The updated position statement on youth resistance training was recently released from the National Strength & Conditioning Association (NSCA). The paper revealed the risks and benefits to resistance training for young athletes. In a nutshell, here are the guidelines presented:
I got an email from Keith Scott the other day. Keith is a fellow athletic trainer/strength coach from South Jersey. He has a great perspective on corrective exercise and rehabilitation. There doesn’t seem to be a chronic pain that Keith can’t lick. Anyway, in his email he announced the release of his latest product, Unbreakable.
Keith includes a full self-assessment section, corrective exercises for each major joint in the body, detailed and targeted soft-tissue work, and something called “plug-ins.” For these “plug-ins,” Keith took the corrective exercises and categorized them so that they can be integrated into any training program to ensure that folks are taking care of their issues while still continuing on their current plan.
I got a question the other day at asklacrossestrength.com regarding core training for young athletes. So I decided to do a quick video to address this.
Dr. Brian Paris, of Performance Lacrosse, is back with his next installment of Multiplanar Training. This particular article has a few pictures, so I thought it would be best to post the PDF for you to download. Enjoy!
By Brian Paris, DC, NASM-PES
Performance Lacrosse
Rockville, MD
Lacrosse is a sport that requires training in all planes of motion. This article aims to
teach the reader some tips on enhancing lacrosse performance in the sagital, frontal and
transverse planes of motion. Also the reader will learn about the importance of including
the nervous system in training.
Although we classify movement in three planes of motion when training, one must also
be aware of the six degrees of freedom in movement. For example, sprinting forward
would be considered movement in the sagittal plane and so would sprinting backwards.
The same goes for the frontal and transverse planes. Such as, laterally shuffling to the
left or laterally shuffling to the right, or diagonal running to the left or diagonal running
to the right. Training for lacrosse must have a focus on training for these types
movements not solely muscles. Training the muscles to get bigger and stronger only
does not train them to move more efficiently. If you want to move fast on the lacrosse
field you must train fast. This is how the nervous system works. Just like ‘you are what
you eat’, you perform how you train.
(Kip Turner of the Boston Cannons and Performance Lacrosse trainer Colin Cooley.)
Movement preparation must also be done in all three planes of motion. This better
prepares the nervous system for the demands of the game. Keeping your nervous system
in tune for efficient movement requires flexibility and good joint mobility. This allows
the best feed-back and feed-forward of information resulting in stability. If a player has
tight hips he will be unable to get lower while changing direction. This also puts more
abnormal strain on the knees and ankles leaving them more susceptible to injury.
Your core (everything except your arms and legs) is best trained in all planes of motion.
If you were on the lacrosse field in the same position you are when doing crunches then
chances are you just got leveled. Crunches were designed to make the abdominal
muscles bigger in one plane of motion (sagittal) so they look good when you are static
(not moving). Think about the complexity of all the movements that occur while playing
lacrosse. Full body actions during training that combine planes of motion best prepare
the core to integrate movement between the upper and lower body. This will help the
athlete avoid injury and perform optimally.
I read the recent Inside Lacrosse article with an open mind, and going through the list of players and trying to see how it will affect some of the guys I worked with in the past. I guess I should start with being disappointed with the contraction of my old team, the New Jersey Pride. I wasn’t sure where they would end up, but I was hoping to see how these young guys came together. I would have followed them, watched them on TV. Now, we’ll never know. I’m not saying it wasn’t the right thing to do. I’m not sure, only time will tell. But I am being a little selfish, I know.
Now, I don’t know if any of these guys are actually going to play for the teams they are assigned, but I do have some thoughts just based on the list. More on Major League Lacrosse 2009: My thoughts.
Got a note this morning from my buddy Mike Guadango. He says “Strong”, the documentary about Defranco’s gym is available to purchase. Mike is one of the featured guys in the movie. So I went to the website this morning - www.strongmovie.com - and I’m stunned, emotional, motivated. Just looking at the trailer on the site (although I’ve seen it before), makes me look at these guys and appreciate the sacrifices they made to train with Joe and be the best they can be at whatever they do.
I was moved enough to immediately pull out my credit card and plop down the $29 bucks. I can’t wait to see the whole movie. If I’m feeling this way now after watching a 50 second trailer, I can’t imagine what emotions will stir after seeing the movie in it’s entirety.
I wrote an article a while back called Training the Antirotators. It was published in Lax Speed Magazine, by Devoe Human Performance. Although it was written a year or so ago, I think the information is still pretty relevant. You can download the pdf file here=> Antirotators.pdf.
