Before I get started, bear in mind that I love my career. Nothing offers me more satisfaction than seeing young athletes learn and succeed. However, our industry is currently being speculated for a monumental collapse. A collapse that can be blamed on the industry itself and most importantly, an industry that is becoming more eager to get its hands on children and young athletes in an attempt to draw funds from a niche that could potentially deter an inevitable implosion.
The internet has created a wealth of information available to the general public but, with that information comes the misuse of that power. The internet has made ergogenic aids available to teenagers, spiking the use of substances like steroids for young men and women around the country.
Furthermore, the internet has become nothing more than a vehicle of deception as our industry has become more like organized gambling than anything related to health and fitness.
**In organized gambling, you hand someone money and typically, they hand you back nothing in return.
Instead, what people are getting back for their dollar are an ever rising rate of obesity, heart disease, cancer, and other health related issues. Supplement companies are making billions off of poor souls that have typically exhausted most of their options, buying products that have the potential to create more disease than they can prevent.
Additionally, the marketing approach for our industry has been nothing short of pure genius. The health and fitness industry is the only venue where the more money you spend, the less you get.
Here is a comparison:
1. Increased dollars for AIDS research and education = new medications that can prolong life in HIV infected patients and non-incarcerated patients with HIV in the U.S. have leveled off in number.
2. Increased dollars for alternative fuel sources = Hybrid cars, tax breaks for alternative energy users, fuel cells that run on water, E85 ethanol, electric-run cars, and more gas-efficient automobiles.
3. Funding for the space program from 1950-2007 = Teflon, Velcro, computer technology, cell phones, DVD's, and other technological marvels that we occasionally take for granted.
Our industry receives 5-billion dollars per year for youth training. 18-billion dollars get spent on gym memberships for kids. The supplement industry--yep, you guessed it! They make billions as well. The result is more people turning away from our trade. Major health clubs are now fighting bankruptcy, "sports performance" franchises are going out of business just as fast as they are opening, and over 400 different certifications are clouding educational standards for practicing professionals. It has become so ridiculous that many of these "sports performance" entities are now resorting to hosting birthday parties at their facilities to keep the doors open. As for certifications, the final straw was when I saw an advertisement for a "Strollercize" certification. That's right, our industry actually has a certification for trainers to do workouts with mothers pushing strollers.
Personally, after receiving more than 6 years of education, another 6 years of experience in the industry, and I currently lose business to health club quality trainers, high school football coaches, and former professional athletes that know nothing about pediatric exercise science.
The last and final reason as to why I hate our industry boils down to the potential benefits that a quality professional can offer. Every high school football coach in the U.S. thinks they know something about strength training. High schools now make large sums of money off of running summer speed and agility camps, which are nothing more than running kids to exhaustion for 6-weeks during their summer break. These high schools typically don't want our help. Recently, 2 outstanding physicians, a nutritionist, and myself, spoke on topics like supplementation, injury prevention, steroids, and strength training to a large, Chicago-area school. Only one coach showed up for this free, public service event.
Secondarily, parents spending money on the American Sports Machine have become more focused on what they want, instead of what their children need. Many parents are more than satisfied spending as much as $2,000 dollars for a travel team and another $1000 dollars on travel and equipment instead of seeking out a health professional to help aid in the athletic development of their child. Ironically, many of the parents spending these large amounts of dollars are doing so to make sure their child receives a college scholarship. In the end, the amount of money they spend on all the travel teams and equipment can nearly equal the amount they would have to pay on a college education. Even more ironic, college and professional organizations are now beginning to pass on these kids that participate in these pay-for-play, competitive, travel teams. These kids have become health liabilities and psychological calamities as that large number of games and stress lead to early burnout amongst these children.
Sadly, the industry and the people involved have gotten so out of hand that it is hard to distinguish what sport really is in this country.
My girlfriend, a former Division-1 volleyball player, was frequently called "fat" along with her teammates after a poor performance. This volleyball club is supposed to be one of the premier volleyball clubs in the country.
The first athlete I ever worked with, a 16 year old football player in Upstate NY, fractured his back after lifting in his high school weight room without supervision, instruction, or even enough space for what he was doing at the time. The came to me following his surgery and rehabilitation when he didn't want to work out at his high school anymore. I'm ashamed to say that I'm a member of this school's alumni.
