in a much different manner than we do.
You also have to take into consideration that when they arrive in your facility each day, they have just finished being cooped up at school for the past 7-8 hours with very little chance to express all of their bound up energy. The amount of time a young person gets to be physically active in a given weekday is getting smaller and smaller as time passes. Recess is only so long and most elementary-aged kids only get PE class every other day.
So, by the time athletes get to a training session, the last thing they want to do is sit and be quiet and listen to someone else talk "at" them. This is why we always give the kids who train at Meyer Athletic Development a few minutes at the beginning of each session to just run around our turf field and play. They throw footballs, kick soccer balls, play games with each other, or simply just chat with one another. Even our warm-ups can be described as a "structured play" situation with rings, cones, jump ropes, memory card games, cup stacking, etc...
Taking the time to recognize that the young athletes you work with require a different approach can only benefit the coach in the long run. It fosters a greater bond between you and the athlete as well as their parents. Athletes are always going to be willing to work for a coach who they feel understands them and communicates well with them. And parents will consistently see and hear how much their child thinks of you and your program. In the end, everyone wins!
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Specificity
For the majority of the spring and summer, I train and compete in triathlons. Most of the time, my training time is spent running, riding, and swimming and working on getting faster in all three areas.
During the fall and winter months, my gears switch into an "offseason" mode and I focus more on strength training and playing soccer while the triathlon training takes a back seat. Currently, I only ride and swim 1 x week, while I play soccer 2 x week and strength train 3 x week. Outside of what I get in my soccer games, I'm not doing any running.
After my swim last week, I realized that I was swimming my fastest times that I have accomplished up to date. Upon seeing this, the old competitive juices started flowing again and I began to think about the next swim session and the times I wanted to achieve.
Then, I remembered what time of year it was and what my focus was right now. It was almost too easy to lose focus and start worrying about the wrong goals. And besides, how much faster can I really get if I'm only swimming (or riding for that matter) 1 x week?
This personal example is just my way of taking the long road in discussing an issue that I come across as a strength/conditioning coach for young athletes. I'll use the many soccer players I work with and coach as the example today.
So many of them want to develop their first step quickness or their ability to change directions, yet they (or their parents) don't choose the right avenues to help themselves. Instead of actually focusing on the specific issue and getting specialized speed/agility training, they pick up another team practice session or skills session during the week and get essentially the same type of training they were already getting.
In order to develop better physical skills, your body needs specificity in the training routine. You cannot expect to increase your speed and/or agility with repetitions on the ball in practice. Just like I cannot expect to see significant gains in the water or on the bike if I am only concentrating on building strength. The two examples share a training specificity and a technical skills set that must be worked through repetition and consistent practice.
Now, in my case, strength will certainly be of assistance as the stronger athlete will be able to move faster in both the water and on the bike. However, my gains will be marginal until I actually put in quality time in both areas. And the same goes, for speed/agility training. A weekly session is a good place to start, but when the time allows, the more frequent you can attend training, the more repetitions you will get and the greater the results will be.
In any case, just remember that you cannot expect results to improve unless you are consistent and specific to those goals!
During the fall and winter months, my gears switch into an "offseason" mode and I focus more on strength training and playing soccer while the triathlon training takes a back seat. Currently, I only ride and swim 1 x week, while I play soccer 2 x week and strength train 3 x week. Outside of what I get in my soccer games, I'm not doing any running.
After my swim last week, I realized that I was swimming my fastest times that I have accomplished up to date. Upon seeing this, the old competitive juices started flowing again and I began to think about the next swim session and the times I wanted to achieve.
Then, I remembered what time of year it was and what my focus was right now. It was almost too easy to lose focus and start worrying about the wrong goals. And besides, how much faster can I really get if I'm only swimming (or riding for that matter) 1 x week?
This personal example is just my way of taking the long road in discussing an issue that I come across as a strength/conditioning coach for young athletes. I'll use the many soccer players I work with and coach as the example today.
So many of them want to develop their first step quickness or their ability to change directions, yet they (or their parents) don't choose the right avenues to help themselves. Instead of actually focusing on the specific issue and getting specialized speed/agility training, they pick up another team practice session or skills session during the week and get essentially the same type of training they were already getting.
In order to develop better physical skills, your body needs specificity in the training routine. You cannot expect to increase your speed and/or agility with repetitions on the ball in practice. Just like I cannot expect to see significant gains in the water or on the bike if I am only concentrating on building strength. The two examples share a training specificity and a technical skills set that must be worked through repetition and consistent practice.
