It’s funny seeing topics, concepts, and exercises rehashed and renamed. With the easy access of information, I would have thought it would be easier to learn from the legends and the originators. However, after bringing up Tudor Bumpa in a conversation the other day, and none of the coaches I was with knew who he was, I now feel an obligation to start recognizing some of leaders/legends in the field.

What better way to start then to recognize the coaches who had influenced me the most. My background as a track sprinter and track coach pushed me into the speed training realm and these are the coaches that heavily influenced my programing & training philosophy and how I trained my athletes. All of these coaches are trailblazers who have lead our industry to new ideas and methods.

Here we go….

My Top 5 Speed Training Experts

1). Charlie Francis

The man, the myth, the legend. Charlie Francis was one of the first coaches to openly share exactly how he was training his elite athletes, like Ben Johnson. Speed development, conditioning, recovery, etc. he shared it all. If you were around back then in our industry, then you were on the Charlie Francis Forum (that and Mel Siff’s SuperTraining Discussion Board). His books Charlie Francis Training System and Speed Trap are classics and still a must read! CFTS is probably the greatest book ever written on sprinting!

I was fortunate enough to meet Charlie in Boston when he and Ian King did a conference here. Besides sharing his wealth of knowledge, Charlie would answer all of your questions. I understand how hard this is, especially with his size of following, and I appreciate this and the amount of time it must have taken him. He helped me discover Gerard Mach and the Mach drills (which pretty much all of today’s speed drills derived from).

2). Loren Seagrave

The amount of times I watched Loren Seagrave and Kevin O’Donnell’s ‘Speed Dynamics’ VHS tapes, is uncountable. Loren Seagrave looked like the speed coach version of Magnum PI in the video, laying out speed drills and techniques. There was nothing like it at the time.  He went over his dynamic warm up (which was big difference from what most were doing), principles of speed, and of course the speed drills he used to get athletes faster. It was game-changing for many coaches, he changed the culture of the warm-up.

I saw Loren last here in Massachusetts when he started the Velocity franchise and was going around speaking a lot more then. He was known for the amazing athletes he turned out as the sprint coach at LSU and was the Director of Performance at IMG. He’s still coaching Olympic athletes and consulting organizations, and is still a legend in the game!

3). Vern Gambetta

Legendary Strength & Conditioning Coach. Started Gambetta Sports Training System. S&C Coach for Major League Soccer, US Men’s World Cup Soccer team, Chicago White Sox,  New York Mets, plus many other world class athletes. Early on, his P.A.L. System (posture, arm action, leg action), was a great system for breaking down running mechanics and teaching progressions. I owned and re-read all of his books Athletic Development, Sport Specific Speed (my favorite), Complete Guide to Medicine Ball Training, and The Gambetta Method. There weren’t many coaches out there sharing information on how they were training while going into why they train that way. Coach Gambetta founded the GAIN network to continue coaches education. He presents at coaching clinics all over the world, I’ve seen him a bunch at PerformBetter events, and when I hosted my first ever coaches clinic, I had him there (the presenters at my first clinic were Vern Gambetta, Tudor Bumpa, Mike Clark, and Mark Verstegen). He moved the industry forward!

4). Mark Verstegen

I was graduating college in 2000 with an exercise science degree, unsure of what I wanted to do with my life. I didn’t want to do research and there wasn’t a great path for college strength & conditioning coaches. I went to a seminar in western Massachusetts (I got credit for college for attending the event). After a couple average presentations, this guy took the stage and blew my mind. He was passionate about training athlete and opened my eyes to the possibility to working with athletes in the private sector. This wasn’t really being done back then. Mark Verstegen was leaving IPI to start Athletes Performance (later EXOS) in Arizona. I talked to him after his presentation and I was already to go out to Arizona to intern for him. He knew it was a big move for me and let me know about a coach who was doing great things in Boston and recommend that I start there if I decided not to move across the country. The Boston coach he refer me to was Mike Boyle, were I ended up interning. Many track coaches had the sprinting part down, but not the weight room, and most strength & conditioning coaches had the weighht room down, but were weaker in the speed department, Mark was able to combine the two systematically, Mark laid out his sports performance training system and it revolutionized our industry.

5). Latif Thomas

Latif was a co-captain with me on our high school track team, competed at college against each other, coached high school track together (and later against each other), started a business together, and was the best man at my wedding. I miss him. He made me a better coach. We were both always learning and always trying to get better. We had endless discussions about training, coaching, speed development, and how to get the most out of our athletes. We challenged each other daily and I know I wouldn’t have been even half as good as I was without him. He was a big personality, loved to talk training with anyone, and was always willing to help out other coaches and athletes, and took the complexity out of training sprinters. He worked with high school athletes and was all-in and was only looking  for ways for them to improve. In a world when we only heard what coaches were doing with elite athletes and an endless budget, Latif share with everyone how he was getting his high school athletes faster when you had to run in the schools hallways during the winter and only had about 30 meters of straightaways to work with. Our Complete Speed Training courses were sold all over the world and Latif truly impacted the high school track & field industry.

BONUS – USATF Level II

Although not a person per se, the USATF Level II coaching education certification was amazing. My instructors were Gary Winkler, Denis Shaver, Boo Schexnayder, and then Gerard Mach joined to present during a session. It was unreal the level of knowledge that I gained and set me up with science that I needed. From speed volumes (acceleration, max velocity, speed endurance, special I, special II), to recovery times, to actually explaining what is happening in the body during training, the USATF Lv II curriculum during the early 2000’s was second to none. Strictly speaking speed, track sprint coaches were so far ahead of strength coaches at the time.

Honorable Mention

Not a great heading, but I wanted to recognize a few other coaches who greatly impacted me as a coach, and who had a great impact on our industry.

Dan Pfaff

Mike Boyle

The post My Top 5 Speed Experts appeared first on Athletes Acceleration Sports Performance Training.

Maybe not rules, but more of a guideline?

After losing my father a couple years ago and then battling cancer (and dominating it) this past year, I’ve been more focused on my three sons.

Not just focused on spending time with them, because that has always been important to me. But focused on what I tell them, what they are learning from me, and what I am leaving them with.

What will my kids remember that I taught them?

What if I don’t have enough ‘time’ left to instill/teach them all the lessons I feel that they should know?

So, I started a list.

I will add/subtract to this list, but I figured I’d put this down ‘on paper’ as something that my sons can look back at someday. This is some of the advice I am giving, will give, and want to get through to my sons as they continue to grow and develop.

Again, not a complete list and it may change, but it being Father’s Day, a good time to put this draft out:

That’s all I got for now. Happy Father’s Day!
– Pat Beith

P.S. I figure I would also share this. My son James had to recite his morning mantra with his 1st grade class each day during the pandemic virtual school and I love it and it is so powerful –

The post Rules For My Sons appeared first on Athletes Acceleration Sports Performance Training.

But I was thinking that many of you may not really know who I am besides that guy that sends out a lot of promo emails for products. I’ve been in the industry for so long that I even forget what I have done.

In previous emails I said I will be sharing more of my experiences, what I have learned, mistakes I’ve made, and also what’s working for me now. I’ve done a lot in the past 20+ years in the sports performance industry outside of training and coaching athletes that I don’t really talk about much.

I started Athletes Acceleration in 2004 (had a business partner at the beginning who I eventually bought out). Before that, I was a personal trainer (running the largest personal training department in Boston), a high school track coach, and interned for Mike Boyle. I was a Division 1 sprinter and graduated with an Exercise Science degree.

– Athletes Acceleration’s sports performance facility is located in North Attleboro, MA and is over 22,000 sq/ft (with an amazing staff)

– I am the owner and founder of the National Sports Performance Association (NSPA), a certification company focused on providing coaches sports performance training information (started in 2016).

– I’ve run a ton of camps and clinics. Large camps of 550+ athletes to smaller intimate clinics of only 10 athletes.

What you may not know:

I was an owner in two franchises.
In the Entrepreneur Franchise 500, one franchise was ranked #193 and the other was ranked #271 – along with recognition among the Fastest-Growing, Best Low-Cost and Top New Franchises along the way. In 2014, they were ranked #1 Personal Training Franchise by Entrepreneur Magazine and the other franchise was ranked #1 Youth Fitness & Sports Performance Training Franchise by Entrepreneur Magazine.

In addition to that, Franchise Business Review ranked us as the Top Fitness Franchise and Top Midsize (all industries, under 500 locations) Franchise in North America (basically the franchisor that had the happiest franchisees). We had close to 300 franchisees. I ended up selling my shares in each, but that will be a story for another time.

