Brian and Motivation: To Believe in One’s Self!

When working in the area of sports motivation, a coach is presented with myriad challenges almost at once! This is particularly true when done in concert with, and in the context of, sport-specific, sex-specific strength and fitness training. In this case, I was working with a young boy, Brian, who was 10 years of age when we started working together. In Brian’s case it was crucial to develop a motivational climate that was both positive and encouraging in nature. The challenge when dealing with high-performance, top-caliber athletes, even at Brian’s age (or perhaps even more so!) is to balance positive feedback with constructive suggestions meant to develop the athlete physically and psychologically. The coach must strive to encourage and develop an environment, a relationship, more carrot than stick.

Just entering adolescence, and puberty, Brian had a particular constellation of challenges that only an experienced fitness instructor/strength coach should have gone anywhere near! Fortunately for both of us, some of my most difficult clients ended up as my finest students and life-long friends! This would be the case with Brian, a diamond in the rough, a jewel to be treasured years into the future. His children have been my clients, and now, Brian is talking about his grandchildren, when he has some, becoming part of a legacy that started with a quiet, shy, even nervous young kid. A young boy who would become a champion. A champion in every sense of the word!

But that part of the story begins later today….

Tomorrow: Brian Begins, Quits, and Begins again!

Until later today? YUP!

See You in the Cheap Seats!

CoachZ
216-712-6526
coachz@ultimatesoccertraining.com

Children and sports: Choices for all ages

Children’s sports promote fitness and prevent obesity, but not all children thrive in formal leagues. Help your child find the right sport and venue — school, recreation center or backyard. Want to give your child a head start on lifelong fitness? Consider children’s sports and other kid-friendly physical activities.
With your encouragement and support, chances are a few sports will spark your child’s interest. Fan the flame by taking your child to local sporting events and sharing your own sports interests with your child. Then, when the time is right, provide opportunities for your child to try out equipment and experiment with various sports.

What are age-appropriate activities?

Your child is likely to show natural preferences for certain sports or activities. Start there, being careful to keep your child’s maturity and skill level in mind.

Ages 2 to 5

Toddlers and preschoolers are beginning to master many basic movements, but they’re too young for most types of organized sports. At this age, unstructured free play is usually best.

Try: Running, Climbing, Kicking, Tumbling, Dancing, Playing catch with a lightweight ball, Pedaling a tricycle or a bike with training wheels, Supervised water play.

Ages 6 to 7

As children get older, their coordination and attention spans improve. They’re also better able to follow directions and understand the concept of teamwork. Consider organized activities such as:

Try: T-ball, softball or baseball, Soccer, Gymnastics, Swimming, Tennis, Golf, Track and field, Martial arts.

Ages 8 and older

By age 8, nearly any sport — including contact sports — may be acceptable. Carefully supervised strength training is OK at this age, too. Of course, organized athletics aren’t the only option for fitness. If your child doesn’t seem interested in sports, find other physical activities. Take family bike rides, check out local hiking trails or visit indoor climbing walls. Encourage active time with friends, such as jumping rope, shooting baskets or playing tag. You can even encourage fitness through video games that prompt dancing, virtual sports or other types of movement.

MORE ON THIS TOPIC: Strength training: OK for kids when done correctly

Practical matters

If several sports are available in your community, allow your child to sample a range of activities before settling on one or two — perhaps both team sports and individual sports.

When you’re comparing sports, consider the: Amount and cost of equipment, Amount of physical contact, Emphasis on individual skill vs. team performance, Opportunity for each child to participate, Also consider your child’s schedule. Children who are already signed up for music lessons or other activities may feel overwhelmed if athletics are added to the mix.

Above all, make sure your child really wants to play. Organized athletics have many benefits, but a healthy lifestyle doesn’t have to include sports. What’s most important is helping your child realize that physical activity is fun.

Assessing youth sports

As your child tries various sports, stay involved.

Consider: Team assignments. Are the children grouped according to physical maturity and skill level? Coaching quality. Look for an emphasis on safety and participation. Does the coach require that players follow the rules and use proper safety equipment? Does everyone have a chance to play? Do they take time to warm up and cool down before and after each practice or event? Are children taught proper movement and body positioning? Coaching style. Also consider a coach’s attitude toward the game. If a coach consistently yells at the children or lets only the most skilled players into the game, your child may become discouraged. Beware of a win-at-all-costs attitude. Overall, be positive and encouraging. Emphasize effort and improvement over winning or personal performance. Attend events and practices as your schedule allows, and act as a good model of sportsmanship yourself. Whether your child swims, runs track or plays catch in the backyard, keep your eye on the long-term goal — a lifetime of physical activity.

