I know most of you have used the agility ladder, also known as the speed ladder, quick foot ladder, and so on. I have used it for many years and over the past three to four years have virtually minimized the number of exercises used by 90 percent. There are basically three exercises I now use when using the ladder as a teaching tool.
There is often a debate in fitness on the best exercise for any given situation. As most people who really pay attention know, the best exercise is the one that is most needed. This is why we assess and address.
Now let’s shift to young kids going through the developmental process, kids that are 9 years old or less. I can think of a lot of exercises that are important for their development and of course, based on their needs, some exercises are better than others. But there is one exercise that can trump them all if used properly…Throwing!
Just think about teaching a child to throw. There are many fundamental movements that are key to athleticism and movement in general. Here is a quick list off the top of my head: Read the rest…
How many times have you heard me say, and I am sure you have said it a ton yourself, “Parents and athletes must be patient and allow development to happen.” While a youngster is developing we as trainers need to coach them up on proper techniques and not rush development. This is a creed among youth trainers.
Isn’t it funny how we often see trainers and coaches doing exercises way beyond the developmental stages or pure readiness stages of athletes. For example; I watch a coach a few years ago during the first day of track practice do bounding and jumping, on and off 18 to 24 inch boxes with young unprepared athletes. This is totally unsafe and unproductive. Read the rest…
Lee Taft with his father, number one mentor and great leader, Clint Taft
What does it mean to be a leader? I think this is very difficult for most people to grasp. I believe the reason is because they don’t like to listen and take advice. Most great leaders in history listened and took advice. They learned from others and applied what they learned to their cause. Many people do not even know how to listen or take advice.
Some of the best leaders I have been around are great at making everyone around them feel important. They do not take credit when they can give the credit to others. Great leaders understand the big picture. They understand working for the greater good. Great leaders make us feel comfortable being around them and confident they will protect us and….well, lead us. Read the rest…
Today’s blog is a little different. I simply want to share an example of how I would segment and progress an acceleration program.
The chart below outlines the different phases and gives some examples of exercises in that phase. As you can see I always start by teaching and developing the pattern, then I increase force production of that pattern to see how the athletes handles the additional load. Finally, I will add the reactive component.
