But in the lead-up to the event, a few things go wrong. This is racing after all, and the high performance nature tends to magnify any weaknesses within the car and the team. Your job as crew chief is to minimize these weak points as much as possible. You get your team to pull the engine to pieces and go over it with a fine-toothed comb to smooth out the rough spots and align everything perfectly.

On the eve of the race, the car is not performing right. You now have a choice – do you pull out and save your car to race another day, or do you risk it all and race as hard as you can until the inevitable happens and the car bursts into flames?

Pay Attention to the Warning Lights

What’s horrible about this scenario is it’s the exact position I was in last week. I received a phone call from parents regarding their fourteen-year-old daughter, a half-decent 800m runner. They were concerned about a few aspects of her running and wanted someone to have a look. This is where it gets interesting.

In ten seconds I noticed three big issues that no one was trying to fix. In the last few months their daughter has had three lower body injuries – an Achilles tendinopathy, shin splints, and now a hamstring tear. Yet they wanted their daughter to run on the weekend.

“Specialization is a path to extinction. Humans are designed to move in a variety of ways.”

I asked them if they would set off on a cross country drive with three warning lights going off on the dashboard of their car. Their answer was of course not – they’d stop by a mechanic and have the car checked out. Obviously their call to me was in the hope of fixing things. But there was no way I could fix what had become an eighteen-month problem in a single trip.

For some reason, they had more concern for their car than they did for their daughter. She had multiple warning signs flashing red on the dashboard, and their response was to let her keep running.

Pain Causes Dysfunction

Pain changes the way you move. The longer you keep moving with pain, the more heavily entrenched that new movement will become.

In the case of running, where a single kilometer will see between 1,200 and 1,500 steps, it’s easy to rack up bad reps quickly. The body will find a way to cope – this is one of our survival mechanisms. But sooner or later that new movement will lead to another problem. And then the new way of moving will change to another method that doesn’t cause as much pain, and the cycle will continue until you’ve exhausted all possible solutions. At that point, something catastrophic will happen.

It’s like a plane flying along. If one engine goes out, that’s not such a big deal as it can limp on with the other engines. But lose one or two more, and suddenly that plane is in real trouble. Except the human body is far more complex than a jet liner. It’ll keep coming up with ways to continue for as long as it can, until suddenly it can’t. And next thing you know, you’re in front of the orthopaedic surgeon discussing your upcoming ACL repair.

Protect the Movement of Youth

This situation would be entirely different if this was an adult and the meet in question was the Olympics. To them I say go nuts. Get whatever injections you need, tape up whatever you can, and go out to win. But to a fourteen-year-old running in a school championship? That’s not worth potentially ruining someone for life.

I feel like I’m constantly saying this, but specialization is a path to extinction. Humans are designed to move in a variety of ways. Kids in particular need to move and discover their world through movement. You might say, “Look at Tiger Woods or Andre Agassi” (Tiger started at age two and Agassi’s parents strapped a table tennis paddle to his baby arm so he could hit a mobile above his cot). I think someone needs to tell you your kid isn’t either of them.

“Like an onion, the layers of injury and poor movement can take some time to peel away through diagnosis, treatment, and correction.”

Using the NFL as a benchmark, the odds of going pro are 0.09%. If your kid is a standout, they’ll be a standout without specializing. Cal Ripken played soccer in high school. It wasn’t until he turned pro at eighteen that he first played baseball year round. Colin Kaepernick played football, basketball, and baseball in high school. In fact, in the NFL 87.5% of draft picks played more than a single sport at junior level. Or there’s this piece showing that the likelihood of competing at an elite level increased for multi-sport athletes at ages eleven, thirteen, and fifteen versus those who specialized early.

Even the great Usain Bolt, who did specialize early, played cricket and soccer until he started to focus on running around age fifteen. If you think you have the next Usain Bolt on your hands, ask yourself this: is your child running a 20.6 second 200m as a fifteen-year-old with his or her shoes on the wrong feet? If yes, then by all means continue on your specialization plan. If not, you might want to think seriously about what you’re doing to your child.

Use Multiple Sports and Movements

The use of multiple sports and movements prevents adult injuries in children. This is even truer of sports such as running and rowing, where single movement patterns exist. Once injury does occur, you’ve got an even harder job at hand. Now you don’t just have to worry about performance, but even more so about retraining the way your child runs. Thanks to the way the body can cope with movement-altering pain after movement-altering pain, you may find it isn’t a simple, quick fix.

Like an onion, the layers of injury and poor movement can take some time to peel away through diagnosis, treatment, and correction. As a parent, ask yourself whether the cost of pushing your child down the path of expected elite performance is worth it. Because all the statistics say it isn’t.

More on youth competition:

• The Real and Present Danger of Overtraining Youth Athletes
• Preventing Repetitive Stress Injuries in Youth Athletes
• Junior Athlete Strength and Conditioning: Your Role As a Coach
• New on Breaking Muscle Today

Photos courtesy of Shutterstock.

The post Don’t Race: The Cost of Early Athletic Specialization appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

This article will explore why youth athletes outgrow their coach, signs that a youth athlete needs to move on, and how to help that athlete transition to a new team.

Spring sports have just started and many athletes will be returning to their local teams with the same teammates and same coaches. But what happens when your child has outgrown his or her coach?

This article will explore why youth athletes outgrow their coach, signs that a youth athlete needs to move on, and how to help that athlete transition to a new team.

When Is It Time to Move On?

There are many reasons a youth athlete might outgrow a coach, and it is not necessarily a slight on the coach. Most times, your child’s advancement signifies the coach has done his or her job correctly. When your child is on a developmental team to learn the basic skills and rules of the game, it is understood the child will move to a different team, once he or she advances in the game.

As well, not every coach has advanced sports skills or can teach advanced sports skills. This is okay. Once the coach has reached his or her coaching capacity, and your child has learned all he or she can, it’s time to move on. These are all positive and expected signs of development in sports performance.

Finding the Next Great Coach

Outgrowing a coach is not necessarily a bad thing, yet many parents and athletes stay with a coach out of a misplaced sense of loyalty to the coach or for fear of hurting the coach’s feelings. I am always incredulous when I hear parents make comments like this, and when asked, I offer this: Is playing the sport about the coach or is playing the sport about your child?