NOTE: Keep in mind that children, like adults, are individuals, what works for one may not work for another! Of all criteria used to evaluate a program, coaching expertise and style can make or break a childhood experience! One should seek to find a coach ho will reinforce the positive and stess teamwork. The wrong coach may turn a positive, and the child’s love for play, into a negative experience that turns them away from soccer, or any sport for that matter, forever!

Next? We will discuss beginning an intelligently implemented, soccer-specific, and sex-specific strength and fitness training program. Better yet, we will discuss what needs to lead up to, and continue during, such a program. Then, and only then, will we discuss the actual implementation of such a program!

Thanks everyone! See you in the cheap seats!

CoachZ
216-712-6526
SKYPE: johnzajaros1
coachz@ultimatesoccertraining.com

Soccer Coach Extends Contract 5 Years After Winning Season

Karen Hoppa, the Auburn women’s soccer coach, has signed-on for five more years, after already leading the program for the last decade.

“I am just really appreciative of the support Auburn has given me,” Hoppa said. “It has been a great 10 years, and I’m really looking forward to an exciting five years and hopefully more beyond that.”

The contract extension came after an 11-7-2 season, with appearances in the SEC and NCAA Tournaments.

“The biggest focus for us in the next five years, and hopefully in the next year, is to take the program to another level,” Hoppa said.

Hoppa said that she is excited about the extension that will last through the 2013 school year. In that time she said she hopes to make more tournament and championship appearances and wins. Hoppa is 115-76-16 in her 10 seasons with the Tigers, and is the second-longest tenured and winningest coach in the SEC West. In addition to guiding her team on the field, Hoppa encourages academic success from her players. During her 10 years, the program has won six SEC West titles, an overall SEC title in 2002 and has been to seven NCAA tournaments.

“We obviously have enjoyed great success at the NCAA tournaments, getting to the second round a lot, but we’ve never been past the second round to the Sweet Sixteen level, and I think that’s really the main goal for me personally and the team as a whole,” Hoppa said. “That was our focus, and that was our goal this past season, and we were obviously really close.”

The Tigers lost 1-0 to Florida State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, at home Nov. 16.

“It was one of those games where we were one play away,” Hoppa said. “We had lots of chances but just couldn’t get the goals, that’s how soccer goes.”

Auburn will graduate four seniors this year before welcoming a new group of freshman in the fall.

“One of the most exciting things for next fall is our group of seniors,” Hoppa said. “We have seven seniors coming back that are just a tremendous class who have all played a really significant role over the last three years.”

January 29, 2009 :: Sports
BY ABBY ALBRIGHT / Assistant Sports Editor

http://www.theplainsman.com/sports/2009/jan-29/soccer_coach_extends_contract_5_years_after_winning_season

Note: Champions always seem to rise to the top, player and coach alike. The fact is, I had the privilege of meeting Coach Hoppa several years ago when my oldest daughter was considering Auburn. Coach Karen Hoppa is and incredible coach and a tribute to the Auburn program, herself, and the university as a whole! Once again, congrats to one of the finest.

More training tips to follow!

CoachZ
216-712-6526
coachz@ultimatesoccertraining.com

Strength Training Section

Strength training is an essential element of fitness for virtually every sports man and woman. Long gone are the days when coaches believed resistance exercises only added unnecessary bulk to the athlete, hindering their ability to execute skill.

The benefits of strength training to athletic performance are enormous and many. Not only is it an integral conditioning component for power athletes such as football and rugby players, performance in the pure endurance events can be improved with a well-structured strength routine.

However, aside from perhaps bodybuilders, sport-specific resistance training requires a more refined approach than simply lifting heavy weights to complete exhaustion. A physiological analysis of any game or event will confirm that most athletes require explosive power, muscular endurance, maximal strength or some combination of all three in order to excel. Rarely is pure muscle bulk the primary concern and when it is, other elements of strength are equally as important.

Elements of a Strength Training Program

Hypertrophy

Synonymous with most people’s perception of strength training, hypertrophy refers to increased muscle bulk and size. This is only one aspect of a sport-specific strength training program and one that should be included for only a select group of athletes. [American] Football and rugby players require significant bulk to withstand very aggressive body contact. For most athletes however, too much muscle bulk is a hindrance. And remember that a larger muscle is not necessarily a stronger muscle.

