How to Run Fast

In evaluating and teaching high-speed running mechanics, the coach must give the athletes key points on which to concentrate and consciously focus as they learn to re-program their motor patterns. It is useful to break down the
movement in a way that is consistent with a systematic teaching progression. We use six reference points or foci for developing the conceptual technical model, in the teaching progression employed, during video analysis to show faults and causes, and in making corrections. These six foci are:
 
1. Body Position – This is the most central focus for changes in the technical model and thus for improving performance. If the athlete cannot execute the correct body position with a high degree of skill, it is nearly impossible to optimize the other five foci. Conscious competence in this area must quickly give way to unconscious competence.
2. Recovery Mechanics – This is the first phase of the high-speed running cycle movement. Often thought of as a passive movement and traditionally called the “swing phase”, the mechanically efficient recovery of the limb sets up the other phases of the running stride for higher levels of mechanical efficiency.
3. Transition Phase – This is the phase of the running cycle where an abrupt change of direction of a limb must take place. Faults are often easily recognized in this phase, but they are almost always a product of a cause that is 180° on the other side of the stride cycle.
4. Ground Preparation Phase – This is the phase where the athlete must actively prepare the foot and the leg to strike the ground. From the point of view of determining the performance outcome, this is the second most important phase in the running cycle.
5. Ground Phase – This is the most important phase in the running cycle. Once the athlete leaves the ground, the flight path of the center of mass is unalterable until the next ground force application. Therefore, getting the Ground Phase right is essential.
6. Arm Action – This is the focus that has provoked some of the greatest disagreements between biomechanics and coaches. Biomechanics have contended that the arms balance the forces of the legs to support the body in the proper alignment. Coaches however have promoted that the arms “control the legs” and thus can positively impact performance.
At SPG we believe both are correct ! Schedule your evaluation to get  Faster Stronger Better!
 

Eat for Excellence

Eating For EXCELLENCE

1) Avoid binging. People often binge because their body is nutrient deficient. This can be solved through:

a) Avoiding empty calorie foods. These are foods high in refined sugars and/or fat, and low in nutritional value. Foods like cookies, juice or soda pop, chips, snack foods, fast foods, baked goods, etc. Your body knows you haven’t given it anything it can nutritionally use so it demands you eat again. If you feed it nutrient deficient foods again it will get you to binge later in an attempt to get the vitamins and minerals it needs. This leads to stored fat as the body can’t convert the “empty” calories as efficiently to useable energy. Empty calorie foods also cause a strong insulin response which may lead to an energy crash 1-2 hours later. Not to mention contributing to heart disease, diabetes and chronic degenerative diseases of aging.

You say you don’t eat that much? Oh, you may be surprised! It is well hidden by food manufacturers. They know that we are addicted to sugar, so they hide it in our foods to make us want to buy more of their products, so they can make more $$$$$. Learn to read labels. Sugar is often disguised under the following names usually ending in -ose: glucose, dextrose, sucrose, lactose, maltose, fructose, corn syrup, trubidino.

b) Avoiding things that interfere with digestion, assimilation and ultimately cell deprivation of nutrients:

-Drinking excess liquids with your meals. Don’t. When you drink lots of liquid this dilutes….. Don’t drink icey cold liquids with food either. Cold shrinks the blood vessels in the stomach, reducing the stomach’s ability to produce the acid chemicals that you need to effectively digest food so your body can benefit from it to the fullest extent possible.

-Not chewing food enough. Chew food until it has the consistency of baby food.

-Taking antacids. This prevents stomach acid from breaking down protein into amino acids to be absorbed.

2) Drink a high quality whey protein drink as your first nutrition in the morning. This provides a quick source of amino acids as fuel to jump start your body’s metabolic processes.

3) Eat fruit 30 minutes later. Two pieces should be adequate. This speeds up your metabolism by giving your body some fuel after a 12 hour fast, (break-fast). In doing so, you will burn more calories and have more energy. Approximately 1 1/2 hours later eat some complex carbs with some protein like lean meats such as chicken, turkey or better yet, fish.

