This article was provided by Coaches Network

By Patrick McHenry

One of the most challenging aspects of training high school athletes is balancing the needs of an entire team with individual players. Utilizing the Four Step Method provides a solution.

The Four Step Method covers these critical areas: testing, evaluating, setting goals, and developing a program. Below is a closer look at each one.

1. Testing refers to assessing the athletic levels of your team members. It identifies the strengths and weaknesses of student-athletes individually and as a team, and enables the coach to design a strength and conditioning program that is specific to the needs of each student-athlete.

The three recommended tests are the Vertical Jump, Pro-Agility Run, and 10-Yard Dash. Other tests that can be included are the Long Jump, the Medicine Ball Throw, and the Three Cone Drill. (You can find more detailed instructions on these tests in this previous article.) Note that these tests are for “power” sports, not endurance sports. They also fit into a combine style set up so I can perform multiple tests in a time efficient manner.

Testing should be performed at several different times:

• Before developing a training program

• To assess progress at regular intervals throughout training

• As a way to have your athletes compete against each other in the off season, which helps keep them motivated.

The great thing about performance testing is that you can see how well your athlete is progressing without undo stress and potential injury. Ask any professional strength coach how often they require their athletes to perform one rep maxes and they will say the same thing: NEVER. If a professional athlete gets hurt maxing, the coach will lose their job. The risk is too great.

There is no reason to risk an injury at the high school level by performing a one rep max. Many of our athletes have a training age of one to five years, which suggests their lifting technique may not be as high quality as a college or pro athlete. What about doing multi-rep maxes? A multi repetition maximum may be safer, but it will not give the same performance measure as we can get from a vertical jump, pro agility run, and 10-yard dash.

2. Evaluation entails analyzing the test results of each student-athlete and the team as a whole. This is a vital step so you know specifically what weaknesses each individual needs to work on and what weaknesses the team has. It will then help you design the most effective program.

After testing I have each athlete graph their results and then chart them so they can compare their scores to athletes who are the same age and gender from all over the county. I use the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA.com) Performance Assessment package (free to members)

3. Goal Setting requires athletes and their coaches to identify a reasonable time or score to achieve within a certain time period. Setting performance goals allows coaches and student-athletes to have a focus point to strive for every time they come into a workout. This helps each athlete stay motivated to improve, not only individually but also for the team.

I like to talk to each athlete about goal-setting so they understand its importance. I explain how their lifting and work effort will help achieve their goals if they use the program correctly. Then each athlete has an opportunity to write up their own goals.

Goals should never be set too high or too low. They should be challenging, yet realistic, and allow for the student-athlete to see improvements each time they test. They should also be specific. “I want to improve my vertical jump” does not tell me much. “I want to improve my vertical jump by two inches before the end of the second term” would be a good goal.

A vital step in goal setting is to not only write down goals, but the steps for achieving them. For the athlete who wants to improve their vertical jump, steps might be: working on their cleans, focusing on their squat technique, and putting all their effort into plyometric days.

4. Program Design refers to the training regimen that the coach designs to help the student-athlete achieve his or her goals. Ultimately, effective training programs will result in an improvement in athletic performance.

The program should be designed (or modified) depending on the athlete’s goal. If an athlete is trying to improve their vertical jump, we will focus on cleans, jumps and squats, for example.

Before we start the lifting program, we make sure the athlete is using good technique. We check over the athlete’s knees to make sure they are positioned properly. We look at arm mechanics and assess if they are using their core fully and going through full range of motion. One area that is often overlooked is the deceleration (or eccentric) phase of a lift. We will go down slowly in the eccentric phase of the lift and then explode up in the concentric phase.

One note of caution is that eccentric loading will break the athlete down. So only do this in the off season. If an athlete wants to work on speed, we will use the same lifts and work on technique.

 

Patrick McHenry, CSCS*D, is the Director of Strength & Conditioning at Castle View (Colo.) High School. He has presented to sport coaches, strength coaches, and physical education teachers at state, national, and international conferences. He is the former Colorado state director for the NSCA, was the chairman for the NSCA High School Special Interest Group, and is currently on the NSCA Board of Directors and Coaching Performance Committee. 

There are tremendous benefits to be reaped from a properly administered plyometric training program. There are many factors to consider when designing and implementing a plyometric that will train your athletes to be more explosive. Understanding the science behind this type of training is paramount if you wish to maximize the benefits. Too often, coaches with good intentions, do more harm than good when using plyometric training. They might be using great exercises, but wrong sets/reps and inadequate rest. The end result is they do not get maximum benefits and the increase the risk of injury.