Maximal Strength

Maximal strength is the highest level of force an athlete can possibly generate. Its importance will vary between sports but this relates more to the length of the maximal strength training phase than whether it should be included or not (1). The greater an athlete’s maximal strength to begin with, the more of it can be converted into sport-specific strength endurance or explosive power.

Maximal strength training can improve exercise economy and endurance performance (2,3). Interestingly, it does not appear to lead to a significant increase in muscle hypertrophy (4).

Explosive Power

Rarely is an athlete required to produce a singular maximal effort in their sport. With the exception of powerlifting, most sports require movements that are much more rapid and demand a higher power output than is generated during maximal lifts (5,6). So while maximal strength training lays an important foundation increasing the potential for additional power development, if there is no conversion of this strength into sport-specific power, the program as a whole is much less effective.

An athlete can be exceptionally strong but lack substantial power due to an inability to contract muscle quickly. Power training is used to improve the rate of force production and a range of methods such as plyometrics can be employed to convert maximal strength into explosive power.

Strength Endurance

Explosive power is not always the predominant goal of the strength training program. For events such as distance running, cycling, swimming and rowing, strength endurance is a major limiting factor. Again, the greater amount of starting maximal strength, the more of it can be maintained for a prolonged period.

Strength endurance can be developed through circuit training or the use of low weights and high repetitions. However, many strength endurance programs are inadequate for endurance-based sports – a set of 15-20 repetitions for example does not condition the neuromuscular system in the same way as a long distance event.

Periodization

The concept of periodization is key to sport-specific strength training. Dividing the overall training plan into succinct phases or periods, each with a specific outcome, allows sport-specific strength to peak at the right times, whilst minimizing the risk of over-training.

It also allows more specific elements of strength to be built on a solid and more general fitness foundation. Athletes cannot progress week-in week-out indefinitely so periodization permits variations in intensity and volume to promote performance enhancements for as long as possible.

Strength Training Articles
The Sport-Specific Approach to Strength Training Programs

The bodybuilding approach to strength training still predominates. But a more refined approach that incorporates the concept of periodization is much more effective. Here’s how the various elements of strength fit together in the overall plan…

How To Design Resistance Training Programs For Sport

Resistance training is an integral part of any sports conditioning plan. This complete guide covers the various design elements of a successful, sport-specific strength training regimen…

Weight Training Programs For Basic Strength

The first phase in a strength training program should prepare the body for more demanding subsequent training. Crucial even for experienced athletes…

Weight Training Programs For Increasing Muscle Mass (Hypertrophy)

Some athletes will benefit from increased lean weight and muscle mass. However, many bodybuilding routines are too time consuming and fatiguing for athletes who must reserve their energy for other types of training…

Two More Weight Training Routines For Building Muscle Mass

Two routines suitable for the hypertrophy phase of a resistance training program…

Weight Training Programs For Maximum Strength

Strength training for muscle mass and training for maximum strength is not the same! Most athletes will benefit from a period of maximal strength training before converting it into more sport-specific types of strength…

Power Training For Sport

Many athletes require explosive power to be successful in their sport. Once maximal strength strength has been developed there are several methods to convert it into sport-specific power…

Muscular Endurance Training

Once a firm foundation of strength has been built it should be converted into power or strength endurance or both, depending on the sport. Here’s how muscular endurance is developed…

Strength Training Alongside Other Types of Training

How does strength training interact with other components of fitness? Does endurance training have a negative effect on strength and power? And does strength and power training negatively effect aerobic power or flexibility?

Dumbbell Exercises for Every Major Muscle Group

Machines or free weights? Strength training with dumbbells has some discernible advantages…

Dumbbell Exercises with Animated Images

Over 20 dumbbell exercises with animated graphics…

Classic Kettlebell Exercises

Do kettlebell exercises offer any performance advantages over regular free weights and dumbbells?