4) Eat live, colorful, high water content foods. Examples would be fruits and vegetables, those that are as fresh as possible. They were recently alive, (until picked). Most are very colorful and have a high water content. The longer fresh picked produce sits, the lower it’s nutrient, fiber and enzymatic value. Avoid processed, dead, bleached, dry non-foods. The first thing I cut out when I begin to diet is starches, especially refined ones, (breads, pastas, etc.).

5) Look at the fat content/serving of the foods you eat. Don’t eat any with >2g/ serving. The only exception would be with essential fatty acids like flax oil, cold water fish like salmon, cod, halibut, and nuts.

6) To get lean, lift weights. Increasing your muscle density will help you lose and keep weight off. Muscle burns more calories at rest, so having more muscle helps to keep you lean. Muscle also acts as a storage depot for calories that can be called on later for energy. If your muscles are small or flabby they can’t store as much energy, so guess where that energy (calories) are stored? Right, exactly where you don’t want it, on your hips or your waist line!

7) Never eat closer than three hours before bed. Eating before bed affects your body’s ability to rest and recover, as digestion requires an enormous amount of energy. Food also stimulates insulin release. Insulin is antagonistic to the release of growth hormone. Growth hormone is released when you reach deep sleep. If your insulin levels rise, it suppresses growth hormone release and prevents your body from stimulating growth, healing and repair

 

Get My Kid Faster!

 

My Kid Loves Sports, But Has No Speed: What Should I Do to Get my kid Faster?

Believe it or not, I am asked this question at least once per week. Being in the business of making people run fast, you would figure that it would be the only question I would hear. Thankfully, some of my clients are already pretty fast, they just want to get faster. However, I’ve spoken with a long list of parents, listening to sad stories about how their son or daughter feels left out because they are not fast enough to “make the team”   in which their friends currently participate . Other kids tease them because they are slow on the field or court. The slow kid may be the hardest worker, the best decision maker or the best team player. But, they will never make it to the next level because they just don’t have the speed to compete. It is essentially an affliction of slow-twitch muscle fiber composition.

So what is a parent to do? Unfortunately, you can’t do anything to change the genetic make-up of your child (well, not quite yet at least). So, in the meantime, if you and your spouse were slow, it is a pretty good bet your offspring are trailing behind their friends. While good training may not make them into the team speedster, there are many things that can be done to improve your child’s speed abilities and maximize the genetic potential with which they were born. Provided below are a list of recommendations that will give your developing athlete a fighting chance when it comes to running speed.

1. Have them Run at their Fastest on a Regular Basis

 

Many parents wonder why their child isn’t getting any faster. They send their child off to soccer practice several times per week, and watch them play in games week after week, but don’t see significant differences in their speed over time. The simple truth is that children need to run at top speed on a regular basis. This does not happen at sport training sessions, where kids are inundated with drills and general conditioning. The drills are performed with a ball or other equipment and can impede the athletes from running at maximum effort and velocity. Conditioning and general fitness work typically emphasizes endurance aspects of training, and not speed related activities. Actual games such as soccer, basketball and football do not even involve maximum velocity efforts, as shown by studies. Hence, athletes do not experience the positive speed stress and adaptation required for faster running. Specific training sessions must be implemented to allow kids to run at or very near top speed, with appropriate recoveries between runs. My most common advice to parents is to have their kids “run fast to get faster.”

2. Provide Good Instruction on Sprinting Technique

 

Obviously, running fast is a necessity for improving your speed. If there is only one thing you do to make your kids faster, it should be to allow them to run fast. However, if you can provide your kids with simple, foundational techniques for sprinting, they will be much better off in the long run. Running fast and efficiently is a complex motor learning challenge for most people. At the highest level of competition, the Olympic 100m final, sprinting looks effortless. Turning on the right muscles and turning off the unwanted muscles at the highest velocity or movement is a skill that must be taught, refined and maintained by a skilled coach. Kids must be taught the proper limb movements, body posture and level of effort to maximize their speed potential. If they are simply instructed to “push hard” or “go as fast as you can,” they will most likely run into trouble at some point in their development and develop poor habits that will be very difficult to break later on in their athletic career. Seek out a qualified, proven sprint coach to help out your children. Watch the workouts determine if the coach is working on fundamentals. If they break out the speed ladders, parachutes, and other gimmicks, sprint as fast as you can in the opposite direction. A good coach will have some cones, a stopwatch and a proven plan for teaching the fundamentals of running fast.