In the video clip below Daniel Dodd (C.S.C.S.) explains that the goals of his program are to apply the optimal amount of stress, sufficient amount of recovery time (between both exercises and sessions) and design that maximizes the training effect. He discusses several key mistakes that coaches make in the both the design and implementation of their plyometric training programs. He also talks about key factors to consider when designing a good program.

The clip is just a portion of Coach Dodd’s presentation at Glazier Athletic Performance Clinic. For information about gaining access to his Implementing Plyometrics into your Program presentation, as well as hundreds of other clinic presentations click the link Glazier Clinic Vault. If you are interested in attending a Glazier Clinic, you can click HERE to find near you.

Common Mistakes Made in Plyometric Training:

1. Lack of understanding of key scientific theories
2. Principles often overlooked at expense of added intentisty
3. Using plyometrics for conditioning. Lack of recovery reduces benefits and increases risk of injury
4. Emphasis on quality over quantity
5. Focus on force output instead of absorbing force. Over emphasis/inclusion of jumps onto boxes adn avoiding/excluding drops from boxes

Factors to Consider in Program Design

1. Need Analysis
2. Mode
3. intensity
4. Frequency
5. Duration
6. Recovery
7. Progression

Reminder that every session has a cost/benefit on the next session.

This article was provided by Training and Conditioning

By Patrick McHenry
Patrick McHenry, CSCS*D, is the Director of Strength & Conditioning at Castle View (Colo.) High School. He has presented to sport coaches, strength coaches, and physical education teachers at state, national, and international conferences. He is the former Colorado state director for the NSCA, was the chairman for the NSCA High School Special Interest Group, and is currently on the NSCA Board of Directors and Coaching Performance Committee.

When it comes to strength and conditioning, testing athletes is important. It allows a coach to determine where their student-athletes are now, what they need to work on, and where they should focus for improvement.

Testing is also the backbone of utilizing The Four Step Method, which enables a coach to build a successful strength program. These four steps include testing, evaluating, goal setting, and program design. (I will elaborate on the Four Step Method in a future article.)

I suggest using six exercises for performance testing, all of which are used in combine settings from college to professional and elite level, and none of which put your student-athletes in a potentially dangerous one repetition maxing situation. They include: Vertical Jump, Pro-Agility Run, 10 yard dash, Broad Jump, Medicine Ball Throw, and 3 Cone Drill.

These basic performance tests can be completed by any student-athlete, regardless of fitness level. When an athlete’s strength increases, their test scores improve. Research has shown a correlation between the vertical jump, sprinting, and clean (see references at end of article). When leg strength improves, the student-athlete will be able to lower their center of gravity, which helps their deceleration and improves their Pro-Agility Run time.

To get the most out of this method, videotape all the testing so you and the student-athlete can evaluate their performance. This can be done with a simple camera and the basic software that comes with most computers. For a more technologically advanced method, you can use Dartfish Software, which allows you to use slow motion, frame-by-frame analysis, or even side-by-side comparison.

An added advantage to video-taping is that video can be shown to parents if you meet with them. The parent will be able to see if their child is bending at the back or using their legs in the vertical jump. They can see if there is a difference in the deceleration phase of the Pro-Agility Run and watch their child’s form in the 10-yard sprint. As the student-athlete improves, previous videos can be compared with older ones, allowing the coach to show improvements in form and performance to the parent and the student-athlete.

Measure Height and Weight

Before I begin testing, I measure student-athletes’ height and body weight. Use the following procedures for accuracy.

Height: I like to measure height because it lets me know if an athlete is going through a growth spurt, in which can I can adjust their lifting program. The athletes are lined up in alphabetical order with their shoes off. An assistant should have a data record card to write down all information.

Equipment and Materials needed:

• Device to measure height or a flat wall against which the athlete stands.
• Measuring tape or marked area on wall.
• Device to place on the head of the athlete that forms a right angle with the wall.

Procedure:

• Athlete must have shoes off.
• Athlete must stand with heels, buttocks, back, and head against wall.
• Place device on athlete’s head so that a right angle is formed with the wall.
• Measure to the nearest half inch and record the height.

