SPEED AGILITY POWER TRAINING
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What makes up a proper sports performance program? The first and foremost component of a SAFE and EFFECTIVE program is TECHNIQUE! Many of our athletes have experienced "training" sessions that leave them dripping wet and exhausted. Is training harder the only way to train for sports performance? The answer is NO!
A good analogy for the importance of proper athletic technique is having your tires properly balanced on your car. Properly balanced tires allow the car to be driven faster, prevent uneven tire wear, permit the slowest rate of tread wear possible, and provide the greatest protection against blowout. The same goes for proper exercise technique and the human body, especially the musculo-skeletal system (bones, joints, muscles, ligaments and tendons). So many injuries are the result of the combination of poor technique and overtraining. We have seen too many young athletes (ages 8-18) come to our facility with a long list of musculo-skeletal injuries like stress fractures, acute and chronic muscle strains (hamstrings, calves, etc.), and ligament sprains (knees, ankles, etc.). This is NOT NORMAL! Most of these injuries start with an acute episode followed by chronic pain and loss of motion. They occur because the athlete is not properly balanced due to years of poor technique. Take running for example. Training for speed is NOT the same as training for conditioning. You can make athletes run wind sprints all day until they drop, but will this actually make them faster? NO, not if they have poor running mechanics! When fatigue sets in, running mechanics deteriorate. This is a critical point because every time the foot hits the ground while running, the force generated is two to five times the athlete's body weight. If running technique is poor (which is the case for most athletes we see), the aforementioned injuries will occur. It is a matter of WHEN they will occur, not IF they will occur. This is why our programs spend so much time on running technique. Once technique is perfected, then the athlete can increase training intensity and volume safely. Read what Broadneck's Matt Centrowitz said about technique, "It doesn't matter how good you are, your form can always be improved," Centrowitz said. "It's not all about speed. It's more about fundamentals and keeping the flow. Of course, it's one of those things that the more you run and work on the motions, the better you become." Broadneck's Centrowitz just takes raves in stride The same goes for strength training. We have seen few athletes who can squat up and down correctly when they start training with us. The "athletic position" or partial squat is used in virtually every sport. Learning to squat properly is essential in learning to land properly after jumping. Poor landing technique is one of the primary reasons for the increasing number of ACL injuries, especially in young girls! So, are you going to have an athlete run and jump until they drop or are you going to improve through technique? The Hazards of Overscheduling Young Athletes A big problem we see is athletes playing in so many leagues that they have "no time" for sports performance training. The NCAA Sports Medicine Handbook states, "The student-athlete should be protected from premature exposure to the full rigors of sport. Pre-conditioning should provide the student- athlete with optimal readiness by the first practice." Playing more sports does not equal a better athlete. Performing the proper strength and conditioning program in the pre-season, during the season, and in the post-season will improve performance dramatically and prevent injury. There are over 30 million teens and children who participate in organized sports. Almost 6 million high school teens participate in team sports and approximately 20 million children take part in recreational or competitive sports outside of school. The injury statistics for these children are quite sobering: 1. Children between 5 and 14 years of age account for almost half (40 percent) of sports-related injuries for all age groups. 2. Approximately 20 percent of children participating in sports activities are injured each year, and one in four injuries is considered serious. 3. More than 775,000 children, ages 14 and under, are treated in hospital emergency rooms for sports-related injuries each year. Most of the injuries occurred as a result of falls, being struck by an object, collisions, and overexertion during unorganized or informal sports activities. 4. Most organized sports-related injuries (60%) occur during practice. 5. More severe injuries occur during individual sports and recreational activities. 6. Children who are less developed than a more mature child of the same age and weight are at increased risk for injury. 7. Children who are just beginning a sport or activity are at greater risk for injury. 8. Sports-related injury severity increases with age. PREVENTION of injuries is the answer! Professional and Olympic athletes spend much more time training to play their sport than actually playing their sport. A proper sports performance training program comprises most of that training time. If professional and Olympic athletes spend all this time training, why don't your children/athletes? Maryland Sports Injury Center 12200 Tech Road, Suite 104 Silver Spring, MD 20904 301-622-9000 painfree123@gmail.com
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