Recently, I worked with a 10 year old girl that nearly had her hip flexor torn off the bone after participating in a Frappier Acceleration program featuring a high speed treadmill. She was placed in a program with athletes that were 16 and 17 years old.
Yesterday morning, a group of little leaguers said that their health teacher told them that consuming carbohydrates was bad for them and would make them fat.
Sadly, in only 6 years in this industry I have accumulated hundreds of anecdotes about how awful our young athletes are currently being treated.
Personally, I will still continue to work with athletes, educated parents and coaches, and continue to write about matters concerning our nation's youth. However, the manner in which our industry has conducted its business has left the average person reeling in disgust at our trade. Therefore, as of today, I'm turning my back on the marketing guru's, premier trainers, sports performance franchises, and all others that continue to run this industry into the ground.
As for the quality professionals practicing in our country today, professionals that have truly dedicated their lives to the betterment of our youth, I want to say thank you for making a difference.
Will Haskell, YCS II, ACE
Athletic Development Specialist
Friday, August 31, 2007
Thursday, July 12, 2007
It has been awhile...
My apologies for the few the read my posts. Since my last post, I've had a broad spectrum of events occur that have taken my time away from my bloggly scribblings.
1. Met Joe Montana, Butch Davis, and Jim McMahon.
2. Got offered a job as a strength coach for a major Division I program.
3. Watched the Red Sox go 9 games up in the AL East.
4. Contributed to an awesome basketball project.
5. Lost my grandmother to Alzheimer's
6. Saw what cancer looks like....
The last two were both reminders of how important the people in our lives are. Even the little relationships can last a lifetime. My grandmother, who lived one of the most difficult lives imaginable (divorce, losing a child), finally passed from Alzheimer's. It was one of the most difficult things to bear as with her passing, it felt like a piece of my childhood went with her. The one thing I remember the most, she made the BEST oatmeal-raisin cookies EVER!
Witnessing cancer was also a life-changing experience. My girlfriend had a friend, 32 years-old, die of cancer. I never knew her, but was able to meet her for the first time only days before her death. I couldn't help think about how important the time that we have means not only to ourselves but, the people around us. For that meeting, however brief, changed my life and I will always remember Susie Thompson.
A lot of big things are around the corner. I'll keep everyone posted very soon as many exciting times are ahead that may have a direct impact on you all.
Take care!
1. Met Joe Montana, Butch Davis, and Jim McMahon.
2. Got offered a job as a strength coach for a major Division I program.
3. Watched the Red Sox go 9 games up in the AL East.
4. Contributed to an awesome basketball project.
5. Lost my grandmother to Alzheimer's
6. Saw what cancer looks like....
The last two were both reminders of how important the people in our lives are. Even the little relationships can last a lifetime. My grandmother, who lived one of the most difficult lives imaginable (divorce, losing a child), finally passed from Alzheimer's. It was one of the most difficult things to bear as with her passing, it felt like a piece of my childhood went with her. The one thing I remember the most, she made the BEST oatmeal-raisin cookies EVER!
Witnessing cancer was also a life-changing experience. My girlfriend had a friend, 32 years-old, die of cancer. I never knew her, but was able to meet her for the first time only days before her death. I couldn't help think about how important the time that we have means not only to ourselves but, the people around us. For that meeting, however brief, changed my life and I will always remember Susie Thompson.
A lot of big things are around the corner. I'll keep everyone posted very soon as many exciting times are ahead that may have a direct impact on you all.
Take care!
Saturday, March 10, 2007
Movement IS a Skill--Strength IS a Skill
Every time I talk to another coach or speak to a parent, I constantly get the same comment; "I want them to get faster". "Will, you have to get him stronger."
The problem with those comments is that most trainers, coaches, parents, and even the athletes don't understand what that means. They typically think that everything has to be overly challenging and hard if we are going to see any improvement. Unfortunately, training regiments become grueling workouts with lots of reps and very little rest. Regardless of whether it's a 10-year old kid that has been inappropriately labeled "premier" or a professional athlete, you absolutely HAVE to start from the very basics when designing and developing movement and strength skills.