Kettlebell Training Program

Kettlebell training has become popular with western athletes in recent years. While some kettlebell exercises would make a useful addition to a sports strength training program, the principle of specificity must still be adhered to…

Medicine Ball Exercises

Medicine balls are an excellent tool for re-creating movement patterns in many sports. They are particularly useful for upper body power training…

Stability Ball Exercises and Routine

Stability ball exercises are ideal for the anatomical adaptation phase and for rehabilitation. They also work the stabilizing muscles often neglected in intense strength training routines…

Resistance Band Exercises and Routine

Resistance bands offer an athlete an extremely versatile form of resistance training. They can also be adapted to mimic very closely sport-specific movements make them an ideal training tool…

Core Strength Conditioning For Athletes

It’s still a buzz word in the fitness industry, but core strength training has been used by top coaches for years. Use these exercises to develop your center of power…

Abdominal Exercises for Building a Powerful Core

The abdominals and lower back bridge the upper and lower body and they are integral to many athletic movements. These abdominal exercises can be integrated into the various phases of a strength program…

Isometric Exercise for Static Strength

Static strength training is useful for a number of sports and for rehabilitation. These isometric exercises can be performed with little or no equipment…

Using Power Cleans in Sports Conditioning

Power cleans can be useful for developing explosive power (in appropriate sports). Use this technique guide and animated images to see how the lift should be performed…

A Sample Off Season Strength Training Program

The off or closed season is typically about rest and regeneration. But that doesn’t mean doing nothing at all…

Forearm & Rotator Cuff Exercises

Use this program to help prevent common overuse injuries to the shoulder and elbow. Rotator cuff damage and tennis elbow affects may athletes particularly those who play racket sports and golf…

Sample Powerlifting Routine

Powerlifting is one of most demanding forms of strength conditioning. This sample routine is for advanced lifters who want to increase maximal strength…

Sample Olympic Weightlifting Routine

Olympic weightlifting routines and exercises are finding themselves into more and more sports training programs. But are they suitable for all athletes?

References

1) Bompa TO. 1999 Periodization Training for Sports. Champaign,IL: Human Kinetics.
2) Hoff J, Gran A, Helgerud J. Maximal strength training improves aerobic endurance performance. Scand J Med Sci Sports. 2002 Oct;12(5):288-95
3) Johnston RE, TJ Quinn, Kertzer R and Vroman NB. Strength training in female distance runners: impact on running economy. J. Strength Cond. Res. 11: 224-229, 1997
4) Moss BM, Refsnes PE, Abildgaard A, Nicolaysen K, Jensen J. Effects of maximal effort strength training with different loads on dynamic strength, cross-sectional area, load-power and load-velocity relationships. Eur J Appl Physiol Occup Physiol. 1997;75(3):193-9
5) Komi PV. Neuromuscular performance: factors influencing force and speed production. Scand J Sports Sci. 1979 1:2-15
6) developing explosive muscular power: implications for a mixed method training strategy. NSCA J. 1994 16:(5)20-31

Get fit for anything…
with a workout pass!

Note: As you scroll down the list of topics to be covered over the next few days and weeks ahead, you will discover topics which would seem to have absolutely no place in your workout program, and that’s fine! Some of the topics are for a very narrow niche, some, it seems, have almost no place in a soccer-specific, sex-specific strength and fitness training program. We will review each of these, in their entirety, and discover applications for these exercise programs, and more. This will be an exciting road, one I guarantee will be fruitful for those who follow along. if you miss something, don’t won’t about it, I’ll get it to you ASAP, just sign in one the right and we’ll put your name in for that and a bunch of other cool stuff!

See ya in the cheap seats!

CoachZ

216-716-6526
coachz@ultimatesoccertraining.com
Skype: johnzajaros1
Yahoo! IM: keepersteam

One of the greatest men in American history, and that of the World, is Thomas Jefferson. Thomas Jefferson was the principle author of the Declaration of Indepndence. Jefferson is not only regarded as one of the greatest men in history, he is regarded by many as one of, if not the greatest president in American history, and a motivational speaker and success coach in his own right, to be sure!

Note: Keep in mind as you read through the quotes attributed to this amazing thinker that “men” was generic term of the times and not a true reflection of Jefferson’s
views towards women, a subject we will not get in to here. Perhaps on our next blog www.ultimatehistoryprofessor.com! I hope you know I am kidding here! Here are some of the great man’s thoughts, along with another man’s input, where appropriate for context.

“Books constitute capital. A library book lasts as long as a house, for hundreds of years. It is not, then, an article of mere consumption but
fairly of capital, and often in the case of professional men, setting out in life, it is their only capital.”

Note: The only security any of us have is what’s between our ears. The more we learn the more real capitol we have to spend. In terms of athletics in general, and soccer specifically, training serves the same purpose. A well-conceived, appropriately implemented, effective soccer training program translates into ready capitol one can call upon and spend in the competitive arena.