“Most times, your child’s advancement signifies the coach has done his or her job correctly.”

Outgrowing a coach is not about loyalty or the coach’s feelings. It is about finding the right coach for each developmental stage in your child’s sports career. It is about optimizing the performance of your youth athlete.

Stopping a Negative Situation

What happens when your child is in a negative coaching situation? What if the coach is “fun,” but your child is serious about the game?

We live in Wisconsin. The winters are very cold. One early and very cold Saturday morning (negative 25 degrees with wind chill), I took my son to his indoor baseball practice. No one was there to open the doors. Boys had been dropped off and were waiting outside the facility in the cold. The coach, and owner of the facility, showed up 25 minutes late, looking hung over and drinking his Starbucks coffee. Obviously, these kids cared more about practice than the coach – it’s time for a new coach.

In hindsight, it is easy to read the signs of outgrowing a coach, but let’s save ourselves and our children the pain of playing where they no longer fit. Allegra Sinclair, a life coach who specializes in confidence training, has identified several key areas that indicate your child may need to find a new coach:

• Your child needs less and less advice on his or her performance. If your child is no longer asking the coach for advice or if your child is not receiving constructive feedback, then it’s time for a new coach.
• Your coach no longer has advice to give. When your child asks for advice from the coach and the coach can no longer answer or address your child’s concerns, it’s time for a new coach.
• Your child has reached a higher performance level than the coach can teach. The coach was successful in leading your child to a new level, but cannot develop your child’s performance further. This is not a slight on the coach, but rather a success for both the coach and the athlete. It’s time for a new coach.
• Your child is confident on his or her own. Your child feels completely confident and rarely considers the coach when making decisions during practice or competition. It is time to challenge your child’s sports performance and it’s time for a new coach.
• You and your child no longer click with the coach. You and your child have a different vision than the coach, and the coach can no longer provide your child with the skills necessary for optimal sports growth. It’s time to move to a new coach.

“We are talking about your child’s need for more from a coach.”

Identifying the signs for outgrowing a coach and making the decision to change coaches can still be tricky for youth athletes. On his blog Coach Up, writer Kevin Duy agrees that it is a normal developmental process for youth athletes to move to a new coach. He offers these suggestions to help ease your child’s transition to a new coach:

• Remind your child that growth occurs outside of comfort zones. Sports growth often comes through mistakes and competitive challenges. Let your child experience that growth with athletes who challenge him or her.
• Give your child the opportunity to rise to the challenge. Is your child complacent in drills, techniques, and games because he or she is the best player on the team? It is okay to place your child on a team where he or she is not the best player, but through practice, can match the team’s skills and techniques. Not only will your child learn more about the game, but will also begin to discover his or her athletic potential – mentally and physically.
• Improvement begins with desire. Before moving to another coach, two important questions need to be asked. Does your child want to improve his or her skill sets and advance performance? And does your child want to move to a new coach? If you desire these outcomes for your child, but your child does not, then finding a new coach will not matter.
• Is your child a leader on the team? The athlete who is looked up to and depended upon from the coach and from teammates, and who often leads stretches and warm ups, is usually the strongest player. This is fine, as long as the athlete is still improving in his or her game. A common mistake that parents make is seeing leadership as a sports skill progression. Leadership and skill progression are two different entities. Don’t mistake leadership with advancing skill or sport.

Why Moving On Is Good

While some coaches, parents, or teammates might be offended that your youth athlete has moved to a new coach, it is actually a good sign. We are not talking about bad coaches or transactional coaches in this article. We are talking about your child’s need for more from a coach. More skills, more techniques, more development, and more challenges to optimize his or her performance. These are all positive assurances that your child is developing to his or her athletic potential, that the coach has done his or her job, and that you are actively engaged in your child’s sports development.

You’ll also enjoy:

• 5 Unconventional Tips for Coaching Kids
• Kids Are Fatter, Sicker, and Slower – What Can We Do About It?
• How Parents Can Best Support Their Kids in Athletics

References:

1. Duy, Kevin. “How Do You Know When Your Child Has Outgrown His Team?”. October 10, 2013. Accessed March 22, 2015.

2. Sinclair, Allegra. “How to Know When You Have Outgrown Your Mentor” June 19, 2012. Accessed March 22, 2015.

Photos courtesy of Shutterstock.

The post Breaking Up With Your Child’s Coach: It’s Not You, It’s Me appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

After a winter hiatus and with spring sports just around the corner, many children develop sports performance anxiety. This usually happens before or during a tryout or event, but can possibly occur even after an event. The purpose of this article is to help coaches, trainers, and parents do the following:

• Understand what sports performance anxiety is
• Identify the symptoms
• Understand the reasons it might occur
• Aid youth athletes in coping with this anxiety

Types of Anxiety

According to sports psychologist Catherine McCanny, anxiety is a state of psychological and physical symptoms brought about by a sense of apprehension of a perceived threat. Psychologists generally differentiate between two types of anxiety, trait anxiety and state anxiety:

• Trait anxiety refers to an aspect of personality in which nervousness is considered a personality trait.
• State anxiety refers to temporary feelings of anxiety in a particular situation.

“Adult expectations, especially if the pressure to win at all costs is emphasized, may become excessive and overwhelm young athletes.”

We all experience anxiety in different ways, dependent upon the situation. How anxiety manifests itself and how a person deals with anxiety is individually driven. A person with a trait anxiety may find many everyday situations stressful and is more prone to experiencing state anxiety, as well.

Performance Anxiety Broken Down

Knowing and understanding the general psychological terms of anxiety, let’s now apply them to sports performance anxiety. In Jason Kelly’s article Performance Anxiety, he draws largely on the research and studies conducted by psychology professor Sian Beilock. Beilock specializes in cognitive psychology and explores how our minds can trick us in high stress situations. More specifically, her work applies to athletes in high stress sports situations.

Beilock’s research indicates that certain types of physical expertise, such as fielding a ground ball, are best performed outside our conscious awareness. This is especially true under stressful conditions. In the example of fielding a ground ball, she asserts athletes perform best when they rely on their training – when the actions of fielding a ground ball are part of their procedural memory. While the implied and complex motor skills to field that ground ball are difficult for the youth to verbalize, his or her procedural memory can execute the actions necessary. In a physical training sense, this is known as muscle memory.