Movement and Strength are skills and they must be developed just like sport-skills are developed. For example, growing up the son of a college basketball coach, I first learned to shoot with a smaller basketball, a lower hoop, and I was moved close to the basket for starters. Then, the technique was broken down and represented in a manner that I could easily learn and understand. BEEF, was the phrase of the day. Balance, elbow, eyes, follow-thru. The goal wasn't on taking a lot of shots, but focused on technical accuracy and efficiency.
The same approach should be taken when teaching movement and strength. All the athletes that have ever worked with me, even the professional ones, have all come in with some movement and/or strength deficiencies that needed to be corrected. That's right....ALL of them.
It's this instance where I always revert back to these issues being faulty skill sets. Most athletes that are typically considered weak, are usually weak because they don't squat, lunge, push, or pull very well, AND they don't engage their torso. Somewhere along the athletic timeline, these skills were never taught, or taught poorly.
The same goes for the "slow" athlete. How many slow athletes don't move "well"?
For instance, a current athlete of mine has added 10mph on his fastball after working with me for the last 8 weeks. Before you accuse me of patting myself on the back, know that all I did was teach him how to control his body better. Most of our sessions weren't overly difficult as he was given plenty of rest and lots of instruction. Prior to coming under my direction, his "strength" regiment consisted of nothing more than bench press and bicep curls. Never been taught how to squat, never been taught how to move. Point being, we corrected the skills and now his strength is better and he is MUCH faster.
It's because of this attitude that myself and other trainers that believe in this philosophy are labeled as being soft. The testosterone infected sporting world and the "no pain, no gain" attitude has really created a "when pain, no gain" atmosphere. Athletes are constantly put through grueling regiments and find themselves not getting faster, not really getting stronger.
Coaches--re-evaluate your current physical development measures. Are you developing a skill or are you making them tired? Example: Baseball pitcher and long distance.
Trainers--Do your training regiments match your philosophy? Example: Market a long-term approach, but go for quick results with plyometric over-reaching.
Athletes--Understand that the best way to get better is from working hard, not from being overworked. Example: Running 4 sprints with maximal focus on running mechanics instead of 20 sprints trying to simply run as fast as you can.
As for me, I'm going to continue being "soft" on my athletes because while their friends are being beaten into the ground with other training regiments, my athletes will be fast, strong, and injury free.
Will Haskell, YCS Lev. II, ACE
coachwill@athleterevolution.com
The problem with those comments is that most trainers, coaches, parents, and even the athletes don't understand what that means. They typically think that everything has to be overly challenging and hard if we are going to see any improvement. Unfortunately, training regiments become grueling workouts with lots of reps and very little rest. Regardless of whether it's a 10-year old kid that has been inappropriately labeled "premier" or a professional athlete, you absolutely HAVE to start from the very basics when designing and developing movement and strength skills.
Movement and Strength are skills and they must be developed just like sport-skills are developed. For example, growing up the son of a college basketball coach, I first learned to shoot with a smaller basketball, a lower hoop, and I was moved close to the basket for starters. Then, the technique was broken down and represented in a manner that I could easily learn and understand. BEEF, was the phrase of the day. Balance, elbow, eyes, follow-thru. The goal wasn't on taking a lot of shots, but focused on technical accuracy and efficiency.
The same approach should be taken when teaching movement and strength. All the athletes that have ever worked with me, even the professional ones, have all come in with some movement and/or strength deficiencies that needed to be corrected. That's right....ALL of them.
It's this instance where I always revert back to these issues being faulty skill sets. Most athletes that are typically considered weak, are usually weak because they don't squat, lunge, push, or pull very well, AND they don't engage their torso. Somewhere along the athletic timeline, these skills were never taught, or taught poorly.
The same goes for the "slow" athlete. How many slow athletes don't move "well"?
For instance, a current athlete of mine has added 10mph on his fastball after working with me for the last 8 weeks. Before you accuse me of patting myself on the back, know that all I did was teach him how to control his body better. Most of our sessions weren't overly difficult as he was given plenty of rest and lots of instruction. Prior to coming under my direction, his "strength" regiment consisted of nothing more than bench press and bicep curls. Never been taught how to squat, never been taught how to move. Point being, we corrected the skills and now his strength is better and he is MUCH faster.