3. Avoid Unnecessary Endurance Running

 

Many coaches associate good training with long bouts of aerobic exercise. If the kids are breathing hard, sweating and even on the verge of vomiting, they believe that they have appropriately improved their conditioning. These types of workouts, however, do nothing to improve the speed abilities of athletes. Not only are the wrong muscle fibers being worked, excessive endurance work will result in poor posture, inefficient biomechanics, and low motivation to continue training. Any chance for transitional muscle fibers to move into the fast-twitch category will be dashed by long-distance running workouts. And, even if your child wants to become a marathon, triathlon or Tour de France star, doing speed work at a younger age will only help develop speed qualities that will help them later on in their careers. Remember, the top marathoners in the world can run under five minutes per mile numerous times during a race. Over 99% of the adult population are not fast enough to run even one 5-minute mile. General conditioning is fine, but do not allow it to become excessive. Spend more time building skill and motor coordination with young athletes.

4. Introduce Basic Strength Training Protocols

 

Young athletes can improve their speed abilities by improving their overall strength. One of the big myths of athlete development is that lifting weights can be harmful to the health and development of young kids. While dropping a weight on your foot can be quite harmful, performing weightlifting exercises with low to moderate loads can be useful in developing general strength and improving movement mechanics. Some kids have problems initiating movement because they do not have the strength to move their own body weight quickly. This is exacerbated when kids go through a growth spurt and their limbs have lengthened, but muscular strength has not improved to handle the new lever lengths. Movements such as squatting and lunging, as well as Olympic weightlifting movements, can build strength and power for accelerating. Simple jumping movements can also improve power and start strength. Jumping up onto a box or running up stairs can be performed easily, without the heavy eccentric impacts that often occur with plyometric movements such as hurdle jumps or depth jumps. These types of activities can be introduced gradually and performed at low volumes one to two times per week.

5. Emphasize Relaxation, Ease of Effort and Patience

 

Running is a complex activity that requires good control and muscular relaxation to be performed effectively. When teaching young athletes proper running mechanics, the initial phase of training must include only sub-maximal efforts to ensure that optimal technique is maintained throughout the workout. Working at a perceived level of effort of 80-85% is optimal for mastering sprinting mechanics. Such effort may translate into 90-95% of top velocity, which is fast enough to effect a positive speed adaptation in the body. Sprinting is a “feel” sport, which means you need to get a feel for proper technique at higher velocities and work on maintaining this feeling. Young athletes that spend a good deal of time perfecting these qualities will benefit from this investment over the long run.

Final Remarks

One of the most important reasons for parents and young athletes facing the question, “Am I destined to be slow all of my life?,” to continue to work on improving their speed is that all young athletes are developing at different rates. An athlete who is slow now may develop into an athlete with great speed abilities later in their career. This is why it is important for young athletes to try to stay in the game and not give up based on their current performance. One of the biggest problems in youth sports these days is that potentially good athletes are being cut from teams at very early ages. Early specialization is narrowing the potential pool of athletes for various sports. The longer we can keep athletes in the development pool, the greater chance we will have to find the best athletes for the elite level. Following the recommendations above can give an athlete a fighting chance to not only maintain their career, but perhaps vault them into a new level of performance. If we can prevent young athletes from getting discouraged by providing them with good training guidelines, we will go a long way to improving sports and maintaining larger participation rates in active lifestyles for our youth.

Energy and Hydration All in Frozen Bar !

Product Overview:EnergIce® frozen ice bars are the leaders in producing healthy premium ice bars providing athletes with a boost of hydration and energy on and off the field. EnergIce® uses the world’s best and most hydrating ingredients packaged in the perfect on-field consumption size of 2.5 ounces.The energy and hydration occur in the Energice bar and allows athletes to get back to playing faster than ever

EnergIce® Ice bars provide active refreshment and great taste – Just COOL IT and FUEL IT.

The EnergIce® team demonstrates leadership and game changing innovation in the health and fitness industry.

The team of parents and coaches found inspiration from their children’s sporting events. The unique group set out to create a healthy refreshing alternative to the predominance of sporting drinks containing high levels of sugar and stimulants and to put an end to the pile of half-full plastic drink bottles left on the field after games.