Bodyweight: An athlete’s weight is used to calculate power output. The athletes are lined up in alphabetical order with their shoes off. An assistant should have a data record card to write down all information.

Equipment and Materials needed:

• Scale

Procedure:

• Athlete must weigh in with only t-shirt, shorts, and socks (no shoes or sweats).
• Athlete should weigh prior to any activity to avoid fluctuations due to dehydration.
• Round the bodyweight to the nearest whole pound.

Gathering Results

Logging results can be made easier by having a good form. An easy form can be made with an Excel spreadsheet. Having the students’ names on the left column and the tests on the top allows for easy scoring. For a more formal worksheet, type “sports performance testing spreadsheets” into Ask.com. The NSCA offers a “Guide to Tests & Assessments,” which is another great resource.

Performance Tests

Now you are ready to begin the tests. Throughout all of the following the tests, line up the student-athletes in alphabetical order to keep things moving faster. Have your data record card available to write down all information. Below are detailed descriptions of how to conduct each assessment.

Performance Test # 1: Vertical Jump

Equipment and Materials needed:

• Device to measure vertical jump

Procedure:

• Athlete stands next to the unit.
• Make sure their feet and hips are next to the unit.
• Athlete reaches as high as possible with one hand. This will be the starting point to measure from.
• With feet flat, the athlete jumps, touching the highest point possible. No steps or shuffling the feet are allowed.
• Record the jump to the nearest half inch.
• Record the better of the two jumps.

Performance Test # 2: Pro-Agility Run

Equipment and Materials needed:

• Electronic agility timer or a stop watch
• Flat running surface on a wood, basketball-type floor
• Floor tape
• Measuring tape

Set up:

• Place one tape line down on the floor.
• Measure 5 yards from the line and put another tape line down.
• Measure 5 yards from the center line and put a tape line down.

(You can use the lines of a volleyball court instead of putting tape down.)

Procedure:

• The athlete stands in a two-point (athletic) stance, straddling the center line.
• The athlete always begins by running to the right first.
• The athlete runs 5 yards and touches the line with their right hand.
• The athlete turns and runs 10 yards and touches the line with their left hand.
• The athlete turns and runs 5 yards through the center line, for a total of 20 yards.

Performance Test # 3: 10-Yard Dash

Equipment and materials needed:

• Electronic agility timer or a stop watch
• Flat running surface on a wood, basketball-type floor
• Floor tape
• Measuring tape

Set up:

• You can use the lines of a volleyball court instead of putting tape down, or

• Use the tape that you put down for the Pro-Agility Run.

Procedure:

• Athlete places one hand on the starting line.
• The time begins when the athlete moves. (Look at the hand on the ground. When it moves, start the stop watch.)

• The athlete runs through the finish line.
• Alternate distances can be used. The 20-yard dash will measure powerful start and acceleration.

Performance Test # 4: Broad Jump

Equipment and Materials needed:

• Flat running surface on a wood, basketball-type floor
• Floor tape
• Measuring tape

Set up:

• You can use the lines of a volleyball court instead of putting tape down.

• It is best to tape down the measuring tape so that it does not move.

Procedure:

• Athlete stands behind the line.
• Two feet jump. When the athlete lands, they are not to move.

 Performance Test # 5: Medicine Ball Throw

Equipment and Materials needed:

• Flat running surface on a wood, basketball-type floor
• Floor tape
• Measuring tape
• 3-kg medicine ball for males, 2-kg medicine ball for females.

Set up:

• You will need a wall so the athletes can sit against it (or put their back against it, if you choose to do the standing medicine ball throw).

• The tape measure will be against the wall.

Procedure:

• Athlete will stand or sit down with their back against the wall.
• Holding the medicine ball with both hands, the athlete pushes the ball with both hands equally.

• The athlete maintains their back against the wall throughout the throw.

Performance Test # 6: 3 Cone Drill

Equipment and Materials needed:

• Electronic agility timer or a stop watch
• Flat running surface on a wood, basketball-type floor
• Floor tape
• Measuring tape

Set up:

• You can use the lines of a volleyball court instead of putting tape down, or

• Use the tape that you put down for the Pro Agility Run.

Procedure:

• Athlete places on hand on the starting line.
• The time begins when the athlete moves. (Look at the hand on the ground. When it moves, start the stop watch.)