“The quality and level of coaching and/or quality of supervision may trigger sports performance anxiety, as well.”

High stress sports situations or events can compromise procedural memory. This scenario is more commonly referred to as “choking under pressure.” Under stress, youth athletes tend to think about the mechanics of their actions to try to control the situation, but that conscious thought process actually diminishes their performance.

The Manifestation of Anxiety

A solution might be easy arrived at if the youth athlete could verbally identify his or her sports performance anxiety, but chances are the athlete cannot recognize it. Instead, the anxiety manifests in a variety of ways.

Dr. Jeremy Pettit, a psychologist specializing in anxiety, identified some symptoms:

• A sudden reluctance to play or participate in the sport
• No longer being interested in a sport that was previously enjoyed
• Complaints of headaches and stomachaches
• A fear of playing sports
• Sleep disturbances, extreme fatigue, or depression

External stresses can also contribute to youth sports performance anxiety. Adult expectations, especially if the pressure to win at all costs is emphasized, may become excessive and overwhelm young athletes. The quality and level of coaching and/or quality of supervision may trigger sports performance anxiety, as well.

“Under stress, youth athletes tend to think about the mechanics of their actions to try to control the situation, but that conscious thought process actually diminishes their performance.”

Craig Sigl, known world wide as a “Mental Toughness Trainer” for youth athletes, asserts that other factors, such as the behavior of parents, may add to a child’s sports performance anxiety. He asks parents to be aware of the following behaviors:

• Do you offer unsolicited advice about how to perform better?
• Do you communicate disappointment verbally or non-verbally?
• Do you show affection to celebrate good performance and withhold affection after poor performance?
• Do you praise or encourage only after good performances?

Getting Past the Anxiety

It is never to late to help young athletes cope with sports performance anxiety. Once the coach, trainer, or parent identifies the symptoms, there are ways to teach the youth athlete to deal with and conquer that anxiety.

Sports Medicine expert, Dr. Elizabeth Quinn offers these suggestions to help youth athletes control and conquer sports performance anxiety:

Pre-event:

• Recognize that pre-event anxiety is normal
• Prepare mentally and physically for the event
• Visualize your entire performance

During the event:

• Focus on the task at hand, rather than the outcome
• Force a smile if you are struggling with negative thoughts. This simple action will change your attitude in a split second
• Race/play like you don’t care about the outcome. Enjoy the event!

Post event:

• Review the event and recall the things you did well
• Acknowledge, review, and then dismiss the actions that hindered your performance
• Design a training program that mimics event-like conditions

Supporting Our Youth Athletes

Anxiety is normal before a big event. The issue is when anxiety prohibits optimal performance and holds a young athlete back. With coaches, trainers, and parents understanding what sports performance anxiety is and why it occurs, as well as how to identify the symptoms of those suffering from it, they can help a youth athlete conquer the anxiety and continue to enjoy their sport.

Read more about youth athletics:

• Understanding the Off-Season for Youth Athletes
• 7 Ways to Build Self-Esteem in Youth Athletes
• Foundational Training for Youth Athletes: Are You Doing It?
• What’s New on Breaking Muscle Today

References:

1. “Allowing Youth Sports to be Child’s Play.” Nationwide Children’s Hospital. Accessed February 8, 2015.

2. Catherine McCanny, “Anxiety Within Sport.” The Sport in Mind, 2014. Accessed February 8, 2015.

3. Craig Sigl, “Parents’ Role in their Kid’s Sports Performance Anxiety.” Accessed February 8, 2015

4. Elizabeth Quinn, Dr., “Overcoming Performance Anxiety with Sports Psychology.” Accessed February 8, 2015.

5. Jason Kelly, “Performance Anxiety.” University of Chicago Magazine. Nov-Dec 2011.

Accessed February 8, 2015.

6. Patrick Cohn, “Helping Young Athletes Who Suffer From Anxiety.” April 9, 2014. Accessed February 8, 2015.

Photos courtesy of Shutterstock.

The post 3 Steps to Nip Youth Performance Anxiety in the Bud appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

As the school bells ring to start another academic year and whistles shrill to start another sports season, how does the student athlete manage to achieve good grades and retain optimal performance on the playing field?

Sports Can Make You Better at School

With an emphasis on children specializing in one sport, year round, the stress of doing well in a sport can easily override the necessity to do well in school. But this does not have to be the case for student athletes. Statistically, research indicates that youth who participate in sports, whether school or community sports, perform better academically than children who do not participate in sports.

In his book Sport in Society, sociologist Jay J. Coakley wrote:

Studies have shown consistently that when compared with students who do not play varsity sports, high school athletes, as a group, generally have better grade point averages, more positive attitudes towards school, more interest in continuing their education after graduation, and a slightly better educational achievement rate.

The topic of the student athlete often lends itself to debate regarding the decrease of recess and physical education classes in schools, as well as placing increasing demands on schools to perform well on standardized tests. In a collaborative article written by Doctors Pellegrini and Bohn-Gettler entitled, The Benefits of Recess In Primary School, their research stated:

When the No Child Left Behind Act passed in 2001, recess time continued to be cut further as legislative pressures motivated schools to meet standards for achievement (Fedewa & Ahn, 2011; Jarrett & Waite-Stupiansky, 2009). In fact, 40% of public schools either got rid of, or planned to get rid of, at least one daily recess period (Bland, 2005; G. Klein, 2006), and most schools do not actually require daily recess periods (National Association for Sport and Physical Education & American Heart Association, 2010).

While briefly addressing this contentious issue, the mainstay of this article is to identify the need for balance between academics and athletics, and to offer the student athlete a means to achieve success both in school and on the playing field.

Finding Balance Between School and Sports

How do student athletes achieve the balance between school and sports? By identifying time-saving tips and techniques and by implementing these strategies, the student athlete can succeed academically, as well as athletically.