When Athletes Acceleration was started, we were only running camps and individually training athletes.
It got to the point where we couldn’t fit any more kids in our groups. We didn’t have time. And because of the volume of athletes we had that wanted to get faster, and coaches that were coming by to see what we were doing, we decided to create DVD’s of our total system that we were using. This product was called Complete Speed Training (and became the best selling speed training product of all time). This was the start of creating and selling courses online.

I have created and published more products and courses than I can remember but…
When our first product was created in 2004 (Complete Speed Training), I had no idea how to film, edit, or create a product. No idea how to create a website or write sales copy. No idea how to get traffic. No idea how to capture email addresses or send out emails to them. No idea how to take orders. No idea how to make DVD’s, manuals or ship them out. Had no list. Had no money. Started from exactly zero. That product ended up selling tens of thousands of copies.

Because of the success of our first products, I was involved with launching some of the most successful products in sports and fitness (outside of Athletes Acceleration). Helped some local youth coaches and local trainers with no exposure become ‘household’ names in our industry. I have a crazy story about launching for the first time a product that wasn’t my own and making over $100K in the first day (I will tell you that story later).

The NSPA was not the first certification company I was involved in.
I was a co-owner of the International Youth Conditioning Association (IYCA), I am not anymore – again, another story for another day.

I started the Complete Speed & Power Summits because Coach Dos and Wil Fleming convinced me to.
The format of the CSPS events are perfect where you can learn from a coach during a presentation, ask questions, and also learn by performing their system in a hands-on section. We have had some amazing coaches throughout the year – coaches like Dan Pfaff, Rachel Balkovec, Joe Kenn, Carmelita Jeter, Lee Taft, Mike Boyle, Teena Murray, Joe DeFranco, Robert Dos Remedios, Nicole Rodriguez, Eric Cressey, Bobby Smith, Chip Morton, Dave Gleason, Joe Defranco, Bo Sandoval, Ron McKeefery, Duane Carlisle, Pete Bommarito, Chris Mohr, Andy McCloy, Matt Durant, David Padilla, Mike Robertson, Jim Kielbaso, Adam Feit, Zach Even-esh, Justin Kavanaugh, Josh Henkin, Lauren Green, Tony Holler, and Boo Schexnayder. But it took Dos and Wil to push me to make them all happen.

My first event I ever ran was around 2002-ish and I got Tudor Bompa, Mark Verstegen, Mike Clark, and Vern Gambetta to speak. Legendary. I had no idea what I was doing and need to figure out how to pay for them all to come, but I wanted to learn from them all so I made it happen.

I’ve also:
– started businesses and programs that failed- taught a college health & fitness class for a year
– had multiple business partners (some good, some bad, but makes for some great stories)
– invested money and lost (the best investments have always been in myself)
– (and I also believe myself to be a bourbon and coffee aficionado)

I don’t speak much.
I’ve only spoken at a couple of my friends conferences and podcasts, as I turn down most speaking opportunities. I convinced myself earlier that most people don’t take action on information so I shouldn’t commit time to do them – but as time has gone by, I really think that I made excuses because I don’t like public speaking and it’s something I need to get over and work on. If I’m in front of athletes, I’m good. If you want to talk about growing a business or how to get an athlete faster, I can talk for days. I have been brought in as a guest to some of my friends’ Master Mind groups (Pat Rigsby, Todd Durkin, Craig Ballentyne) and I think I dropped some actionable knowledge. I think my disconnection with things like podcasts is you can’t see the listener and also hold them accountable for taking action??

I am a life-long learner and value education and experience.
Which is why I am so heavily involved in creating coaching education courses and certifications. And is also why I want to share more of what I have experienced and learned along the way with you. I have a ton of S&C certifications and business certifications. I’m pretty sure there are not many people with as many certifications than me – I don’t recommend all of the certs I have (and probably don’t recommend getting as many as I have), but I realize that learning without implementing and trying things out is almost a waste of that education.

I spend a ton of money on education each year.
If there is a topic I want to learn about or am interested in, I buy everything. (I probably own every speed training course/book out there). Along with S&C info, I make sure that I keep learning how to be better at business. I am a big fan of Master Mind groups (I’ve been in Yanik Silver’s, Frank Kern’s, Ryan Deiss, and Andy Frisella & Ed Mylett MM groups) You can not only learn a lot from the main coach, but the knowledge of the people in the room is invaluable.

I don’t believe that balance exists
There are ebbs and flows to everything and there are times when you need to spend more time in one area in order to succeed. I do love coaching and growing my business, but my family is the most important thing to me and they always win when I need to choose.

This email has been all over the place and I’m sure I left some things out. I also used the word ‘I’ more times in this email than ever before. Talking about myself isn’t my favorite, but hopefully some stories and experiences I share with you, you can take and grow your own business or training.

Talk soon,
– Pat Beith

The post About Me – Pat Beith appeared first on Athletes Acceleration Sports Performance Training.

By: Mike Potenza

One of the aspects of my role within our performance system is to manage the injury reconditioning training of our athletes.

I have come to enjoy working on these cases because of the complexity and the responsibility of coordinating a return-to-sport process that integrates the medical staff, performance staff and coaching staff.

A successful rehab and return to sport model can only be achieved through clear communication of the team personnel listed above.  When breakdowns in communication occur, the athlete’s progress suffers.

Here are 3 of the most important lessons I’ve learned over the last 14 years when working with injured athletes:

Address Arthrogenic Muscle Inhibition (AMI)

The first rule I learned in my education on reconditioning and rehab was to address the disuse atrophy of the injured tissue.  The phenomenon called Arthrogenic Muscle Inhibition (AMI) is caused by neurological shut down of the musculature surrounding an injury site.  This causes a substantial decrease in muscle activation, reduces strength capabilities and promotes atrophy.

The science made complete sense to me, and I thought the best strategy to combat AMI would be appropriate exercise selection, volume and time under tension. However, I found that this approach would only take me so far, and with complex injury cases it slowed my progression to a crawl.  I needed a strategy to jumpstart the muscles that had been dormant, weak and malfunctioning.

I found the answer when I was introduced to Bill Knowles who is the President of Knowles Athletic and a consultant for Athletic Development and Reconditioning for the Philadelphia Union Academy. Bill’s approach to rehab / reconditioning is unique and outside the box to say the least.

Knowing Bill’s experience level and education with injured athletes, I immediately consulted with him on my first ACL case in 2007, which was a tremendous learning experience!

During this ACL case my athlete was continuing to experience patella femoral pain as far out as 3 months post-op. The patella femoral pain restricted my exercise selection, and simultaneously limited my athlete’s quad development, thus slowing our return to sport plan.

Bill introduced me to the COMPEX muscle stimulation unit and how he integrated it’s use into his reconditioning programing, and later stage lower body strength training.

It was a game changer for me.  The unit had a profound effect on recruiting motor units and their ability to turn on the muscle tissue to combat AMI.

The below exercise-progression is an example of how I’ve used the COMPEX during a post-surgical lower body reconditioning program.

Please keep in mind that you can use the device for an unlimited number of exercises, but it’s essential to first become familiar with the device’s programs and intensity levels to select the most appropriate use for the athlete’s current stage of rehab/reconditioning.

• Restricted isometric quad
• Limited ROM exercises like height restricted step-ups
• Body weight squats to progressive depths
• Single-leg squat variations
• Bi-Lateral, frontal plane movement on a “Skiers Edge”
• Recovery protocols to help with the reduction of edema

Integrate Assessments/Tests to Guide Programming

One of the most important tools I have to communicate with our coaches, management and scouting staff is testing results from our movement and performance profiling process.

The results not only measure the current physical capabilities of our team, but they also highlight the year to year progressions/regressions of our players.  This information can help determine which physical performance quality or movement pattern needs improvement in order to best help optimize the athlete’s performance and durability.

Historical performance information becomes extra valuable when you have a long-term injury case.  You can use prior testing information to set goals for the player to reach upon return to sport, as well as set benchmarks along the reconditioning plan based on percentages of performance bests. This is valuable both to monitor the effectiveness of the reconditioning program, and for the athlete’s psychology, as it allows them to objectively recognize their progress.

One of the most impactful areas of tracking movement capabilities and performance tests is that it has given me a clear vision on the programming direction I need to take with an injured athlete during a return to sport program.

Below is a sample of what we track during a lower body injury case and how we compare it to baseline scores.

Program Sport Progressions into the Reconditioning Plan

Once the athlete is ready to return to the ice, field, court or pool, there should be a structured plan ready with appropriate progressions.  Much like designing a training program, it’s important to begin with the end in mind.