Now, in my case, strength will certainly be of assistance as the stronger athlete will be able to move faster in both the water and on the bike. However, my gains will be marginal until I actually put in quality time in both areas. And the same goes, for speed/agility training. A weekly session is a good place to start, but when the time allows, the more frequent you can attend training, the more repetitions you will get and the greater the results will be.
In any case, just remember that you cannot expect results to improve unless you are consistent and specific to those goals!
Monday, September 24, 2012
What's the Real Problem?
When I first started coaching youth soccer, I overheard my director, a very smart and experienced coach, outlining the 4 areas of development that the coaching staff were concerned with.
They were: Technical, Tactical, Physical, Psychological
Just to ensure that everyone is on the same page here, I'm going to briefly describe all four.
"Technical" refers to specific skills that soccer players learn. How to dribble, pass, shoot, receive, shield, head, cross a soccer ball. Many coaches argue that this is the base level of development. If you cannot make the ball do what you want it to, you cannot play the game.
"Tactical" refers to the tactics of soccer. How to defend and attack as an individual, small group of players, and as a team. It also refers to basic and complex movements individuals on the field make in relationship to the location of the ball.
"Physical" refers to physical traits like strength, speed, agility, power, etc. These are attributes that cross over into every sport and truly define someone being "athletic." Remember that word, athletic, because it is going to come up again shortly and will be the crux of the argument today.
"Psychological" refers to a couple of different factors. But here, I believe we can define in two ways: being mentally tough enough to do what is necessary in order to win, and being smart enough to determine what a player needs to do in certain situations. I feel like this one goes hand in hand with the "Tactical" area.
Now, I bring all of this up to illustrate the disconnect between sport coaches (which I myself am) and strength/speed/fitness coaches (which I myself am) and the players/parents who are caught in the middle. I recently had a conversation with some soccer coaches and certain players that we all worked with came up. Upon them stating that certain ones weren't athletic enough, I felt obligated to disagree based on my experiences with them.
I train a large amount of youth soccer players, many who have been lead my way by their coaches who have told them they need to be "more athletic." While I am certainly extremely grateful for the recommendation and referral of my services, there have been times when I feel this has been done for the wrong reasons.
Let's take "Mike" for a second. Mike has been told that he is not athletic enough by his soccer coach and that he should go train with Coach Tim. He is not "good enough" for his current level of play. Now, after a few sessions, I note that Mike seems to pick up rather quickly on all the instruction I am giving him. Even more so, he has decent strength for his age, adequate body control when moving, is fast and powerful, and seems relatively balanced and in control of himself.
The question I ask myself is...How is Mike NOT athletic?
What I feel Mike's issue might be is that he is not tactically good enough, or psychologically strong enough to play at the current level he finds himself. Does Mike have a grasp of his tactical responsibilities on the field? Is Mike brave enough to put in a tackle or close down an opponent? I ask these questions because deficiencies in these areas could certainly lead to a coach thinking that Mike is not "athletic enough."
If he doesn't understand the tactical side of the game, then he will appear slow as he moves around the field. He will not be able to stay with the speed of the game, not because he is not physically fast enough, but because he can't process what needs to happen fast enough. If he isn't mentally tough enough, he will shrink from physical confrontations that will make him appear as if he lacks power and strength.
So, I think the message today is that we need to find out what the real problems and concerns are when we see our youth athletes not performing at the level desired by the coaches and themselves. Because while I feel that all youth athletes need some type and amount of athletic development training, it cannot be used as a "fix-all" for all deficiencies that are not technique-oriented.
They were: Technical, Tactical, Physical, Psychological
Just to ensure that everyone is on the same page here, I'm going to briefly describe all four.
"Technical" refers to specific skills that soccer players learn. How to dribble, pass, shoot, receive, shield, head, cross a soccer ball. Many coaches argue that this is the base level of development. If you cannot make the ball do what you want it to, you cannot play the game.
"Tactical" refers to the tactics of soccer. How to defend and attack as an individual, small group of players, and as a team. It also refers to basic and complex movements individuals on the field make in relationship to the location of the ball.
"Physical" refers to physical traits like strength, speed, agility, power, etc. These are attributes that cross over into every sport and truly define someone being "athletic." Remember that word, athletic, because it is going to come up again shortly and will be the crux of the argument today.
"Psychological" refers to a couple of different factors. But here, I believe we can define in two ways: being mentally tough enough to do what is necessary in order to win, and being smart enough to determine what a player needs to do in certain situations. I feel like this one goes hand in hand with the "Tactical" area.
Now, I bring all of this up to illustrate the disconnect between sport coaches (which I myself am) and strength/speed/fitness coaches (which I myself am) and the players/parents who are caught in the middle. I recently had a conversation with some soccer coaches and certain players that we all worked with came up. Upon them stating that certain ones weren't athletic enough, I felt obligated to disagree based on my experiences with them.
