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At Velocity Sports Performance we pride ourselves in educating athletes on how to improve their overall athletic performance and reach their athletic potential. A lot of our program is based on the science of sports performance. We teach athletes about the biomechanics of running technique, the exercise physiology of conditioning, and also the psychology of thriving under pressure. All of these sciences are implemented in the drills, weightlifting and conditioning that is the foundation of our program. This article is going to address another scientific aspect of sports performance – nutrition.  

Velocity Sports Performance would like to congratulate Jayden Gibson on being named Athlete of the Month for November.  Jayden started training with us in July of this year and quickly obtained a reputation for being the Ironman of his age group by training on an almost daily basis at our center.  Jayden plays baseball and splits time between 3rd base and pitcher.  When Jayden first started training at Velocity Sports Performance he set goals of increasing his arm strength, improving his speed, and increasing his explosiveness.  

As I watch my children play sports I often end up laughing at some of the other parents and coaches.  They get way to excited over outcomes in the game; win or lose, one on one battles, was the call by the ref correct, how hard some hit, etc…   To watch these parents you would think this was the Olympics or the Stanley Cup.  It’s not.  I’ve coached athletes at high levels here in the US and abroad, so the perspective is different. It’s funny to, because to reach the very goal of sports success, most of these parents are worried about the entirely wrong things.  They can’t see the big picture of kids getting turned off by unwarranted pressure.  They can’t see that what helps you win today at 9 may actually hurt the players development if its emphasized or rewarded. I received this in an email a few months ago.  It speaks strongly about what we should value in youth sports.  All too often, I encounter adults who have lost perspective of what youth is about. I know Dan Bylsma, Jay's son, who is currently the Head Coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins, the team that won the Stanley Cup last season. Dan had a hockey career in the NHL, and I coached him when he was with the Long Beach Ice Dogs and the Los Angeles Kings. He's a great, stand-up guy. This will help you understand why.

Exercise of the Month: The Push-up   Ever heard of the “Perfect Push-up”? Well there’s no need to spend any money on exercise machines when you can get the same results by using just your body weight and proper technique. Sometimes athletes forget about the value of the basic movements because of the influence media has on us with marketing propaganda about the newest exercise machine or most innovative training equipment that’s “guaranteed to make you stronger.”  The Push-up is a basic fundamental exercise we use at Velocity Sports Performance with all ages and levels of athletes.  There are many variations to increase or decrease the difficulty of the Push-up as well as target different muscle groups.  The primary muscle groups working are the Chest, Shoulders and Triceps but these are not the only muscles doing the work.  The assisting muscles include your abdominals, back and glutes to help stabilize your body as well as your fingertips and forearms.   

Purchasing the correct food from the grocery store is one of the best ways to maintain consistency in your diet and curb binging. By taking control of what you eat by creating meals and buying fresh food, you will make maximal changes in a shorter period of time. This article provides some helpful tips for the next time you go shopping at the grocery store.

Although only 24, young for starting catcher in MLB, Nick Hundley has made great strides.  He came back from the disabled list this season and finished September batting .338 and slugging .406.  Nick trains hard at Velocity to improve his speed and power.

                Along with another of our Velocity Sports Performance coaches, I spent a few weeks recently as the Performance Coach for the US Womens National Team.  As we evaluated the players, and talked with them about their training, one of the glaring needs was increased strength and stability on a single leg.  This is something we also see in younger developing players.  The good news is that any player can improve it.   One element of our Velocity training programs is to develop all aspects of single leg strength and stability.  Optimal performance on the soccer field requires development of a number of different qualities including; Stabilizer strength in the legs , hips and core Explosive strength Eccentric strength – the ability to absorb forces Reactive strength  

In light of the recent weight room accident that occurred at USC involving running back Stafon Johnson I have had many conversations with parents, athletes, coaches and other strength and conditioning professionals as to what actually happened, how it could have been prevented, who’s to blame, and why did it happen in the first place.  The answer is that unless you were there you don’t know all the circumstances surrounding the accident and any attempt to explain what happened or if anyone is to blame is going to be purely speculation.  As a strength and conditioning professional I was relieved to hear that this young man is going to make a full recovery and live to play his chosen sport again.  

The overhead (OH) squat is a challenging, versatile, and sometimes over looked exercise. Here at Velocity Sports Performance we use the OH squat in many different ways. First, all new athletes to the program perform an OH squat as part of their Testing Assessment and Program Planning. We use the OH squat to determine if and where an athlete may have a lack of flexibility, mobility or strength.

Skipping isn’t one of the first things you see when you watch a soccer game.  Yet, we highly recommend all kinds of skipping for soccer players.  So if training is supposed to improve your performance, why do it?  Doesn’t training need to be specific to soccer?

  Congratulations to Alana Shaw, Velocity’s Athlete of the Month for September! Alana plays soccer with Santa Clarita United and is an 8th grader at Rio Norte Junior High School . Alana began training at Velocity at the beginning of 2009, recovering from a broken leg and determined to return to her previous levels of performance.  During her time at Velocity, Alana has made great strides in all areas of sports performance. Her vertical jump has increased almost 50% and her 40 yard sprint and 5-10-5 pro agility test have both improved more than 10%.

For the past few months, the nutrition tips have covered a variety of topics such as the importance of breakfast, having healthy snacks, and including all of the macronutrients in the diet. All of the tips thus far have worked on developing overall healthy habits and creating a sound nutrition foundation to build upon. If you are still struggling maintaining a consistent healthy routine, continue working on the previous tips. If you are doing well overall and now want to take your nutrition to the next level, now it’s time to start maximizing your workouts with performance nutrition.