The “destination” is full participation with the team, in a controlled practice setting.  Once the athlete can live and work in that environment, uninterrupted, then the coaching staff can make the determination when the player is game ready.

When I formulate the most effective path for a sport reintegration program, I keep strict adherence to the following rules:

• Pain free participation.
• Training does not go away with the introduction of the sport reintegration phase!
• Strict time frame for sport sessions.
• Follow a progression for drills in terms of movement patterns, intensity, skills and tactics.
• MOST OF ALL…..DON’T RUSH the reconditioning / rehab process.

Below is an example of an Ice Hockey players return to ice progression after major knee surgery.

Wrapping Up

Athletes put trust in our profession to enhance performance through physical preparation, nutrition advice and recovery education.  A hidden responsibility of our role as performance coaches is to aid in the rehabilitation/reconditioning process with the injured athlete. Understanding the barriers and limitations to training that the injured athlete faces will allow you to prescribe a highly effective and appropriate exercise program for their return.  Be sure to benchmark and track the reconditioning process so that the athletes can build confidence from improved performances.  The final step for a return to sport progression is to plan on-court / on-field controlled practice that prescribes drills that move from simple to complex, have controlled time frames and controlled intensities.  Following these steps allows the athlete to make a successful transition back to competition and protects them from recurrences and flare-ups, which ultimately benefits both the player and the team.

Mike Potenza

Interested in learning more? Check out Optimizing Adaptation & Performance, a new video series from Mike Potenza, Kevin Neeld, and James LaValle that outlines the most effective strategies to maximize health, training progress and sport performance (available at a $50 discount for a limited time).

Deliver better results to your athletes by learning the most effective strategies to integrate strength and conditioning, sports science, and advanced nutrition into a comprehensive program!

The post 3 Powerful Strategies for Successful Reconditioning appeared first on Athletes Acceleration Sports Performance Training.

Kevin Neeld, MS, CSCS, USAW, LMT, PRT
Head Performance Coach, Boston Bruins

Speed is arguably the most critical physical capacity in ice hockey. In other words, no single physical attribute will dictate a player’s success at a given level more than speed. As a result, training PROPERLY for speed is an absolutely essential part of a player’s development.

In an attempt to understand what factors may predict faster skaters, several studies have looked at the relationship between off-ice sprinting speeds and on-ice skating speed and found that there’s a moderate correlation.  In other words, faster runners are generally faster skaters, but there is a lot of gray area. One of the very first things students learn in any introductory statistics or research methods course is that “correlation does not imply causation.” Simply, just because two things are related does not mean that one directly explains the other. For example, consider the below “Spurious Correlation” example from TylerVigen.com:

Interestingly, this correlation is actually higher than most reports of the relationship between off- and on-ice sprinting speed. And while it’s possible that people are so offended by Nicolas Cage’s acting that they’d prefer sleeping underwater, it’s more likely that these two factors have absolutely nothing to do with each other except that they had a peak during the same year, and a regression back toward more standard values the next.

Sprinting On vs. Off the Ice

In recognizing all of this, it’s important to look at what common factors may lead to speed both off- and on-the ice, and which may be more specific to one over the other. To be overly simplistic, the fundamental physical capacities of joint mobility, single-leg stability, force production ability, and rate of force development (ROFD) are likely to positively contribute to speed on and off the ice. Technical elements are more specific to each individual domain.

This may seem like common sense, but it has some important practical considerations. Namely, spending significant amounts of time improving running technique may lead to improvements in off-ice sprinting times, but it likely will not lead to any notable transfer to the ice. Hockey players should work to become competent, but not perfect sprinters, and allocate any additional time for technique work to maximize their efficiency on the ice.

Speed Training For Hockey: Get a copy of your book here.

Another important consideration is how the running stride changes as players accelerate toward and reach top speed. A study examining the movement characteristics of sprinters found that as early as the 5^th stride, their posture was becoming more upright, and the ground contact time was approaching 10ms. They also noted that stride rate increased up to the 4^th stride and then remained constant at ~4.87 strides per second thereafter.

Nagahara, et al., 2014

In contrast, both forward and crossover skating patterns require a significant forward lean, have longer “ice contact times” and a slower stride rate. Skating also involves more of a “pushing” stride pattern. It doesn’t have the same vertical force absorption component characteristic of top speed running.

Robert-Lachaine, et al., 2012

Off-Ice vs. On-Ice Sprinting Summary

There are a few important takeaways here. Compared to sprinting, skating involves:

• More lateral and rotational movement through the hips
• A consistent forward lean
• Longer ground contact times and slower foot turnover
• More of a “concentric” pushing emphasis, than a vertical stiffness/stretch reflex emphasis

For a comprehensive program designed to get your hockey athletes faster,
check out this book:  Speed Training for Hockey.

Training Implications

Having a clearer understanding of the unique characteristics of skating can directly inform exercise selection. Below are a few basic examples of small adjustments to commonly programmed exercises/strategies to improve the transfer to on-ice speed :

Sprinting

The majority of sprint work should be performed between 10-20 yards. Accelerations within this distance emphasize the posture, longer contact time, and more piston-like pushing patterns that more directly translate to skating.

Starting sprints from front-facing and lateral half-kneeling positions will further exaggerate these characteristics. Starting from back facing, side standing open up, or side standing cross-under positions can be used to further emphasize some of the lateral and rotational pushes more characteristic of both linear and cross-over skating.

Cross-Under Start, emphasizing a “push under” with the front leg, similar to the push in crossover patterns on the ice.

Jumping

Hockey players will benefit more from jumping exercises initiated from deeper hip and knee flexion angles (i.e. from angles resembling the skating stance), and longer ground contact times.

There are several strategies to achieve this. First, exercises intended to minimize ground contact time and/or knee and hip flexion (e.g. pogo hops, drop jumps, etc.) should be used sparingly.

Several traditional jumps, such as box jumps, vertical jumps, and lateral and diagonal bounds, can be started from the down position to further emphasize the concentric “pushing” portion of the movement.

One of the biggest changes I’ve made to my programs over the last 5 years is including more step-up variations. Step-Up Jumps meet the overwhelming majority of the criteria discussed so far (i.e. single-leg pattern initiated from a position of deep hip and knee flexion with a concentric pushing emphasis), and are fairly easy to teach. Box heights can be adjusted to account for strength differences and to ensure a clean movement pattern.

Set-Up for a Step-Up Jump. If the jump doesn’t look smooth (or fast), transition to a lower box with more of a forward learn over the front foot.

Sled Pushes/Drags

Sprinting against resistance can lead to several changes that more closely resemble skating characteristics. For example, one study noted that “sled towing” with 32% of body weight resulted in a stride frequency ~1.7/second and ground contact times ~.22-.25 (Lockie, Murphy, & Spinks, 2003). This was around a 20% increase in ground contact time compared to unloaded sprinting, leading the authors to state that, “…as resistance is increased, contact with the ground is lengthened considerably.” The longer ground contact time coincided with an increase in trunk lean, hip range of motion, and knee extension, and decreased flight time 40-50%.

Sled drags, loaded properly, force the player into an acceleration position similar to skating

Wrap Up

Many training programs pull speed training methods directly from track and field. These certainly have a place, but linear and crossover skating are unique movement patterns that have several important distinctions from running. A deeper understanding of these characteristics can help coaches make fairly subtle programming adjustments that will lead to a better transfer of off-ice speed training efforts to actual skating speed.

References

Lockie, R., Murphy, A., & Spinks, C. (2003). Effects of Resisted Sled Towing on Sprint Kinematics in Field Sport Athletes. Journal of Strength and Conditioning, 17(4),    760-767.

Nagahara, R., Matsubayashi, T., Matsuo, A., & Zushi, K. (2014). Kinematics of transition during human accelerated sprinting. Biology Open, 3, 689-699.

Robert-Lachaine, X., Turcotte, R., Dixon, P., & Pearsall, D. (2012). Impact of hockey skate design on ankle motion and force production. Sports Engineering, 15, 197- 206.

About the Author

Kevin Neeld is currently the head performance coach for the NHL Boston Bruins.

He grew up in West Chester, PA and played hockey for the Wlimington Typhoon for several years before eventually transitioning to the Junior Flyers.

When he was 14, he was fortunate to be “given a chance” by a coach that was ahead of his time on the training and power skating side of things. Kevin completely overhauled his athleticism through a focused off-season of training. He knew then that he wanted to make a career out of helping other hockey players to do the same. He also spent that summer running power skating and skill development clinics. This not only helped his own skills, but also gave him an appreciation for how to break down skills to better teach them in group and individual settings.

Since that experience, Kevin’s been incredibly passionate about athletic development in general, but more specifically about on- and off-ice hockey development. He believes EVERY athlete can get better.

