Velocity Sports Performance Official Website

If you read last month’s nutrition article, you learned that many different foods contain carbohydrates, and that these are the key to performing your best. This month we’ll take a closer look at two types of carbohydrates that you may have noticed listed on the Nutrition Facts label: fiber and sugar. You may be surprised to learn that they are both an important part of the athlete’s diet, but the key is to eat them at the right time.

I have a pre-shot routine for every shot, but none is more important than when I have to hit a big drive in a pressure situation. Not only does my pre-shot routine allow me to focus on the task at hand, but it also keeps me in my natural rhythm. Every 300-yard bomb in my bag starts with a preshot routine that has a calming effect on me as much as anything. - Tiger Woods  

Lacrosse, our country’s first sport has become one of the fastest growing sports in America since 2001.  Many people on the west coast are just learning about the sport and just like any other sport want to gain an edge on their opponents.  Lacrosse requires exceptional speed, power, quickness, reactivity, coordination and explosiveness in order to compete at the high intensity that this fast paced game demands.  The coaches at velocity are experts in how to train these needs but the question we get most often is how is my son or daughters training going to be specific to their sport? 

Redondo Beach Training Center Opens Doors for South Bay Athletes as a Brand Leader for SPARQ Training and Nike Equipment and Apparel  

Carbohydrates are a pretty misunderstood nutrient. Low-carb diets have been popular for many years, and recently a commercial diet plan has been advertising that it “separates good carbs from bad.” Are carbohydrates a food group we’re supposed to avoid? Or is all the hype about carbs more appropriate for those Americans who aren’t meeting the minimum recommendations for exercise (and are, sadly, the majority)? Let’s clear up the confusion.

This quarterback line-up is second to none; Brian Brohm form Louisville, Chad Henne from Michigan, and John David Booty from USC.  As the NFL Scouting Combine starts this week, all are among the top 5 quarterbacks in this year’s NFL Draft.  These highly competitive athletes are all willing to come together and workout with performance coach Ken Vick at Velocity Sports Performance because they want the best shot at an NFL career.  

Whether or not you’ve ever watched the NBC show The Biggest Loser, you’ve probably heard of the dramatic weight loss the show’s contestants achieve each season. It’s inspiring to watch people change their lives, improve their health, and succeed at something that had always been impossible for them in the past. They almost make it look normal, if not easy, to lose 10 or even 20 pounds in a single week. Is this the rate of weight loss we should all be striving for?

In the scheme of year round training, an athlete should make adjustments to their training methods and schedule depending on how close they are to the onset of a competitive season or how long ago the competitive season ended. By taking this approach to plan training, many overuse injuries and performance plateaus can be avoided.  One way to break up a year's training schedule is to organize by In-Season, Off-Season, and Pre-Season.  Although each phase plays a critical role in the overall development and health of an athlete, it is the Pre-Season where many significant performance gains are made

There are more and more products out there claiming to provide many of the benefits of eating your recommended 5-9 servings of fruits and veggies a day. Juice Plus, Mona-Vie, Pharmanex, acai juice and noni juice are just a few of the most prominent ones. But is the high cost of these products really worth skipping the produce section, and will they enhance your athletic performance?

The movement skills required for most team sports and many individual sports require high levels of acceleration, deceleration, change of direction and re-acceleration.  Top speed running plays an important role in many sports, but winning the ball, stealing the base or the scoring the goal often occur as a result of the initial burst in the first five steps.

Periodization is an important aspect of an athlete's sports performance training.  Knowing when, how, how long, and how hard to train is beneficial for an athlete's growth, as it effects an athlete's psychological and physical development.  In this article, Velocity Sports Performance coaches educate on the importance of a detailed and appropriate year round training regimen that will lead them to become better athletes.

The right nutrition plan is crucial for performing your best in the late stages of a game. In this article, Sports Nutritionist Karla Campbell, MS, RD, discusses what and when to eat on the big day.