• The athlete runs runs to the top line, touching it with their right hand, turns and runs back to the starting line. They touch the starting line with the right hand and turn again running back to cone 2. The athlete goes around the cone and then to the inside of cone 3, around it and back around cone 2 to the starting line. Below is a diagram:

With baseline data on each student-athlete’s current performance, you can then analyze the results, set goals, and design a program. I will detail these steps in a future article. The next time you test, you should see measurable results, for individual student-athletes and for your team as a whole.

 

 

References:

1. Br J Sports Med. 2016 Jul;50(14):865-72.  Epub 2015 Nov 30.

Olympic weightlifting training improves vertical jump height in sportspeople: a systematic review with meta-analysis.

Hackett D1, Davies T1, Soomro N1, Halaki M1.

2. J Strength Cond Res. 2010 Sep;24(9):2440-8.

Vertical jump biomechanics after plyometric, weight lifting, and combined (weight lifting + plyometric) training.

Arabatzi F1, Kellis E, Saèz-Saez De Villarreal E.

3. Sports Med. 2014 Dec;44(12):1693-702. doi: 10.1007/s40279-014-0227-1.

Increases in lower-body strength transfer positively to sprint performance: a systematic review with meta-analysis.

Seitz LB1, Reyes A, Tran TT, Saez de Villarreal E, Haff GG.

 

This article was provided by Training and Conditioning

Dr. Terry Favero

This article is the second part of the earlier post. Click here to see: Overtraining Part 1

Overtraining syndrome can derail athletes’ performance goals and put their physical and mental health in jeopardy. Fortunately, it’s easy to avoid when training programs focus on gradual adaptation and common-sense monitoring strategies.

The best-case scenario isn’t to catch overtraining syndrome in its early stages, but to avoid it in the first place. Most instances of overtraining result from poorly conceived programs that can be corrected with forethought and attention to recovery needs.Perhaps the most common mistake that leads to overtraining is a lack of preparation, or an imbalance between training and the demands of competition.

Specifically, if a preseason program does not gradually increase intensity and performance demands, athletes won’t develop a sound training base before the start of their competitive season. They may “play their way” into game shape by mid-season, but the physical and mental stresses of pursuing optimal performance from an inadequate foundation will take their toll over time, increasing the risk for overtraining and most likely creating disappointing results late in the season.

Distance runners provide a clear illustration of this problem. If a runner takes the summer off from serious training and plans to compete in cross country competitions in the fall, he won’t be successful if he suddenly begins running long distances with no step-by-step, periodized plan to gradually increase his workload as his body adapts to the stresses of running. Slow, moderate increases in training volume and intensity are required for safe, optimal performance improvement.

Monotony is another factor that can lead to overtraining. While athletes need regular training schedules to organize their time and allow for progress, a training routine with no variety will reduce motivation and sometimes lead to incomplete or imbalanced physical development.

The risk of monotony is greatest in individual endurance athletes, such as runners, who often rely almost exclusively on their primary sport for training. But even teams in sports like football and basketball can develop a monotonous weightroom routine or practice drill schedule if coaches aren’t careful.

For athletes who play more than one sport, poor communication can lead to overtraining. If two demanding sport coaches or strength coaches don’t know what the other is doing and athletes are eager to impress both, they may push themselves too hard. These athletes must be encouraged to take greater ownership of their training regimen and provide feedback to both sets of coaches when they feel overworked. Often, an athlete can follow a hybrid strength and conditioning program that meets the training needs of both sports without creating overstress.

Interpersonal relationships are another source of stress that can’t be overlooked. One elite soccer player I have worked with fell into a severe state of overtraining due to an unworkable relationship with national team coaches. The coaches demanded a certain style of play, and this athlete’s skills and attributes didn’t fit well within their system. Rather than embrace her unique gifts, they continued asking her to fit their mold.

This created a lot of stress for her, and she reacted by pushing herself harder and harder in an attempt to please the coaches. The combination of mental and physical stress led her to overtraining and poor recovery habits, and she ended up leaving the sport entirely for more than a year before her motivation to train and compete returned.

A PRACTICAL APPROACH
To prevent scenarios like those described above, athletic trainers and coaches should focus on three basic strategies:

Plan to train, not strain. Planned periodization helps balance overload training with recovery and allows athletes to move safely through seasonal progressions. It’s unacceptable to set training loads arbitrarily. I’ve heard of coaches prescribing training at or beyond athletes’ capacity, then reducing the workload to more manageable levels once chronic fatigue and soreness set in. While it is easier to devise overly demanding programs, a more conservative approach will lead to consistent performance gains and reduce athletes’ injury risk.