The capitol, in this case, not only takes the form of actual performance but, more importantly, takes the form of increased self-confidence, self-assurance, and ultimately, self-worth. Knowledge is power and proper training in any athletic endeavor is powerful!

“Do you want to know who you are? Don’t ask. Act! Action will delineate and define you.”

Note: Talk is cheap! How many times have we heard coaches say, “Don’t tell me, show me!” The true champion is one who lets their actions define who they are. Jefferson hit this one right on the head! Do you think he was a closet footballer?

“Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal;
nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude.”

Note: PMA! Positive mental attitude! Whether Thomas Jefferson or Norman Vincent Peale or Napoleon Hill or Vince Lombardi or Tony Robbins or Pat Summitt, every era has their motivational gurus. Yes, even Lawrence Peter “Yogi” Berra had his way with a message, a phrase-smith like no other, Berra could get his players to identify with him, love him, and play for him!

Regardless of the vehicle these special individuals ultimately choose to get their message out with, these coaches, mentors, and speakers seem to be able to motivate
people in a way few of their peers are able to. Ultimately, the PMA must come from within, someone once referred to it as a “burning desire.” Whatever you call it, if you cannot bring it to the fore on demand, you are doomed to mediocirty. The proper soccer-specific, sex-specific training, mental and physical, can go a long way towards developing the discipline to call on this attitude until, like a negative attitude, it becomes habit. (more to follow this week on this) 

“Determine never to be idle. No person will have occasion to complain of the want of time who never loses any. It is wonderful how much may be done if we are always doing.”

An idle mind is the devils workshop! Heard that one? Sure you have! Well, perhaps loafing won’t bring on the devil…but you’ll have a devil of a time getting playing time! Training is an all-the-time thing, whether soccer-specific, sex-specific strength and fitness training, footskills work in the back yard or for a half an hour before or after practice, running in the morning or planning your meals for the next week to ensure proper nutrition, absolutely vital to the success of any athletic training program!

Have you ever heard the story of Anson Dorrance witnessing this young woman, at 5:30am EST, running on the UNC campus. You guessed it! Mia Hamm, a champion’s
champion, running on practice days, and before classes. Talk about PMA and filling time productively. If Mia didn’t have time, she found time, made time…even if it was 5:30am EST!

“But friendship is precious; not only in the shade, but in the sunshine of life, and thanks to a benevolent arrangement the greater part of life is sunshine.”

Note: One of the greatest, lasting benefits of training is the bond you develop with your teammates, your coach, and other training personnel (trainers, asst. coaches,
strength coaches, etc.). The friends you develop when being tested, really stretched, are the ones you will have for a lifetime, through thick and thin. Or as Jefferson put it, ”in the shade…[and]…in the sunshine of life.” What an awesome promise!

“Happiness is not being pained in body or troubled in mind.”

Note: No matter how sorely we are tested, how much is demanded of us, how much the training pains us, the happines that comes from a real sense of accomplishment with overshadow and overcome any pain of body or mind. Have you ever found that when you absolutely did not want to work out, felt tired and just wanted to blow it off, but you did it anyway and ended up feeling great, fresh and invigorated?

You gotta love those natural opiods! There are three well-characterized families of opioid peptides produced by the body: enkephalins, endorphins and dynorphins. The met-enkephalin peptide sequence is coded for by both the enkephalin gene and the endorphin gene (also known as the POMC gene) and that the leu-enkephalin peptide sequence is coded for by both the enkephalin gene and the dynorphin gene.
From Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enkephalin) and Opioid peptides: Molecular pharmacology, biosynthesis and analysis,
R.S. Rapaka and R. L. Hawks (editors) in a National Institute on Drug Abuse Research Monograph (#70), 1986.

“He who knows best knows how little he knows.” And, ”He who knows nothing is closer to the truth than he whose mind is filled with falsehoods and errors.”

Note: Coachability! You’ve heard the word, everyone has. The fact is, the more we know, the more we should realize we don’t know anything. OR at the very least, the more we know, the more we realize we have to learn! An open mind, combied with PMA, and the discipline to use time effectively is an invaluable combination.

“Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom.”

Note: Above all, be honest with yourself and your team! Honesty is a trait that is treasured by those people you meet and deal with day-to-day. Honesty is also vital when it means being honest with yourself! Be honest with yourself and with your strength coach, together you will be able to move mountains!

