Most hoopers will benefit from increasing max force:
- Safe & progressive loading > Exercise Selection
- A light, full range, perfect form squat looks pretty but is not changing much
- Find a Head Coach that truly values athletic development- if they don’t, persuade them to!
Foot & Calf Overcoming Isometrics:
- start w/ 5s holds & progress to 3s
- start slow/controlled, progress to hit ground hard/high RFD
- we never go long without this in the program…no other exercise comes close to the forces created
- IMO these are as valuable as a squat & hinge
For a full-time S&C coach 4-5 hours coaching a day seems to be the sweet spot. If it consistently goes over, coaching quality drops. You end up with burnt out, resentful coaches that lose their passion for coaching
…”too much of a good thing”
Typical individual shooting session:
- 30-45mins
- 200-350 shots
- ave. HR 127bpm (63% of estimated max HR)
- our athletes do this 2-4 times a week depending on time of year
…this is why we don’t waste time with extra aerobic/steady state training with our basketball athletes
We’ve played around with DB, KB and bands but logistically chains seem to pair best for AEL jumps
- they don’t bounce around like dropped DB
- try to bunch chains up at top so resistance doesn’t become too accommodated at bottom
- ensure loading is fast & aggressive!
Not sure what to call this exercise without turning it into a novel
- Not breaking any records w/ weight but great speed & intent from my guys
- Love how throwing the DB up allows for the hip to accelerate for longer
- Admittedly it looks dumb but feels great. Try it out!
Due to it’s low pivot point, Landmine exercises are one of the few lifts where resistance decreases at the top of the movement. Adding accommodating resistance to counteract this can be a great tool for ballistic movements
Question for S&C coaches: Exercises you dread demonstrating not warmed-up?
…as an aging coach (feels like exponentially aging) my 3 are:
1. Nordic
2. Drop jump
3. Nordic (again for those athletes that were clearly not listening the first time)
Some clips from last weeks
@UCSB_Volleyball
lifting. Started working w/ the team last Summer. If you don’t enjoy working w/ volleyball as a Performance Coach, you should find a new profession
A guaranteed viral S&C tweet:
- “best supplement on the market is sleep”
- “why are salaries not advertised on job posts?”
- “kids should lift and it doesn’t stunt their growth”
- absolutely destroying every single one of Joel Seedman’s posts (I absolutely support this!)
College Basketball Season starts soon. Feeling pretty good about your off-season:
- beach/sand workout ✅
- weekly yoga ✅
- morning 5 mile runs ✅
- lunges holding a basketball ✅
…then you run into this guy
@amadou_sow23
RDL & Pistol squat pair so well together as a superset.Neither interfere w/ output despite both being lower body strength exercises:
- Hip Dom vs. Knee Dom
- Bilateral vs. Unilateral
- Spinal Loaded vs. Minimal spinal loading
- side note: I don’t believe RDLs need to go crazy low
NM Coordination & Proprioception:
- alongside quality strength training we include this year round w/
@UCSB_WBB
- lots of variation in exercises to mimic high landing variability in sport
- aim to land in knee flexion to potentially increase hamstring pre-activity before contact
In July, Michael McGreavy was drafted 18th overall in the MLB draft with a very large signing bonus
In Sept, he came back to UCSB to finish his degree- including a sports performance internship
No ego, no arrogance and never too big time for any task
…be like Mike
Believe it or not, S&C is not as simple as:
- “squat, hinge, push, pull and you’ll be fine”
…if you are not constantly questioning your own methods & refining your craft, are you really giving your athletes a competitive advantage?
Frontal Plane Augmented Eccentric Loading (AEL) w/
@UCSB_Baseball
- tough to get similar results compared to vertical AEL due to smaller loading phase
- use heavier MB to have any affect (18-30lbs)
- looks hard to synchronize but somehow athletes just seem to figure it out
As a staff, much of our learning & growth comes from simply bouncing ideas off each other on the weight room floor
Today’s example: AEL squatting when no weight-releasers are available
Most common mistake w/ ankle stiffness drills like pogos & low hurdle hops?
❌ excessive knee flexion and not having any hip displacement (1st clip)
✅ keep feet under the body, project the hips vertically (2nd clip)
Last 8hr week before transitioning into NCAA regulated 20hr block. Relatively high volume of plyos & running to ensure body is ready for the rigors of increased court work
…more often than not “common sense training” is the best form of load management
Clips from our 6 week ECC focused training study w/ UCSB Sport Performance Staff. We looked at 6 assessments pre & post…also assessed twice pre,and twice post to reduce error.
