| 1. Static stretching prepares you to compete/practice | | | | if a workout doesn't reduce them to complete |
| Static stretching actually reduces power output. | | | | exhaustion and/or make them vomit, that it wasn't an |
| Athletes should prepare for practice by doing a | | | | effective workout. I can tell you that those who have |
| dynamic warm up that moves from basic, low intensity | | | | this mentality probably see a lot of injuries and |
| movements to faster, more explosive movements as | | | | frustrating performances. The purpose of a workout is |
| the muscles loosen up. You want to simulate | | | | to stimulate an adaptation by the body. If the body is |
| movements that athletes will go through in practice or | | | | forced to do too much work in a given time period, it |
| a game. What happens when you try and stretch a | | | | will break down. The skill in coaching is to stimulate the |
| cold rubber band? In a way, you can think about your | | | | adaptation in the body, without reaching a point of |
| muscles the same way. | | | | diminishing returns. |
| 2. Strength training makes females too bulky | | | | 8. Interval training is the same as speed training |
| This is a popular mindset with many female athletes | | | | Running repeat 100s, 200s, etc will not improve top |
| that we have worked with. Simply look at some elite | | | | speeds. Even running repeat 40s with short recovery |
| female athletes like Mia Hamm, Lisa Leslie, etc. These | | | | will not improve acceleration and top speeds. Speed |
| athletes certainly train with weights and no one would | | | | work is defined at 2-8 seconds of maximal intensity |
| accuse them of having manly physiques. Strength | | | | running with full recovery. That means at least 2 |
| training will improve performance and reduce injury if | | | | minutes of light dynamic movement between each |
| done correctly. | | | | effort. This goes against the experience of some |
| 3. You can't train speed | | | | coaches, but simply put, is the only way to improve |
| For some reason it is a popular belief that you are | | | | speed. An athlete must be able to focus on proper |
| born with a certain amount of 'speed' and you can't | | | | form and maintain intensity in order to get faster. If |
| improve it. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Most | | | | they do not recover properly from each interval, they |
| young athletes are so physically weak and | | | | will not be able to replicate proper mechanics with |
| mechanically out of tune that significant improvements | | | | consistency and they can not improve. |
| in speed can be made often just by working on | | | | 9. Flexibility won't help you get faster |
| technique and form. Athletes at any age and any level | | | | Both coaches and athletes spend so much time on the |
| can improve speed when implementing a complete | | | | skills of their sport, speed training and conditioning that |
| speed training program designed to improve and | | | | they often forget a fundamental component of |
| develop the entire athlete. | | | | success: flexibility. After practice or a game, the |
| 4. Training slow makes you fast | | | | muscles are warm and loose. Now is the time to work |
| I don't think coaches directly think this way, but their | | | | on increasing flexibility. So many athletes suffer injuries |
| training implies otherwise. This is especially true in | | | | or compete below their capacity because poor |
| sports that involve a higher aerobic element such as | | | | flexibility inhibits their range of motion and speed. We |
| soccer, field hockey, lacrosse, etc. I see kids out | | | | see this often in the hips and hip flexors where |
| running mileage and doing long slow intervals of | | | | athletes' stride length appears conspicuously short. |
| several minutes of continuous running. And this will get | | | | Most often we see this in male athletes who will lift |
| them in shape. But in games I see kids jogging, jogging | | | | weights, train hard and then skip out on their cool down |
| and then sprinting at full speed for 20-30 yards, run, jog, | | | | and flexibility work. |
| sprint for 20-30 yards. If you want kids to improve their | | | | 10. Lift your knees |
| acceleration and top speed so they can get to the ball | | | | I hear so many parents and coaches yelling to their |
| faster or get back on defense, then you have to train | | | | kids when they want them to run faster or when they |
| by running at full speed in practice. | | | | are beginning to fatigue, "Lift your knees, Get your |
| 5. You can train hard every day | | | | knees up". This is one of the most backwards cues |
| The workout itself is only a piece of the training puzzle. | | | | we can give to athletes. The way to run faster is to |
| It is the time between intense workouts, the recovery, | | | | apply more force to the ground. Every action has an |
| where athletes make their improvements. And | | | | equal and opposite reaction, so the more force you |
| generally it takes 36-48 hours to recover from high | | | | apply to the ground, the more the ground will give back. |
| intensity training. If athletes are doing too much, too | | | | So when we cue athletes to lift their knees we're |
| often they become over trained. Coaches can expect | | | | doing two things incorrectly. One, we're telling them to |
| to see an increase in injuries, kids complaining that they | | | | use their hip flexors to lift instead of their glutes and |
| are sore more often, decreased performance, higher | | | | hamstrings to drive down. Just think about the size of |
| levels of fatigue earlier in games. It's always better to | | | | your hip flexor versus the size of the glutes and |
| under train an athlete than over train. Err on the side of | | | | hamstrings. Now which muscles do you think can |
| caution to get maximal results. | | | | create more force and therefore more speed? |
| 6. Strength training will stunt a young athlete's growth | | | | Second, we're cueing them to do learn a movement |
| This is another myth held over from a different time. | | | | that is in opposition to what generates speed. If an |
| On a daily basis, kids as young as 7 years old are | | | | athlete learns at age 7, to lift their knees when they |
| playing organized sports year round, tackling, getting | | | | need a burst of speed, that improper cue will be |
| tackled, sliding, falling etc.. These loads on the body can | | | | hardwired into their brain. To unlearn that as a teen |
| have a much greater physical impact than a well | | | | and try to do the opposite and drive down, that athlete |
| designed strength training program. Though we don't | | | | will have a difficult time coordinating an entirely new |
| usually begin training with weights with pre pubescent | | | | way of running and will potentially have to take a step |
| athletes, they can benefit from body weight exercises | | | | or two backwards. That's why it is critical to learn |
| such as push ups, lunges, sit ups, etc. This will increase | | | | proper form early and get an advantage over those |
| muscular efficiency, speed up recovery, improve | | | | who still aren't getting the best instruction. So cue |
| coordination and overall speed. | | | | athletes to step over the opposite knee and drive the |
| 7. The harder the workout, the better the result | | | | foot down into the ground, with the foot landing |
| Some athletes (and coaches) have this mentality that | | | | underneath the hip. |