"...be a part of a 4-billion dollar industry..."
"...earn a 6-figure income..."
"...this is the ONLY Certification..."
As our industry develops, the Youth Development & Fitness sector is saturated with these types of claims.
Be wary!
If I were to attach these claims to any other product, you'd laugh. Yet, in this industry, trainers are forking over hard-earned dollars for these types of promises.
For my own humor, I laughed out loud recently when I saw a video on a youth fitness blog as the trainer was seemingly moved to tears over the awesomeness of this youth fitness program being sold.
Be wary!
A trainer moved to tears is a trainer that has no real idea where his direction is. The information came from thoughts and pre-existing knowledge forged decades ago that has been re-formulated and re-packaged so that it is ready to be sold to the masses. It was sold so well that a trainer that probably doesn't make much money, that doesn't have any real concept or philosophy, is so moved by the purchase of a product that he almost starts crying on video.
Be wary!
The video of this trainer crying is itself a marketing ploy to get more misguided professionals to cough up their money for the same experience.
Stay tuned...I'm just getting warmed up.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Sunday, April 13, 2008
What is so specific about "Sports-Specific" Training?
Nothing.
I am constantly flooded with parents and coaches requesting "sport-specific" training for their athletes. While the culture of youth sports in America is currently failing our athletes by demanding early specialization, we will simplify our position into three crucial reasons why "sport-specific" training doesn't make sense for ANY young athlete.
1. Athletes can play multiple sports.
Many of the athletes currently seen at the professional ranks were at one time multi-sport participants. From a training perspective,training solely for one sport and not the other would only produce a benefit in that sport, hereby negating any skill requirements for the other sport(s). Playing multiple sports is becoming frowned upon as more and more athletes specialize at an early age when in reality, a multi-sport athlete has the BEST chance at becoming successful.
2. Injury Potential
Athletes that become over-specialized typically become over-sensitive to injury. By creating an environment by which athletes are performing large volumes of repetitions that consist of the same movements, athletes can suffer from a term appropriately named, "pattern overload". Acute pattern overload can quickly become chronic health conditions later on. Here are some brief examples:
Baseball Athletes: coaches and parents are now having youngsters play more games and practice more often. The result, according to the National Institute of Health (NIH), Baseball has the highest prevalence of injury amongst any youth sport in the U.S. The more specialized these kids become, the less opportunity they have for future success l when the competition carries its greatest value.
Soccer Athletes: Soccer has become a year round sport by which each seasonal climate change sparks another variation of soccer competition. Now, common pain complaints from these athletes stem from simple soreness in the joints to more serious fractures in the feet, lower legs, and growth plates. Statistically, this has become a significant factor in the 80% dropout rate currently associated with youth soccer in the U.S.
Volleyball Athletes: Volleyball is sweeping the country at the club level and as the sport grows, more and more athletes are competing year-round. Currently, Volleyball is one of the Big Three of sports most associated with female ACL tears. From a training perspective, volleyball is considered a vertical-based sport and has obsessed trainers and coaches constantly imposing "jump-training" or "plyos" on a group that already performs these actions nearly 365-days per year.
3. Overall Athleticism
Regardless of what sport an athlete plays, don't all athletes have to posses the qualities of strength, speed, agility, coordination, explosiveness, etc.? No matter the sport, an athlete has a greater potential to perform well if they are more athletic than the competition, and that is why we need to get away from the "sport-specific" model being implemented in the U.S. Instead, we must focus on an "athlete-specific" approach to development---augmenting what our athletes are currently capable of, while correcting and improving on their weaknesses.
It's time to shed the "sport-specific" mentality. If long-term success is what you are seeking in your athletes, an "athlete-specific" model is the best way to achieve that goal.
AthleteRevolution.com is about to be released!
Strength coaches, ATC's, and Physical Therapists--- feel free to email CoachWill@athleterevolution.com if you'd like to have your information included on the most ground-breaking youth sports resource ever created!
I am constantly flooded with parents and coaches requesting "sport-specific" training for their athletes. While the culture of youth sports in America is currently failing our athletes by demanding early specialization, we will simplify our position into three crucial reasons why "sport-specific" training doesn't make sense for ANY young athlete.
1. Athletes can play multiple sports.
Many of the athletes currently seen at the professional ranks were at one time multi-sport participants. From a training perspective,training solely for one sport and not the other would only produce a benefit in that sport, hereby negating any skill requirements for the other sport(s). Playing multiple sports is becoming frowned upon as more and more athletes specialize at an early age when in reality, a multi-sport athlete has the BEST chance at becoming successful.
2. Injury Potential
Athletes that become over-specialized typically become over-sensitive to injury. By creating an environment by which athletes are performing large volumes of repetitions that consist of the same movements, athletes can suffer from a term appropriately named, "pattern overload". Acute pattern overload can quickly become chronic health conditions later on. Here are some brief examples:
Baseball Athletes: coaches and parents are now having youngsters play more games and practice more often. The result, according to the National Institute of Health (NIH), Baseball has the highest prevalence of injury amongst any youth sport in the U.S. The more specialized these kids become, the less opportunity they have for future success l when the competition carries its greatest value.
Soccer Athletes: Soccer has become a year round sport by which each seasonal climate change sparks another variation of soccer competition. Now, common pain complaints from these athletes stem from simple soreness in the joints to more serious fractures in the feet, lower legs, and growth plates. Statistically, this has become a significant factor in the 80% dropout rate currently associated with youth soccer in the U.S.
