It's often been said that great athletes are made in the off-season. I believe that statement is true to a certain degree. However, if indeed, great athletes are made in the off-season then great players emerge during the season. Typically, during the off-season the objective of any program is to improve one's physical capabilities such as quickness, strength, power, speed, body composition to name a few. Quite frankly, it is imperative that an athlete strive to improve those aforementioned qualities with the goal of maintaining those improvements during the season.

For me, the easy part of being a strength and conditioning is planning, organizing, and coaching athletes during the off-season. During this period ,the athlete tends to be highly focused on getting better physically because they are not subject to the physical and mental demands of their competitive schedule. Once an athlete enters into their competitive schedule, the game/sport itself becomes the focal point of their preparation and the improvement of movement/strength qualities are less of a priority.

It is vital that all athletes continue to strive to enhance strength, mobility, fitness and other game related physical qualities during the season if one hopes to maximize performance and minimize injury during the course of a season. I always ask my athletes" When do you need to be at your strongest, fastest, or best condition; during the season or before the season". Naturally, they all answer during the season because the physical demands are at their highest and therefore require one to train during the season.

Remember, if you want to play at a high level all season, you must train during the season as well.

 We all are aware of things to do to prepare for competition such as; weightlifting, conditioning, flexibility and speed training to name a few. However, I would like to emphasis the importance of utilizing various recovery strategies to ensure that one has achieved physical readiness for the next game. You see, as a competitive athlete it is highly important to put together a recover game plan for post practice and competition. Achieving an appropriate balance between training and competitive stresses and recovery  is important in maximizing an athletes performance. A wide range of recovery modalities are now used as integral parts of the training process to help athletes maintain this balance.
 
Lack of appropriate recovery may result in an athlete being unable to train at an the required intensity or complete the required loads at the next practice session or game. Higher levels of fatigue may increase an athletes  risk of injury. To enhance the recovery process, here are a few techniques that an athlete  can utilize to aid in recovery.
1.      Compression Garments- UnderArmour makes  compression garment which is very effective wit helping the body recover from strenuous exercise.

2.      Massage-an excellent tool to fatigued muscles recover from a hard workout or game. Deep tissue works well within 24 hours after a contact sport.

3.      Active Recovery-It is highly recommended to perform light running immediately after a workout. It helps to cool the body down, remove lactate, and gets the regeneration process started.

4.      Cold Tub-It is comprised of 10-20 minute cold water immersion at about 51 degrees after a competition or hard work out. It helps reduce inflammation.

5.      Stretching- It is recommended to engage in light stretching after the cool down to re-lengthen muscles.

Throughout the last 20 years, I have trained thousands of athletes in over 20 different sports and it has been truly gratifying, to say the least. Although, I currently work with professional athletes and I must say, it is awesome to help our players' improve their physical performance, for the most part, they are pretty much finished projects upon arrival to the National Football league.

Nevertheless, it is truly rewarding to actively watch developing athletes strive to reach their full athletic potential. I formerly owned Lightning Fast Training Systems, a sports performance company, that had the privilege to have trained over 1000 Division 1 scholarship athletes in over 14 different sports. It was an incredible feeling to share in the excitement of our athletes realizing their athletic dreams to play sports on the collegiate level.

I have 3 athletic boys who are ages 16, 12, an 8 and they play a variety of sports. Since, 100% of my time is focused on training our team, I allocate my off -work time to helping develop my boys athletic talent. First and foremost, I am a Dad first and their coach second ,which means we strive to have fun while getting better in the area of speed, quickness and agility etc. The most important athletic skills which are a staple of all of our workouts includes, but are not limited to ; speed development, balance training, and coordination.

I introduced my oldest son, Amir, to fundamental movement skills when he was 8 years old. He used to jump in the speed training workouts with my 8-12 year old group at LF. He played soccer, football, track, baseball, and basketball and seemed to never get enough. I believe being a multi-sport-sport athlete early in his youth helped him broadened his athletic skill set for football and basketball, which are the sports he currently plays in High School.

This summer, Amir was offered a full scholarship to play football in 2011 by Stanford University and has committed to attend. I was incredibly excited for Amir to realize his dream. One statement that Amir made to me in the aftermath of his committment was" Dad, I guess all the stuff we did over the years really did work because the coach said he really liked my quickeness".  Thank God, he received validation that performance training actually works, otherwise, he would have looked back over the years and think...my Dad has us doing some really dumb stuff!!

I was recently watching a youth football game and noticed several areas that the coaching staff could improve upon to help their players maximize their performance and minimize the risk of injury. The very first thing I noticed, was the kids were not taken through a proper warm-up prior to the game. Basically, the players performed a few calisthenics and static type stretches and it was onto the game.  It is difficult or players to achieve a state of game readiness without engaging in a more comprehensive warm-up. A proper warm –up should include; an active warm-up, dynamic mobility, movement drills, and football specific drills.

Another area where improvements could be made is having the players remove their helmets while standing on the sideline. On the particular day I watched the game, the on field temperature was approximately  105 degrees and yet the players were instructed that they could not remove their helmets. Wow, I am not a Doctor but I can tell you that based on research removing one’s helmet helps the body cool itself off which in turn allows the player to safely perform at a higher level.  Have you ever noticed that NFL players remove their helmets while on the sideline?