Kevin’s dedicated his career to helping aspiring athletes fulfill their potential.

Athletes Acceleration Recommended Product

For a step-by-step blueprint to developing game changing speed, quickness, and stamina, check out the book, Speed Training for Hockey, by Boston Bruins Head Performance Coach, Kevin Neeld.

Speed Training For Hockey

The post Speed Training Methods for Hockey appeared first on Athletes Acceleration Sports Performance Training.

Made for Your Football Players

Dr. Chris Mohr

Sometimes, in order to have our athletes get results, we must make our instructions easy to understand and apply. Simple habits broken down, that can be applied can create big changes.

That’s what we did with our ‘Top 10 Nutrition Principles for Football Players’.

(Feel free to share this Infographic with your athletes!)

1) Pump Up Protein.

Eat some – at Every. Single. Meal. Most people eat a lot of protein for dinner and very little in the morning. The truth is, to build and repair muscle & keep you full throughout the day, people should aim to eat a handful of protein with each meal. More doesn’t give better results. But less can slow your gains. The portion should be equal to about ¼ of your plate.

2) Water Works.

Divide your body weight in half. That is at least how many ounces of water you should drink each day. For example, if you weigh 200 lbs, you should aim for 100 ounces (8 ounces = 1 cup, so that means you’d be drinking about 12 cups of water daily). Make this simple by drinking 2 cups of water before each meal and then sipping more between meals and during workouts.

3) Start Every Day with 2 cups of Water.

Drink 2 cups of water as soon as you wake up before eating anything or having coffee or tea. Then enjoy whatever that next meal will be.

4) Start with Breakfast.

Fueling your body in the morning (after those 2 cups of water mentioned above) prepares you for the day – physically and mentally. Look for foods that combine protein (see #1), some whole grain and veggie or fruit. Try Greek yogurt, berries and some granola for example.

**If you are looking for a nutrition system made specifically for football players,
go checkout the details on Complete Football Nutrition Here.

5) Fill Half Your Plate with Veggies & Fruit.

Every time you eat, half your meal should be veggies and fruit. Think ¼ of a plate protein, ½ veggies/fruit and ¼ grains. These give you nutrients that no other food can offer.

6) Don’t Skimp on Fat.

Fat is healthy. Every meal should include some healthy fats – foods like nuts, salmon, egg yolks, olive oil, avocado and tuna all provide healthy fats to help the body stay healthy, recover and grow.

7) Fiber Matters.

You get fiber from foods like beans, whole grains, veggies and fruits. And you need about double what you’re eating now. Most people eat half of what they need, so add in 1 serving of grains like oats, sweet potato, beans, quinoa or other similar foods each meal. When these are combined with veggies and fruits your body will have what it needs for optimal performance.

8) Snack Purposefully.

If you’re actually hungry between meals, plan to have a smart snack – fruit and nut butter, veggies and hummus, a handful of nuts, etc. This can help give some energy you may need to feel better on the field and in the classroom. Just be cautious of the mindless snacks, meaning those that you eat simply because they’re there.

9) Eat Your Calories, Don’t Drink Them.

The average person drinks about 450 calories each day – that’s about the same amount of calories as a large bowl of ice cream. Eat your calories using the tips above.

10) Consider Supplements … as Complements. 

Supplements should complement a quality diet, never in place of a quality diet. Start with Tips 1-9 above, then consider certain “complements” that may help.

– – – –

Dr. Chris Mohr is on the Coaching Council at Football Coach U and is the creator of Complete Football Nutrition.  If you are looking for a football nutrition system, then go checkout the details on the Complete Football Nutrition here.

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There’s been a lot of controversy surrounding the all too well-known exercise: the burpee. Some coaches/trainers hate them. Some love them. One thing is true: no one actually likes to do them, right? RIGHT? Okay, maybe there are some out there. Nevertheless, the burpee has certainly received a lot of attention over the years; both positive and negative. Here’s what some of the industry leading experts had to say about burpees…

The Great Burpee Debate

Ben Bruno – Bruno Strong

Ben Bruno is a highly sought after personal trainer and fitness educator in Los Angeles. He works with a wide range of clients from professional athletes, to musicians, to some distinguished and recognizable actors, to his mom. Ben has been published and/or featured in over 200 articles including publications such as Men’s Health, Women’s Health, Sports Illustrated, and ESPN. He also consults with several sports organizations regarding strength and conditioning, gives lectures to trainers internationally, and is regularly featured on the ‘The Today Show’. Ben Bruno is extremely well respected in the fitness industry. Here’s what Ben had to say about burpees…

Ben Bruno: Why I Don’t Like Burpees:

Why I Don’t Like Burpees…

• High-impact exercise that puts undue stress on the wrists, shoulders, knees, and lower back. You can achieve a similar training effect in safer ways, so the risk isn’t worth the reward.
• Advanced exercise masquerading as a beginner exercise. Most people lack the requisite strength and mobility to do them properly at all, let alone for high reps, which is how they’re programmed since the goal is metabolic conditioning. Fatigue exacerbates form faults.
• High reps + poor form = Recipe for injury
• They’re often used in group settings and bootcamps, but most people suck at them, making it a bad choice. Show me a video of a group of general population clients doing burpees well. I’ll wait.
• Strong athletes and advanced trainees with good mobility can probably get away with doing them, but have you ever seen a pro strength coach prescribe burpees? Me neither. Success leaves clues.

 

Good Alternatives to Burpees

• Break the movement down into its constituent parts; so do pushups and squats separately in a circuit. Or even squat jumps, but limit the reps of jumps to fewer than 10 per set. High rep plyos are bad news.
• Pretty much any “cardio” machine: the bike, ski erg, elliptical, Versa Climber, rower, sleds, Stairmaster, etc. Also sprints.
• Literally anything else besides burpees.

Ben then followed this up after receiving countless sentiments regarding his opinion toward burpees…

Apparently my opinion on burpees has caused a real stir. What a time to be alive. Here are my thoughts:

 

1.    The main argument I’ve seen for doing burpees is that it’s a ‘functional’ movement because in life you’re going to fall down, and burpees teach you how to fall down and get back up. This rationale is really almost too stupid to argue.

• That would be like me repeatedly tackling my football athletes during the workouts because they’re going to get hit on the field. Why voluntarily choose to fall down repeatedly, as fast as possible? People have also argued that burpees are safe if you do them slowly in lower rep ranges. Perhaps, but have you ever seen anyone do burpees slowly in lower rep ranges? Me neither. That’s a theoretical argument and I live in the real world: people do burpees to get their heart rate up, and trainers give burpees to their clients to tire them out so they feel like they got a good workout. And for that, I’d say there are much better, safer choices.
• They don’t teach you how to fall down. If you do fall in life, you ain’t falling into a perfect pushup position. I’d rather establish a strong base of lower-body and core strength via safer training methods to help with balance and reduce the chance of falling, and also to make the body more resilient to injury if you do fall.

 

2.    All of the people arguing with me about burpees are strong, athletic people who personally enjoy doing them. If you like them and can do them well, do you, and who cares what I think? Seriously. But realize I’m not talking about you, and you’re in the minority. Most people suck at burpees and lack the requisite strength and mobility to do them correctly. Just go watch any boot camp or group class; your eyes will bleed. And when I see burpees haphazardly thrown into beginner home workout routines, I cringe because I’ve trained enough average people to know that most people will butcher the hell out of them.

 

PS – Most people hate burpees. If you’re a trainer, I promise you won’t lose clients if you took them out of your programs. Your clients will be happier and healthier.

Nick Tumminello – NickTumminello.com

Next up we have a proponent of burpees. Another well-respected trainer in the fitness industry is Nick Tumminello. Known colloquially as ‘the trainer of trainers’, Nick has received a number of accolades from top fitness professional organizations including the 2015 Personal Trainer Hall of Fame, and 2016 NSCA Personal Trainer of the Year. He’s also been published in over 30 major health and fitness magazines, and has contributed to peer reviewed publications. Nick is known to provide practical solutions to real world issues that trainers face and therefore has a results driven approach to training and fitness. Here’s what Nick had to say about burpees…

Here’s why I’m not so concerned about the burpee. I hear a lot of trainers say ‘the burpee is bad for a, b, c, and d reasons. Here’s some of the common reasons I hear:

 

1. “You’re slamming down on your wrists.” That’s a matter of how you do it, not a matter of the exercise itself.

2. “People just like it because it’s hard.” Isn’t that what we say for a lot of training, like “squat heavy” or “deadlift heavy”? You’ve got to challenge your body. What’s wrong with an exercise just because it’s difficult?