Nice gains all round. Also, we all PR’ed on TBDL- a CON only movement that we hadn’t done for 12 weeks
If you are blessed to be strong enough to come back up from a Nordic (I am not) then it is not a max eccentric muscle contraction
…add load so ECC force is greater than max CON capabilities
Pretty sure I stole this from
@leetaft
- aim to keep arms long and hands in line with your sternum throughout…not easy!
- great way to challenge the trunk while moving in the frontal plane
- plenty of torque on the trunk…in this case pairs nicely w/
@ucsbtfxc
discuss/hammer
Strong & Stable Overhead:
- Vertical pressing won’t fix everything
- Perturbations will help trunk, scap & shoulder work together
- Varied kneeling positions & ball sizes will challenge trunk & shoulder in different ways
- Eyes closed w/ ball hits add an element of the “unknown”
Exercise pairing has 3 different outcomes on force:
- Potentiate (⬆️force)
e.g. Hang Clean & Drop Jump
- Neutral (↔️force)
e.g. Pistol Squat & Chin-up
- Fatigue (⬇️force)
e.g. SL RDL & SL Hamstring Bridge
…some used more often than others but all dependent on athlete needs
Been playing around w/ these recently:
- rotational movements are often initiated from the ground up
- combining cable & plate allows for transverse AND sagital plane to be resisted, thus increasing inside leg ground reaction force
*can’t think of a fancy name for this exercise
Ballistic Rotation:
9yrs of applying this to basketball-I’m still not convinced on what I’m doing.
However we typically adhere to:
- Initiate w/ countermovement into GRF (think “force transfer” from floor to hand)
- Not too technically demanding so focus can be on output & intent
Many squat variations lead to Rome
- exercise selection should be multifactorial. Time of year, training age, anthropometrics, injury status, coaching contact time etc.
…avoid being faithfully married to one exercise or training method
Common Mistake w/ Unilateral Loading:
If one of the goals of the exercise is to challenge the torso in the frontal plane, the opposite arm needs to be kept adducted/close to body
If arm is abducted, weight will be counterbalanced- thus defeating the purpose of the uneven load
The Soleus can produce incredibly high peak forces. Appropriate load and stress is needed to adapt
…50lbs dumbbells ain’t cutting it
Below: 120lbs dumbbell+partner resistance (arguably still too easy!)
Development year:
- can be frustrating for athlete- keep them motivated w/ physical targets
- work on mastering more technical lifts
- w/ no/low game time, take advantage of ⬆️ plyos
…as a coach if this opportunity for growth doesn’t excite you, then you’re in the wrong field
3rd time doing hang snatches- great progress but still lots to work on:
- too often in the past I avoided programming snatches due to the risk around the shoulder
- reality is that if load is light & fast then the athlete will catch the bar in a high & safe shoulder position
Is having a GOATA guy critique your work the equivalent of a blue check in the S&C world? Honestly I’m a little disappointed it has taken this long but I’m happy to say I have finally made it as a Coach
Notice: the same landing pattern used in the lifting reps is used in the dynamic reps…
Because we love how we train to move…
Sad thing: the lifting pattern is the same as the injury pattern 😒 (see the film)
Lifting needs to end; There’s a better way to resistance train
- I don’t love back squats for many of our athletes
- I don’t love athletes squatting without shoes
…
@UCSB_Baseball
freshman 180kg squat at 0.6m/s
As coaches sometimes we have to leave our bias & ego at the door and listen to what the athlete likes & suits them (within reason)
Clips from last week:
- real training, executed w/ precision & intent
- nothing in the program is a “filler”…everything prescribed has purpose & justification
@UCSBbasketball
@UCSBathletics
Soreness primarily comes from unaccustomed stress
Large ⬆️ in int., vol. & ECC contractions will likely exacerbate muscle soreness. However the most significant increase in muscle soreness comes from unaccustomed exercise
Be extra cautious when making program changes in season
Some ballistic medball work w/ our
@UCSB_Baseball
pitchers. Simple radar guns with big display- not truly reliable enough for tracking genuine progress but great for driving competition
EIS S&C Coach pay change over a 13 year period:
- 1st picture is job posting from 2009
- 2nd & 3rd from 2022
- all the same level jobs & similar roles
- £2294 increase over 13 year period
- about 0.7% per year (way less than inflation)
…really sad to see for our industry
Power Emphasis session with
@UCSB_Baseball
- Time of year and athlete strength levels are critical in knowing when to prescribe these and move away from our typical vertical integration method where most physical qualities are trained within a single session
1/2
Weighted Push-ups:
- we use a range of different upper pushing exercises w/ our hoopers but really don’t chase numbers
- bench press will get your upper body stronger but weighted push-ups have the huge benefit of also training the trunk
Common Mistake:
Pulling yourself up on a band assisted jump AFTER you have left the ground is only going to increase landing forces and not change propulsive outputs of the jump
❌ First two jumps
✅ Last two jumps
Simple experiment we conducted:
- basketball athletes resisted sprint race
- no cueing/coaching given
- all 3 athletes initiated w/ front foot lift (false step)
…are we wasting too much time teaching “proper” 2-point or 3-point start mechanics for most sports??