It's because of this attitude that myself and other trainers that believe in this philosophy are labeled as being soft. The testosterone infected sporting world and the "no pain, no gain" attitude has really created a "when pain, no gain" atmosphere. Athletes are constantly put through grueling regiments and find themselves not getting faster, not really getting stronger.
Coaches--re-evaluate your current physical development measures. Are you developing a skill or are you making them tired? Example: Baseball pitcher and long distance.
Trainers--Do your training regiments match your philosophy? Example: Market a long-term approach, but go for quick results with plyometric over-reaching.
Athletes--Understand that the best way to get better is from working hard, not from being overworked. Example: Running 4 sprints with maximal focus on running mechanics instead of 20 sprints trying to simply run as fast as you can.
As for me, I'm going to continue being "soft" on my athletes because while their friends are being beaten into the ground with other training regiments, my athletes will be fast, strong, and injury free.
Will Haskell, YCS Lev. II, ACE
coachwill@athleterevolution.com
Monday, February 26, 2007
What are we testing for? Part II
I wanted the timing of this post to be consistent with the "big" event going on right now in professional sports---the NFL Combine. News media sources have been covering the training and preparation leading up to the combine, coaches testimony, "expert" analysis, and everything else revolving around this battery of tests.
Unfortunately, every one of these analysts and coaches contradict themselves. Each one talks about the value of all these tests, just to go on to admit it's all about the ability to play football. These athletes do nothing more than lose valuable time as they train like track stars instead of football players.
To repeat myself, what do these tests really prove? As of today, the big focus was on Adrian Peterson. Never mind the fact that for the last three years he was one of the most dominant running backs in all of college football even with all the injuries he suffered. The focus...his 40-time.
Hypothetically, what if someone who had never played the game of football were to walk in off the street and test for the combine. Say this person ran a 4.4, 40 inch vertical, and got 38 reps on the bench press test. Should he be a top draft pick?
Frankly, I couldn't care less about these guys. Most of these guys impressing the combine scouts probably won't even be mediocre players in the league. The rest...who knows? The tests try to measure athletic ability--they can't predict the future.
What I do care about are the kids. Kids don't need to be testing like NFL superstars. All these high school and youth programs want their kids tested. A recent little league tryout that I saw actually looked like a professional combine. Hundreds of kids lined up with numbers on their backs while one kid at a time went through all sorts of tests. Coaches standing on the sideline with clipboards and stop watches, parents up above staring down at all the kids. I remind you that this was a Little League tryout. I saw kids crying, mom's and dad's getting upset, and parent/coaches acting like they are Major League Scouts. One father came up to me and said, "man we really gotta shave a tenth of a second off of his time." I responded, "Why? Your kid is 10 years old..." That was the end of the conversation as he took his clip board and walked the other way.
My colleague noticed that I was rather disgruntled and angry just being in the building to witness this so he asked me, "How would you run this?"
It's simple, I'd make it fun. I'd make it an instructional camp by which the kids actually learn something. Coaching evaluations? Instead of throwing, speed, hitting... how about this...
Pays attention, willing to learn, showed improvement, encourages others....
In this setting, kids can have fun. They aren't being watched, they aren't being tested. They are having fun with their friends. Isn't that what youth sports is supposed to be?
I'm probably not going to touch this topic again for awhile. Not until I see someone do something stupid and it rouses my level of agitation.
Will Haskell
coachwill@athleterevolution.com
Unfortunately, every one of these analysts and coaches contradict themselves. Each one talks about the value of all these tests, just to go on to admit it's all about the ability to play football. These athletes do nothing more than lose valuable time as they train like track stars instead of football players.
To repeat myself, what do these tests really prove? As of today, the big focus was on Adrian Peterson. Never mind the fact that for the last three years he was one of the most dominant running backs in all of college football even with all the injuries he suffered. The focus...his 40-time.
Hypothetically, what if someone who had never played the game of football were to walk in off the street and test for the combine. Say this person ran a 4.4, 40 inch vertical, and got 38 reps on the bench press test. Should he be a top draft pick?
Frankly, I couldn't care less about these guys. Most of these guys impressing the combine scouts probably won't even be mediocre players in the league. The rest...who knows? The tests try to measure athletic ability--they can't predict the future.