“I believe that every human mind feels pleasure in doing good to another.”

Note: In pushing up others, you will push yourself up at the same time! Not only does it make you feel great to help your fellows, you develop a feeling of comradery that can never be duplicated by any other set of circumstances, events or actions.

“I cannot live without books I find that the harder I work, the more luck
I seem to have.”

Note: How many times have you heard this? “Oh, she’s just lucky” or ”He’s always been a lucky so-and-so!” It is frightening how little credit many are willing to give others for playing hard and training harder. Recognizing that, the saying goes: “The harder I work…the luckier I am!” And it is true, we make our own luck by being prepared for a situation that demands absolute preparation…in this case by means of soccer-specific, sex-specific strength and fitness training for match play.

“I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past.”

Note: I have a story that illustrates this point perfectly! 

The Story of Tommy Pitts!

It was March of 1982, I got a call from the printer that was handling fliers for a mailing I was putting together to promote a new, in-home athletic training business I had conceived of during those long nights of contemplation about how the heck I was going to make enough money during
the recession that was playing havoc with everyone’s finances (i.e., kicking everyone’s butt!). Interest rates just went to 22% for cars, and that meant I was going to try to get my junker to make it one more year.

At that time, Tommy’s dad, I’ll call him Bob, was trying to get some help for his son who had spent the previous season on the bench after a fairly respectable sophomore season. Tommy was a big kid, fast and agile, but undisciplined and a bit cocky (not always a bad thing). Well, I met with the Pitts Family and they cried about this, that, and the other for almost an hour before I finally cut them off with a single question to Tommy. The question is kind of crude, so I’ll clean it up a bit, and it went like this:

“Tommy, what are you willing to do to play next year?” He thought for a moment and then hung his head, tears in his eyes.

“Coach Z,” he said, ” I’ll never play, the coach hates me!”

The pain in his voice almost broke my heart, I wanted to give the big lug a hug and tell him everything would be fine. Instead, I asked him one thing. Here’s the question:

“Tommy, if I told you to go out in the street right this minute and s#*t bagels, would you?”

Hey, I was 27. What can I say!

Well, Tommy smirked and looked at his parents, not really believing what I had said in front of his parents. When he looked back at me and saw I was dead serious he paused. And then, in a very low voice so he wouldn’t be able to hear it crack anymore he said, 

“I never want to sit on the bench again, I’ll do whatever you say.”

I smiled and nodded. You see, not only had I just made my first sale without ever talking price, only talking about what Tommy wanted and what it meant to him and his family to be able to accomplish his goal, I knew my voice would have cracked too if I’d said a word…so I nodded again!

Tommy was true to his word, often coming over to the house to get me to open the gym early in the morning, so he could workout before school, and then he’d return later when he got home. During that summer, all the way up until pre-season training started, two weeks before school and the season commenced, Tommy did everything I told him to. I never did ask him to go out in the street! You see, Tommy forgot about the past and focused on the future. Tommy began to see the possibilities, the hope of “What can be” instead of the depressing “What was.” That season Tommy, who had informed me that the coach “hated him” and that he “would never play,” started every match, ate dinner at the coaches house six times as player of the week! Tommy’s buddy Paul, who I also trained, won it the other four weeks possible! Tommy and Paul both went on to win all-Ohio honors that fall and got respectable scholarship offers to the colleges of thier choice.

All accomplished by a kid who never played, never would play again, and who the coach hated! A kid who put the past behind him and believed in one more person before quitting, giving up the sport the loved forever.

I trained 56 athletes that first summer, young and not-so-young, male and female, amateur and professional. The poorest perfomance I had for a player at any level was
by a kid from Cleveland, not really from Cleveland but I had to pick a city, who made all-district. And I was worried about him, didn’t know if he’d play or not! You see, I was comparing him with the other athletes I was training, and they were all the cream of the crop!

All those athletes had one thing in common. They all believed in what was possible, one more time!

That was, without a doubt, the most exciting summer of my life. Not for what it did for me, although my business absolutely exploded after that first season with athletes on the field, pitch, course or court after training with me for a significant period. I was excited for my kids, and they were my kids, regardless of age! And that included the professional football player who got special permission from Head Coach “S.R.” (not his real initials) to train with me instead of with the team’s strength coach, “D.R.” He had the best season of his career and never experienced the nagging injury he had been troubled with for the last several seasons. Missing two games with cracked ribs, he still ran for more yards than in any season of his professional career! Talk about satisfying!

