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REPLAY, Fueled by Gatorade(R) Returns for Season Two By Tradingmarkets.comFebruary 26, 2010
May 12, 2009
Strength Training for Children
Fact: This fear stems primarily from early reports of potential damage to growth plates. However, more recent studies have shown that with proper training and techniques, strength training can actually reduce the risk of damage to growth plates, joints and soft tissues. Studies have also shown that strength training in young children will thicken bones though increased bone density.
Myth #2: Training can cause serious injuries! Myth #3 : My child is too young to see any real improvements from strength training.
Fact: Actually, strength training can help reduce the risk of injuries in adolescents. Studies have shown that the potentially serious injuries reported were a result of power lifting, which focus on maximum lifting abilities, as opposed to strength training, which focuses on resistance methods. The majority of injuries from strength training, when they occur, are muscle strains. A competently supervised training program led by certified coaches will reduce this risk.
Fact: Studies show that children as young as 6 can see improvements in strength when adhering to specific guidelines. While pre-adolescents will not see increases in actual muscle size, there will be noticeable gains in muscle strength and motor fitness skills, such as jumping and sprinting.
Continued strength training allows athletes to reach their genetic potential. Studies have shown that after just 6 weeks of discontinuing a strength program, improvements in muscle strength are reduced. At Velocity Sports Performance we have strength programs that allow athletes to continue to improve and maintain strength levels both in and off-season.
May 05, 2009
Players need overall lower body strength, single leg strength, upper back and shoulder strength, mobility, and a solid core. The game also subjects players to pounding and stress on the lower body. Strength movements are needed to protect the tendons, ligaments, and joints as well as maintain muscular balance. Along with strength movements, there should be a focus on hip and ankle mobility, tissue quality, and overall recovery.
The population that we generally work with consists of middle school and high school athletes.
We usually begin with a box squat to teach the glutes to fire and the hips to relax. From there, we use front squats because we really like the range of motion that it forces the athletes to achieve. We also cycle in back squats on a heavier day, single leg squats to mimic the single leg explosiveness required on the court, and overhead squats to challenge the shoulders, thoracic spine, and core.
2. Deadlifts: Deadlifts are another great movement to train the posterior chain. We love this exercise because it hits the muscles throughout the mid and upper back and the traps. It's also good for grip training.
We use this exercise on alternating squat days and progress from blocks to the floor as the athletes get more mobile in their hips. Our athletes love this exercise because they can usually pull some heavy weights, and they feel great when they finally "engage" their glutes.
3. Overhead pressing: Many basketball movements happen over the head so my athletes always perform some variation of an overhead press. We don't do much bench pressing with our basketball athletes because we want them to be strong and solid from an upright position.
We start with a dumbbell press to develop balance and unilateral strength. Then, we move on to barbell overhead presses to develop a range of motion through the shoulders and stability in the rhomboids and trapezius. Many of the high school athletes that we see are weak in this area so it's a great developer for them. As the kids progress, we throw some stretch bands on the bar to make the movement more dynamic as they go overhead. The focus of this movement is always a solid base and tight core, driving the weight hard over the head.
4. Chin ups: Our athletes have a love-hate relationship with the chin-up bar. They hate the movement at first because body weight movements are tough. Then, they learn to love it as they see the progress and development that they get in overall upper body strength and speed development. This is a great functional exercise in terms of posture and injury prevention with the physical aspect of the game.
The first step for our chin-up movement is to have a jump stretch band under one knee until the athlete can comfortably perform several sets of eight. We then progress to a full body weight movement, focusing on driving the elbows down to the ribcage and squeezing the lat muscles hard at the top of the movement.
5. Weighted abdominal work: Our weighted work generally consists of heavy jump stretch band pull-downs, medicine ball sit-ups, bungie cord sit-ups, and medicine ball rotations and throws (seated or standing). The extra implements force the athletes to really engage the core musculature and add a focus of athletic strength as opposed to lying on your back doing sets and sets of crunches.
We want our athletes in the positions they will be in on the court with the ability to fight off defenders, not get knocked around. We achieve this through a lot of standing abdominal work and medicine ball throws. We keep the repetitions moderately low (10-12) to focus on quality work.
These movements and their variations have been very successful in developing general and sport-specific strength for my athletes. They are able to withstand the rigors of the season and avoid injury. Regardless of the level of athlete, strength development is of paramount importance to a successful athletic development program.
Articles
Velocity Sports Performance NYC By Velocity Sports PerformanceJanuary 20, 2010 Gatorade Replay Athletes are Velocity Trained By Velocity Sports Performance
March 03, 2010
Velocity Sports Performance is proud to be the Official Performance Training Provider for the athletes of Gatorade® REPLAY™. In 2009, Gatorade arranged a rematch between archrivals Easton Area High School and Phillipsburg High School 15 years after a game that ended in a 7-7 tie. Velocity trained the 34 year old athletes before they replayed the biggest game of their lives. The results were remarkable, and we’re not just talking about the score….