What I do care about are the kids. Kids don't need to be testing like NFL superstars. All these high school and youth programs want their kids tested. A recent little league tryout that I saw actually looked like a professional combine. Hundreds of kids lined up with numbers on their backs while one kid at a time went through all sorts of tests. Coaches standing on the sideline with clipboards and stop watches, parents up above staring down at all the kids. I remind you that this was a Little League tryout. I saw kids crying, mom's and dad's getting upset, and parent/coaches acting like they are Major League Scouts. One father came up to me and said, "man we really gotta shave a tenth of a second off of his time." I responded, "Why? Your kid is 10 years old..." That was the end of the conversation as he took his clip board and walked the other way.
My colleague noticed that I was rather disgruntled and angry just being in the building to witness this so he asked me, "How would you run this?"
It's simple, I'd make it fun. I'd make it an instructional camp by which the kids actually learn something. Coaching evaluations? Instead of throwing, speed, hitting... how about this...
Pays attention, willing to learn, showed improvement, encourages others....
In this setting, kids can have fun. They aren't being watched, they aren't being tested. They are having fun with their friends. Isn't that what youth sports is supposed to be?
I'm probably not going to touch this topic again for awhile. Not until I see someone do something stupid and it rouses my level of agitation.
Will Haskell
coachwill@athleterevolution.com
Monday, January 22, 2007
What are we testing for?
Recently, I've been inundated by requests from coaches to test their athletes. Speed, agility, power, strength--everything that could be deemed athletic.
While this is clearly a great marketing tool to get more kids involved in our programming, it's very Machiavellian to take part in this behavior.
All else aside, what does testing our athletes really prove? As a scientist, I like to believe that the Scientific Method still holds true. Develop a hypothesis, experiment, and make a viable conclusion based on the experimental results.
Unfortunately, in this instance we have no hypothesis or a reliable conclusion. We test because some coach wants empirical data that has no direct correlation to the reasons for the test, making the conclusions irrevocably useless...and by useless I mean pointless.
We test the 40 yard dash for speed--athlete runs a 5.2.
So now we do a 5-10-5--the athlete did it in 4.0 seconds.
Coach wants to know how strong the athlete is...so we see how many times he can bench press 225lbs. The athlete did it only 4 times and now complains of shoulder pain that wasn't previously present.
Conclusions
Athlete runs a 40 in 5.2 seconds, a 5-10-5 in 4.0 seconds, and can bench press 225lbs for 4 reps.
The athlete plays basketball.
Now, according to science we should be able to deduce more empirical data about performance.
Can we deduce that this athlete averages 30 points per game? According to the test, the athlete is agile so they should be able to get around defenders easily and score. But wait, the athlete only benched 225lbs for 4 reps so, that athlete should only score 15 points per game because they are not strong enough to handle contact.
The athlete is slow according to a 40 yard sprint and doesn't have the speed to get up and down the court--This athlete should only be able to score approximately 8 points per game.
My apologies for the seemingly endless dribble (no pun intended) but, as always, I have a point.
Emmitt Smith.
Emmitt ran a 4.71 in his NFL Combine. Without question, above average high school athletes can post times better than this.
One of the greatest running backs in NFL history, deemed slow according to a test. Looking back on the past, Emmitt should've been the #2 pick considering all the championships won and records broken. Nope, 16 players got picked ahead of him. Blair Thomas ran a 4.4 and got picked 2nd. Blair only scored 5 touchdowns in 6 seasons in the NFL.
To be continued....
Coming up next: What are we testing for? Part II
While this is clearly a great marketing tool to get more kids involved in our programming, it's very Machiavellian to take part in this behavior.
All else aside, what does testing our athletes really prove? As a scientist, I like to believe that the Scientific Method still holds true. Develop a hypothesis, experiment, and make a viable conclusion based on the experimental results.
Unfortunately, in this instance we have no hypothesis or a reliable conclusion. We test because some coach wants empirical data that has no direct correlation to the reasons for the test, making the conclusions irrevocably useless...and by useless I mean pointless.
We test the 40 yard dash for speed--athlete runs a 5.2.
So now we do a 5-10-5--the athlete did it in 4.0 seconds.
Coach wants to know how strong the athlete is...so we see how many times he can bench press 225lbs. The athlete did it only 4 times and now complains of shoulder pain that wasn't previously present.