I train a large amount of youth soccer players, many who have been lead my way by their coaches who have told them they need to be "more athletic." While I am certainly extremely grateful for the recommendation and referral of my services, there have been times when I feel this has been done for the wrong reasons.
Let's take "Mike" for a second. Mike has been told that he is not athletic enough by his soccer coach and that he should go train with Coach Tim. He is not "good enough" for his current level of play. Now, after a few sessions, I note that Mike seems to pick up rather quickly on all the instruction I am giving him. Even more so, he has decent strength for his age, adequate body control when moving, is fast and powerful, and seems relatively balanced and in control of himself.
The question I ask myself is...How is Mike NOT athletic?
What I feel Mike's issue might be is that he is not tactically good enough, or psychologically strong enough to play at the current level he finds himself. Does Mike have a grasp of his tactical responsibilities on the field? Is Mike brave enough to put in a tackle or close down an opponent? I ask these questions because deficiencies in these areas could certainly lead to a coach thinking that Mike is not "athletic enough."
If he doesn't understand the tactical side of the game, then he will appear slow as he moves around the field. He will not be able to stay with the speed of the game, not because he is not physically fast enough, but because he can't process what needs to happen fast enough. If he isn't mentally tough enough, he will shrink from physical confrontations that will make him appear as if he lacks power and strength.
So, I think the message today is that we need to find out what the real problems and concerns are when we see our youth athletes not performing at the level desired by the coaches and themselves. Because while I feel that all youth athletes need some type and amount of athletic development training, it cannot be used as a "fix-all" for all deficiencies that are not technique-oriented.
Monday, September 10, 2012
The 1%
Over the past several years as a youth strength and conditioning coach, I have heard more than one parent or observer of my training sessions say something similar to the following:
"Man, if I had this type of training when I was younger, I would have played.....(insert college or pro ball...) for sure!"
Um, no, you wouldn't have.
Sorry to burst your bubble. I couldn't have played college or pro ball either, so I don't exclude myself from this category. I often think the same thing, and then I step back and recognize the truth of the matter. I didn't want to work that hard, and probably neither did the parents and observers who made the same claims.
The fact is professional and even college athletes are in the 1%.
Now, see if you can stay with me on this post. I'm going to try and weave different versions of the 1% into a narrative here and see if it comes out without sounding absoutely nutty.
When most people hear the phrase "1%", they think of the ultra rich and all the tax breaks they get and how they were all born with silver and diamond-encrusted spoons in their mouths. However, most of those people worked their butts off to get where they are today. And if not themselves, then their family members before them did so, ensuring their future generations would not want for anything. Like it or not, someone was working harder than everyone else and had enough internal motivation to be great that ensured their success.
Now take college and professional athletes. Either they are born with a massive amount of God-given talent and ability and they happen to choose the one path that will allow them to demonstrate those talents....or they find themselves with just enough talent and a gigantic amount of work ethic and drive that allows them to reach their goals. Take any professional athlete that grew up as a kid in the 1990's. They didn't have the specialized training programs that we do today, and yet they still achieved their exhaulted status through hard work and dedication.
To say that one's ability to perform at a high level can be based on whether or not they are provided with quality training programming at an early age is naive. While the training programming that I myself and many other qualified coaches across the country provide can be instrumental in refining athletic skills, it is hardly the deciding factor in whether or not a child reaches the highest level of competitive sport. The drive to excel and compete with not only those around you, but yourself as well, must be overwhelming and ever present if you are to reach the highest of levels in competitive sport.
While an athletic development program can put youth athletes on the right path and prepare them for higher levels of competition , it takes support from family and friends, quality sport coaching, and a huge surplus of internal motivation to reach the goal of collegiate and professional sports.
"Man, if I had this type of training when I was younger, I would have played.....(insert college or pro ball...) for sure!"
Um, no, you wouldn't have.
Sorry to burst your bubble. I couldn't have played college or pro ball either, so I don't exclude myself from this category. I often think the same thing, and then I step back and recognize the truth of the matter. I didn't want to work that hard, and probably neither did the parents and observers who made the same claims.
The fact is professional and even college athletes are in the 1%.
Now, see if you can stay with me on this post. I'm going to try and weave different versions of the 1% into a narrative here and see if it comes out without sounding absoutely nutty.
When most people hear the phrase "1%", they think of the ultra rich and all the tax breaks they get and how they were all born with silver and diamond-encrusted spoons in their mouths. However, most of those people worked their butts off to get where they are today. And if not themselves, then their family members before them did so, ensuring their future generations would not want for anything. Like it or not, someone was working harder than everyone else and had enough internal motivation to be great that ensured their success.
