Functional v. Impressive

As a developing athlete function is more important than impressive.

Trust me, I have the ankles, unfortunately, to prove it.

At least physically. Mentally, well, we all would like to look
impressive.

I am more concerned with the ability to take what an athlete has
learned and apply it to the field of play. And young athletes need
the basics established first. The impressive will then be that much
easier, and therefore more impressive. Because you made it look easy.

I've run into this with my athletes who have been run four hours
during their practice. Impressive? Maybe.

But could they stop on a dime? No. If you want to be impressive on
the field, track, court, then you need "change of direction" speed.

What do you think the most important first component of that is?
Stopping.

Seems like a no brainer. Yet, have you been taught how to stop
properly?
Parents: How about your kids?

When stopping is coached and the athlete is able to change
directions faster than anyone else, then you have an incredible
advantage over the competition.

I recently enjoyed watching a local basketball tournament. Know
what impressed me? There was one athlete who, despite their
considerable size, was quicker than anyone else on the court, at
any size.

Now that was impressive!

But (I can hear it now) standing on a swiss ball looks impressive
in the gym.

So what?

Does it translate to the court? That should be gauge for the
training program.

Especially for developing athletes!

And that is what I want for my athletes. To have the skills to be
the best possible athlete they can be now and for the rest of their
athletic journey.

Why am I here?

I'm guessing you didn't sign up for something quite so esoteric as the title might suggest but a little background never hurts.

I come from an athletic background. I've experienced good and bad coaching.

Not just bad as in yell-at-em, but also bad through omission. Omitting the coaching (which is not yelling) or positive reinforcement. Assuming that kids "get it".

Kids want to hear good things, just like anyone else.

Young athletes are still developing physically and mentally. Yelling at them or running them "until they puke" is not going to foster an athletic lifestyle.

I'm sure that bad coaching is not what they set out to do. It's possible they think that whatever was done to them will work just fine.

Being negative works for a little while but soon performance becomes something about avoiding mistakes than taking it to the next level.

That's what hurts the most.

I've had good, bad and everything in between. But my first coach (hockey) was not at all helpful.

Here is the sum of my memories from playing hockey when I was 6 years old.

Getting yelled at for icing. I was 6. I do believe I quit hockey shortly thereafter and I haven't played a game since.

Nice.

Fortunately I moved on to basketball a few years later and had a pretty decent coach. Better yet, he was a good person. I learned to respect that and it made me want to play hard. And guess what, it was fun to.

This is a major factor in my involvement in coaching youth athletes now. Because I still see the bad. Believe it or not, some misguided coaches in my daughter's U6 soccer league won't even play our team, or the 2 other teams for that matter, because they are not "ready".

Ready? They are four, five, and six years old. They are ready to play and have fun at the drop of a hat. That's all the "ready" that any coach should be worried about at that age.

So why am I here?

I want to change the way kids are coached for the better. Take into account how mature they are, mentally and physically, and make it positive experience that will influence them and their success in life. 

It's why I joined the IYCA and became a Youth Fitness Specialist.

It's a lot of fun and working with kids who want to be there. I want them to have a good time, and learn to become healthy active successful adults.

Is that too much to ask?

Enough about me. Some more fun stuff is coming your way soon. We'll chat later. 

Have a good one.

Olympic Effort

It's about time. This is a great time to pick up the slack in your program. There is something so inspiring about the effort these people put in. Look at the 41 yr old Dara Torres. Any age people. You can make it happen.

naturally we need to temper our efforts with a wee bit of reality. We may not make the olympics but you can certainly get strong enough to impress family and scare the neighbors. Perhaps this will be the kick you need. Draw off the energy of the competitors. Even from here. I don't imagine we'll be able to make it to the Olympic venues. It's too much of a drive for me, at least.

I use the Tour de France to get my bicycle time up. The scenery and the ability to lose yourself in the race will help you perform at levels you wouldn't have expected from yourself.

So get your butt in front of the tv. Take a skipping rope, a matt, a couple weights and start moving. A little bit goes a long way. Recover your form and energy. Show the family how it's done.

And don't forget to scare the neighbors.

I'm here for you, honest!

This is somewhat ironic.

I profess to be looking out for you and yet I forgot to queue this message. I have had this written for the better part of a month and I didn't get it sent off. Nice!

So here is a little ditty about support and how it goes in both directions.
****

A point about trainers and some of the resistance they encounter.