3. “There are better options.” That’s purely subjective. Better option compared to what?

4. “The burpee is trying to be several things at once. It’s trying to be a pushup, a plank, and a squat, so why not do all three?” With that logic I can therefore say an Olympic lift is trying to be an upright row, a cheat curl, and a shoulder press. The burpee is its own exercise. To me this is just a silly argument.

5. “It puts a lot of pressure on the shoulders.” But dumbbell presses, pushups, kettlebell presses; different pressing movements don’t? It’s logically inconsistent.

 

I’m not saying everybody should do burpees. Nor am I trying to argue that burpees are the best exercise. I’m simply highlighting the way I prefer to do them and also sharing why I’m not convinced by some of the arguments that I hear from other trainers.

Mike Boyle – Mike Boyle’s StrengthCoach.com

Finally, we have Mike Boyle. Mike is certainly not shy about saying how much he dislikes burpees, going as far as saying the burpee is the world’s dumbest exercise. He is known internationally for his pioneering work in the field of Strength & Conditioning. He is also regarded as one of the top experts in the area for Sports Performance Training. Mike has made his mark on the industry over the past 30 years with an impressive following of professional athletes, from the US Women’s Olympic teams in Soccer and Ice Hockey to the Boston Bruins, Boston Breakers, New England Revolution, and most recently the Boston Red Sox. He has also been a featured speaker at numerous strength and conditioning and athletic training clinics across the world. Let’s see what Mike has to say about burpees…

Burpees – The World’s Dumbest Exercise

Excerpt From Mike Boyle’s StrengthCoach.com:

 

Burpee- Wikipedia
The burpee, or squat thrust, is a full body exercise used in strength training and also as anaerobic exercise. The basic movement is performed in four steps and known as a “four-count burpee”.

 

Every time I see a burpee, I just ask myself “why?”. When we think about the idea of “Start With Why”, don’t you just look at a burpee and think “why?”. Don’t you just watch people do burpees and ask why?

I know I do. Wrist impact, shoulder impact, lumbar flexion. A million opportunities for bad mechanics with what upside? It’s hard? Is that an upside?

 

When you do them or program them, ask yourself a simple question. Why? Why is this exercise in my program? Then try to find me a really good reason. I’m going to bet you can’t.

Then ask, what are we getting from the burpee? Back to tired again?

 

It’s our job to choose exercises that are effective. It’s also our job to keep our athletes and clients healthy. If you look at an exercise and see injury risk and then can’t really explain why you do it, that makes it a really bad choice.

Also from Mike:

I cannot think of one good reason to do a burpee. That idea that it’s a functional movement; it happens… not true. If you’re falling down and have to get back up multiple times, then there’s a lot of things wrong and you really should probably get that checked out. People say ‘it happens in sports.’ No it doesn’t. Nobody ever willingly throws themselves on the ground and bounces themselves back up again.

And finally:

Quick follow up: So… we’ve established that maybe someone does something that looks like a burpee: wrestling, or in MMA, or maybe it happens in rugby, someone said surfing. The point is, it doesn’t happen enough to do hundreds of them.

 

Someone asked ‘well what do you do for bodyweight HIIT cardio’? Why do we need bodyweight HIIT cardio? I’m not really sure if there’s actually a necessity for bodyweight HIIT cardio.

 

And then people said it’s a really good combination of a squat, a plank, and a pushup. If I invented a tool and I said it’s a really good combination of a saw, a hammer, and a screwdriver and it doesn’t really work good at any of those things but it’s a really good combination, that would be my analysis of burpees. A combination of 3 exercises, not really good at any of them.

 

Then the big one: ‘What’s bad about them?’ What’s bad about them? Beating up your wrists, and your shoulders with tons of reps: that’s what’s bad about them.

So, there you have it! To burpee or not to burpee? Expert advice from some of the leading experts in our industry.

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Hunter Charneski, MS

What if I told you that non-track athletes can benefit immensely from block-starts? Would it surprise you? Force you to pause? Be skeptical? Jaded, even? What if I told you I felt the same way when friend, coach, and mentor, Derek M. Hansen instructed me to do so? Well, I did, but then I tried it: the results were profound, then I tried it with my athletes. Going once, going twice, sold! If you give me the time it takes to read this article, I will give you the means to become THE acceleration expert in your area.

What do 99.9% of the athletes that come through your doors want? I’m going to take a shot in the dark and say, speed! More specifically, the burst and surge needed to “get there first.” What better way to help them achieve said goal than putting them into the most advantageous position to accelerate? Enter block-starts: they are simple, effective, and fun for the athlete(s).

An athlete’s ability to be the fastest on the field or court is a game-changer.
Get your free checklist for teaching acceleration here.

“But Coach, why would team sport/ non-track athletes train block-starts?” I retort, why not? Follow and trust. There are a myriad of rewards from training with blocks, including (but not limited to):

• Increase starting strength.
• Builds general strength, as strength plays the biggest role in the acceleration phase.
• The deeper angle allows for more effective and efficient mechanics during the acceleration phase, (horizontal force production) setting the table for higher speeds to be obtained at max velocity.
• Requires some technical proficiency: if your non-track athletes are able to attain correct posture and optimal limb mechanics out of block-starts, you can rest assured they will be able to do so in their sport in much less demanding situations.
• Who doesn’t want to feel like a sprinter?! That’s why I do it!

If the list of “pros” for block starts for non-track athletes hasn’t sold you yet, then it’s implementation will. In order to reap the benefits above, follow this three-step process:

1. First: Athletes perform three-point start(s).
2. Second: Athletes perform block-starts.
3. Third: Athletes perform three-point start(s) and watch the difference.

Athletes Perform Three-Point Start(s)

Keep it simple. Let me repeat, keep it simple. The setup for the three-point should be – in my opinion – no more cumbersome than:

1. Front foot is one-foot’s length away from the line.
2. Back foot is two-foot’s length away from the line.
3. Both hands take all of the line.
4. Raise your hips.
5. “Cock” the hand opposite the back leg to your hip and 1…2…go!

Now, I don’t know about you, but I have approximately zero track athletes in my building. The kids will be excited, they have never done it before, and they are eager to earn the praise of their coach. With that in mind, the setups may be a tad off, leading to the starts to be, well, less than optimal.

Hopefully you see where I’m going with this, right? Make no mistake, Madison is one of the best athletes I have ever had the pleasure of working with. In fact, if I close my eyes and wait a couple years, she will be picking her school to continue her soccer career. That being said, she could use some help with her starting strength, efficiency, and mechanics, wouldn’t you agree? As her coach, it is my job to help her: time for the starting blocks.

Athletes Perform Block Starts

When you introduce a new variable, it would be prudent to keep the process – you guessed it – simple. Remember, the starting blocks are here to help your athletes, not induce paralysis through analysis. The block setup is as follows:

1. Front block is two-foot’s lengths away from the line.
2. Back block is three-foot’s lengths away from the line.
3. Front block is one notch lower than back block (adjust them till athlete is at comfort and ease).
4. Both hands take the line.
5. Tuck her chin, lift her hips and 1…2…go!

Sprinting is a hind brain activity. We want as little thinking as possible when training speed. But, we also want our athletes “pushing” to achieve peak horizontal force production. How do we accomplish said goals? Put them in a position where both happen without the athlete knowing. That is coaching!

Madison is not a track athlete. However, being put in a position that is easy to obtain and comfortable, she was able to “push” and attain great posture and limb mechanics. That is the beauty of the blocks: minimal coaching, maximal results. The athletes feel competent, and you feel like a craftsman. Win/win.

Athletes Perform Three-Point Starts

One thing I noticed immediately, (rather than the start itself) was the setup improved drastically. Full disclosure: Madison gave up an hour on her Sunday to assist me with the video, so it’s not like we had all day to coach, film and perform. That’s what makes her results impressive. Being in the blocks actually helped her cement the setup without me coaching her to do so. Other than that, the video speaks for itself.

The difference between the two three-point starts is staggering: confident execution, improved limb mechanics, long powerful levers, natural and “flowing” movements. Her father, Damon, looked at me and exclaimed, “She looks like she’s still in the blocks!” I rest my case.

Summary

Perception is a powerful coaching tool, yet it is rarely used. We become so mired with our “ability” to cue our athletes to death, that progress may stagnate. Leave the conversations for the rest periods. When coaching, my suggestion is to let the drills and tools do the talking while the athletes do the walking.

Block-starts for non-track athletes is something more coaches in the industry need to not only consider, but implement. Speed is the most universal sport of all, trust me when I tell you block-starts will work with your non-track athletes. I know, because I have done it both as an athlete and coach. And if you have been following me for any length of time, then you understand I am a fan of brevity. The checklist outlined in this article is a simple system you can put into action tomorrow and start helping your athletes “get there first.”