For most developing athletes and teams, a good guideline for periodization is the three-week rule. Following a three-week overload cycle, athletes get a training break by changing some aspect of their workout dynamics, such as reducing total training volume to allow for recovery or modifying the intensity, frequency, venue, or type of work.

After three weeks of hard training, most athletes need a physiological and mental break. This can be flexibly implemented across an entire week by cutting workload by 25 percent each day, or by taking two days off during the week. And it’s important to note that the three-week figure is just a guideline–depending on training experience, age, and sport, some athletes do better with longer or shorter intervals. Often, the best guides when setting interval lengths are athletes’ own feedback about their training and the progress they make in performance.

Coaches should include fun in their planning, such as competitive games and creative activities. Preventing overtraining means implementing changes and breaks in a program, even when they don’t seem necessary. Early-season breaks, before the athletes feel that time off is truly needed, will pay off later in the season.

Yearly planning must also account for non-training stressors, such as travel and academic demands. Lighter workouts and built-in time off around long road trips, mid-terms, and final exams can do wonders for athletes’ overall health and performance.

Monitor progress and problems. Coaches should be on the lookout for physical and psychological symptoms of overtraining at all stages of the training process. Seeing one individual sign might be just a temporary “rut” or anomaly, but a pattern of multiple symptoms is cause for concern.

Endurance sport athletes and their coaches often keep extensive records of training times, distances, and recovery, but this is far less common in team sports. Keeping logbooks that document dietary intake, morning body weight, sleep quantity and quality, resting heart rate, physical and emotional well-being, and workout quality can provide valuable information for assessing periods of difficult training, preventing overtraining, and catching problems in their early stages.

Formal performance testing adds stress and takes considerable effort to implement, so other alternatives can be explored as well. With my college soccer players, I don’t conduct structured tests such as two-mile runs or fitness tests to exhaustion. Instead, I employ a variety of “signature” workouts throughout the season and monitor heart rate recovery following certain activities and stages to assess training response and fatigue.

For example, one of my signature workouts consists of three sets of four 300-meter runs. The athletes run at 75 to 80 percent of max effort with 30 seconds of active rest between each run. I measure heart rates after each set, and expect them to be at around 180 bpm. A two to three minute jog typically lowers the heart rate to around 135 bpm, which is the level of recovery necessary to begin the next set. If an athlete’s heart rate isn’t close to the target of 180 bpm following activity or 135 bpm after active rest, I adjust her work rate or recovery time between sets. As the season progresses, I expect everyone’s recovery time to decrease.

I also regularly assess the athletes’ perception of their workouts. I ask them to rate the difficulty using a one-to-10 scale, with one being “extremely easy” and 10 being “at my limit.” When individual and team workouts don’t match my expectations, I meet with the athletes and sport coaches to deconstruct the results and talk about possible explanations, including training fatigue, travel, school influences, team chemistry, and other factors. These discussions help the athletes connect performance with training quality and non-athletic stressors, and give them a greater sense of control over their training.

Communicate effectively. The best coaches I know are not only experts at planning training sessions, they’re also great at sharing their knowledge and listening to feedback. They embrace the power of their position and use it to frame positive, constructive messages. Inexperienced coaches may try to coax greater efforts from their athletes without asking for input on how the athletes are feeling or explaining a justification for everything they do. This often leads to chronic fatigue and overtraining in the long run.

Effective coaches get to know their athletes on a physical, emotional, social, and sometimes even spiritual level. This facilitates one-on-one communication and builds trust. If one of these coaches is concerned about an athlete’s training level, they’re comfortable asking the athlete about it directly. And the athlete, likewise, knows they can be honest about how they feel and how they’re handling the training and other demands in their life.

The more a coach is tuned in to athletes’ feedback, the easier it is to tailor a training program that gets results and protects well-being. Great coaches are also able to interpret non-verbal messages from athletes who may have trouble articulating the way they feel. This skill only comes through familiarity and experience.

Overtraining syndrome is easy to prevent when coaches use sound training principles to plan daily, weekly, and seasonal workouts, and when they’re not afraid to adjust those workouts in response to new information. Paying attention to athletes’ physical and psychological status and focusing on moderate, gradual training goals allows you to distinguish between an ordinary, healthy adaptive response and the potentially devastating effects of overtraining.