World Training Center update: February 2014

World Training Center update: 

So far training is even better than the weather.....even in comparison to current Iowa conditions. 

Its good to confirm on what we've been doing very well w/ at grit gym. Being regarded as a "rare coach" and "ahead of the game" by Coach Dan Pfaff himself, said very nonchalantly in plain conversation but was great to hear. And most of all, learning what we can tweek and improve upon at Grit Gym in the future. Not to mention the increased network of resources thats come of this week. 

Im having a blast.

So far I've laughed and learned something new everyday. If you can do that everyday, you're gonna be just fine.

My Top 5 for Parents of 7yr old Athletic Prodigies

After countless questions from overbearing parents about their 7yr old "athletic prodigy", I have come to many conclusions. 

So what are top 5 things parents should encourage 7yr olds to do If they want their kid to be a superstar athlete, in my opinion? 

1) Watch the edited versions of: 

    Kickboxer, 
    Bloodsport, 
    all Batman movies, 
    the first four of The Rocky series
    Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (original 1, 2,and 3), 
    Rudy. 

And not just for their awesomeness. 

Then reenact scenes in back yard. 

2) Learn to use a compass

Then go on an adventure alone in nature. WITHOUT a cell phone. They'll be fine while learning to rely on their self. 

3) Wrestle w/ their friends and rough house w/ their uncle (this is my job w/ my nieces and nephews). 

Anyone that says wrestling isn't the greatest sport for general athletic and psych development obviously has not wrestled. 

5) Turn off the screens. 

If I had a tablet, computer and cell phone when I was 7 I'd be stuck in them all the time too.

I'd have missed out on climbing trees, catching frogs, being covered in mud, getting lost in the timber (I believe the rest of the world calls it 'the woods') and having to find my own way home, fighting w/ my best friend, making up w/ my best friend, being John Elway in the back yard, hitting imaginary home runs, winning the olympics in the back yard, glueing random pieces of wood together and calling it art, cutting myself w/ my dads tools trying to "make stuff", watching my dog stalk and catch an animal, falling out of trees (kids that fall typically have less fear of heights than kids that didn't attempt), building "forts", crashing my bike, etc, etc. 

We live in arguably the best time of human existence for a child to grow up (outside of pollution and food), IF and I mean to put emphasis on the word 'if".....If parents will get out of the way, and/or allow it. 

His words, "Adam, Let's lift with our shirts off."

Every 7yr old in the world knows more about life than 99.9% of adults, it's us that can take a lesson from them. 

This isn't meant to sound preachy, it's a perspective. But these are probably the most common things I say w/ my nieces and nephews: 

     "Well, what do you think?"
     "What's over there?"
     "Let's find out." 
     "WHOA!!" 

The rest of the time I'm mostly listening and watching w/ curiosity to see what they're gonna get into next. 

Point is to let little Johnny BE little Johnny.

Case AGAINST Olympic Lifting for Baseball

If Olympic lifting continues in the baseball community, the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in baseball pitchers will become what the ACL has become for female basketball players. 

The UCL is a ligament on the medial side of the elbow, right around the "funny bone" area. It has importance because it's what is known as a ‘Zone of Convergence’. All the muscles and tendons from the hand and wrist flexors come to meet at this one area. The UCL gets beat up during repeated stresses like heavy gripping, the layback-acceleration-deceleration of the arm during throwing and from heavy valgus stresses that we will cover shortly. 

See the layback and stress that'd put on an elbow? 

Olympic lifts and certain kettlebell exercises for baseball athletes not only lack the desirable training medium that youth athletes need but they are irresponsible and detrimental to BOTH of the pivotal pieces that I and GRIT GYM stand for. 

Grit Gym started with 2points of emphasis. 

1. Build durability to prevent injury in the first place (Corrective Exercise)

2. Enhance athleticism to promote a better experience in sport (Strength & Conditioning)

During the catch phase of the Jerk and the Snatch (both are overhead Olympic lifts), the shoulder actually does very well and there are little significant negative affects. However, the elbow has an enormous amount of valgus stress placed upon it in an instant. This is dangerous to a baseball/softball player because the elbow and particularly the UCL are already taking a beating via overhead throwing. By the way, valgus stress at the knee is one of the main reasons that females have more ACL injuries than males.

The Clean is probably the least dangerous of the three but it's still asking the elbow to go through an extremely fast flex (think opposite of extending the arm) and be forced down by a large amount of weight, putting a huge compressive load on a very small, intricate area that also happens to be extremely delicate in the overhead sports like baseball, volleyball and tennis. As well as putting a dramatic stretch on the hand and wrist flexors that ALL connect back in that “Zone of Convergence” at the UCL on the inside of the elbow.

We can look directly at Tommy John Surgeries. 10years ago a 17yr old having Tommy John Surgery would've been considered absurd taboo. It didn't happen. 4years ago we started noticing high school aged throwers having Tommy John, and now it is commonplace.  

A huge portion of the problem is the overwhelming popularity of Olympic lifting and strength coaches’ unwillingness to look at their programs objectively enough to see that changes need to be made IF we are to keep athletes healthy. You cannot train kids today the way we trained them 20 years ago, or even 5years ago. Yes it looks and feels pretty cool to rip up a huge clean, snatch or jerk, but is looking cool for a split second what we're ultimately going for? It’s no longer a matter of having the talent to make it to the league, but also having the durability to stay healthy

I have to admit that I do support Olympic lifts. Olympic lifts are great..... for those competing in Olympic lifting. NOT any other sport. Everything we get from Olympic lifts can be attained via other means. It's basically a weighted jump, which is the last thing most kids need anyway (The biggest lack of understanding in the Strength Coaching community is the differences between speed, power, and strength, these coaches choose flashy lifts instead of what will actually get their athletes performing better and with less injuries, either because they don’t know any better or they don’t care, either way this is a dangerous coach) The catch phase of a clean also has validity and is solved with an appropriate front squat (not everyone should do the same front squat). The posterior chain and hip hinge work is accomplished with a safe and proper deadlift and/or box squat. 

As mentioned above, for competitive Olympic Lifters, those lifts are their sport as much as a football is to a Quarterback. But baseball players especially, and really any other sport, are not Olympic lifters, they are baseball players. We have to start scrutinizing the training that these youth athletes are performing because these kids that are training their butts off deserve better than to have their hard work ruin their body and their experience in sport.

Learning Tools: Slow Motion Sprints

Slow motion sprints are great learning tools. 

Young runners, pay attention to his contact and contact time. The ball of his foot (NOT toe or heel) touches directly below his body in a loaded position, ready to deliver force to the ground. DIRECTLY BELOW even though it looks as if he is reaching. This is at top speed, you are not seeing the start, which in almost all other sports is the more important part. But watch the contact of the foot w/ the leg drive that he uses to propel himself fwd. 

REACHING actually causes a runner to slow down. They are stopping themselves little by little with each step, they are wasting energy and they end up w/ extra contact time w/ the ground mostly b/c it takes them a long time to get the foot back to directly underneath the body where it can deliver force to the ground again. Ultimately wasting their speed talents. 

When running, don't reach, instead drive. It should feel like you are gliding.