For those not sick of Clean tweets yet…
We place
@UCSBbasketball
&
@UCSB_WBB
into 3 categories:
A) Cleaned before = continue to catch the bar
B) Never Cleaned = teach pulls from hang & blocks
C) Anthropometrics not suited to barbell = use TB pulls
An often neglected aspect of Hamstring training is that of work capacity and the ability to cope with fatigue.Some longitudinal research suggests that strains occur later in competition.Amongst others,both strength & work capacity based exercises should be included in the program
Micro-dosing & BFR can be well suited in-season (esp. busy NBA,MLB & NHL schedule):
- minimal warm-up time needed for effective stimulus
- short rest period,so total lift time reduced
- low intensity so weekly frequency can be high
- low intensity so minimal DOMS (if accustomed)
It's been an amazing 5 year journey with
@P3sportscience
. Now looking forward to joining this awesome organization and performance team. Orlando here I come!
Chains vs Bands:
- Both forms of Accommodating Resistance but w/ subtle differences…namely the linear vs exponential change in resistance
- Logistically we often go w/ chains as easier to quantify & keeps bar load balanced (often too much variability between bands resistance)
All points on the F-V curve have been hit over the last few weeks. Recently there has however been a focus on Fmax
Side note: absolute blessing for the team when your starting PG (and conference MVP) is also 100% committed to athletic development
…not as common as you’d hope
Orlando it’s been a fun ride but it’s time to take the family back to the West Coast. Can’t wait to get started at
@UCSBgauchos
....still a few miles to go in the U-Haul!
Future Sports Science Research I’d like to see:
- Dose response of power training (loaded jumps etc.) on power output. Minimum effective dose?
- Hatfield Squat vs Back Squat training study
- Reactive agility training and ACL risk
- More research on high load/intensity BFR
There’s a lot of negativity around the S&C industry with pay & hours- rightly so in many cases. That being said I have loved every second and grateful for what it’s done for my family & I.
Pro, Private & Collegiate have all posed challenges but I wouldn’t change it for anything
Joel Seedman has 405k followers on IG
- one of his ebooks costs $300 (FYI he has 12 ebooks. “Monster Mass” is quite the stimulating read I hear)
- if only 0.1% of his followers buy only 1 ebook he makes $121,500
…jokes on us!
After the obvious BB,DB & KB a cable pulley is arguably the next addition to a facility.If you’re lucky to have it in your budget
@KeiserFitness
are a must:
- pneumatic ensures resistance throughout movement
- power meter drives intent
- can make 0.1lbs adjustments to resistance
100kg SL RDL. This only becomes a "strength" exercise when you have mastered form. 1x20kg kettlebell is no more than a "stability" exercise that teaches the hinge.
I was taught that sport science was made up of 3 main disciplines- Physiology, Biomechanics & Psychology.
S&C encompasses all 3.
In an applied setting shouldn’t S&C and Sport Science be indistinguishable?
Coaching and “Sales”:
- early in my career I was adamant to never be a “salesman” and claim to be authentic as a coach
…the reality is, having the ability to “sell” concepts & ideas to athletes and decision makers is one of the most important traits a coach can possess
Pitchers crushing their Fall lifts. Mid/late off-season is a big window for us to individualize based on force diagnostics. Simple manipulation to ROM, Velocity targets, vol. and ECC force for targeted outcomes
…individualization is necessary but doesn’t need to be complicated
For those coaches that claim to never have had an athlete strain a hamstring. One or more of the following apply to you:
- you have not coached long enough or enough athletes
- your athletes are too slow
- you don’t work w/ field sports (⚽️ 🏈 ⚾️ etc.)