• Get organized and stay organized. Use a big desk calendar for school and sports. Write down all due dates for schoolwork, projects, and papers. Write down all sports practices and games. Every week revisit your calendar and make corrections.
• Manage your time. With competing demands placed on your time, you must plan your known time schedule. Known times are school time, game and practice time, and travel time to and from school, as well as travel time to and from sports practices and events. By blocking this known time on your calendar, you can determine your actual homework time and study time.
• Plan your week; don’t let your week plan you. Look at your calendar and note when you have projects due, tests scheduled, and practices and games scheduled. Plan how you will study and when you will study.
• Use your weekends wisely. Use your weekend as preparation time for the week ahead. Start homework for the upcoming week. Read chapters and take notes ahead of time. Use this time to plan for and prepare for projects and papers that are due.
• Use your travel time to and from school, practices, and games wisely. Review notes, read chapters, study, or read books. Another tip – use audiobooks while traveling and read along.
• Do not procrastinate. Do assignments as soon as they are given, rather than waiting until the last minute. Assuredly, poor planning and waiting until the last minute will result in missed practices or missed games.
• Do not get behind. Whether this pertains to homework, schoolwork, grades, or sports practices, it is easier to stay ahead of schoolwork rather than to play catch up with grades, missed assignments, or missed sporting events.
• Take advantage of study halls and free periods. Do homework, ask for help, study, and get ahead of your work. At one school that my children attended, there was no requirement for children to do work in study hall. Children were permitted to relax, listen to music (with ear buds), and text, with no expectation that work would be done. Guess what the children did in study hall? They relaxed, listened to music, and texted. No schoolwork was done. While the students thought this was great, this is clearly not a good way to take advantage of the study halls and free periods that can greatly aid student athletes in balancing school work and sports activities.
• Take advantage of school resources, such as tutors. Many sports teams want their athletes to succeed in school and offer programs to help their athletes. If your school or community offers these opportunities, take them.

Demands on our time never end. Our obligations and interests continue to vie for our attention and our time throughout our lives. By introducing and implementing time-saving tips and techniques early in a student athlete’s career, we – as parents, coaches, and trainers – can aid in the student athlete’s success, not only in school and on the playing field, but in life.

References:

1. Anthony D. Pellegrini and Catherine M. Bohn-Gettler. “The Benefits of Recess in Primary School,” Scholarpedia, 8(2):30448. 2013.

2. Jay J. Coakley, Sport in Society: Issues and Controversies – 6th edition. W.C.Brown Pub.Co. (1997).

3. Successful Student Athletes, Cornell University, accessed 8/25/14.

Photos courtesy of Shutterstock.

The post Tips for Helping Teens Balance School and Sport appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Sometimes the sport you play isn’t good at developing all of the attributes that are important for success, so honing a wide variety of abilities is critical for all athletes. But time is limited, and so the age-old concept of the priority of skill work over other training often takes precedence. While generally true, if an athlete never works on general attributes, their success may be stunted.

In this study, researchers created a program that was designed to be done anywhere and would replace a portion of the athlete’s normal practice, but not too invasively. The program lasted twelve weeks. The control group performed their normal training regime and game schedule. Although the researchers didn’t specify what constituted the training of the control group, it seemed to be only soccer practice and nothing else.

The group that performed contrast training, on the other hand, replaced some of their drills twice per week with a few isometric and plyometric exercises. The contrast training consisted of an isometric squat (similar to a wall squat), with the knees at a ninety-degree angle, and a variety of jumps. The jumps included jumping from a seated position and single leg jumps, among others.

Prior to this training program, the players underwent a battery of tests such as sprints, jumps, agility drills, and kicking. After the training they went through the tests again to see which group had improved more.

Both the control group and the contrast training group improved in the straight running tests. The five-, ten-, twenty-, and thirty-meter runs all significantly improved, no matter which program was chosen. However, vertical leap, agility, and kicking speed all improved in the contrast training group only. Since jumping was included in the contrast training, vertical leap improvements are hardly a surprise, but with agility and especially kicking speed being closer to actual game occurrences, it’s nice to see those improved, too.

There were a few interesting aspects of this study. First of all, the length of the training protocol was unique. At twelve weeks long, it’s longer than most studies of its kind. This is good to know, because it seems the benefits yielded by contrast training will persist by the twelve-week mark. It may be the case that this training won’t continue to yield fruit beyond this point, but that has yet to be determined.

The second interesting bit about this study is that there was no external load used during the contrast training. This means the extra benefit of this type of training can be realized from anywhere. The exercises used in this program require only a wall or something to sit on. Because it’s been shown effective, its simplicity and accessibility make it a powerful method.

So, when coaching young athletes, and indeed probably older athletes as well, mixing up your training seems to be an effective way to improve skills. If all of an athlete’s exercise comes from skill work, it may be beneficial to trade some of it for more varied exercise like plyometrics or isometrics.

References:

1. Felipe García-Pinillos, et. al., “Effects of A Contrast Training Program Without External Load on Vertical Jump, Kicking Speed, Sprint and Agility of Young Soccer Players,” Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, DOI: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000000452

Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.

The post Contrast Training Benefits Youth Soccer Players appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Lesson #1: The Olympic Spirit

To demonstrate and foster the Olympic spirit, the International Olympic Committee allows several wild cards to be given to competitors from developing nations. These athletes are able to participate in the Olympics, without undergoing the rigorous qualifying rounds other competitors face. One of the most memorable and inspiring moments of the Sydney 2000 Olympics came from wildcard athlete Eric Moussambani, from Equatorial Guinea, who swam the 100m freestyle.

Moussambani took up swimming eight months prior to the Olympics, had never trained in an Olympic pool, and had never swum more than 50m at a time. Despite finishing last and taking almost twice as long to swim the 100m distance as the gold medalist, Moussambani finished his race to thunderous applause. His perseverance, sense of purpose, and pride in his country were exhibited in his performance and permeated through the crowd.

It was not his athletic performance that garnered the cheers of the spectators, but rather it was his spirit and his determination, as well as the hope that he embodied, that endeared him to the crowd. His performance was not about his placement in the games; his performance was about his accomplishment and his ability to overcome adversity through sports. What a tremendous lesson for a young athlete to learn.

Lesson #2: Olympic Sportsmanship

In the formative years of a young athlete’s career, lessons of sportsmanship – bad and good – can have lasting effects on the athlete’s psyche. Who can forget the 1994 Tonya Harding-Nancy Kerrigan ice skating scandal? Kerrigan was violently attacked prior to a competition, in a rival’s plotted attempt to eliminate Kerrigan from a spot in the 1994 Olympics. Harding was later implicated in the attack. At what point in Harding’s career did she learn or determine that it was acceptable to win at all costs, to include an attack on her rival, which also ended her own skating career?

