Why Every Kid Should Play Multiple Sports

If you’ve been paying attention to youth sports over the last few decades, you’ve probably noticed a similar trend. Winter rolls around, and Little Johnny, age 11, signs up for peewee hockey. He recently hit a growth spurt and is a solid six inches taller than most of his friends.

Thanks to his size, Johnny dominates in his first season. The coach tells Johnny’s parents he has a bright future ahead of him on the ice. He urges them to forego the spring season of baseball (and basketball in the fall) to concentrate on skating.

Over the next few years, Johnny continues to shine. His parents thrust him onto the ice more and more until he’s playing competitively year-round. At age 15, Johnny starts complaining of hip pain. His doctor recommends physical therapy and time off from hockey.

When Johnny returns to the ice a few months later, his peers all seem to have caught up to him in stature. He can no longer use his size to dominate opponents. Johnny has his worst season to date and loses some of his love for the game.

To regain his previous form, Johnny signs up for extra power skating clinics on top of his regular competitive seasons. Lo and behold, due to these added rigors Johnny’s hip flares again.

For the next three years, the pattern repeats over and over again until Johnny is finally forced to undergo career-ending surgery at the age of 18.

What went wrong? Johnny had so much promise as a youngster. Or did he?

An Unlikely Hero’s Story and the Myth of Early Specialization

On Sunday Philadelphia Eagles placekicker Jake Elliot suffered a concussion in the second quarter of a rivalry game against the Dallas Cowboys. For many NFL teams, this injury would have been tantamount to defeat.

The kicker is not only responsible for putting points on the scoreboard via point after touchdown attempts and field goals, but he (or she!) also helps to establish field position as the opposing team's offense begins their drives.

In carrying out these duties, kickers rarely get injured. As a result, teams don’t typically dress a backup on game day.

When your only kicker does go down with an injury, though, a team is forced to attempt to convert on more fourth downs and go for two-point conversions after every touchdown. Perhaps worse still, they risk surrendering great field position to the opponent on offense.

Fortunately for the Eagles, an unlikely hero stepped up.

5 Basic Movements Every Young Athlete Needs to Learn Before Lifting Heavy Weight [STACK]

To this day, there's still a huge misconception that kids shouldn't lift weights. I've written about this before HERE, so I'm not going to dwell on the particulars, but the point is this:

Strength training is perfectly safe for youngsters. It just has to be carried out intelligently.

First and foremost is the idea of teaching movement competency before movement capacity. That is, the athlete must be able to perform basic human movements with proper form before attempting to add a bunch of weight and reps to them.

So what are the most fundamental human movements that young athletes need to master?

You can see a preview of them in the collage above, and you can read way more about them in my new article on STACK.com -- 5 Basic Movements Every Young Athlete Needs to Learn Before Lifting Heavy Weight.

Just click the link below:

http://www.stack.com/a/5-basic-movements-every-young-athlete-needs-to-learn-before-lifting-heavy-weight

RobertsonTrainingSystems.com: Putting the C in S&C

Let's say you're training a pro American football lineman who needs to develop an aerobic base. At upwards of 300 pounds, running for hours on end would be ill-advised due to the principle of specificity, the risk of injury, and the effects of interference.

In order to develop the lineman’s aerobic energy system safely, effectively, and in accordance with the types of movements required in football, you're going to have to get a little creative.

In our new article for Robertson Training Systems, my coauthor, Marc Lewis, and I tackle this issue and so much more.

Read Putting the C in S&C: An Energy Systems-based Approach here:

http://robertsontrainingsystems.com/blog/putting-the-c-in-sc-an-energy-systems-based-approach/

EricCressey.com: “If Only:” 7 Lessons from a Record-Setting Paralympic Medalist

Sure, all newbie lifters make mistakes. But just maybe, with the proper information, many of these mistakes could be avoided. At least, that was my goal for this guest post I did for world-renowned strength coach (and all-around cool guy!) Eric Cressey.

Read about the seven biggest mistakes I made in the weight room during my Paralympic swimming career here:

http://www.ericcressey.com/if-only-7-lessons-paralympic-medalist

...But don't take my word for it! This post was also featured in the Personal Trainer Development Center's Top Fitness Articles of the Week (August 31, 2014, edition):

http://www.theptdc.com/2014/08/top-fitness-articles-week-august-31-2014/

Cressey Performance: Performance Enhancement Done Right

This past weekend, I had the opportunity to stop off in Hudson, Massachusetts, for an afternoon on my way to Boston. What’s in Hudson, you ask? Not a whole heck of a lot — besides, of course, the Mecca of sports performance facilities: Cressey Performance. Being in such close proximity, I just had to complete the pilgrimage to see what CP was all about.

Lower Body Power for All Ages and Stages

What do Michael Jordon skying for a slam dunk, Wayne Gretsky blasting a slap shot, and Randy Johnson hurling a fastball all have in common? Each feat occurs in a fraction of a second.

In order to thrive at sport -- and in life -- there is no doubt we have to be strong. But strength alone isn't enough. We also have to be powerful. That is, we have to be able to generate force rapidly.

It turns out that it's also power, not strength, that has the biggest influence on function as we grow older. Being able to produce force quickly enables us to do things like stand up from the sofa and avoid falling if we trip.

Power is clearly essential on the playing field as well as off. But how do we train for it in the gym? The clean and the snatch come to mind, but not everyone is cut out for those lifts, at least not right away.

Fortunately, there are plenty of other ways to develop power that are less risky than the Olympic lifts and still highly effective. In this post, I provide descriptions and videos for 7 of the very best lower body power exercises that young and old alike can enjoy.

Movement Competency Checklist for Young Athletes

Kids don't move nearly as much as they used to. These days, time spent couch surfing far exceeds time spent running, jumping, climbing, and monkeying around the playground. As a result, kids nowadays don't move nearly as well as they used to, either. The good news is that with great coaching, the damage can be undone. The bad news? The real-world outcomes are all too often quite the opposite.

 

Photo courtesy: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/children_shealth/9475493/The-couch-potato-children-who-cannot-throw-or-catch.html