- you are a big fat liar
Overcoming ISO Pallof:
- superior to traditional Pallof where selected load or band tension is rarely high enough
- great w/ Basketball bigs,where posting up gives more time to get close to peak force
- like all overcoming ISOs,intent is a must
- 3s holds pair nicely w/ MB throws
Great to see more S&C postings w/ salary ranges
…on a separate note, $125-150k might seem great but in reality it is woefully low considering the Giants player payroll of >$100m & San Fran extortionate cost of living
sad to see S&C/Performance still not being fully appreciated
ECC>CON Hatfield Squat:
- Hand assisted on CON only
- IMO best way to get a true ECC contraction in a trained population
- “controlled” not slow on the ECC, intent on CON
- general load guidelines: 20% more than safety bar squat, 20% less than Hatfield Squat
Since 2009 the Hip Thrust has been:
- inflating egos
- taking forever to get in and out of exercise
- grossly extending weight room tidy up time
...but I still love it as an auxiliary exercise
Men’s Basketball Training Camp Lift:
- much like rest of the year, most points of the F-V curve are hit, however done with minimal vol. & int. from ground contacts
- not necessarily a time to shy away from high force movements- just need to be smart about how you apply them
Priming Session w/
@UCSB_Baseball
- can be done anywhere between 6 & 36hrs before competition
- low vol. & short duration (here to stimulate not annihilate)
- immediate feedback a must (in this case LPT & Radar gun)
- leaderboards for competition➡️drives intent
- 🔊 LOUD 🔊
Mid-stage ankle injury:
4x20s On, 30s Off
Equates to about 25reps each leg- perfect pairing w/ BFR rep range & intensity
- Conditioning stimulus
- Hypertrophy stimulus
- Impact free, so suitable for ankle inversion sprain
After 15 years of coaching, today was without a doubt the most bitter sweet and emotional rollercoaster day of my career.
So happy and proud of
@UCSBbasketball
My heart goes out to all of my
@UCSB_WBB
athletes for coming so close to a Championship
Our recent Sports Performance Coach position had some interesting stats:
- 129 applicants
- 112 had Masters and CSCS
- Only 4 females
- 70 had 3 or more previous internships
- 4 addressed cover letter to my predecessor
- 4 addressed to a different college
2013-2018 I worked 6 NBA pre-draft training groups at
@P3sportscience
& 5 NBA Combines in Chicago.Over & over again Kansas & Virginia athletes were beasts in our assessments. It’s no coincidence that
@A_Hudy
& Mike Curtis were/are their S&C coaches…continued success leaves clues
I am not intelligent enough to converse w/ incredibly dumb & narrow minded people.Takes a level of patience that I clearly don’t possess. You’ve had your 15mins of fame- now it’s block time. Btw anyone who refers to the Medial Malleolus as a “inside ankle bone” needs to read more
This would be the injury prone counterpart to the Drop In
Heel pressure and inside edge collapse; all coding for injury prone behavior.
S/o to
@lukerstorey
for the teaching tape throughout btw.
The more time we spend IABL, the higher our chance of injury.
13/15
Few days left to apply for our Sports Performance Coach role:
- 15-20hrs coaching per week. Rest of your time will be devoted to evolving the program & pushing it forward
- No 6:00am lifts
- We are looking to develop & retain our coaches,not burn them out!
For an aging coach, there is nothing more demoralizing than demonstrating a Single Leg CMJ to a group of real athletes
…“do it like this, but much, much higher”
If the barbell is close to 0m/s velocity at the point of the catch then bracing forces just aren’t going to be that high compared to us trying to decelerate a moving and accelerating object- like a TB Drop+Stick
Bracing Forces on Catch:
90kg Hang Power Clean= 2137N
90kg TB Drop+Stick= 2535N (17% higher than HPC)
There are some benefits to catching a clean but “bracing force” is probably not one of them.
In my 15 year career in S&C I have had 6 different jobs. Only two of those roles I obtained from the traditional application & interview process
…this has, and will always be a relationship & communication driven industry
Soleus iso push is a nice alternative to seated calf raises with dumbbells.
DB’s can be awkward to set up and aren’t heavy enough to get a great stimulus.
We’ve started with 10s pushes and will progress to 3-5s ballistic pushes
The most athletic & physically dominant teams I have ever been involved with haven’t had a huge amount to do w/ my knowledge of S&C but more so how invested & bought in to development the Head Coach was/is
Both important, but:
Persuasion Skills > “Book Smarts”
A hugely influential book for our industry….that being said I made the terrible decision of reading this at the very start of my career- so much more I should have learnt first