On the other end of the spectrum, the Olympics can demonstrate great sportsmanship. During the men’s cross country skiing competition of the 2014 Winter Olympics, Russian skier Anton Gafarov fell and broke his ski. Previously favored to be in medal contention, the skier now lagged far behind the leaders, struggling just to remain in the race. Canadian Coach Justin Wadsworth saw the plight of the Russian skier and rushed out to replace the Russian’s broken ski. Although Gafarov finished last, he was able to finish the race – skiing. What a tremendous display of sportsmanship! At what point in Wadsworth career did he learn or determine the importance of sportsmanship?

What we, as coaches, trainers, and parents teach, say, and do leave lasting impressions on young athletes. The question is, which sportsmanship lesson are we teaching – the former or the latter?

Lesson #3: The Power of Olympic Role Models

There is no question about it: Olympic athletes are role models to all of us, but especially to young, aspiring athletes. Wilma Rudolph, three time gold medalist in track and field (1960 Summer Olympics), is one of my favorite Olympic role models. At the age of six, I watched a biography of Wilma Rudolph and was captivated by her indomitable will, her determination, and her perseverance.

Even though she participated in the Olympics before I was born, Rudolph’s story stayed with me and inspired me; I began running track that same year. While my childhood dreams of becoming an Olympian in track and field never materialized, I am still running 38 years later. This is exactly how Olympic role models should work – positively influencing young athletes to discover their potential and to discover new possibilities, while encouraging young athletes to dream and hope.

Just as the modern Olympic Games carry the spirit of the ancient Olympic Games, we too, carry the spirit of the Olympics. The Olympics can teach all athletes, youth athletes in particular, many valuable life lessons. From determination and overcoming adversity to good sportsmanship and discovering new possibilities, the Olympics represent the potential that lies within every young athlete.

The Olympic Games allow and encourage young athletes to dream and hope. As coaches, trainers, and parents, it is our responsibility to encourage those dreams and hopes and to turn them into achievements, whether they be Olympic achievements, professional sports achievements, or fostering a lifelong love of a sport.

References:
1. Olympic.org. Official Website of the Olympic Movement (2013).
2. Trex, Ethan. Mentalfloss.com (July 29, 2012).

Nancy Kerrigan photo courtesy of Shutterstock.

Wilma Rudolph photo uploaded by Kasper2006 at Italian Wikipedia (English: Uploaded from it.wikipedia.org) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.

The post The 3 Most Valuable Lessons a Young Athlete Can Learn From the Olympics appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

If they add the additional component of moving quickly from one exercise to the next, they will not only increase their strength, but their metabolic conditioning as well.

It has been my experience that when an individual strength trains using controlled repetitions, utilizes perfect form throughout the entire set and works within their momentary muscular ability (MMA) on six to ten exercises, they can get quite strong.

If they add the additional component of moving quickly from one exercise to the next, they will not only increase their strength, but their metabolic conditioning as well.

This method of training allows for periods when direct conditioning training is absent or minimized and the athlete can still maintain a better-than-average level of fitness.

When periods of the year dictate a higher level of conditioning, training cycles can be advantageous to improving the athlete’s potential for advancements in his or her sport.

Because improving both strength and conditioning are a high priority for an athlete, there are times when direct work for both needs to be implemented in the training period.

For most young athletes and coaches the conundrum lies in finding the time. Time, as we know, can be a valuable commodity and so we must accommodate the athlete’s needs and availability.

Combination Training

In an attempt to optimize time and effort along with promoting proper rest and recovery for growth, the following approach of combining strength training with direct aerobic stimulation can be considered for training an athlete.

Before you start, though, you must first consider if the athlete has the capacity for such a workout. Not all trainees have the capacity mentally and/or physically to sustain such a program. This is where a qualified coach really comes into play.

Secondly, you must address the facility at which the athlete is training and the availability of modalities at the athletes’ disposal and the safety of use. A structure such as I’m about to recommend may not be conducive to crowded gyms but can certainly work well in a private establishment, the school gym possibly, and even the great outdoors.

The process is quite simple and direct as it involves performing a strength exercise alternated with a direct cardiovascular exercise.

For instance, let’s take a compound lower body movement like the squat and have the trainee perform a set of 20-30 controlled reps to MMA. Going to MMA means going until he physically can’t do another rep while keeping good form.

The athlete will then move immediately to the elliptical for 2 hard minutes. This does not need to be performed at a break neck pace, as his heart rate will be substantially elevated from the difficult set of squats that preceded.

Given the total time, the athlete’s heart rate will have been elevated several minutes, stemming from a metabolic as well as direct cardiovascular stimulation. At the end of the 2 minutes, give the trainee 60-120 seconds of recovery and move him to the next strength exercise.

A workout lasting 30 minutes will have the trainee using only a handful of “big exercises” followed by a bout of a cardiovascular exercise. If at all possible, combine strength and cardio pieces that do not overly stress the same muscle groups so safety is not compromised.

For instance, someone just off the leg press who already has wobbly legs and is breathing very rapidly would be ill advised to try and run on the treadmill as if could lead to improper form or injury.

Choosing the elliptical, stationary bike, stepper, or some type of upper body ergometer or equivalent would be a better and safer choice, but use whatever you have at your disposal that is safe for the trainee.

Note: The cardiovascular segment should be a high level of effort for the 2 minutes.

Sample Strength/Cardio Free-Weight Workout

• Squats/deadlift: 1 x 20-30 reps, then 2 minutes on elliptical
• 2 minute recovery
• Bench press: 1 x 10-12 reps, then 2 minute run
• 90 second recovery
• Chin-up/pull-up: 1 x max reps, then 2 minutes on stationary bike
• 90 second recovery
• Shoulder press: 1 x 10-12 reps, then 2 minutes on step machine
• 90 second recovery
• Row: 1 x 10-12 reps, then 2 minutes on vertical climber

Another approach is to prioritize the cardiovascular component first, then apply the strength portion of the program.

This approach works well with machine-based equipment for safety reasons as someone who just did 2 minutes of running would be ill-advised to perform squats or an overhead press.

