Check out this post on EFS.
"The land of low preparedness is Toys R Us for the lay coach/trainer. It's a field day for the mediocre because almost anything yields positive results."
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Monday, July 30, 2007
500
Well it finally happen, after 2 years i hit a 500 bench press. it was awesome. have been doing a lot of board work the past few months and a lot of various shoulder pressing and it has paid off.
Friday, July 20, 2007
Sports: It's All B.S.
This is from Elite FTS Newsletter.
The following is the first in a series of excerpts from Sports: Is It All B.S.? by Dr. Michael Yessis. According to Dr. Yessis, they are examples of the many myths and misconceptions that guide sports in the US. These examples of what he calls "B.S." are presented for your information, discussion, and dissemination.
Why does a country with more athletes, better facilities, more coaches, and more money tied into sports than any other country have to travel the world over to find the best athletes? The answer is simple. The country has no system of developing athletic talent. Yet every team will tell you it does have a system of player development. This is bull though because to have a winning team, these professional sports teams have to buy their players and collegiate teams must recruit the best athletes available.
Athletes are born, not made.
For years, coaches have stated that good athletes are born, they're naturals. As a result, they believe you can't make someone into an athlete if he or she isn't born with this ability. This implies that you must already possess the technical skills and physical abilities (athleticism) to play the game. This is bull. Coaches see their role as motivators and strategists to blend the team into a functional unit. They often say that they teach the basics of the game, but this generally means basic strategy, not skills. When skills are taught, the teaching is superficial and short-lived. (See #13, Coaches teach game skills)
If you believe the B.S. that athletes are born, not made, there should be no need to play the game for years before you become great. If you're born with the abilities or are a natural athlete, why not wait until you're in your late teens and then start playing the sport? You would probably laugh at this recommendation, but this is how it is if you're born a great athlete. I hope you realize that this statement is obviously bull. It is the environment or what you do in practices and playing the sport that determines whether you will be an athlete and how great you will become.
For more information, check out Sports: Is It All B.S.?
The following is the first in a series of excerpts from Sports: Is It All B.S.? by Dr. Michael Yessis. According to Dr. Yessis, they are examples of the many myths and misconceptions that guide sports in the US. These examples of what he calls "B.S." are presented for your information, discussion, and dissemination.
Why does a country with more athletes, better facilities, more coaches, and more money tied into sports than any other country have to travel the world over to find the best athletes? The answer is simple. The country has no system of developing athletic talent. Yet every team will tell you it does have a system of player development. This is bull though because to have a winning team, these professional sports teams have to buy their players and collegiate teams must recruit the best athletes available.
Athletes are born, not made.
For years, coaches have stated that good athletes are born, they're naturals. As a result, they believe you can't make someone into an athlete if he or she isn't born with this ability. This implies that you must already possess the technical skills and physical abilities (athleticism) to play the game. This is bull. Coaches see their role as motivators and strategists to blend the team into a functional unit. They often say that they teach the basics of the game, but this generally means basic strategy, not skills. When skills are taught, the teaching is superficial and short-lived. (See #13, Coaches teach game skills)
If you believe the B.S. that athletes are born, not made, there should be no need to play the game for years before you become great. If you're born with the abilities or are a natural athlete, why not wait until you're in your late teens and then start playing the sport? You would probably laugh at this recommendation, but this is how it is if you're born a great athlete. I hope you realize that this statement is obviously bull. It is the environment or what you do in practices and playing the sport that determines whether you will be an athlete and how great you will become.
For more information, check out Sports: Is It All B.S.?
Monday, July 16, 2007
Strongman Competition
Well the strongman competition was this past weekend and in my opinion it went awesome. The weather wasn't that great in the morning and I thought that their would be a negative effect on the performance but all of the kids did great. We did not have as many show up as I thought would but it was still a blast, here are the events:
Yoke Carry- 200 ft
Tire Flip- 30 yards for time
Keg and Sled Medley- carry and drag 3 times for 20 yards
Keg Toss- distance
Keg Press- Reps in 60 sec
Farmers Walk- 150 ft zig-zag
Fat bar Dead- Reps in 60 sec
I also have some vid's if I can figure out how to post them up here I will.
Yoke Carry- 200 ft
Tire Flip- 30 yards for time
Keg and Sled Medley- carry and drag 3 times for 20 yards
Keg Toss- distance
Keg Press- Reps in 60 sec
Farmers Walk- 150 ft zig-zag
Fat bar Dead- Reps in 60 sec
I also have some vid's if I can figure out how to post them up here I will.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Strong Man Time
That's right, the time has finally come, we are less than a week away from the competition and I am getting jazzed up. I still have no idea how many kids we will have participating, could be 5 could be 50, but I do know that it will be fun for all those that are involved.