Understanding the meaning of goals and learning how to set them are both very important aspects of becoming an elite athlete.  In this article, Dr. Michael Gervais teaches athletes goal setting through his FOCUS - Mental Skills Conditioning. 

Schedule your classes now up to August 30, 2008 through Velocity Sports Performance or on-line scheduling.  Our trial release form is also available online.  Note: To schedule on-line, click on the Schedule Your Training Link on the bottom left corner of the homepage - www.velocitysp.com/southbay 

The Zone can be a really tricky place to drop into. And unfortunately, the harder you try to get into the Zone, the less likely you’ll be able to experience it. Getting into the Zone is really about trusting your preparation and being able to let go of thinking about the outcome by becoming totally absorbed in the immediate task at hand.

The transition from high school to college athletics can be difficult for many student-athletes. Being away from home for the first time can be difficult learning to take care of yourself without having your parents around to cook your meals, wash your clothes, and wake you up everyday to make sure you are on time for class and practice. Start training now to get prepared for the college experience. 

    The transition from high school to college athletics can be difficult for many student-athletes. You are away from home for the first time and learning to take care of yourself without having parents around to cook your meals, wash your clothes, and wake you up every morning. 

"Appropriate strength-training programs have no apparent adverse effect on linear growth, growth plates, or the cardiovascular system,"    

In two months, Trevor Laws has undergone a total-body overhaul worthy of a late-night infomercial.  Between lost body fat and increased weight, he has added about 30 pounds of lean muscle. He said he has bench-pressed 225 pounds, the NFLindustry standard, 31 times. He sometimes works out three times a day, always eats five times a day.

Athletes can now Nike SPARQ Train at more than 65 Velocity Sports Performance Centers across the United States. Each location will feature the latest in dynamic training equipment and Velocity Sports Performance Center trainers will be officially certified as SPARQ trainers.

Derrin Horton takes an in-depth look a the intense preparation NFL prospects go through to prepare for the combine.  These NFL prospects prepare in Velocity Sports Performance centers throughout the country with over 70 prospects training for the 2008 combine. 

Velocity Sports Performance athlete and Michigan QB Chad Henne performs at the 2008 combine featuring an impressive effort in the passing drills. 

Velocity Sports Performance athlete and Michigan QB Chad Henne stops by to chat with Scott Hanson about his NFL combine experience. 

Velocity Sports Performance athlete and Notre Dame DT Trevor Laws demonstrates his strength and agility at the 2008 combine. 

Velocity Sports Performance athlete and Notre Dame DT Trevor Laws discusses his performance at the 2008 combine. 

The reactive box jump is an advance plyometric exercise that develops biomotor abilities such as reactivity, rate of force development and eccentric strength. These qualities are essential to sports with repeated jumps where it is important not only jump high, but also in a short amount of time. Volleyball, basketball and soccer players benefit from doing this drill, as well as track athletes like long and triple jumpers.

For the aspiring NFL player the ultimate job interview is coming up on February 20, 2008. They will be weighed, measured, tested, interviewed, filmed and challenged mentally. It’s the annual NFL Scouting Combine at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis. 

Ken Vick, Sports Performance Director at Velocity South Bay, has recently written an article in C & K Magazine entitled "The Ultimate Job Interview," explaining the physical and mental toughness involved in preparing  for the upcoming NFL Combine on February20, 2008 in the RCA Dome in Indianapolis.

            The Velocity Sports Performance athlete of the month for this December is Uona Kaveinga.  Uona receives this recognition following a tremendous ’07 football season for local Leuzinger High School.  The hard hitting linebacker finished the year with 145 tackles including eight sacks, a performance worthy of his second consecutive All-Bay League Defensive Player of the Year Award and an invite to the Under Armour All-America game in Orlando, Florida.

This drill has numerous variations, all of which having the same underlying focus. Core and hip stability play a major rule in athleticism.  This particular variation of the drill will assess the athlete’s ability to stabilize in a given position, and recruit/activate the proper muscle groups for work. This benefits athletes that are required to maintain their athletic position for an extended period, and those who must produce power from a stable base, such as golfers.