Volleyball Athletes: Volleyball is sweeping the country at the club level and as the sport grows, more and more athletes are competing year-round. Currently, Volleyball is one of the Big Three of sports most associated with female ACL tears. From a training perspective, volleyball is considered a vertical-based sport and has obsessed trainers and coaches constantly imposing "jump-training" or "plyos" on a group that already performs these actions nearly 365-days per year.
3. Overall Athleticism
Regardless of what sport an athlete plays, don't all athletes have to posses the qualities of strength, speed, agility, coordination, explosiveness, etc.? No matter the sport, an athlete has a greater potential to perform well if they are more athletic than the competition, and that is why we need to get away from the "sport-specific" model being implemented in the U.S. Instead, we must focus on an "athlete-specific" approach to development---augmenting what our athletes are currently capable of, while correcting and improving on their weaknesses.
It's time to shed the "sport-specific" mentality. If long-term success is what you are seeking in your athletes, an "athlete-specific" model is the best way to achieve that goal.
AthleteRevolution.com is about to be released!
Strength coaches, ATC's, and Physical Therapists--- feel free to email CoachWill@athleterevolution.com if you'd like to have your information included on the most ground-breaking youth sports resource ever created!
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
What a joke!!
http://www.velocitysp.com/willowbrook/articles?news_id=86
I love the concept that trainers and facilities are now going to put a guarantee on athletic improvement. Take a look at this article and I'll be glad to point out the flaws.
1. Testing---These tests have no real value in determining long-term athletic success. If the tests can't determine athletic success, how can you put the guarantee of athletic improvement on the program?
2. "If the test scores improve, they will improve on the field." So skill development has nothing to do with it? The most successful athletes are the ones that are athletic AND highly skilled at executing skill in their particular sport.
3. "After 24 sessions we post-test the athlete to show the parents and athlete their improvement." If the athlete does 24 sessions on a 3x-per week schedule, that's two months worth of training. According to NORMAL physical development, as athletes age and go through puberty, they naturally develop the ability to run faster, jump higher, etc. Each and every parent that signs up for these types of programs is being DUPED by this guarantee. Kids get faster as they get older! An average child will run faster at 14 years than they did at 13---it's NORMAL human development. Now these "experts" are trying to take eons of evolutionary common sense and put a guarantee on it. What's next?? 10 year olds running faster than 25 year-olds after this "guaranteed results" program.
Parents, coaches, and athletes need to put a little more time and thought into where they turn to for their training needs. Last night during a training session, a female volleyball player commented on how she's been training at another national training franchise located here in Chicago. She asked what my opinion of it was---My response: "they are a major reason behind many of the youth athlete injuries and youth sport dropout rates we see today". "Not only is the high speed treadmill-based programming dangerous and a poor way of developing movement economy, the 'run till you puke' mentality is nothing short of negligent abuse." Moreover, this athlete's parents have spent a fortune on this program that she's been training under for quite some time. She has no movement or strength skills to speak of...she can't even squat properly. It's a shame that this athlete's family wasted thousands of dollars on athletic development and have gotten nothing in return.
That is the reason why myself and a few others have adopted a long-term athletic development approach with our athletes. We actively seek out parents, coaches, and athletes that understand that athletic development is a lifelong process. Instead of guaranteed speed for a 12-year old, we work with the natural progression of development to set the foundations for greater athletic success when that athlete reaches physical maturity. Instead of the mantra of, "speed guaranteed", as I saw on this companies t-shirt--- my mantra is "Always looking for good kids".
I love the concept that trainers and facilities are now going to put a guarantee on athletic improvement. Take a look at this article and I'll be glad to point out the flaws.
1. Testing---These tests have no real value in determining long-term athletic success. If the tests can't determine athletic success, how can you put the guarantee of athletic improvement on the program?
2. "If the test scores improve, they will improve on the field." So skill development has nothing to do with it? The most successful athletes are the ones that are athletic AND highly skilled at executing skill in their particular sport.
3. "After 24 sessions we post-test the athlete to show the parents and athlete their improvement." If the athlete does 24 sessions on a 3x-per week schedule, that's two months worth of training. According to NORMAL physical development, as athletes age and go through puberty, they naturally develop the ability to run faster, jump higher, etc. Each and every parent that signs up for these types of programs is being DUPED by this guarantee. Kids get faster as they get older! An average child will run faster at 14 years than they did at 13---it's NORMAL human development. Now these "experts" are trying to take eons of evolutionary common sense and put a guarantee on it. What's next?? 10 year olds running faster than 25 year-olds after this "guaranteed results" program.
Parents, coaches, and athletes need to put a little more time and thought into where they turn to for their training needs. Last night during a training session, a female volleyball player commented on how she's been training at another national training franchise located here in Chicago. She asked what my opinion of it was---My response: "they are a major reason behind many of the youth athlete injuries and youth sport dropout rates we see today". "Not only is the high speed treadmill-based programming dangerous and a poor way of developing movement economy, the 'run till you puke' mentality is nothing short of negligent abuse." Moreover, this athlete's parents have spent a fortune on this program that she's been training under for quite some time. She has no movement or strength skills to speak of...she can't even squat properly. It's a shame that this athlete's family wasted thousands of dollars on athletic development and have gotten nothing in return.
That is the reason why myself and a few others have adopted a long-term athletic development approach with our athletes. We actively seek out parents, coaches, and athletes that understand that athletic development is a lifelong process. Instead of guaranteed speed for a 12-year old, we work with the natural progression of development to set the foundations for greater athletic success when that athlete reaches physical maturity. Instead of the mantra of, "speed guaranteed", as I saw on this companies t-shirt--- my mantra is "Always looking for good kids".
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