Conclusions
Athlete runs a 40 in 5.2 seconds, a 5-10-5 in 4.0 seconds, and can bench press 225lbs for 4 reps.
The athlete plays basketball.
Now, according to science we should be able to deduce more empirical data about performance.
Can we deduce that this athlete averages 30 points per game? According to the test, the athlete is agile so they should be able to get around defenders easily and score. But wait, the athlete only benched 225lbs for 4 reps so, that athlete should only score 15 points per game because they are not strong enough to handle contact.
The athlete is slow according to a 40 yard sprint and doesn't have the speed to get up and down the court--This athlete should only be able to score approximately 8 points per game.
My apologies for the seemingly endless dribble (no pun intended) but, as always, I have a point.
Emmitt Smith.
Emmitt ran a 4.71 in his NFL Combine. Without question, above average high school athletes can post times better than this.
One of the greatest running backs in NFL history, deemed slow according to a test. Looking back on the past, Emmitt should've been the #2 pick considering all the championships won and records broken. Nope, 16 players got picked ahead of him. Blair Thomas ran a 4.4 and got picked 2nd. Blair only scored 5 touchdowns in 6 seasons in the NFL.
To be continued....
Coming up next: What are we testing for? Part II
Youth Sports---Way Behind the Times
My title is a bit misleading. Let me start over. Youth Sports--Way Behind the Information.
Most youth sports coaches don't have the information to take the reigns of the physical development for their athletes. Yet, on a daily basis, I see teams performing static stretching as a warm-up routine, long-distance conditioning, an lousy strength instruction. Amazingly enough, within 5 minutes of walking around the facility I coach in, I saw one group stretching before practice, another group was about to pass out from an idiot coach running them to exhaustion, and in the baseball area, a bunch of youngsters doing pushups incorrectly after 2 hours of baseball practice.
Why is this happening?
Volumes of information are available with reliable and accurate information on developmental methods and progressions for young athletes.
While I applaud the mothers and fathers taking on the additional responsibility of coaching their own children and the children of others, that responsibility doesn't start and end with showing up to practices, games, and bake-sale fundraisers. Parents need to start doing their homework or, do the responsible thing and delegate the physical development to the professionals.
The response with a qualified professional will be a better foundation for long-term development, instruction, fewer injuries, and barring parental pressure to win at all costs---more kids will be enjoying sport.
Will Haskell, YCS Lev. II, ACE
Athletic Development Specialist
siriusperformance@yahoo.com
Most youth sports coaches don't have the information to take the reigns of the physical development for their athletes. Yet, on a daily basis, I see teams performing static stretching as a warm-up routine, long-distance conditioning, an lousy strength instruction. Amazingly enough, within 5 minutes of walking around the facility I coach in, I saw one group stretching before practice, another group was about to pass out from an idiot coach running them to exhaustion, and in the baseball area, a bunch of youngsters doing pushups incorrectly after 2 hours of baseball practice.
Why is this happening?
Volumes of information are available with reliable and accurate information on developmental methods and progressions for young athletes.
While I applaud the mothers and fathers taking on the additional responsibility of coaching their own children and the children of others, that responsibility doesn't start and end with showing up to practices, games, and bake-sale fundraisers. Parents need to start doing their homework or, do the responsible thing and delegate the physical development to the professionals.
The response with a qualified professional will be a better foundation for long-term development, instruction, fewer injuries, and barring parental pressure to win at all costs---more kids will be enjoying sport.
Will Haskell, YCS Lev. II, ACE
Athletic Development Specialist
siriusperformance@yahoo.com
Thursday, January 4, 2007
A Message to Sports Parents---Think before you speak!
The original plan for this blog was to have a continual schedule by which each new topic would be introduced in each previous post prior to the information being unveiled. Unfortunately, while this post was supposed to be about why youth sports are behind the times, I was recently witness to several ridiculous comments that sadly came out of the mouths of parents. These comments were so outlandish, I just had to share them.
I was recently given the opportunity to work with a youth softball team--a group of approximately 13 girls in the 14/15 year-old range. Due to scheduling and other factors, contact with this team will be limited to one hour, one night a week, for the next 9 weeks. Prior to the start of the training session, I introduced myself and the Facility Manager of the training facility I work out of, gave a brief synopsis of our respective backgrounds, learned all their names, and sent them out to the turf to begin their dynamic warmup. While being escorted to the turf, I took the time to address the parents privately while the athletes proceeded on to the field. The objective was to explain to the parents exactly what we are looking to accomplish in the next 9 sessions, what we plan on teaching them, and why it is crucial the program be structured this way.