EnergIce® is approved by the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF International) one of the most trusted name in food/consumable -safety, and has received NSF’s Certified for Sport® Certification, which helps athletes, coaches and trainers make more informed decisions when choosing sports supplements.

NSF’s certification program is widely recognized by most professional sports leagues and other organizations including, National Football League (NFL), Major League Baseball (MLB), National Hockey League (NHL), PGA TOUR, Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA), Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES) and the New York Police Department.

NSF’s certification program has been designed for participating manufacturers and their products that include product testing for +165 banned substances, label content confirmation, formulation and label review and production facility and supplier inspections.

·EnergIce® also is WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) compliant.

EnergIce® is approved and licensed by the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

for  more information please contact jude@energice.com

Revolutionary Trazer sytem now at SPG

http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ain5kzf8_I

Balancing a training program is like a great recipe. Only the perfect amount of each ingredient added at exactly the right time will work. Most trainers add all their favorite ingredients in random amounts and hope it tastes good. It never does.But,with the Revolutionary Trazer system now at SPG we can do amazing things

 

We believe Sport Specific Training is about staying motivated, getting the results you want and the results you need, faster than you thought possible. We understand that every client is an individual, therefore we personalize all our programmes to achieve your objectives. Your goals, no matter how big or small, are important to us.

 

We know that Sports Specific Training shouldn’t be just about having someone with you in the gym, but rather about having someone guide you through your entire goal of development. This includes your training inside and outside of the gym, your diet, your lifestyle and all support services to ensure you are in full health.

 

Sports Specific Training integrates a wide range of training disciplines and methods, ensuring your interest is high and your body is always challenged in a variety of ways. Following your initial consultation and movement assessments, your Coach will develop your personalized training plan. Designed to be progressive and challenging, the plan will take you through all facets of fitness development, making sure that you are not just leaner, but also stronger, more flexible, stable and agile.

 

Through diligent planning and implementation, we aim to make you feel better than you ever believed you could.

Program Options Include:
* One on One Training ~ $95/session
* Semi Private Training (for teammates) ~ $130/session

SPG is now Powered By Trazer !

trazer in action

                             React, accelerate, cut in response to unpredictable game play.

TRAZER Performance

Preplanned drills leave athletes unprepared. And key performance parameters unmeasured. TRAZER simulates a dynamic sports environment. The athlete reacts, accelerates and cuts to unpredictable visual cues. Test, train “game-ready”; not pieces of game ready. TRAZER. A powerful new testing, training tool for athlete development, sports injury prevention and rehab programs. Measure what a stopwatch can’t…

  • Calculate, train the stance that maximizes agility and reduces injury
  • Detect directional differences in reaction time, acceleration, speed.
  • Detect improper jump landings. Display jump height in real-time.
TRAZER Performance Research

Athletes react, accelerate, cut in response to unpredictable game play.

TRAZER Performance

Preplanned drills leave athletes unprepared. And key performance parameters unmeasured. TRAZER simulates a dynamic sports environment. The athlete reacts, accelerates and cuts to unpredictable visual cues. Test, train “game-ready”; not pieces of game ready. TRAZER. A powerful new testing, training tool for athlete development, sports injury prevention and rehab programs. Measure what a stopwatch can’t…

  • Calculate, train the stance that maximizes agility and reduces injury
  • Detect directional differences in reaction time, acceleration, speed.
  • Detect improper jump landings. Display jump height in real-time.

T

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYkoXP2BhsY&width=640&height=480

 

Expect Amazing Results.


PowerTRAQ Strength and Power Training with TRAZER

Buckle up for the most effective strength and power-building workout your athletes have ever experienced.

During TRAZER play, up to 6 cables are strategically attached for interactive, total-body strength training. The result? Even more lean muscle mass built. Improved movement speed, power, agility and stamina. All while reducing the forces on sensitive joints.

Build incredible, sport specific strength and power.

Add resistive cables during TRAZER training to develop the muscles that move your player fore/aft, side-to-side, up down, that twist and turn, and that stop and start. Muscles difficult to develop with free weights.