Now take college and professional athletes. Either they are born with a massive amount of God-given talent and ability and they happen to choose the one path that will allow them to demonstrate those talents....or they find themselves with just enough talent and a gigantic amount of work ethic and drive that allows them to reach their goals. Take any professional athlete that grew up as a kid in the 1990's. They didn't have the specialized training programs that we do today, and yet they still achieved their exhaulted status through hard work and dedication.
To say that one's ability to perform at a high level can be based on whether or not they are provided with quality training programming at an early age is naive. While the training programming that I myself and many other qualified coaches across the country provide can be instrumental in refining athletic skills, it is hardly the deciding factor in whether or not a child reaches the highest level of competitive sport. The drive to excel and compete with not only those around you, but yourself as well, must be overwhelming and ever present if you are to reach the highest of levels in competitive sport.
While an athletic development program can put youth athletes on the right path and prepare them for higher levels of competition , it takes support from family and friends, quality sport coaching, and a huge surplus of internal motivation to reach the goal of collegiate and professional sports.
Monday, August 27, 2012
School's Back!!!
Well, summer has finally bid us adieu, and school has roared back into gear this week! Meyer Athletic Development had a fantastic summer training season with tons of kids and adults putting in some solid effort on both the turf field and the weight floor. In addition to the regular training sessions, we partnered up with the revamped Austin Aztex Football Club and Nitro Swim Club's top youth swim teams as training partners. While the focus with the Aztex was providing quality injury prevention and recovery sessions, the kids at Nitro were treated to some old fashioned strength and power training in order to improve their swim times. All told, it was a really busy summer and we truly couldn't have had a better start to our new life inside SoccerPlex (formerly SoccerZone) Cedar Park.
However, with school starting this week, schedules seem to tighten up just a little bit. Maybe it's the homework that the kids are bringing home, or the taxi service to and from practices that the parents have to coordinate. In any event, it seems like there is less time to continue the great training program that was such a staple in the schedule not so long ago.
Don't let this happen to your child. The gains that were made over the summer will inevitably fall by the wayside without regular training sessions of a similar caliber and design. Make sure that all of that work wasn't in vain!
In the strength and conditioning business, we call it Periodization. For a moment, imagine that you or your child are a college or pro athlete. The summer is your off-season. There is plenty of time to put in quality strength/conditioning training as there are no practices to attend and no competitive games to play. You train up to 4 times a week, working on speed, strength, and agility. However, now, you are in season again, with practices and games a plenty. Do you think that athletes at those levels just stop training? I guarantee they don't. While the games and practices have taken the driver's seat in the training plan, the athletic development continues with supplemental training sessions to help maintain the growth achieved in the off-season.
Now, your 10 year old soccer player is not a professional athlete. But, still, they trained two to three times a week over the summer, developing their speed, strength, and agility. Without a weekly training session, those skills and gains will slowly fade. I'm afraid it is a use it or lose it situation. Just like playing the game itself.
So if you think that athletic development is just a summer time thing, think again. Help your child maintain those improvements and not have to start all over from scratch next summer by keeping a weekly session with Meyer Athletic Development. We'll be ready and waiting for you!
However, with school starting this week, schedules seem to tighten up just a little bit. Maybe it's the homework that the kids are bringing home, or the taxi service to and from practices that the parents have to coordinate. In any event, it seems like there is less time to continue the great training program that was such a staple in the schedule not so long ago.
Don't let this happen to your child. The gains that were made over the summer will inevitably fall by the wayside without regular training sessions of a similar caliber and design. Make sure that all of that work wasn't in vain!
In the strength and conditioning business, we call it Periodization. For a moment, imagine that you or your child are a college or pro athlete. The summer is your off-season. There is plenty of time to put in quality strength/conditioning training as there are no practices to attend and no competitive games to play. You train up to 4 times a week, working on speed, strength, and agility. However, now, you are in season again, with practices and games a plenty. Do you think that athletes at those levels just stop training? I guarantee they don't. While the games and practices have taken the driver's seat in the training plan, the athletic development continues with supplemental training sessions to help maintain the growth achieved in the off-season.
Now, your 10 year old soccer player is not a professional athlete. But, still, they trained two to three times a week over the summer, developing their speed, strength, and agility. Without a weekly training session, those skills and gains will slowly fade. I'm afraid it is a use it or lose it situation. Just like playing the game itself.
So if you think that athletic development is just a summer time thing, think again. Help your child maintain those improvements and not have to start all over from scratch next summer by keeping a weekly session with Meyer Athletic Development. We'll be ready and waiting for you!
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