About the Author

Hunter Charneski is a nationally recognized expert in the realm of Physical Preparation. He has impacted thousands of athletes and coaches in the industry through podcasts, writing, and consulting. Known for helping coaches and athletes “bridge the gap” between good and great, Hunter has risen to become the training resource in his area. Hunter is the President of Charneski Power and Owner and Founder of Freak Faktory Barbell & Sports Performance in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Freak Faktory Barbell & Sports Performance produces elite high school, college, and professional athletes in West Michigan. Hunter received his Masters Degree from California University of Pennsylvania. He is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (NSCA), Certified Advanced Physical Preparation Specialist (CPPS), Performance Enhancement Specialist (PES), Certified Speed Specialist (NASE), and Specialist in Fitness Nutrition (ISSA).

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Foot Strengthening For Athletes

By: Phil Loomis

Everyone loves their shoes! Many folks are devoted enthusiasts of a certain brand. Others want to make a fashion statement with their kicks and some just need to wear something that’s comfortable. As performance coaches, there’s no doubt we love our footwear and the athletes we coach are no different.

That said, it’s easy to overlook the feet sometimes because they are encased in the latest shoe innovation. But when we take those shoes off and look down at our feet what do we see?

Is it a lifeless club?  Can you even feel your feet? Are your toes scrunched together? Does your forefoot flare out? Is there a rather disproportionate concave bulge near the medial subtalar joint/inner ankle?

Sometimes looking at an athlete’s bare feet can you tell you a lot.

I was a little overwhelmed with where to start because there is SO MUCH, I believe coaches need to be aware of with regard to not only the structure of the foot/ankle complex but primarily its function.

The foot/ankle complex in most cases is the only point of contact with the ground. It must act as both mobile adaptor and spring-like lever within the same movement.[i] There is a fine line between mobility and stability and a finely tuned sensorimotor system is vital for optimization of gait. Motor input dictates motor output, whether it’s optimal or not is what we need to explore.

Ron Hruska of the Postural Restoration Institute (PRI) has noted that the non-manual techniques (corrective exercises) utilized by PRI take place with the feet grounded on a wall/floor. Hruska says to “plant it, sense it.”  The plantar surface of our feet is wired for pressure and perturbation which allows us to innately sense the position of our joints/body.

Hruska also describes the foot as a transducer. A concept that in my mind has untapped and significant implications for performance/movement coaches. A transducer is something that converts a signal in one form of energy to a signal in another, like an antenna.

The feet act as sensory receivers that transduce information from the floor/ground up to the brain stem. Hruska also described the plantar surface of the feet as preceptors (in Latin this means warned) that provide feedforward information. Without this warning the afferent input is skewed and we lose variability (eversion, inversion, supination, pronation…) or the aforementioned mobile adaptor function.

The following is an excellent example from Dr. Evan Osar on how this warning signal can be skewed and lead to biomechanical compensation.

The goal during the loading of the foot is to spread the metatarsals in order to create a reflexive response and optimally load the first ray of the foot. If this motion is blocked by a rigid arch foot, an orthotic insert, or a shoe with relatively stiff instep (to prevent excessive pronation), the nervous system will recognize this and make compensations to help improve the medial loading and metatarsal spreading of the foot. One common way is to drive the knee through the frontal plane into a more valgus position to help load the medial aspect of the foot. [ii] – Dr. Evan Osar

If the foot can’t pull in the information it needs, due to, in this case, a structural block, our neuromuscular system will attempt to pull that information from another source. A source that is not ideally suited to do so because it lacks the anticipatory potential of the foot.

At an NSCA conference Dr. Emily Splichal (an authority on the foot/ankle complex) described the small nerve proprioceptors in the plantar skin and fascia as having the potential to be anticipatory.  While the large nerve proprioceptors such as the Golgi tendon organs and the muscle spindles are much slower and more reactive in nature.

I think we can all agree that the loading strategy described above by Dr. Osar would is non-optimal. If knee valgus (in this case) is the athlete’s preferred strategy to medially load the foot, it was a reactionary response initiated after the warning from the small nerve proprioceptors was blocked.

As coaches we need to develop strategies to ensure that athletes are not neglecting the power of this anticipatory/feedforward function of the foot/ankle complex.

Before we can optimally develop these strategies however, there are a few key concepts that need to be highlighted.

Muscle Tuning Theory

Dr. Benno Nigg proposed the muscle tuning theory in the Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine in 2001. Nigg stated the following:

Impact forces (from running) are input signals that produce muscle tuning shortly before the next contact with the ground to minimize soft tissue vibration and/or reduce joint and tendon loading.

Nigg followed up his research in the Journal of Biomechanical Engineering with the implications of an un-tuned landing.

The subjects: 13 male runners exposed to three different environments; expected soft, unexpected hard and expected hard landings.

For the unexpected landing there was no muscle adaptation, as subjects did not know the running surface was going to change. In support of the muscle-tuning concept an increase in the soft tissue acceleration did occur.

Practically speaking it takes a few steps for the muscles to become tuned to a surface. Once the body tunes to that surface, anticipatory muscle tuning occurs to dampen soft tissue vibration and decrease joint and tendon loading.

If the surface suddenly changes it can’t be anticipated and the muscles can’t match the frequency of the incoming vibrations and there is a sudden increase in joint and tendon loading.

In 1993 I remember watching a Chicago Bears versus Philadelphia Eagles game at Veterans Stadium (The Vet). Chicago wide receiver Wendell Davis ran a pass pattern and pulled up to make an attempt on an under thrown pass, no contact both ACLs ruptured!

The Vet was old school Astroturf, basically a layer of fake grass on top of concrete/cement.

According to Dr. Splichal:

Unlike softer ground surfaces like grass, gravel or dirt, hard, artificial surfaces like cement, aren’t good at absorbing force. When the foot strikes a hard surface like cement, the vibrations actually rebound and double up back into the body.

This is why moving on hard surfaces is so hard on the body. Hard surfaces create more stress and fatigue on the connective tissues and bones and contribute towards injury.

Purely speculative on my part but it’s possible that Wendell Davis’ muscles could not tune to the surface and the sudden impact force when his feet hit the ground lead to joint and tendon loading that exceeded the threshold his passive structures could resist.

Think of all the non-contact injuries sustained on artificial turf surfaces where the athlete goes down in a heap as if taken down by the dreaded turf monster! Add to that stiff football shoes and possible ankle taping that locks the foot/ankle up and simply doesn’t allow the athlete to sense and feel the ground.

In Michigan during the winter boots are a necessity. My boots are stiff and immobile and I can’t even feel my feet. If I feel compelled to run after the dog or take evasive action in a snow ball fight, I feel extremely uncoordinated as my foot/ankle are rendered useless due to the structure/rigidity of the boots.

Many athletes compete in this large nerve proprioceptive environment which is very reactionary in nature (versus anticipatory). It’s really a testament to their athleticism/conditioning that injury rates are not higher.

As a follow-up to this last point let’s talk about what happens when we put our shoes on…

Shoes: Friend or Foe?

In her webinar titled: The Role of Barefoot Science and the Shod Athlete Dr. Emily Splichal states that when we put on our shoes we enter a large nerve (reactive) response environment. As previously mentioned, this large nerve environment is not fast enough to dissipate impact forces. We need to tap into that small nerve (anticipatory) response environment. We need to be barefoot to optimize this environment.

That said, it’s simply not practical to participate in sport without shoes so let’s throw that notion out entirely.

Fortunately, there are things we can do even with our shoes on to facilitate these small nerve responses.

A study by Waddington et al.,  looked at subjects’ discrimination between different extents of inversion at the ankle with socks on, barefoot, shoes/socks on, and textured insoles with no socks. They concluded that across the 36 weeks of the study, movement discrimination scores for the barefoot condition showed significant improvement.

They also concluded:  the addition of textured insoles to the shoes was found to restore movement discrimination back to barefoot levels.

In this case discrimination is good, it means better positional awareness.

Another study by Waddington et al., used 17 elite female soccer players under 3 conditions their own football boot, bare feet, and own football boot with textured insoles. Their results showed; Movement discrimination scores were significantly worse when subjects wore their football boots and socks, compared with barefoot data collected at the same time. The substitution of textured insoles for conventional smooth insoles in the football boots was found to restore movement discrimination to barefoot levels.

They therefore concluded that; the insole is one aspect of football boot and sport shoe design that could be modified to provide the sensory feedback needed for accurate foot positioning.

