Train Your Way Out of Early Extension
Early extension is an extremely common, yet avoidable faulty swing characteristic. In fact, 70% of all golfers early extend and 99% of PGA tour players do not. Quite the correlation for great ball striking, wouldn’t you say? There's a good chance early extension is hurting your score card because it significantly increases the risk for a block or hook shot. It also has potential for causing some harm to the body as it results in rapid, forceful, undesirable spinal movement. So, what is early extension? Early Extension occurs when the hips
The Rower: A Minute to Learn, A Lifetime to Master
Rowing is a relatively simple form of exercise with a relatively simple stroke. The nuances of the stroke are what make this sport so incredible. My goal through this blog is not to create any rowing masters. My hope is that these tips allow you to use the rower in a more safe and effective way. By properly setting up the machine and performing the stroke, you can save yourself from aches, pains, and injuries that could come along with improper use. By understanding how to read the monitor, you
Isometric Exercises To Improve Athletic Performance
A significant part of an athletes program that is often neglected is the involvement of isometric strength training. To put this simply, isometric exercise involves activation of a specific muscle, or muscles, without changing the length of that muscle. Think, “strengthening without lengthening.” For example, holding the bottom position of a wall squat for a certain amount of time would be considered an isometric exercise. In this position, you are actively firing certain muscles without movement. Now that we have an understanding of what isometrics are, lets discuss the top
3 Key Ideas to Keep in Mind When Training Youth Athletes
Training youth athletes can be a hot topic at times for parents and coaches. Too often parents worry about their children getting hurt, growth being stunted from heavy lifting and just not having fun. With proper coaching and programming however, none of these concerns should ever arise. To make sure youth athletes are spending time in training and getting the most of it I’ll be going over 3 ideas and concepts that I believe coaches should keep in mind so that parents aren’t worrying about their children and the athletes
Your Feet Are Your Biggest Supporter
When you ask for advice on training to improve your golf game, you’ll probably hear responses about rotational power, hip mobility, and core strength. While all of these aspects of training are important, you can’t forget about the two structures that support you through all 18 holes: your feet! Your feet are your foundation for balance and power. If they don’t support you properly, it doesn’t matter how much mobility, strength, or power you have, you have failed to create a strong connection with the ground. This results in a loss
Reducing The Risk for ACL Tears with Movement Quality Screening
Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) tears are nothing short of soul-crushing. Athletes who suffer one are in for a long 9–12 month ride of surgery concerns, head-scratching post-op differences of opinion, and the potential for insurance companies to prematurely cut them off, resulting in high risk for a re-tear. It is extremely frustrating that we still lack common knowledge about this injury. Especially when we have been seeing such a huge spike in ACL tears in recent years. In America alone, over 200,000 ACL injuries occur each year and 70 percent
Become A Faster Defender On The Court
When we talk about speed, we often think about linear speed and acceleration. While these components are significant to the success of athletes in their sport, we often overlook the importance of training laterally. If you watch a basketball game, no matter the level of competition, you will notice players constantly moving side-to-side and changing direction. Staying in front of an opponent as a defender requires a considerable amount of lateral speed and the ability to change direction quickly. The best way to improve sport specific movements is to mimic
Why Acceleration Is Important in Sport and Drills to Improve
Acceleration training is more essential than top end speed training for most athletes. Not to say max speed training isn’t important, but athletes decelerate and accelerate more often in most sports than they reach their top speed. From moving one direction than having to sprint in another direction to trying to beat a defender or stop an attacker, acceleration can be found in almost every sport. Because it’s so prevalent in most sports, it should be a top training priority. Acceleration is how fast an athlete can increase his or her
3 Reasons That Your Back Still Hurts
It’s one of the most common reasons that people go to Physical Therapy; back pain. Now you’ve completed physical therapy and your back feels better. You go back to life as it was, and because there’s no pain as a daily reminder you start forgetting to do your home exercises, and in a few months it’s back again. Back pain can be short lived or chronic, but generally speaking once you’ve experienced it, it’s always lurking in the shadows looking to come back. Why is that though? Why is back pain
Fighting Low Back Pain Through Exercise
Low back pain (LBP) is the single leading cause of disability worldwide, preventing many people from engaging in work as well as daily activities. While working out with back pain may seem undoable to many, neglecting it entirely can oftentimes do more harm than good. This misconception needs to be addressed because when prescribed appropriately, exercise decreases stiffness, facilitates fluid exchange between discs to reduce swelling, and repairs muscle fibers that help support the back. While it’s important to avoid certain movements that can stress the area, delicate programming with