Sample Cardio/Strength Machine Workout

• 2 minute run, then chest press 1×12-15 reps
• 90 second recovery
• 2 minutes on elliptical, then leg press 1×20-25 reps
• 2 minute recovery
• 2 minutes on stepper, then pulldown 1×12-15 reps
• 90 second recovery
• 2 minutes on stationary bike, then shrug 1×12-15 reps
• 90 second recovery
• 2 minutes on vertical climber, then machine rows 1×12-15 reps

Lastly, here is one more example using nothing but bodyweight movements and running.

This is a mixture of protocols, with the athlete working very hard on stabilization, balance, strength, and conditioning. Even though it only involves bodyweight exercises, it should not be taken lightly.

Sample Cardio/Strength Bodyweight Workout

• Walking lunges 1 x 20 each leg, then 2 minute run, then walking lunges 1 x max
• 2 minute recovery
• 2 minute run, then push-ups 1 x max, then 2 minute run
• 2 minute recovery
• Chin-ups/pull-ups 1 x max, then 2 minute run, then negative chin-ups/pull-ups 1 x max
• 2 minute recover
• 2 minute run, then crunches 1 x max, then 2 minute run

Conclusion

Obviously, the workout programs are infinite for this type of protocol. The key factors are based on the safety, efficiency, and effectiveness for the young athlete being trained.

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Some use different protocols, repetition ranges, modalities, sequences of exercises, volumes, and even percentages to aid in the quest for progression. Another way to cycle an individual’s training is to stagger frequency.

Since I can remember, strength enthusiasts have in some way, shape, or form utilized the concept of cycling in their training (whether they know it or not).

Some use different protocols, repetition ranges, modalities, sequences of exercises, volumes, and even percentages to aid in the quest for progression. Another way to cycle an individual’s training is to stagger frequency.

When training young athletes, I tend to stay with the same exercises so they can develop a better skill set, build more confidence, and therefore, attack the weights more intensely.

I also have them perform full-body workouts that focus primarily on the major muscle groups of the body. These workouts last no more than twenty to thirty minutes, which enables them to be very focused, have more time for academics, work on sports-specific skills, and of course, have some kind of a social life.

Defining the Cycle

Generally, about eight weeks out from the start of an athlete’s season or upcoming event, I will cycle the frequency of strength training sessions so the trainee can taper down with their lifting program and emphasize skill work and relevant conditioning drills. This also provides them the ability to be recovered adequately so they aren’t overtrained and become injured.

Let’s take a look at the following eight-week cycle as an example:

• Weeks 1-2: 3 full-body workouts
• Weeks 3-4: 2 full-body workouts
• Weeks 5-6: upper/lower body split
• Weeks 7-8: 1 full-body workout

Weeks 1 and 2 are straightforward. The training days are performed on non-consecutive days (Monday-Wednesday-Friday, for example) with the workouts consisting of exercises that work the whole body.

The focus should be on multi-joint and compound movements (squats, presses, rows, etc.) and the volume should be kept low – anywhere from a total of 6-10 hard sets per session.

A variety of movement planes should be used in each workout to cover all the bases. If the athlete is in a combative sport, it is strongly encouraged that he or she also perform some direct work to strengthen the neck and hands/grip.

If possible, do not have your athletes do any intense conditioning work on the off days during these weeks, but feel free to encourage them to recreate and perform some stretching or yoga.

Cycle 1: Workouts for Weeks 1-2

All sets are taken to muscular failure using controlled repetitions with a resistance targeted at 12-15 reps for upper body and 15-20 for lower body and abdominals (but do more if you can). Rest briefly (no more than 60 seconds) between exercises but do not rush through the exercises themselves.

It might be a good idea to have an A and B workout to rotate through, using the same exercises but in a different order. Use whatever equipment you have access to and is most appropriate for that particular trainee.

Sample Workout:

• Overhead Press
• Chin/Pulldown
• Squat/Deadlift
• Bicep Curl
• Shrug
• Dip/Pushup
• Abdominal Crunch

Cycle 2: Workouts for Weeks 3-4

Weeks 3 and 4 are again straightforward in that during these two weeks the athlete will perform two full-body sessions (Monday and Friday, for example), which gives the athlete a little more rest between strength training days.

Included will be an intense conditioning day to keep up conditioning levels. Light recreation, stretching, and/or yoga can be performed to help with recovery.

All sets are taken to muscular failure with the first sets resistance targeted at 10-12 reps for upper body and 12-15 reps for lower body (do more if you can). Rest briefly (no more than 60 seconds) between exercises but do not rush through the exercises themselves. Again, include direct neck training with combat athletes.

• Overhead Press
• Squat
• Dip
• Chin
• Shrug
• Romanian Deadlift
• Bicep Curl
• Abdominal Crunch

Cycle 3: Workouts for Weeks 5-6

Weeks 5 and 6 have the athlete splitting the workouts up into upper body only and lower body only days done over three non-consecutive days.

This will have the athlete performing two upper body only workouts and one lower body workout during week 5, and then two lower body and one upper body workout during week 6.

By using the splits the athlete can now focus on supportive exercises along with the major compound movements.

Athlete can include exercises such as hip adduction and abduction, wrist flexion and extension, rotator cuff work, calf work, lower back strengthening, and the like, if these areas weren’t addressed during the full-body sessions.

On lower body day the athlete can perform some sort of interval work via the bike, running, elliptical, or whatever means available.

Sample Upper Body Workout:

• Chin
• Dip
• Row
• Chest Press
• Lateral Raise
• Shrug
• Upright Row
• Wrist Flexion
• Wrist Extension
• Bicep Curl
• Pushup

Sample Lower Body Workout:

• Squat
• Prone Leg Curl
• Hip Abduction
• Hip Adduction
• Calf Raise
• Reverse Lunge
• Back Extension
• Bodyweight Squat

Cycle 4: Workouts for Weeks 7-8

Weeks 7 and 8 have the athlete strength training only once a week. This allows him or her six days of rest between bouts. An inclusion of one to two intense conditioning days is required, with an emphasis on skill work and, most importantly, recovery.

After this cycle is complete the athlete can go directly into the season or event, or restart the cycle again. In this cycle keep the repetitions in the 15-20 range for upper body. This will reduce compressive forces but still have the trainee working very hard.

Cycle Wrap Up

During this eight week training cycle it is important the trainee focus on progression each workout.