When was the last time you switched up what you were doing with your training?  Still doing the good ol Back and Biceps two days a week and then Chest and Triceps another 2 days a week.  How about weights on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday then Cardio on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturdays.  Those are just a couple of the old school training splits that a lot of gym goers still adhere to this day.  While they might get the job done when done for a certain amount of time, any training routine done for extended periods of time can become stale and lead to stagnation.  When talking about switching up training I always start to think about a scene from one of my favorite movies, Dodgeball!  I love the scene when Gordon is talking to Peter La Fleur about how he was going to “shock the biceps” and “keep his body guessing” as he was running around with the latest edition of OSQ in his yellow spandex suit.  While Gordon’s gym going fashion sense could be in question he isn’t too far off on his “keep the body guessing” philosophy. 

Improve Your First Step Quickness Increase Lateral Speed Improve Top Speed Reduce the Liklihood of Injury Starts September 15th. Don't Miss Out, Spaces are LIMITED!

The 2 point staggered stance is a start drill that optimally aligns feet to maximize hip extension and drive for acceleration out of a static position.

For the month of August, the Velocity Sports Performance staff has selected Casey Madsen as the athlete of the month.  Casey first came to us back in March of this year and at the time was just finishing rehabbing her knee from surgery.  On top of just getting stronger Casey wanted to improve her agility, increase her speed and increase the range of motion she had in the knee that had been operated on.

Mention the word conditioning to most athletes and the thought of running endless miles, 300 yard shuttles, or Gassers on a football field are probably what comes to mind.  While all of these have their place in some athletes conditioning programs there are other ways to get athletes of different sports and positions in shape for their given sport.  Below are just a few different examples of different forms of conditioning that can be incorporated into an athlete’s training program as well.

In 1907, psychologist and philosopher William James suggested that talents were different from the strengths of character required to fully exploit those talents. For his entire distinguished career, James was fascinated with why only a handful of individuals realize the limits of their potential while the rest of us fall far short of what we could be.

When a competitive sports season rolls around, athlete put a lot of physical and emotional energy into it.  Practices and competitions can take a toll on time, energy and the body.  Because of this, many athletes are tempted to stop training.    Our professional players across all sports have definitely learned they have to change what they do.  They can’t follow their same off-season program.  So what do they do?

Eating fat does not make you fat. Fat is a necessary macronutrient that helps keeps you satisfied between meals and helps balance hormones. Some types of fat help reduce inflammation and contribute to keeping the skin youthful. Eliminating or dramatically reducing intake of fat can lead to unnecessary hunger pains, unpredictable mood swings, premature aging and unhealthily looking skin. You need fat, but you need the right kind of fat in the right amounts.

Ryan Sadowski is a Baseball Major League pitcher for the San Francisco Giants.  Ryan attended the University of Florida, where he pitched for the school's baseball team. He was selected by the Giants in the thirteenth round (397 overall) of the 2002 Major League Baseball Draft. Ryan started training with Coach Johnson at Velocity in October of 2008 until he left for spring training at the beginning of this year.  Ryan’s training centered around making some previously injured joints more stable, increasing his overall strength as well as increasing his power.  While training at Velocity Ryan also offered his expertise to area players and coaches during a series of camps that were offered at Velocity.

The mier mention of the word, Chin Up, is enough to make even the toughest of athletes cringe.  Along with the cringe normally comes one or more of the following, eye rolling, loud sighing, droopy heads, a nervous laugh and my personal favorite “your joking right?”  There is probably not one exercise that is hated as much as chin-ups but is also one of the best exercises you can do.  Athletes hate chin-ups for one reason and one reason only.  There hard to do.  Especially if you do them correctly and by that I mean starting with your hands on the bar and your arms completely straight so that you start from a dead hang.  Upon completing the pulling phase of the lift the chin should be above the bar and one rep is complete when you lower yourself back down to the dead hang position.  Sorry, but moving your chin from an inch below the bar to just above the bar and back to an inch below is not a chin-up.  

Protein is the building block of the human body. It is one of the three macronutrients that should be consumed in every meal. They are the material used to build muscle cells, keep hormones working, and fight off disease by boosting the immune system. Proteins also increases metabolism and provide steady energy. One gram of protein equals 4 calories.

What is sports performance coaching? Art or Science? It's both, and that's the problem. Some coaches are scientists. They test and measure and make calculations. They understand the mechanics and mechanisms of human movement. They can design the optimal program based on their knowledge.

For the month of June the Velocity Sports Performance staff has chosen Robert Waterman as the Athlete of the Month.  Robert started training at Velocity in January after finishing his senior season of football at West Ranch High School where he starred on the offensive line

The key to any effective nutrtion program is consistency. To get results, you must stick to the program at least 90% of the time (i.e., no more than 4 meals out of an average of 42 meals per week violate the program). One of the biggest obstacles to being consistent is timing. For those of us who say, “I don’t have time to eat 5 meals,” or “I eat out because I don’t have time to pack a lunch,” there are no excuses. The barrier to success is not a lack of time, but rather a lack of planning.

Coaches are often frustrated and puzzled. They look back over their careers and realize that some of their most talented athletes—athletes who seemed to have everything-- never achieved success. Why? The answer is that these athletes didn’t have everything. They didn’t have the right mindset

The deadlift is a total body exercise used primarily to strengthen the lower body, but more specifically the posterior chain. There are a lot of debates as to whether the sumo (wide stance) or conventional (close stance) style of deadlift is better for athletes.