Lastly, when the game was finished the kids walked across the field and shook hands with the other team, which is certainly the right thing to do. After they displayed good sportsmanship, the coach gathered his team together and proceed to talk to them for 20 mins. The coach missed out on a wonderful opportunity to have his players static stretch while he was talking to them to help restore the normal length of the muscle tissues after a massive athletic effort which helps the body to properly recover. In addition, the coach could have handed out some type of sports drink to help the kids replace their glycogen stores which helps refuel their bodies.

Train Smart!!

 Football season is right around the corner and I personally can't wait. Within the Carlisle house alone, my 49er season will get underway, my oldest son starts football next month, and my 2 youngest start Pop Warner practice on August 1st. Needless to say, there will be lots of football kicking off very shortly.
 
If you are a youth football player, I hope you are using your remaining time wisely by conditioning, getting faster, and working on improving your skills. We have often heard that great athletes are made in the off-season which couldn't be further from the truth. I encourage you to make sure that you are putting quality work in prior to your season starting.
 
Once you are participating in double days, make sure you stay hydrated and focused. Sure, practice is hard this time of year, however, you must remember that the goal of most coaches this time of year is to install the playbook, prepare the team physically, and build mental toughness. It is an opportunity to express your physical readiness in establishing yourself as a force to be reckoned with. Preparation breeds confidence and confidence success.
 
In order to perform optimally during the most intense time of year, make sure that you are getting at least 8-10 hours of sleep, staying hydrated before and after practice, and keeping the muscles limber to minimize muscle tightness an soreness. If you are extremely sore, you may want to fill your bath tub up with ice and soak in it for 8-10 minutes. Trust me, it will help your legs recover after and intense practice and have you ready to go for the next one.
 
While you're at it, check out the new Under Armour cleats, they are super light and my kids love them.
Don't count the practice sessions, make the practice sessions count!
 

High school athletics have become more and more competitive in recent years with individual athletes being stronger, faster, and quicker. Integrating a comprehensive agility and quickness program into a training regimen can help an athlete gain advantage over his/her competitors.

Quickness and agility are popular terms used interchangeably to describe an athlete's movement patterns. Frank Costello, strength and conditioning coach for the Washington Capitals, defines agility as the ability to change direction without the loss of speed, strength, balance, or body control. There are several key aspects to consider when developing an agility training program for any sport

1.  Mimic Sport Skills
The principle of specificity is based on the fact that an activity must be specific to an intended skill in order for maximum improvement, or transfer to occur. Therefore, when selecting various drills for an agility program, an athlete should make sure that the movement patterns precisely mimic the movement patterns necessary to execute his/her sport. For example, a basketball player's quickness and agility program would include drills which emphasize lateral movement, change of direction, and sudden starts and stops (with or without ball) because these movement patterns are specific to the sport of basketball. By implementing these drills, inevitably, a basketball player's skill acquisition is enhanced.
 
2.  Develop Specific Goals
Often, athletes aimlessly engage in agility drills with no specific purpose. It is important to set goals to more clearly define the drills; consequently, increasing the workout productivity. It is highly recommended that these goals be established prior to performing drills at full speed. When setting drills goals, an athlete should have a thorough understanding of the purpose of performing a particular agility drill, how to properly execute the drill, and what to specifically focus on when doing the new drill.
 
3.  Enhance Movement Efficiency
The ability to change direction quickly and move laterally or backwards with minimal loss of speed is contingent upon two factors: (1) an athlete's ability to send a message from brain to the body about how and when to react; and (2) how well an athlete can coordinate upper and lower extremities while maintaining balance and speed of movement. Incorporating agility drills that focus on coordination and reaction time will help in enhancing movement efficiency. The actual drills that an athlete would implement into their training regimen will depend on the sport in which he/she participates and guidance from his/her coach.
 

I have recently been working with Cheri Mah, a research assistant at Stanford University, who has worked extensively with Stanford University athletic teams in the area of how Sleep impacts performance on the playing field. She actually conducted a 10 week study with various athletes that demonstrated improved sleep patterns  showed a significant increase in performance in the following;  40 yard dash, agility, and reaction time.
 
I found her study to be fascinating!! To my understanding, there is no one in the world who has performed such a study. In fact, I was so intrigued by the results of her study she presented to me, I decided to participate in a Sleep program to improve my personal performance as a coach. Every week, I meet with Ms. Wah to go over my sleep log and to give her a special watch that I wear at bedtime. She downloads my daily sleep patterns into her computer and produces a report which details the exact amount of time I slept each night I wore the watch. Prior to going to bed each night, I record the time I actually go to bed and the time I wake up in the morning. Here is the cool part, according to my log, I thought I was sleeping between 6.5-7.5 hours. Well, once she produces the report on my exact sleep, it is between 5-5.5 hours. No wonder I hit a wall during mid-day!!
 