A psychologist I have on my support team noted that people don't expect you to be 100% supportive. Most people don't get that from family.

That is interesting. Make a mental note about your environment. Do you really have a supportive environment. Physically, nutritionally and no less important, emotionally.

What do you want to be surrounded by. Visualize the results you want. Strong and lean? Start thinking that way. Food, sneakers, workout plan, and time set aside. We can't really expect to get the
results we want if none, or even a couple, of the components are in place.

Positive support? That comes from within as much as outside of us.

I've recently been hired on as a mental skills coach for a local university varsity program. These are very successful athletes. And what do they work on to get the edge? Mental skills. Positive inner dialogue. Visualization.

If you do the same you will be well on your way to achieving your goals.

* Move of the day, more of a prompt really. Squeeze glutes, quads, hamstrings and draw your belly button in (not down, see the difference?).

Do this before any power move that involves spinal support or the spine directly. You could argue that every move directly involves the spine but we'll save that discussion for another day.

PS: Happy birthday to me!

A Recent Nutrition Presentation

Rather creative title, isn't it? Now,...

I just gave a sport nutrition seminar to an elite level girls
basketball team.

I had a blast. They were motivated, interested and oddly quiet. I
think they were a little tired, what with it being the weekend and
finals week coming up.

When it was all said and done I got one of the best compliments
ever from the head coach. No mean feat.

But, when all is said and done, elite athlete nutrition and
everyday nutrition are share a number of qualities.

Eat to support your needs. Don't be shy.

Be consistent. Planning ahead will help.

Drink water. Have a bottle handy.

Lean cuts of meat or go with alternatives. Be creative.

Vegetables and fruit are vitally important. Do I have to go into
this? Didn't think so.

After that don't make excuses. For health or performance, being
picky doesn't mean you can't eat enough.

It means you get to eat more of what you like! Aww, that's rough.

So be positive, plan ahead, and reap the rewards. One day at a
time. You'll blow the socks of your goals.

I am going to have the mp3 audio of that presentation available to
you soon. I'll keep you posted.

Enjoy.

Todd

PS: If you want the information from a researcher and educator in the
field of nutrition, and not l'il old me, look up Dr. Susan M
Kleiner. She'll set you on the right path. I've been to her
presentations and have two of her books. Read a couple others from
the library, one was a cookbook. Top notch stuff.

It's a chronological thing?

The nervous system makes no sense. It works beautifully. But there
is no rhyme or reason as to how we get here from there. There being
wee embryo.

So when coaching young athletes it is necessary to assess not only
their physical age but their emotional age. Some kids may be ready
for the hard physical stuff but not have the mental preparedness to
do it.

Some may be mentally ready to jump over buildings but not the
physical preparedness to do so.

We develop all parts of our neurological and physical system at the
same time. But there is no hard and fast rules about when to start
lifting weights, running maximally or going 100%.

Just because one 12 year old is ready to start training hard it
does not mean every 12 year old is ready.

This requires discipline on the coaches part to not push the
athlete in front of them into territory that will make them feel
uneasy.

This would be a negative event for the young athlete. And that is
the one thing that should be avoided during training.

This is why I joined the IYCA (IYCA.org). They focus on the
positive aspects of physical training and it's effect on the rest
of a child's life. It is fun and chalenging and preparatory for a
childs academic an dathleticcareer.

Kids have enough stress without getting yelled at during something
that is supposed to be fun.

So let's put the stop watches away and encourage growth,
athleticism and fun!

Have a great day!

Todd

Worth the Wait? You Betcha!

I have some exciting news.

I made it into Brian Grasso's "First 500"!!!

Only 500 (on the planet) made it in for the Level one Youth Conditioning Specialist certification.

This thrills me to no end. If there is one thing that bothers me the most is the poor state of youth conditioning. I want to be able to help kids perform better and have more fun doing it.

I learned many valuable lessons growing up and participating at provincial level athletically. And I got injured several times. So the old hindsight is definitely 20-20. I don't want that to happen to other young athletes.

Here is the program I am enrolled in.

Check out the videos! They say more than words on a page.

http://www.iyca.org/fitspecialist1.html

Coming soon: Youth Conditioning Bootcamps

Bone Density

As the bone density studies have indicated, training when younger stimulates growth that will last a lifetime.

Force Production
This is not a "no brainer". When most think of force production the first thought is muscle mass. But what if the bones are thin or frail. The mind reads this imbalance and never allows full force production to protect the bones. So stronger bones also aides in athletic performance.