Building horizontal and rotational strength and power is essential for starting, stopping, rotating, pushing, pulling and running. The obvious limitation of conventional strength training with free weights is that it relies on gravity for resistance in the vertical plane. With TRAZER, strength and power building programs become interactive, ground-based, anaerobic, total body and 3-dimensional.


TRAZER Info improves your athlete’s performance!  

Use TRAZER’s Vector-Based Tests to Isolate Movement Deficits and Hone Skills

TRAZER determines if your….

…player’s “natural” stance maximizes their 1st step quickness, speed, agility, balance and stamina. And TRAZER has programs to reinforce your player’s optimal stance.

…player reacts, starts, moves and stops equally well in all movement directions. Differences invisible to the eye or stopwatch may indicate an existing injury or weakness that can be corrected or improved via TRAZER training.

…player has deficits in her reaction time. 1st step quickness. Speed. Agility. Braking. TRAZER measures each of these critical components and more. Build incredible, sport specific strength and power.

Only TRAZER sees what the eye cannot. Use the information from TRAZER’s Performance Graphs to MOVE. MEASURE. MOTIVATE.

Measure the previously immeasurable:

Reaction Time
Speed
Acceleration
Deceleration
Track Heart Rate during sport specific movement
Core Jump Height

  • MOVE – TRAZER elicits both planned and unplanned responses because game play creates different neuromuscular or musculoskeletal demands than pre-planned drills do. Research has shown that “training the brain to respond to unexpected stimuli… is more beneficial than performing rote training exercises…”
  • MEASURE – In multiple directions, TRAZER measures the previously immeasurable. Reaction time, velocity, acceleration and deceleration and core elevations. It provides the power to detect movement asymmetries and weaknesses to guide your performance enhancement and injury prevention programs.
  • MOTIVATE – TRAZER play stirs the competitive juices. It motivates by making rigorous training competitive, driving players to max efforts.

Document your athletes’ progress over time by comparing reports.

“TRAZER’s 3-dimensional exercise summons the entire body into action. It’s game-like exercise that involves the mind while training all the muscle groups in a coordinated manner. Hence its ability to burn calories at an unprecedented rate.” Dr. Mark Schickendantz, M.D., Cleveland Indians, Cleveland Browns Head Physician
“I have seen the future of athlete development, and it is called the TRAZER sport simulator.”  Barry Sanders, NFL Football Great
“Blending exercise science and sports simulation creates a compelling resource for the client who demands the best from her mind and body.” Alan Davis, M.D., Sports Medicine / Orthopedic Surgeon The Cleveland Clinic
“TRAZER…provides injured people with a faster transition back to pre-injury routine, whether that routine involves tennis, basketball, football or simply walking around.” Craig Goodwin, Owner/Operator Orthopedic and Sports Therapy of Kenner; The Duke Academy, Kenner, LA

 

 

 

RVC Track Club

Who should join a Track Club?  The answer is simple…Everyone!  Our Track Club is geared to the athlete in you, whether you’re a seasoned athlete or someone who just wants to start moving.  There’s no other place to start.
We created the Rockville Centre SPG Track Club for athletes who play different sports but have an interest in running track for fun or to stay in shape during their off season.  We wanted to give those athletes an opportunity to try track, without having to commit to lots of training and time. We make the most of our training sessions and give oAAur athletes a solid introduction to the sport.  The SPG Track Club trains once per week, with an additional optional practice during the week. Training begins in April and runs through July. There are a few local meets per month during that time. Participation in the meets is not mandatory.  The SPG Track Club will accept athletes from 7-18.

Head Coach, Jude Massillon, has 15 years as a professional Track and Field coach with National Champions from 16 different countries, under his belt.  This year, he will be attending his fifth Olympics, in a row, with his athletes.

 

Non-Competing Athletes: $80/ month

(starts April 9th – Mondays at 4:00-5:00pm)

Athletes will receive a solid introduction to the sport including instruction

on running technique, speed and agility training, and weekly track workouts.

Athletes will also receive an SPG T shirt.

 

Competing Athletes: $120/month

Team race singlet and shorts are included in the membership.

(starts April 9th – Mondays and Wednesdays at 4:00-5:00pm)

In addition to the training described above, competing athletes will receive

an additional hour of instruction each week in their specific events. This

program also includes USATF membership.

(Meet fees, uniform, and warm up suits not included.)