As I strive to improve my sleep patterns, I feel much better during the course of my day. In fact, I feel fantastic. Believe it or not, she recommends 9 hours of sleep daily to achieve optimum performance. Guess what, if you are not sleep deprived, you do not have to resort to artificial means of  producing energy such as coffee, red bull and the like. Sleep better to perform better!

It has often been said " Great athletes are made in the Off-Season". Well, if Performance Coaches are striving to make their respective athletes great during the Off-Season, what do they do to stay on top of their game? I can only speak for myself. At the conclusion of every season, I identify 1-2 Performance Training areas, that I would like to further my education in, for the sole purpose of helping my players maximize performance and reduce their risk of injury. This year my goal was to improve in the area of periodization( planning of Training Processes) and Flexibility Training.
 
Over the years ,I have visited several world-renown coaches to expand my knowledge in various disciplines ranging from Speed Development  to Strength/ Power Training. This year, I spent 3 days with Wynn Dmtrowski, an expert in the area of Periodization and Recovery and Regeneration methodology. We started my 3-day customized learning experience with about 6 hours on Scientific theories and training principles on planning training programs, which laid the foundation for the subsequent days. The 2nd and 3rd was about applying his methods to our training environment. For example, Wynn, had some very sound physiological concepts regarding how to identify if our athletes were under recovered after an intense workout.

He recommended several recovery strategies designed to help our players perform at an optimal level from day to day and week to week. It was awesome to have my Training Program critiqued by a third party. His valued input made me consider various training approaches and strategies which will ultimately benefit the athletes that I work with.
 
In my opinion, Flexibility Training is a vastly underrated training method in today's sports world. If you want to learn about Flexibility Training, I wanted to learn from an innovator and world class expert, which is why I went to visit Aaron Mattes in Sarasota Florida. I was blown away during the 4 days I visited him. Mr. Mattes worked with a wide range of clients including burn victims, individuals with chronic illnesses and pain, and high level athletes.

He taught me his Active Isolated Stretching and Strengthening Methods he successfully used on his clients to help them gain function and eliminate muscle weakness and tightness. I gained a whole new perspective on increasing flexibility. Furthermore, Aaron Mattes may have been one of the most kindest and genuine people I have ever met. He would arrive at his clinic at 4:30 every morning and depart at about 8pm never taking a break from treating a client throughout the time frame. His only goal was to help his clients get better.
 
Through my experiences, I would like to think that I got better this Off-Season. If I am not striving to get better as a coach and person, how in the world do I think I can help my athletes get better! Until next time.

There are many different approaches to structure a movement oriented workout session. Over the years, I have organized the various components of a movement session -(i.e. warm-up, mobility, cool down) in many different ways. In this blog, I am going to share my proven and effective Movement oriented template which will help you address key areas for the purpose of getting the most out of your training.
 
1. Active Warm-Up- An active warm-up is any type of continuous movement designed to increase core temperature, get blood flowing to the working muscles, and prepare the body for more intense activity. Typically, my active warm-up consists of 6-8 movements totaling 80-120 yards. 
 
2. AIS Active Isolated Stretching- Immediately following the Active Warm-Up, our goal is to increase muscle tissue length, oxygenate the blood through proper breathing while stretching, and thoroughly stretch the entire body. I typically incorporate 6-8 lower extremity stretches and 2-4 upper extremity stretches using Aaron Mattes 2 second hold count for each stretch.
 
3. Dynamic Mobility- Are exercises which enhance mobility. They are exercises which are dynamic in nature and encompass stretching movements while actively moving. They require great balance and body control which activate more motor units thus improving overall functional mobility and correct movement patterns.
 
4. Mechanics-Your mechanics drills should reflect the movement quality you are training for the day. For example, if you are training acceleration that day, your mechanics drills should be acceleration oriented.
 
5. Main Session- The main session is the workout itself. This is the main entree of your meal. One should never skip Steps 1-4 to take a shortcut to get to the main course. If you do, you could risk injury as a result of not warming up properly or under perform because of lack of a proper warm-up.
 
6. Cool Down- This step is equally as important as all the others. The goal here is to allow the body to return to a normal state through low intensity exercise and light stretching. Depending upon which energy system trained, the Cool Down can be vital to helping facilitate recovery for the next subsequent workout.
 
"You get what you train for"
 -Coach Carlisle

I had an opportunity to attend the Under Armour Senior Bowl and it was a great experience. The previous 3 years, I was part of the coaching staff and it was refreshing to be able to experience the Senior Bowl as a spectator. There were some very impressive players at the event. I always have found it interesting that every NFL team is in attendance evaluating the same pool of players. Some may like a certain player and there will be those that do not like the very same player, nevertheless, if a guy is a good player, he will find a home in the NFL.

Many of the player's left their respective Combine preparation facilities to show their stuff in the presence of over 500 NFL personnel including coaches, scouts, and front office personnel. Since the game, the player's have probably returned to their training centers to sharpen their starts for the 40 yard dash amongst other things. A great combine performance can significantly improve some players draft position resulting in securing a larger initial contract.

The bottom line is that regardless of how well someone does at the combine they must be able to play the game of football. Until next time...