I have been very fortunate so far in my life. I have an understanding and loving wife, beautiful and healthy children, and a successful training facility. When I look back on my life, I can be very thankful for the good fortune that I have experienced.
Last night I was able to stay a little late with a few athletes and their coach to shoot the breeze. It had me reminising about the past. I thought back to my days as a high school athlete and all of the great coaches that I had the opportunity to work with. The one's who stick out most aren't the ones who may have had the most knowledge of the game but those that showed a genuine interest in me and my teamates.
The coaching staff of the team that worked out is very young and energetic group. These guys just don't talk the talk, they walk the walk. They go blow for blow and round for round with their team and I can see that they really enjoy what they do. These guys have earned the respect of their athletes and you can see that they are willing to go the extra mile to insure that their athletes have every opportunity to be successful.
It is contagious and very exciting to see the next generation of young coaches getting their feet wet in this grueling profession. The kids enjoy the coaches working with them and leading by example. It reminds me of when I would weightlift with a few of my coaches and how much it meant to me to be around successful people. Without these role models and people who took the time to show me the ropes I don't know where I might be.
Looking forward to watching this young coaching staff and motivated athletes make their mark in wrestling. They certainly have the determination and only time will tell if it pays off with wins on the mat.
Best in Performance,
Coach J
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxmcK5_4xrw
Morning Call All-Area members
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Photo Shoot at FASST Performance with some of our athletes
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Building Speed in the Youth Athlete
Throughout my coaching career, I have had hundreds of parents ask me "what can I do to get my child to run faster." The answer is simple.....you need to practice running correctly and at high speeds. This might seem like a simple answer but it really isn't. Many athletes who run slow, do so, because they are lacking in several areas. The first area is relative strength to bodyweight. Many athletes who are slow are unable to handle their own body mass and need to improve their ability to lift their body mass. One way to do this is through decreasing their bodyweight. They can do this by proper diet as well as doing body weight squats, lunges, lateral lunges, scorpion lunges, push-ups, and pull-ups. Through my experience, it has been rare, if ever, that an athlete who is unable to control their own body mass has been able to run fast.
The second area is learning the proper running mechanics. Much like a baseball player needs to learn the correct mechanics to swing a bat, an athlete looking to run fast needs to practice proper running form. This is done by training the body to systematically coordinate the correct muscle groups in a synchronized manner. Through a series of seated arm swings, wall marches, triple exchanges, and hurdle progressions, an athlete can greatly enhance their movement mechanics. We teach these progressions by having the athlete begin in a stationary position, gradually increasing movement, to eventually executing the drills at high speeds. The system is predicated on slow to fast and easy to complex skills.
The key training periods are between the ages of 8-12. The athlete will learn the proper techniques and eliminate many of the dysfunctional movements that can lead to injury, improper muscle balance, and inefficient motor patterns that plague many athletes as they mature.
Once the athletes improve these areas, they will be able to begin to improve their speed and train at a much faster and effective pace.
Yours in performance,
Coach J
The second area is learning the proper running mechanics. Much like a baseball player needs to learn the correct mechanics to swing a bat, an athlete looking to run fast needs to practice proper running form. This is done by training the body to systematically coordinate the correct muscle groups in a synchronized manner. Through a series of seated arm swings, wall marches, triple exchanges, and hurdle progressions, an athlete can greatly enhance their movement mechanics. We teach these progressions by having the athlete begin in a stationary position, gradually increasing movement, to eventually executing the drills at high speeds. The system is predicated on slow to fast and easy to complex skills.
The key training periods are between the ages of 8-12. The athlete will learn the proper techniques and eliminate many of the dysfunctional movements that can lead to injury, improper muscle balance, and inefficient motor patterns that plague many athletes as they mature.
Once the athletes improve these areas, they will be able to begin to improve their speed and train at a much faster and effective pace.
Yours in performance,
Coach J
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Inner city students providing inspiration
I have recently created a program called the FASST 25. This is something that I have been working on since I began my training program in the basement of my house about 9 years ago. Actually, if I really think back, I have been working on this since I was a high school student with a dream. Often, I would wonder why certain people were more successful than others. When I was growing up, I thought success was something that only happened to the privelaged. Something that was inherited and part of your DNA. As I matured and experience the world, I found that success was much tougher to define and came in many different shapes, sizes, ethnicities, and looked different for everyone.
After creatining FASST Performance, I was able to work with many elite athletes. Fortunately, I have been exposed to a wide array of people who have experienced different levels of success ranging from working hard to earn a spot on a high school roster, becoming a D1 starter, and earning professional sports contracts. During this time, I created a list of 25 traits that our highest achieving athletes possessed and created a program for students who need to learn how to set goals, create a plan, build esteem, and get in great physical shape doing it. The program consists of teaching the students these traits and identifying areas in their lives that they currently exhibit these characteristics.
Two weeks ago we began our program and it started with 8 students who would report to school at 6:45 am and learn about the FASST 25. Since the first class, the class size has doubled and word on the street is that even more are waiting to get on our list. This is very exciting to me because many people were a little skeptical about students reporting early in the morning to exercise. I am inspired by the students and really excited about the future of the program. It just shows that we should never underestimate people and place limits on others. We are capable of great success when we put our minds to it and when we put our thoughts into action.
Keep positive, stay focused, and aim big. It's your life and your responsibility to push yourself. If you want something bad enough take it. If you aren't reaching for it, you can gaurantee that someone else is waiting in the wings ready to take the opportunity.
Keep smashing and until next time.
Coach J
After creatining FASST Performance, I was able to work with many elite athletes. Fortunately, I have been exposed to a wide array of people who have experienced different levels of success ranging from working hard to earn a spot on a high school roster, becoming a D1 starter, and earning professional sports contracts. During this time, I created a list of 25 traits that our highest achieving athletes possessed and created a program for students who need to learn how to set goals, create a plan, build esteem, and get in great physical shape doing it. The program consists of teaching the students these traits and identifying areas in their lives that they currently exhibit these characteristics.
Two weeks ago we began our program and it started with 8 students who would report to school at 6:45 am and learn about the FASST 25. Since the first class, the class size has doubled and word on the street is that even more are waiting to get on our list. This is very exciting to me because many people were a little skeptical about students reporting early in the morning to exercise. I am inspired by the students and really excited about the future of the program. It just shows that we should never underestimate people and place limits on others. We are capable of great success when we put our minds to it and when we put our thoughts into action.
Keep positive, stay focused, and aim big. It's your life and your responsibility to push yourself. If you want something bad enough take it. If you aren't reaching for it, you can gaurantee that someone else is waiting in the wings ready to take the opportunity.
Keep smashing and until next time.
Coach J
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