Back In Town
Well after a nice little vacation back to Oklahoma to finish the masters up I am ready to get back into the swing of things. So we hit the ground running and I was actually suprised by the turn out in the weight room yesterday, I thought for sure most of the kids would have forgot where it was. Anyway, it feels like summer is flying by and it's almost time for fall sports, so take advantage of the time you got left and get to work.
Friday, June 29, 2007
We got UPS!
For the past few weeks I have added short set box jumps into the program, on the dynmic day. We have not trained jumping at all until now. I know that DE squats and O-lifts will help improve jumping ability, but I didnt expect this. This is the only pic I got because the camera ran out of batteries, but here is Andy, a 235 lb. linemen hit a solid 48" box jump on his second try.
Friday, June 22, 2007
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Just a little update...
It has been a busy week this week. We started our footbal speed and agility camp and it is going great, although we don't quite have the turn out I would like, I confident it will grow.
The weight room at Pellston has been going well also, we get more kids in each day I show up, and I am excited at the upper classmen leadership that they have, I think that they could do good things this summer.
I am going to be seeing quite a few kids off to college this year and our forst has left. I wish the best of luck to Jordan, who is going to be playing ball at Ap State in NC. I know he will do great, due to an incredible work ethic.
Anyway that is the latest, I will be updating with some pics and hopefully if I can figure it out videos in the near future so keep checking back.
The weight room at Pellston has been going well also, we get more kids in each day I show up, and I am excited at the upper classmen leadership that they have, I think that they could do good things this summer.
I am going to be seeing quite a few kids off to college this year and our forst has left. I wish the best of luck to Jordan, who is going to be playing ball at Ap State in NC. I know he will do great, due to an incredible work ethic.
Anyway that is the latest, I will be updating with some pics and hopefully if I can figure it out videos in the near future so keep checking back.
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
I know I know
I have been posting a lot from Joe Defranco lately, but that is what I have been doing, is reading over his stuff. When I was in high school my wrestling coach said "if you want to be a stud you have to beat a stud." This same concept holds true with education, training, and life, if you want to better yourself surround yourself with the best, which is why I keep posting excerpts from Ask Joe.
I am a little confused with your question…if you are referring to “sport-specific” training in the WEIGHT ROOM than I think it’s a gimmick and its bullshit! What I mean by this is that some trainers try to “separate” themselves from other trainers by saying that they have their athletes do “sport-specific” training in the weight room. These trainers are usually the ones that over-use stability balls & wobble boards and they bad-mouth exercises like bench-presses and squats because they are not “sport-specific”. Yet, do they think that balancing on a wobble board with your eyes closed and having a pass with a basketball IS sport specific? Or performing your rotator cuff exercises with a weighted baseball will somehow magically make your rotator cuff strength more sport-specific, compared to strength that is gained using dumbells or barbells!? What’s next; should wrestlers wear their head gear during their strength workouts? Should football players wear their helmets, shoulder pads & mouth pieces when lifting? Will that make their strength more “sport-specific”? Don’t get me started! This topic drives me crazy!
The bottom line is that weight training is General Physical Preparation! Read that last statement again…you can NOT duplicate the physical demands of the athletic field in the weight room! What you SHOULD do in the weight room is choose the exercises that strengthen the muscles that are involved in your sport, as well as the exercises that will help to prevent injury. You don’t have to try and duplicate the specific sport in the weight room; just get the muscles strong and then the act of “playing your sport” will make the strength that you gain in the weight room “sport-specific”. For example, let’s say a baseball player and a wrestler are training together in the same group. Wrestling & baseball are 2 extremely different sports, yet these athletes perform the same workout. Let’s use their forearm strength as an example. Part of their workout involves performing various exercises to strengthen their grip & forearms. Even though they are performing the same forearm exercises, the baseball players’ forearm strength will become “baseball-specific” because he PLAYS baseball in his spare time. So his forearm strength can help improve his bat speed, throwing power, etc. The wrestlers’ forearm strength will become “wrestling-specific” because he WRESTLES in his spare time. His new-found forearm strength will help him grab and control his opponent, etc. So in a nutshell, that is my take on “sport-specific” training in the weight room.
The Cliff Notes version of my little rant is this…”Sport-specific training in the weight room is bullshit! Get strong in the weight room using the most economical exercises and then make that strength “sport-specific” by practicing the technical aspects of your sport separately!” Simple enough?