No, not satisfying! An absolute BLAST!

More quotes attributed to Thomas Jefferson:

“I was bold in the pursuit of knowledge, never fearing to follow truth and reason to whatever results they led.”

“In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock.”

“It takes time to persuade men to do even what is for their own good.”

“Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today; never spend your money before you have earned it.”

“Nothing gives one person so much advantage over another as to remain always cool and unruffled under all circumstances.”

“One travels more usefully when alone, because he reflects more.”

“Our greatest happiness does not depend on the condition of life in which chance has placed us, but is always the result of a good conscience, good health, occupation and freedom in all just pursuits.” 

“The glow of one warm thought is to me worth more than money.”

“To penetrate and dissipate these clouds of darkness, the general mind must be strengthened by education.”

“When angry count to ten before you speak. If very angry, count to one hundred.”

“Whenever you do a thing, act as if all the world were watching.”

Note: I aplogize for the length of this one! It kind of got away from me a bit. I hope you liked the story about Tommy, it is absolutely true in every detail. The fact is, I’ve had several Tommys every year since that first summer but it is the first one I remeber the best. Not for my success, for theirs…which was nothing short of amazing! A Blast!

The inspiration for this posting, in part, came from blog postings by a couple of individuals, most significantly, Joseph William. Mr Joseph William is a success coach and more of his writing can be visited at: http://josephwilliamsuccesscoach.blogspot.com/2009/01/greatest-man-in-history-thomas.html

See you in the cheap seats!

CoachZ
coachz@ultimatesoccertraining.com
216-712-6526
yahoo! IM: keepersteam

Note: While attention is paid to “traditional” throwing sports of baseball and softball in this article, I would suggest the findings carry over to soccer goalkeepers, basketball players, and, to a lessor degree, soccer outside backs and midfielders. Additionally, goalkeepers, including CoachZ’s daughter, also operated on by Dr. Anderson of the Cleveland Clinic, suffer traumatic injury to the shoulder joint, to include breaks in the the humeral head, as a result of diving to protect the goal.

Injuries in the Throwing Shoulder

Spring brings baseball and softball season – and a time for the throwing athlete to take heed of injuries that can occur in the throwing shoulder.

Several chronic conditions commonly result in shoulder pain in the throwing athlete. These conditions are tendinitis, bursitis, impingement and subluxation.

Warning Signs

Typically, the athlete complains of shoulder pain that has become progressively worse. Initially, the pain may be present only when throwing and for a short time afterward; however, it disappears by the next day. As the condition gets more serious, the pain progresses to the point where it is present before, during and after activity. The athlete eventually becomes unable to throw at all due to the pain.

Tendinitis, bursitis, impingement and subluxation are closely related. All of them may cause pain in the same area, making it difficult to tell which developed first. The pain may start in the tendon or in a pinched bursa (small cushion that allows tendons to move over the bone as they contract and relax) next to the tendon.

Rotator cuff tendinitis in the throwing athlete occurs when the tendon becomes irritated as it rubs on the undersurface of the shoulder. This causes the tendon to tear and become inflamed.

Similarly, bursitis results from the repeated pinching of the bursae between the shoulder structures. As the bursae swell, it puts additional pressure on the area that already is inflamed.

The combination of rotator cuff tendinitis, bursitis and the limited area in the shoulder may result in a condition called impingement. Pain and weakness with overhead arm movements are often a sign of shoulder impingement.

Subluxation is a condition in which the shoulder slips partially out of joint, then returns to its original position, causing instability of the shoulder joint. It may occur with a traumatic event, such as a fall, or with the development of impingement and bursitis. This type of subluxation is often related to fatigued muscles in the shoulder. The athlete continues throwing even as fatigue sets in. As the arm tires, the muscles cannot stabilize the shoulder, and this results in subluxing.

A final, secondary shoulder injury may occur as a result of changing the throwing motion to compensate for the pain of the original condition.

These are just some of the problems that the throwing athlete may experience. Since they are primarily related to overuse, they can be relieved by having the athlete rest the shoulder to provide time for healing; by strengthening, stretching and building muscular endurance; and by putting the athlete on a throwing program that includes a warm-up and a gradual return to throwing after a long layoff.

Thomas E. Anderson, M.D.
Cleveland Clinic Sports Health