Variation in repetition ranges will allow for less stagnation and new goal setting, along with stimulating the muscular and cardiovascular systems.

Given that the young athlete is always on the edge of overtraining, having this variation will allow for sufficient recovery, improved strength and power, enhanced cardiovascular health, and if practiced properly, improved skills in his or her chosen activity.

Photos courtesy of Shutterstock.

The post 8-Week Pre-Competition Training Template for Young Athletes appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Shortly after hearing about this tragedy, it made me think about why this young athlete got to this point in her athletic career and ended up dying. One reporter on the news stated that Arielle was using this balm on a constant basis to alleviate sore muscles and sore joints. Sore muscles in any athlete are understandable (to a certain degree, of course), but aching joints? I think we can all agree that any hard-training athlete is going to experience muscle soreness, but a seventeen-year-old having persistent joint pain? That sends up a red flag with me.

Let’s, for the moment, downplay her persistent joint pain and say that it may have been overstated. The question remains, how did her daily need for muscular relief go unrecognized by her coach, parents, teammates, or even herself? Maybe she just thought pain was just part of the game. Maybe her coach or parents expected her to perform regardless of her ailing. Or maybe she just thought this is what she had to do to achieve her goals. I guess we’ll never know, but what we do know is that soreness – muscular or joint related – on a steady basis is not a healthy or desirable scenario for any athlete of any age. It can lead to injury, physical and emotional burnout, self-esteem issues, depression, female triad, and much more.

Stop Pushing

We must recognize that a lot of today’s young athletes are self-driven, while others, let’s be honest, seem to have competition thrust upon them. Parents who were athletes themselves or who are trying to make up for their failed athletic youth attempt to live vicariously through their children and tend to push their kids, even to a point of injuring them. We even see it in the professional arena when players suffer a concussion one week and are back on the playing field the next and, somehow, this represents the heart of a warrior.

In my mind, it represents the irresponsibility of a coach and its organization. Some kids are unfortunately misguided by some well-meaning authorities who lack constructive knowledge or experience. These authorities impose unruly requirements on their athletes by applying unsafe training methods and emotional demands. Whoever is to blame is not the gist of the matter at this time, but the fact is that there needs to be awareness brought to everyone’s attention. There is potential for dangerous outcomes to any athlete who is subjected to this pedal-to-the-metal philosophy to improve performance. The fact that one-third of young athletes are sidelined due to injury is a staggering number and needs closer consideration.

Look After My Child

So what parent doesn’t want to see their kid be the best they can be? Most parents will send their kids to all kinds of camps, instructional programs, and strength coaches. They will buy their kids the top of the line equipment in order to provide the greatest opportunity. But, as a parent, it is my opinion that your primary responsibility is to protect your child. As a coach, you have the same responsibility – protecting, educating, and nurturing the youngsters who are under your care.

This responsibility is not solely directed at what you can get out of them for their time under your tutelage, but strong consideration must be given as to how it will affect them for life. I recall hearing legendary strength coach of thirty years, Mike Gittleson (of the University of Michigan football program) say in a seminar that his responsibility first and foremost was to the safety of his athletes. Mike’s attitude exemplified a coach’s main responsibility when he said, “Don’t worry. Mom, I’ll take care of your boy.”

Parent Trap

In a national survey, it was shown that “nine out of 10 parents underestimate the length of time kids should take off from playing any one sport during the year to protect them from overuse, overtraining and burnout. According to The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM), children should take 2 to 3 months, or a season, away from a specific sport every year. Young athletes are encouraged to take at least 1 day off each week from organized activity.” With kids playing school sports, participating in traveling teams, and signing up for any additional physical activities, it’s no wonder kids are becoming injured more often and more intensely.

Parents as well as coaches, and even the athletes, need to plan an appropriate athletic program that allows for recovery, safety, and progression for a youngster to perform at his or her very best with minimal downsides to participating in a sport. I’m all for competition and a go get ‘em attitude but not at the cost of injuring someone. Striving to be the best is fine, that is what builds champions on and off the athletic field, but we need to recognize that success can come with a price that just isn’t worth paying some times.

Photos courtesy of Shutterstock.

The post The Very Real Dangers of Pushing Kids Too Hard appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

This means you need to be able to play your sport for a couple hours each day, starting with pre-season practice all the way through until your season ends.

For the student-athletes out there, being prepared for your athletic season is not something you can do a few weeks before the season starts. Getting stronger, improving your level of play, and being in top athletic condition is not something you can cram for like an exam. It takes time, hard work, and a consistent effort to be at your best.

This means you need to be able to play your sport for a couple hours each day, starting with pre-season practice all the way through until your season ends.

The goal is to play at peak performance, injury free, plus handle a full academic course load, family, friends, and other interests. All of this requires an exceptional level of physical readiness and needs to be addressed year round.

This article is specifically geared towards getting conditioned for your sport, but first, let’s look at what I refer to as the five main components of physical fitness.

The following components should be focused on all year long to ensure you are in peak physical condition when your season starts:

Components of Physical Fitness

1. Muscular and Bone Strength: The amount of tension that can be created by a muscle when it contracts, or in the case of bones, tendons, and ligaments, it is the amount of tension that can be withstood before an injury occurs. This means that a safe, efficient, and effective strength training program should be adhered to two to three times each week and should be performed with a high level of effort.
2. Cardio-Respiratory Endurance: The ability of the heart and lungs to provide oxygen and nutrients to the working muscles during intense exercise in an efficient manner. Many sports are “stop and go” and involve multiple sprints at a variety of distances and speeds. This requires a solid aerobic foundation as well as a strong, healthy body.
3. Nutrition: Eating nutrient dense foods that will aid in repair of the body’s many cells, as well as fuel an active lifestyle. What you put in your body is what fuels your performance and health, so you need to eat nutritious foods. As the old saying goes “garbage in, garbage out.”
4. Flexibility: The range of motion around a specific joint as well as the surrounding muscles and connective tissue. Improving flexibility helps prevent injury, increases performance, and helps reduce muscle soreness.
5. Rest/Recovery: The need for the body and mind to recuperate from hard work. Having “down time” is a factor in helping achieve your goal of a high-level of fitness and should not be taken lightly. It is not, however, a license to just hang around for days doing nothing.

