Stretching is a topic that has been discussed in the strength and conditioning community for about as long as the industry has existed. However, with all the discussion there are still few actionable conclusions, less being made readily available to athletes. Stretching is defined as straightening or extending one's body or a part of their […]
Anyone who has ever stepped foot onto a field, court, or into a gym has had a lowly voice in the back of their head saying "Yeah, I should probably warm-up before I start today." And that's a good thing! Where it starts to get a little shaky, however, is what ensues next. What usually follows? Five […]
Every coach knows the struggle of figuring out how to get everything done in the limited amount of time they have with their players. The NCAA sets mandates the amount of off days a week, let alone the total hours a team can spend together in practice each week. High school athletes have class from […]
Last week we talked about how a good warm-up can increase performance and the risks associated with not warming up properly. If you missed it, click here to check it out. Remember: Essentially, a good warm-up should: prime an athlete's body for optimal performance and lower the risk of injury. On the other hand, a […]
In the previous weeks of the blog, we progressed from designing an effective warm-up in different team settings, to designing an entire practice plan for several team settings... So now it would only be right to design an entire week's practice plan. From over a dozen years in college baseball at the D1 & D2 […]
In the previous weeks, we discussed the importance of a good warm-up, and how it can positively affect performance. Click here to catch up if you missed the first article, on why a good warm-up is essential for performance. Last week we discussed the general good components of a warm-up, and the effects they should […]
Introduction This is the final section in the series "Force-Velocity Curve and its Applications". In this section, we will cover the last section of the force-velocity curve speed. Speed, much like strength is a single variable block, however rather than producing the most force possible athletes are measured how fast they can move their bodyweight. […]
Introduction This week we will be covering the speed-strength portion of the force-velocity curve. This is yet again another hybrid type section, as with the strength-speed section. Speed-strength is defined as moving light loads at a high rate of speed. While athletes are still moving weight, the emphasis is on speed, hence speed-strength. Loading in […]
Introduction This week we will be covering the power section on the force-velocity curve. Power is the next step down after strength- speed which we covered last week. The power section is where the product of force and velocity is maximized. The equation for power is force times velocity. The power section is where the […]
Introduction The next step on the force-velocity curve after maximum strength is strength-speed. Strength speed is a hybrid type area on the curve. Meaning that it blends the two variables that define the curve, force, and velocity. Strength- speed is the maximum amount of force an athlete can produce at a high rate of speed. […]