Now, here is where my anecdote gains some level of substance.
*Each comment is verbatim.
1.) Work them to the point they vomit.
2.) We expect we'll have to carry them to the car afterwards.
3.) Our girls have been trained before...they've done plyometrics for the last two years.
4.) Hopefully next time you'll push them harder (a comment made post-training).
I'd like to take the time to break down these comments one by one.
"Work them to the point they vomit."
---And then what? Beat them with a sock full of quarters?
Disease, stress, excessive alcohol consumption, manually sticking an object down your throat, or any Dan Brown novel will induce vomitting. Training a young athlete should not include any one, or combination of these items to create this undesirable outcome. Furthermore, training parameters become exceedingly limited when the focal point of the regiment is to induce enough stress to ultimately provoke vomitting. When athletes are pushed like this, usually by a parent or uneducated coach/trainer, the athlete will quickly express symptoms of over-training syndrome, subsequently leading to injury in a short period of time.
Lastly, what parent wants to see their child suffer like that? The woman that spouted off this comment was fortunate enough that I have an intellectual backbone to counteract the talionic rage I was about to unleash on her physical well-being.
"We expect we'll have to carry them to the car afterwards."
If I exhaust you child to the point they don't have the strength to walk to the car under their own power, how can they be expected to do their homework that night?
British Sports Scientists have empirically determined that it takes approximately 10 years, or 10,000 hours for a TALENTED athlete to even have an OPPORTUNITY to achieve sport success. Remember that I only have 9 hours to work with these athletes over the next 9 weeks. Abusing these athletes to the point of complete exhaustion doesn't help them acquire any movement or strength skill sets that WILL improve their athleticism and off-set the chance of injury.
Additionally, what kind of message am I sending to these athletes in regards to physical activity if each session leads to vomitting or exhaustion? Youth sport participation rates and childhood obesity rates are directly correlated. A major reason behind the trend is while youth sport participation rates increase, more kids are being introduce to poor coaching, poor programming, and poor reinforcement leading to more kids turning away from physical activity---leading to sedentary lifestyles, obesity, and other adverse health issues.
"Our girls have been trained before...they've done plyometrics for the last two years."
Plyometrics? You mean the most overused, most misunderstood, and most poorly implemented form of development in the United States?
Here is what I have to say about the "plyometric" program these girls have been doing for the last 2 years...it sucks! After two years of training, these athletes showed no signs of any efficient movement skills, couldn't perform simple, bodyweight, strength-based tasks with any technical competency, and were confused as to why we weren't doing static stretching as part of our warm-up activity. They either got the program from a high-school archive, or they had a trainer that was apparently nothing more than a brain stem.
"Hopefully next time you'll push them harder."
This comment was made by a woman who watched training for about 10 minutes before opening her sadly misguided mouth.
The regiment consisted of a half-hour of movement instruction and a half-hour of strength instruction. In one hour, all the athletes were introduced to, and taught a dynamic warmup, running mechanics, lateral movement mechanics, lunge patterns, squat patterns, stability, and a range of motion method they can utilize post-practice. All of these athletes were being introduced to this for the first time with the exception of one athlete who said she had been taught how to squat by a coach---after watching her squat, she was not coached well.
These athletes accomplished all of this but, this parent felt it wasn't enough.
For the parents, please use your head before you decide to speak.
When you were younger, think back to the first car you owned. Is the car you drive now a better one? Better brakes, suspension, maybe a GPS Tracking system---the technology has clearly made significant changes to the automobile that seperates the current versions from much older models.
If technology and information radically changed the look and capabilities of the automobile over the last 20-30 years, how can a parent intelligently rationalize that the athletic development methods they were taught as kids, still hold true today?