Keep this in mind – the level of fitness that you attain is directly linked to the effort you put into all areas mentioned above. “Hard work is the price we must pay for success.”

Conditioning Guidelines

Prior to pre-season (approximately 12 weeks before reporting to your first practice) you will slowly start your running program. Over the course of several weeks, you will build up your cardiovascular system to withstand long runs, as well as different sprinting distances and times.

Do not go out and run every day right from the start. This can cause overuse injuries that can linger and do more harm than good.

Whenever possible, try to run on soft or forgiving surfaces – grass or flat area beach sand are two of the best. If you are going to run on the road, be sure to change your route often to save your shins, knees, hips, and ankles from the repetitive stresses incurred. Make sure you are wearing good running shoes that are appropriate for you.

Phase 1 – 3 Weeks

The purpose of Phase 1 is to get you back to running on a steady basis so you can develop a solid aerobic foundation, get your legs used to running, and work on your running mechanics.

This phase also helps your body get used to the pounding before you add more stress to it with sprinting and the twists and turns associated with playing a sport.

Through this phase you will develop an efficient heart and lung system, which will increase your endurance and improve your recovery capabilities. You should be able to run at least a 10-minute mile to start, so you should cover about 2 – 2.5 miles at each run.

• Week 1: Run 2 times on non-consecutive days for approximately 20 minutes.
• Week 2: Run 3 times on non-consecutive days for approximately 20 minutes.
• Week 3: Run 3 times on non-consecutive days. Days 1 and 3 run for 20 minutes. Day 2 run for 30 minutes.

Phase 2 – 3 Weeks

You should easily be running a 10-minute mile average by now, so the purpose of Phase 2 is to push your aerobic capacity and improve your time/distance with each of your runs.

Phase 2 has you working up to running on consecutive days. This will help you get passed the discomfort of running with sore legs and improve your aerobic capacity further.

• Week 4: Run 3 times on non-consecutive days. Days 1 and 3 run for 30. Day 2 run 20 minutes.
• Week 5: Run 3 times this week. Days 1 and 2 will be back-to-back run days. Run 30 minutes on day 1 and 20 minutes on day 2. Take 2 days off and run 30 minutes.
• Week 6: Run 3 times this week. Days 1 and 2 will be back-to-back run days. Run 30 minutes on days 1 and 2. Take 2 days off and run 30 minutes.

Phase 3 – 3 Weeks

Phase 3 starts the anaerobic/speed training that is needed for your sport. This phase is critical because it develops the specific energy system the body depends on to execute the repetitive movements involved in your activity.

As with Phases 1 and 2, you will ease into this segment. Keep in mind that all sprints, regardless of the distance, should be performed as an all-out effort.

• Week 7: Run 4 times this week. Days 1 and 3 are interval days. Days 2 and 4 are recovery runs. Days 1 and 3 are 30-minute runs with ratios of 1:1. This means you run for 10 minutes as a warm-up, then sprint for 1 minute, jog for 1 minute, sprint for 1 minute, jog for 1 minute, etc. for 20 minutes (10 cycles). Days 2 and 4 are recovery runs and they will be regular runs for 20-30 minutes. Run days 1 and 2 back-to-back, take a day off and run days 3 and 4 back-to-back.
• Week 8: Run 4 times this week. Days 1 and 3 are interval days. Days 2 and 4 are recovery runs. Days 1 and 3 are 25-minute runs with ratios of 1:2. This means you run for 10 minutes as a warm-up, then sprint for 30 seconds, jog for 1 minute, sprint for 30 seconds, jog for 1 minute, etc. for 15 minutes (10 cycles). Days 2 and 4 are recovery runs and they will be regular runs for 20-30 minutes. Run days 1 and 2 back-to-back, take a day off and run days 3 and 4 back-to-back.
• Week 9: Run 4 times this week. Days 1 and 3 are interval days and days 2 and 4 are recovery runs. Days 1 and 3 are 20-minute runs with ratios of 1:3. This means you run for 10 minutes as a warm-up, then sprint for 15 seconds, jog for 45 seconds, sprint for 15 seconds, jog for 45 seconds, etc. for 10 minutes (10 cycles). Days 2 and 4 are recovery runs for 20-30 minutes. Run days 1 and 2 back-to-back, take a day off and run days 3 and 4 back-to-back.

Phase 4 – 3 Weeks

Phase 4 brings you into the home stretch for preparation for your season. This phase is important in that you build the ability to handle a volume of intense work.

Keep in mind that all sprints, regardless of the distance, should be performed with an all-out effort. Sprint distances should be performed with “game-time” intensity and conditions since most sports are not of specific time/distance.

It is also recommended you wear the proper foot attire that you will be wearing for your sport, so if that means running in specific sneakers or cleats, do so to get used to the difference your running shoes offered.

• Week 10: Run 5 times this week. Days 1, 3, and 5 are Fartlek interval days (a Swedish term that means “speed play” with intervals performed at random bursts of speed and recovery) and days 2 and 4 are recovery runs. Days 1, 3, and 5 are 20-minute runs with a 10-minute run as a warm-up, then sprinting for random time/distance with as little recovery as needed for 10 minutes. Days 2 and 4 are recovery runs with your “tool of your trade” for 20-30 minutes. This means if you play basketball, dribble your basketball while you run. If you play field hockey, run with your stick. If you play baseball, run with your glove. Get as “game time” ready as you can.
• Week 11: Run 5 times this week. Days 1, 3, and 5 are Fartlek interval days and days 2 and 4 are recovery runs. Days 1, 3, and 5 are 20-minute runs with a 10-minute run as a warm-up, then sprinting with your sticks for random time/distance with as little recovery as needed for 10 minutes. Days 2 and 4 are recovery runs with your “tool of your trade” for 20-30 minutes.
• Week 12: This is a back off week that leads into pre-season. Run 3 times this week. Days 1 and 3 are 20-30 minute casual runs and day 2 is a 30-minute run with ratios of 1:1. This means you will run for 10 minutes as a warm-up, then sprint for 1 minute, jog for 1 minute, sprint for 1 minute, jog for 1 minute, etc. for 20 minutes (10 cycles) with your “tool of your trade.”

Good luck getting ready for your season and let us know how it goes!

Photos courtesy of Shutterstock.

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