Steinberg et al., 2016 also concluded that; the stimulation to the proprioceptive system arising from textured insoles worn for five weeks was sufficient to improve the proprioceptive ability and performance ability of ballet dancers.

So, it seems a nice bridge from barefoot training to sport/competition shoes would be a training shoe with a textured insole.

Practical Strategies for Narrowing the Gap between Barefoot and Competition Footwear

Step 1 Train in a small nerve/barefoot environment

Janda et al., stated that Short Foot Exercise (SFE) improved the position of body segments and the stability of the body in the standing position by increasing afferent inputs from the bottom of the foot. They also stated that SFE is the first step in sensory motor training (proprioceptive training) and can improve proprioception and postural stability if applied along with other exercises.[iii]

Short foot is a tremendous strategy for activating the intrinsic muscles of the foot. So how do you execute a short foot?

Soysa et al., stated that flexion at the metatarsophalangeal joint and extension at the interphalangeal joint, is an action hypothesized to activate the foot intrinsic muscles. This group also noted that allowing a toe-curling action to occur is an action associated with the contraction of extrinsic foot muscles. In other words, don’t curl your toes if you want to activate the foot intrinsics!

Dr. Emily Splichal’s points of emphasis when coaching short foot:

1. One foot at a time
2. Working leg knee slightly flexed
3. Establish a foot tripod (expertly explained here by Dr. Evan Osar)
4. Spread the digits
5. Engage the pelvic floor
6. Root the tips of the digits to the ground
7. Hold for 10 seconds

Short Foot Demo

A few passive strategies that may allow athletes to more optimally execute short foot.

Per point number 4 above, spreading the digits. Think about athletes that have their feet crammed into athletic shoes (especially those that practice/play with stiff cleats that often have a narrow toe box) for several hours each day. If you have athletes take their shoes and socks off to have a look at their bare feet, then you will often see toes that are quite literally “glued” together. In some cases the toes will even cross over. Why is this a big deal?

According to Sue Falsone:

Compressing the toes will lead to pointing the first ray in a more medial position, often creating a bunion. When we have a bunion, we do not properly transfer force from the rear foot to the fore foot; we “fall through” the midfoot, further driving the compensation.  Repositioning the first ray is imperative in restoring proper foot function. Once we restore this range of motion, the short muscles of the foot have room to do their job, allowing activation and strengthening of the important proprioceptive muscles. [iv]

Falsone states one of the best techniques she has found for repositioning the first ray is the use of toe spreaders. She recommends   starting with 5 minutes daily working up to 30 minutes. I ask athletes to wear them at home while doing homework and to keep a pair in their gear bag for road trips.

Another strategy is working on the suppleness of the plantar surface. The best strategy here is rolling the bottom of your foot over a ball. Start with a less stiff ball such as a tennis ball. Then, work toward a lacrosse ball and even a golf ball. Move slowly along the foot tripod and avoid curling/crunching the toes. Imagine spreading the foot wide and keeping the toes long. Initially the pressure can be quite uncomfortable and athletes will tend to “grip” the foot. When the foot is suppler it can better serve its “mobile adaptor” function. This is critical for absorbing ground reactions forces.

To take the short foot activities to the next level we need to move to single leg stance.

According to Dr. Splichal when we move to single leg stance, we activate the Lateral Line. The glute medius is part of the Lateral Line.

Sue Falsone states:

If you activate the glute med, the foot intrinsics will fire and create a short foot. Glute med activation and foot function go hand in hand. [v]

How do you know if the athlete’s glute med activates in single leg stance?

Dr. Splichal states that when an athlete transitions to single leg stance you should see the subtalar joint move from relative eversion to a more neutral alignment via inversion. If the subtalar joint is “stuck” in eversion we need to get the foot talking to the hips.

Here are a few activities that can help open the lines of communication between the foot intrinsics and the glute med in a less demanding position than single leg stance.

Side Lying knee toward knee

Standing AF IR w/Short Foot

Step 2 Textured Insoles

The research looks very promising with athletes that use textured insoles to improve proprioceptive ability and performance ability.

The one caveat though is it appears the best way to do this is to use them without socks or a very thin sock. The whole idea behind the insoles is for the plantar surface to “connect” with the textured surface of the insole. Most socks are definitely going to interfere with the ability of the plantar surface to sense and feel that textured surface. You could try putting the insoles in your socks but having personally tried this it doesn’t work that well.

My recommendation is to have a pair of designated training shoes to use them in without socks. I have used them with ground-based warm-up exercises and “controlled” movement training like skipping, crawling, single leg stability exercises and lunge variations.  I have also used them when performing primary (squat, hinge, push, pull, etc.) and accessory strength training patterns.

Step 3 play your sport/compete!

Finally, it’s time to hit the floor/court/ice! Suit up as normal and compete in your normal footwear and socks. Dr. Splichal states that if you train in that small nerve environment (barefoot) and use textured insoles during training there will be a carryover to gameday! That said, it’s not magic! You have to consistently train this way to make that carryover reliable and sustainable. Not only that, but Dr. Splichal made what I thought was a very profound statement. She told me that wearing the textured insoles not only during training but also in casual shoes (in addition of course to barefoot love and care) is a form of recovery. Your feet get banged up when they are locked up in stiff and often poorly fit athletic shoes. Therefore, you can reap huge dividends if you take care of your feet after the game or practice.

Summary:

Our feet are often out of sight but that shouldn’t hide their true potential. As coaches we need to implement strategies that will allow our athletes to harness and refine the ability of the foot/ankle complex to sense and feel the ground. In turn, this will help them move more efficiently.

Other considerations:

Big Toe and Gluteal Amnesia

If an athlete can’t get over their big toe (hallux dorsiflexion), then their glutes will be restricted in their ability to extend the hip (closed chain).

Surface science

As mentioned previously hard surfaces are hard on the body! Minimize an athlete’s exposure to surfaces like cement, black top, marble, and turf fields. This is especially true for those built upon previous structures like parking lots).

So, what surfaces are the best to train on?

Dr. Splichal says natural surfaces are best for optimizing muscle tuning and thus reducing soft tissue and connective tissue stress. Surfaces like dirt, real grass, and wood flooring particularly the type in dance studios. Some areas may even have tuned running tracks.

Foot wear

Make sure the shoes fit!  A few years ago at an event called Pitchapalooza, Dr. Allen Sills (now chief medical officer for the NFL) gave a fascinating presentation on a pilot study his group had done with 7 NFL teams (well over 200 players involved):

Almost 50% of players will have one size difference between the left and right feet.

There were vast disparities in the length and width of a size 12 from different manufacturers, up to 2 full sizes.

In some cases, the same manufacturer had different models in the same size that were up to 2 sizes different.

91% of the athletes involved were rolling/falling off the edge of the shoe/foot plate.

Sills provided the following tips:

• Most athletes have no idea the “true” size they need (get them fitted properly).
• At least 50% will have one size difference between left and right (make sure both feet are measured).
• The style of the shoe is just as important as the size (different positional requirements).

Better fit=better interaction with the surface=less risk of injury and better force transfer from the ground up.

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[i] ” Chapter 26 The athletic foot and ankle.” Sports Injury Prevention and Rehabilitation, by David Joyce and Daniel Lewindon, Routledge, 2016, pp. 346

[ii] ” Chapter 4 The Hip Complex.” Corrective Exercise Solutions to Common Hip and Shoulder Dysfunction, by Evan Osar, Lotus, 2012, pp. 103.

[iii] Janda V, VaVrova M: Sensory motor stimulation. In: Liebenson C (Ed.), Rehabilitation of the Spine. Baltimore: Williams & Wilkins, 1996, pp 319–328.

[iv] “Chapter 7 Somatosensory Control.” Bridging the Gap from Rehab to Performance, by Sue Falsone and Mark Verstegen, On Target Publications, 2018, pp. 166-167.

[v]  “Chapter 7 Somatosensory Control.” Bridging the Gap from Rehab to Performance, by Sue Falsone and Mark Verstegen, On Target Publications, 2018, pp. 168.

About the Author:

Coach Phil Loomis is a fitness professional and nutrition coach at Life Time Athletic in Bloomfield, MI as well as a strength and conditioning coach for the Michigan Red Sox in Birmingham, MI. He was also the head coach and CEO of Forever Fit in Troy, MI. He is currently certified as a Strength and Conditioning Specialist, Youth Athletic Development Specialist, and a Speed and Agility Specialist. Coach Loomis is also a Corrective Exercise Specialist, and a Precision Nutrition Certified Coach among others.

