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
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
Golfer’s Offseason Training: Improve your Strength, Power, and Mobility
The winter can be the end of the typical golf season in New England. With the gap of time between now and the warm spring, it is the perfect time for golfers to train like any athlete does in their offseason. Offseason training should be specific to each individual, working on your weaknesses and emphasizing certain parts of your golf game. Below, you will learn two exercises for strength, power, and mobility that golfers can perform during their off-season to elevate your game for the spring. Strength Having a solid foundation of
Get More Bang For Your Buck!
We often talk about the importance of strength and conditioning in optimizing your sports performance. Sadly, just showing up for your session isn’t enough to see any improvement in your game play. Here are three ways you can optimize your sessions every time you step foot in the gym. Do It Right Your strength and conditioning coaches write programs with a purpose. Every movement is selected for a specific reason, but that is only achieved when you perform every exercise properly. Here are some ways to ensure you’re doing a movement “right”! Proper
3 Fun & Effective Exercises For Basketball Youth
Regular physical activity can have many health benefits for children. Frequent exercise will help develop strong muscles and bones and build confidence at a young age. One of the main barriers why kids may not want to exercise, or go to the gym, could simply be because they do not enjoy what they are doing. It is very hard for a child to understand the benefits of proper movement and strength training. The more engaged they are during their training program, the more likely they are to enjoy their gym