Will Haskell, YCS Lev. II, ACE
Athletic Development Specialist
I was recently given the opportunity to work with a youth softball team--a group of approximately 13 girls in the 14/15 year-old range. Due to scheduling and other factors, contact with this team will be limited to one hour, one night a week, for the next 9 weeks. Prior to the start of the training session, I introduced myself and the Facility Manager of the training facility I work out of, gave a brief synopsis of our respective backgrounds, learned all their names, and sent them out to the turf to begin their dynamic warmup. While being escorted to the turf, I took the time to address the parents privately while the athletes proceeded on to the field. The objective was to explain to the parents exactly what we are looking to accomplish in the next 9 sessions, what we plan on teaching them, and why it is crucial the program be structured this way.
Now, here is where my anecdote gains some level of substance.
*Each comment is verbatim.
1.) Work them to the point they vomit.
2.) We expect we'll have to carry them to the car afterwards.
3.) Our girls have been trained before...they've done plyometrics for the last two years.
4.) Hopefully next time you'll push them harder (a comment made post-training).
I'd like to take the time to break down these comments one by one.
"Work them to the point they vomit."
---And then what? Beat them with a sock full of quarters?
Disease, stress, excessive alcohol consumption, manually sticking an object down your throat, or any Dan Brown novel will induce vomitting. Training a young athlete should not include any one, or combination of these items to create this undesirable outcome. Furthermore, training parameters become exceedingly limited when the focal point of the regiment is to induce enough stress to ultimately provoke vomitting. When athletes are pushed like this, usually by a parent or uneducated coach/trainer, the athlete will quickly express symptoms of over-training syndrome, subsequently leading to injury in a short period of time.
Lastly, what parent wants to see their child suffer like that? The woman that spouted off this comment was fortunate enough that I have an intellectual backbone to counteract the talionic rage I was about to unleash on her physical well-being.
"We expect we'll have to carry them to the car afterwards."
If I exhaust you child to the point they don't have the strength to walk to the car under their own power, how can they be expected to do their homework that night?
British Sports Scientists have empirically determined that it takes approximately 10 years, or 10,000 hours for a TALENTED athlete to even have an OPPORTUNITY to achieve sport success. Remember that I only have 9 hours to work with these athletes over the next 9 weeks. Abusing these athletes to the point of complete exhaustion doesn't help them acquire any movement or strength skill sets that WILL improve their athleticism and off-set the chance of injury.
Additionally, what kind of message am I sending to these athletes in regards to physical activity if each session leads to vomitting or exhaustion? Youth sport participation rates and childhood obesity rates are directly correlated. A major reason behind the trend is while youth sport participation rates increase, more kids are being introduce to poor coaching, poor programming, and poor reinforcement leading to more kids turning away from physical activity---leading to sedentary lifestyles, obesity, and other adverse health issues.
"Our girls have been trained before...they've done plyometrics for the last two years."
Plyometrics? You mean the most overused, most misunderstood, and most poorly implemented form of development in the United States?
Here is what I have to say about the "plyometric" program these girls have been doing for the last 2 years...it sucks! After two years of training, these athletes showed no signs of any efficient movement skills, couldn't perform simple, bodyweight, strength-based tasks with any technical competency, and were confused as to why we weren't doing static stretching as part of our warm-up activity. They either got the program from a high-school archive, or they had a trainer that was apparently nothing more than a brain stem.
"Hopefully next time you'll push them harder."
This comment was made by a woman who watched training for about 10 minutes before opening her sadly misguided mouth.
The regiment consisted of a half-hour of movement instruction and a half-hour of strength instruction. In one hour, all the athletes were introduced to, and taught a dynamic warmup, running mechanics, lateral movement mechanics, lunge patterns, squat patterns, stability, and a range of motion method they can utilize post-practice. All of these athletes were being introduced to this for the first time with the exception of one athlete who said she had been taught how to squat by a coach---after watching her squat, she was not coached well.
These athletes accomplished all of this but, this parent felt it wasn't enough.
For the parents, please use your head before you decide to speak.
When you were younger, think back to the first car you owned. Is the car you drive now a better one? Better brakes, suspension, maybe a GPS Tracking system---the technology has clearly made significant changes to the automobile that seperates the current versions from much older models.
If technology and information radically changed the look and capabilities of the automobile over the last 20-30 years, how can a parent intelligently rationalize that the athletic development methods they were taught as kids, still hold true today?
Will Haskell, YCS Lev. II, ACE
Athletic Development Specialist
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