Coach Loomis played Division 1 college baseball. It was then that he developed the appreciation for the impact that off-field performance training and nutrition can have for developing athletes.  His passion for youth and sports performance lead him to start Forever Fit. His training experience has lead him to develop a deep appreciation for corrective exercise and long-term athletic development strategies.  He specializes in functional anatomy and bio-mechanics as they relate to program design and corrective exercise; youth athletic development; and rotational/overhead athlete performance enhancement.

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Football Acceleration Drills For Wide Receivers

By: Doug Heslip

Coming out of your stance like a rocket it what it is all about. Vertical push is critical to defeating a defensive back.  The ability to vaporize a defensive back and leave him to spontaneously combust is just plain fun.  One of the goals for my athletes is to cover 10 yards as fast as possible.

When you are locked up one-on-one and you look across the line of scrimmage, eyeball your competition.  When both of you make eye contact make the defensive back blink first.

You can win the battle of the line of scrimmage before the snap.  How?  First, get in your stance and look like an overwhelming force. Make the DB think he will be crushed because he is in your path.  Look fast even if you are not.

Secondly, when the football is snapped, open it up, detonate, erupt, and come out like a rocket. Let the DB know you will compete on every snap.  Let him know you have superhuman mental toughness.

If you are not the fastest guy in the huddle, you can still be very effective.  This is where having outstanding footwork and the ability to deceive when you are running routes is your path to prevail and reign when it matters.

Below are a few football acceleration drills I use to develop complete wide receivers to compete.  There are certainly more drills, exercises and pieces of equipment you can use such as sleds, tempo runs, 10, 20, 30 yard sprints and hills.  I mention a few below you can put in your tool box to use to add a little variety.  I like to keep things fresh.

Free Video Training Series: The Four Most Important Football Speed Training Drills

WEIGHTED ROUTES

For these football acceleration drills, I use a weight belt (placed around the waist) or wrist weights. You can use dumbbells if you don’t have wrist weights.  I like the wrist weights.  They are simple and it adds a little weight to their hands.  I am not sold on using a weighted vest to run routes as it places too much forward lean in their stance against press coverage and I believe a heavy load hinders the running of routes.  Therefore, I prefer to stay away from the vest for route running; my opinion.  I do not use a lot of weight.  I want them to be athletes and run routes like a wide receiver flawlessly.

Have your WR get into his stance.  At first I have them accelerate off of the line of scrimmage for 10 yards as fast as they can with weight.  Make sure you perform contrast reps (no weight) after the weighted reps.

I will have them run routes using the above method.  Using a Vertimax, I train them off the platform on the Vertimax using waist and hip flexor loading with a special harness.  With the Vertimax, I do not do any route running: just straight ahead acceleration for these football acceleration drills.

GET UPS

Have your WR lie on his stomach on the ground.  Have your QB or coach approximately 10 yards away perpendicular to the WR on the ground with a football at the ready to throw.

I like to slap the ball to make the WR on the ground respond to the sound.  Once the WR hears the slap he gets up as fast as he can (push up) and runs straight ahead.  The QB will throw the football to him on the run as he is going parallel to the QB.  The WR tucks the football QB side to prevent the DB from knocking it loose.

I will also have them “stick” their outside foot (pressure step) and run directly at me.  I like the “stick” move because it simulates a WR planting his foot on a quick slant for example.  Then, I will throw the football to them as they are running toward me.

A “stick” move is when a WR runs a three-step or five-step slant route.  The “stick” is made on the last step before the actual slant.  I tell them to stick their foot in the ground and use it as a pressure step to accelerate them into the slant.

TENNIS BALL DRILL

Have your WR in his stance.  Stand approximately a few yards away from him with a tennis ball.  Drop the tennis ball.  The tennis ball will hit the ground once, but tell your WR he has to catch the tennis ball before it hits the ground twice.  As his acceleration improves from the stance, move further away from him.

A progression to these football acceleration drills is once he catches the first dropped tennis ball, take a second ball and throw it in the opposite direction he just came from.  This will help with deceleration after the first ball is caught and will require a change of direction.  I want the change of direction performed as fast as possible.  Coach them on shin angle and shoulder sway to prevent losing precious tenths of seconds.

Acceleration, deceleration and reacceleration is a critical skill set WRs need to acquire. The ability to change direction seamlessly is a valuable commodity.

There are routes where WRs will break down very quickly in an attempt to seduce the defensive back that he is going to alter his route in a different direction.  Having some snake oil salesmen in your WR can be beneficial.

Even if you can get the defensive back to freeze his feet while your WR is reaccelerating you have a good chance at a big play.  Tenths of seconds matter during a one-on-one battle and it will ultimately be the deciding factor on who wins that play.  Tenths of seconds lead to whole numbers on the scoreboard and in the win column.

Related: Wide Receiver Play – Football Catching Drills

HURDLE JUMPS ADVANCED JUMPING

I have my athletes perform this exercise a couple of different ways. The first way is to have them stand right in front of a track hurdle.  Have them jump over the hurdle and then have them sprint 10 yards.

The second way is to have your athletes jump 5 times with trap bar with a weight your athlete can handle.  You may want to start with body weight, progress to bar weight, then add weight. They need to understand jumping and landing mechanics (Snap Downs).  I consider this advanced jumping.

After 5 reps, I have them jump over three track hurdles as contrast reps.

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MEDICINE BALLS

I use medicine balls for all of my athletes.  They are great for football acceleration drills. Medicine balls are fantastic for athletes to build strength. Medicine balls can be used in all planes of motion and engage muscles from all areas of the body.  It is also a great way to get violent and release some frustration you may be feeling!

Do not forget to train in all planes of motion.  The med ball can deliver great rotational power benefits.  I train athletes in a variety of sports, as well.  I make sure they all throw the med ball with their right and left sides to achieve some symmetrical benefits.

Medicine ball is pure acceleration and can teach triple extension.  Medicine ball throws create momentum and improves acceleration.  Once the throw is completed I have my athlete’s sprint using the momentum created by the med ball.

BROAD JUMP

Start off with proper jumping and landing mechanics. Use weight only when they have completely mastered absorbing force.

Have your athlete hold a medicine ball.  I do not go over an eight pound ball.  From a standstill have them broad jump three times with the med ball in their hands.  After the third rep they drop the ball and perform 2 additional jumps without the med ball.

I will also have them sprint after the weighted jumps as a variation. The momentum created will assist in acceleration.

I do not have my athletes perform many sets of this particular exercise.  I have them perform only 2 sets.  It is a demanding exercise.

ROTATIONAL THROW LATERALLY

Have your athlete stand forward with med ball in hands near chest area.  Take a small step forward and plant the right foot.  At the same time bring the med ball to right hip with knees bent to engage the glutes. You will be in the frontal plane.

Push off with the right foot and take a big step with the left leg and unleash the med ball from the right hip. Your hands after releasing the med ball will be extended over your head at an angle.  After the med ball is released, have them sprint and chase the med ball downfield. Make sure you get both sides.      

CHEST PASS

WRs have to use their hands and arms for a variety of reasons such as hand-to-hand combat, blocking, and of course catching the football.

The medicine ball two hand chest pass is a great way to develop stronger fingers.  Catching the medicine ball to the sides, overhead and low will certainly develop the hands.

Throwing the medicine ball will build strength in the arms.  This will come in handy for hand-to-hand combat with an edgy defensive back.

BANDS

I have my WRs attach bands near their ankles.  I simply have them step laterally as fast as they can just like the single move.  After resisted reps on both feet, I then have them perform contrast reps.

I use light, not heavy bands, so I do not mess up their technique.  If the band is too heavy it will probably affect their shin angle and may create some body sway in the wrong direction.

My athletes like the contrast reps because they feel faster with their feet.  This builds confidence to take on a press defender one-on-one and win.

I have them run routes after they complete their resisted sets.  This gets some extra rep work in on catching the ball on the run too.

I understand having great footwork is vital too.  Single moves and double moves coupled with great acceleration are critical.  You have to be complete if you want to compete.

Free Video Training Series: The Four Most Important Football Speed Training Drills

About the Author:

Coach Doug Heslip is a sports performance and football coach in Negaunee, Michigan and trainer at Heslip Elite Sports Performance Training. He has been coaching football and training athletes for 20 years. Coach Heslip is an instructor at the USA Football/Green Bay Packer coaching clinics at Lambeau Field and has been for nearly 10 years, rated the number 1 station as polled by coaches after instruction. He is also a Team USA football coach. Coach Heslip has written several articles published through American Football Monthly and has a Running Back DVD through American Football Monthly, peer reviewed and labeled outstanding. He also received the Governor’s Service Award for the State of Michigan for coaching football.

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