How to stimulate density growth is a touchy subject when it comes to our youth. Worries over stunting growth is the big one. Well to this I point out climbing trees, jumping off of swings, bicycling for hours, jump rope and many other activities that we've all done. Did we stunt our growth? Nope.

Research shows that stimulation, when done properly, encourages growth at the joint and tissue connection. That combined with the effect of activity on the release of growth hormones. It sounds like a good thing for a growing athlete.

Injury prevention
The training that encourages stronger bones naturally encourages stronger muscles and coordination. Being athletic, strong and coordinated, training to encourage balance and strength reduces the likelihood that the athlete will be injured.

If you are an athlete, you can relate how an injury slows you down, keeps you from playing and generally takes the fun out of the event for you.

Longevity
Get it done now and it is one less thing to think about later! When training is encouraged sooner in an athletes career, healthy activity encourages longer athletic careers, personal or otherwise, and make life in general more fun. Think of all the great people you meet through sports and athletic endeavors.

Not to mention networking. If you don't know how this influences life, trust me, it's a good thing.

So train safe, be strong and enjoy yourself.

In health,

Todd

Muscle Building for Men and Women

* All Athletes - All Ages *

I need a really good reason to promote something. This is one of two that I feel would benefit any athlete. Muscle is important to performance. First you need it. Not just for lifting things but for providing the materials required that can be then trained for speed and quickness.

So, if you are an athlete who needs to gain mass for their sport then this is th emotherload. Vince is a Canadian and a Fitness Model who started out pin thin and learned the gainers secrets. He has all the information you need.

Vince works out of Hamilton but he is invited and travels around the world to present on his Muscle Gaining knowledge. It's a huge plus that he is a Canadian, in my books.

If you already know about Vince and his amazing product Click Here! to purchase!


Human Performance and Nutrition Expert
Dr. John Berardi Ph.D Didn't Hesitate To Recommend
This Program...Nuff Said!

"The principles of No Nonsense Muscle Building have helped Vince Delmonte transform from “Skinny Vinny” to a physique champion.

These principles have also helped hundreds of others increase their strength and muscle size.

If you’re looking for some of the best muscle-building information currently available, check out Vince Delmonte’s No Nonsense Muscle Building"


Dr John M Berardi
Adjunct Professor, University of Texas
Author of Scrawny to Brawny
http://www.scrawnytobrawny.com

That is high praise indeed!




Some success stories:

"Vince, I finished your book, very good. I will obviously re-read it a few more times over this week. There is a lot of info in there that i have to get used to.

Some concepts are really an eye opener for me and are pretty much common sense when you stop to think about it all.

I like the added physiology lessons... once you tear away all of the hype that bodybuilding mags put out there, you realize the truth."

Nello Miele
Ontario, Canada
charming_007@hotmail.com


Gained 62 lbs In Just One Year And Now Competing In First Bodybuilding Competition!

"Hey Vince, whats going on man, it's Brian Karschti... But yeah I just wanted to give you a little update on me here.....I'm 5'11 and sitting at 193 lbs. at about low 9% body fat.

As of January 1st I was able to pack on 62 lbs. of weight (mostly muscle) in just one year, too awesome... Thanks again man, if it wasn't for your book I couldn't have done it!!!

One more thing, as of June 8 (2008) I'll be up on stage in my first bodybuilding competition, I'm doing FAME, thats right!, LOL, so yea I'm stoked and can't wait....hope to hear back from you man, take it easy."

Brian Karschti
Ontario, Canada
lambo_02@hotmail.com


"Gained Tons Of Lean Muscle And Lost 10 Pounds..."

"When I reflect on how weak and out of balanced my muscles and mind were I know I have come along way and could not have gotten this healthy on my own.

I have lost 10 pounds, gained lean muscle and have 23% body fat.

Wow I feel great"

Erin Teeft
Ontario, Canada




This is a fantastic product with tons of success stories.

Don't wait a minute more if you need to gain muscle mass.

Click Here!

Go get em!

I Have to Know!

Hey,

Not much sense in my tapping away on the keyboard if I don't know what your main interests are.

So on the right hand side there is a little survey. Please give me some feedback on what you'd like to see more information on.

I am looking forward to hearing what you have to say.

Then, the moment your done, get up and move around a bit. You've probably been in front of the computer too long, like me. Time for me to get outside!

Have a good one. Thanks again.

In health,

Todd