Now, at the end of your question, you asked me if “athletes really need special training for their sport instead of getting stronger…” My answer to this question is, “Hell yeah, athletes need to perform specific training for their sport!” If strength was the only component of athletics, powerlifters would be the best football players, baseball players, basketball players, figure skaters, etc. Although I always thought this was common sense, you wouldn’t believe how many emails I get each week that overlook this component of athletics. Here’s an excerpt of an email that I received from an athlete last week:
“Coach Defranco, I need your advice. I’m 23 years old and I’m going to try out for a semi-pro football team next year. I haven’t played football since high school but I miss it so I’m going to give it another shot. I know I have what it takes to compete with the best. Just last week I was working out with my buddy who played D1 football and I out-benched him by 30 lbs. and I was also able to hang with him on all the other exercises. Below you will find my stats. Please tell me where I need to be to make the team. Thanx!”
Bench – 340 lbs.
Squat – 415 lbs.
40 yard dash – 4.75
vertical – 27 inches
short shuttle - 4.51
My response to the above email was, “In order to make the team, you need to be able to play football.” This may sound rude, but I know a lot of big & strong kids that suck at sports. I am a huge proponent of strength training for ALL athletes, but the most important aspect of any sport is the ability to PLAY THE SPORT! Some athletes may need more sport-specific training than others, depending on their God-given talent, but everyone needs to practice the technical aspect of their sport!
I can’t make it any clearer.
Joe D.
I am a little confused with your question…if you are referring to “sport-specific” training in the WEIGHT ROOM than I think it’s a gimmick and its bullshit! What I mean by this is that some trainers try to “separate” themselves from other trainers by saying that they have their athletes do “sport-specific” training in the weight room. These trainers are usually the ones that over-use stability balls & wobble boards and they bad-mouth exercises like bench-presses and squats because they are not “sport-specific”. Yet, do they think that balancing on a wobble board with your eyes closed and having a pass with a basketball IS sport specific? Or performing your rotator cuff exercises with a weighted baseball will somehow magically make your rotator cuff strength more sport-specific, compared to strength that is gained using dumbells or barbells!? What’s next; should wrestlers wear their head gear during their strength workouts? Should football players wear their helmets, shoulder pads & mouth pieces when lifting? Will that make their strength more “sport-specific”? Don’t get me started! This topic drives me crazy!
The bottom line is that weight training is General Physical Preparation! Read that last statement again…you can NOT duplicate the physical demands of the athletic field in the weight room! What you SHOULD do in the weight room is choose the exercises that strengthen the muscles that are involved in your sport, as well as the exercises that will help to prevent injury. You don’t have to try and duplicate the specific sport in the weight room; just get the muscles strong and then the act of “playing your sport” will make the strength that you gain in the weight room “sport-specific”. For example, let’s say a baseball player and a wrestler are training together in the same group. Wrestling & baseball are 2 extremely different sports, yet these athletes perform the same workout. Let’s use their forearm strength as an example. Part of their workout involves performing various exercises to strengthen their grip & forearms. Even though they are performing the same forearm exercises, the baseball players’ forearm strength will become “baseball-specific” because he PLAYS baseball in his spare time. So his forearm strength can help improve his bat speed, throwing power, etc. The wrestlers’ forearm strength will become “wrestling-specific” because he WRESTLES in his spare time. His new-found forearm strength will help him grab and control his opponent, etc. So in a nutshell, that is my take on “sport-specific” training in the weight room.
The Cliff Notes version of my little rant is this…”Sport-specific training in the weight room is bullshit! Get strong in the weight room using the most economical exercises and then make that strength “sport-specific” by practicing the technical aspects of your sport separately!” Simple enough?
Now, at the end of your question, you asked me if “athletes really need special training for their sport instead of getting stronger…” My answer to this question is, “Hell yeah, athletes need to perform specific training for their sport!” If strength was the only component of athletics, powerlifters would be the best football players, baseball players, basketball players, figure skaters, etc. Although I always thought this was common sense, you wouldn’t believe how many emails I get each week that overlook this component of athletics. Here’s an excerpt of an email that I received from an athlete last week:
“Coach Defranco, I need your advice. I’m 23 years old and I’m going to try out for a semi-pro football team next year. I haven’t played football since high school but I miss it so I’m going to give it another shot. I know I have what it takes to compete with the best. Just last week I was working out with my buddy who played D1 football and I out-benched him by 30 lbs. and I was also able to hang with him on all the other exercises. Below you will find my stats. Please tell me where I need to be to make the team. Thanx!”
Bench – 340 lbs.
Squat – 415 lbs.
40 yard dash – 4.75
vertical – 27 inches
short shuttle - 4.51
My response to the above email was, “In order to make the team, you need to be able to play football.” This may sound rude, but I know a lot of big & strong kids that suck at sports. I am a huge proponent of strength training for ALL athletes, but the most important aspect of any sport is the ability to PLAY THE SPORT! Some athletes may need more sport-specific training than others, depending on their God-given talent, but everyone needs to practice the technical aspect of their sport!
I can’t make it any clearer.
Joe D.
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