New-School Sports Performance Education, Experience, Innovation
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Around ages 8 to 11 is an ideal time to focus on general athleticism— strength, speed, agility, coordination, and balance. Sports performance programming for this age group strongly emphasizes spontaneous and child-driven movement with obstacle courses, and speed and agility games. Functional movement, balance, and coordination are further developed through the instruction of foundational movements that set the stage for advanced strength and skill development. Learning bodyweight exercises like squats, forms of lunges, hip hinges, planks, single-leg balance exercises, even light dumbbell, band, and medicine ball exercises develop efficient neuromuscular recruitment patterns. Eventually, as the focus shifts to specific strength and skill development, the transition will be fast and easy.
During puberty kids get stronger, faster, and develop more coordination. Functional strength becomes essential for both success and injury prevention in competitive sports. Sports performance programming for this age group builds on foundational movements and neuromuscular patterns developed in the prior phase; however regardless of age, beginners will be taught basic movement mechanics before moving on. Strength and power will be improved both bilaterally and unilaterally with functional equipment like dumbbells, kettlebells, medicine balls, barbells, TRX suspension trainers, stability balls, bands, and more! Strength and power training alone will improve speed, agility, and vertical by increasing the amount of force produced with ground contact. In addition, athletes in this age group will learn the mechanics of sprinting, jumping, landing, and lateral movement. Neuromuscular patterns for speed and agility will be further improved with spontaneous drills and games that require athletes to stop, start, run, and jump.
College, professional, and adult amateur athlete programs will be individualized based on level of play, prior experience, individual goals, and specific areas that need most improvement. Programming will work with and around team strength and conditioning programs that may already be in place. Strength, power, speed, agility, and mobility will be improved through similar methods described in the prior phase, while applying advanced periodized sport-specific training and testing.
For adults, and kids ages 11 and up.
Nutrition and lifestyle habits contribute to health, energy, and focus; And play an important role in both performance and injury prevention in sports.
For men and women of all ages
As far back as the early 1990s, strength coaches began replacing old-school exercises like sit-ups and crunches—which flex the spine—with safer, more functional exercises which stabilize the spine. A well-trained core is the foundation for balance, strength, speed, agility, power, and almost every other athletic component in sports. Find out the best core exercises for athletes.
For athletic performance and injury prevention, lower body power and strength are key. A functionally strong lower body increases the amount of ground force an athlete can produce, thereby improving speed, agility, vertical, and many other aspects of sports performance. A strong lower body also improves an athlete’s ability to compete and avoid injury against contact.
Many of the exercises frequently recommended by fitness trainers and bodybuilders can inhibit athletic performance. Some of these common exercises also pose risks to shoulder and back health. Find out what upper body exercises are both functional for athletes and safe.