[Video] Fun Hand-Eye Coordination Drill

Written on February 22nd, 2012

Here is a great way to teach hand-eye coordiantion with youngsters. All you need is a tennis ball and a couple of cones.

Speed and Quickness Done Right!

Written on February 22nd, 2012

One of my jobs, and I take it seriously, is to work with college interns wanting to learn more about strength and conditioning. The reason this job is so important to me is because, just like training athletes, the foundation of learning is critical. Fundamentals must be ingrained so proper development can occur. Far too often interns do their hours at facilities with a focus on “turn over” not teaching. If the focus is on teaching, then proper development and progressions are the top priority. However,  if that is not the focus, then the end result becomes a rushed circus style program (get’em in and get’em out style).

When an intern comes to our program they understand quickly about how to assess, breakdown a skill and Read More

Look for the Value in AAU

Written on January 27th, 2012

This post is short and to the point. For many years, I have not been a huge supporter of AAU or travel teams. Not because of what they were originally designed for, but because of what selfish, poor intentioned coaches (I use the word coaches lightly) have turned it into.

 If you know how to use AAU, then you can establish a baseline of excellence for your players. You can show them what hard nosed tough physical basketball is. If you have taught your players well, then they will also learn what not to do, as bad basketball is commonly played in AAU. Read More

Anatomy of a Speed Drill

Written on January 17th, 2012

 One of my favorite sayings for coaches and trainers is, “We need to be teachers of skills not of drills.” Too often we focus more on the fancy drill and not enough on the execution of the skill.

I believe a large part of the blame has to go on inexperience and fear in coaches who are afraid to perform good old basic exercises that work, but are not “sexy.” Most people want to be on YouTube and create a buzz rather than make sure their athletes are getting the best possible instruction.

I want to take a moment and breakdown what a drill should look like if used properly. Remember, the drill isn’t the important component, the execution and the direct application to a particular skill technique is.

What should a Drill look like? Read More

Speed and Strength Daily Template

Written on January 12th, 2012

This is a reprint of a short article I did in 2009. It is not for every training situation, but it is a great template to build from each day.

Sometimes the most difficult part of writing a program is just getting started. If you have a system you can follow you can just plug in what you need. If you need the workout to be more specific to certain individuals all you have to do is make adjustments where needed. Let me give you an outline and show you what I mean…

Here is a basic workout format I will follow for speed training and strength and endurance:

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