Practicing Extreme Ownership and Finding Your “Why”: The Key to Long-term Success

August 31, 2019October 17, 2018 by Velocity Sports Performance

By Tim Hanway MS CSCS ACSM

In today’s day and age, most people have become familiar with the ‘SMART’ goal system. This stands for

Specific,
Measurable
Attainable
Realistic
Time based

The common knowledge shared is that as long as an individual’s goals are sSMART, success is virtually guaranteed!

However, the truth of the matter is not so simple. How come so many people continue to “fall off the wagon”? They experience short-term success before succumbing to their previous habits.

When it comes to successfully modifying lifestyle behavior and achieving both the results and sustainable change they so desire!

Emotion versus logic in behavior

The answer to this paradox may surprise you. So much of what drives behavior and behavior change comes not from the logical, rational part of our brains, but rather, the emotional centers of our minds. The parts that effectively govern all aspects of how we experience the world.

So why then is this fact so important?

Simple.

If you can hack the emotional centers of your brain, you can create compelling goals that are deeply tied to your own values, thoughts, feelings and emotions.

You will be able to create powerful goals that can be further refined using the ‘SMART’ acronym. This results in the perfect combination of clear, strategic goal-setting combined with emotional driving forces.

Responsibility for behavior

As a consequence, the first-step to attaining success in every aspect of your life by cultivating these newfound goals comes down to one simple rule or principle. That is accepting 100% responsibility for your life.

Yes, you heard me right: As soon as you accept 100% responsibility for every aspect of your life you will be amazed at the things you accomplish.

However, ignore this vital step and it is virtually impossible to enact the lasting change that leads to truly great things.

Principle One: Practice Extreme Ownership –

Two people that embody this principle are world-renown author and entrepreneur, Jack Canfield, and world-famous Navy Seal Commander, Jaco Willink.

What sets aside both men apart from others is their acceptance of taking 100% responsibility for their lives and the effect that this has on goal achievement.

To understand the concept of extreme ownership, you must first acknowledge your behaviors all come down to choice. Virtually every decision you make in your daily life (i.e. from the company you keep to the habits you enact daily) come down to choices you make.

Yes, that’s right; choice.

Everything from the friends you surround yourself with to the foods you eat, the job you keep and spouse you share a life with all come down to choice.

Now, isn’t this a simplistic and naïve viewpoint of the world you might ask?

The answer however is a resounding “no” when you really take a moment to pause and think about it.

For example, you can choose whether or not to organize your shopping. Then, you can have a greater likelihood of purchasing and preparing healthier foods. You choose whether or not you set aside money to hire a trainer.

Have a problem sleeping? You can set your alarm clock under your gym bag to reduce the likelihood of sleeping in.

Now are all these choices obvious?

Of course not, but that is not the point. By simply accepting 100% percent responsibility you know that the answers are out there. Finding the right people and systems to help and support you are likewise within your control. This creates a liberating sense of possibility and empowerment.

Yes, just like so many others, you can cultivate change too. It is going to take work. It is going to be hard and it may mean putting yourself in uncomfortable situations.

You might upset people (i.e. like telling your friends that you won’t be joining them for your usual Thursday ‘Happy Hour’ for the forseeable future).

The fact remains however that the choice is fundamentally yours. Once you accept this, it is possible to realize how much is within your control. This results in plans and action.

Get the ball rolling and it is much easier to move! However, you need to realize first that the ‘ball’ really is in your court…

Principle Two: Get to “Why” –

Once you take extreme ownership and acknowledge the way to get over the ‘finish line’ is to find your “Why.” This concept was originally popularized by the famed author and speaker, Simon Sinek.

The “Why” paradigm is one that acknowledges the power of emotion in shaping behavior change. By tapping into emotion and the limbic system of the brain it is possible to create compelling goals. Goals that truly pave the way for everlasting change.

For example, in the health and fitness world, a popular goal is to simply “lose weight.” You can attempt to add some substance to this goal via the SMART system.

The goal is repurposed into something such as:

“my goal is to lose 10 lbs. by March 1, 2019 by strength training and performing interval training an average of 3x per week for the next 3 months.”

Emotion & Logic in Goal Setting

However, although the latter has much more substance, there is still a key component missing. Namely the driving emotion behind it.

Why do you want to lose 10 lbs. by March 1st?

If the answer is something vague like “to look better” than the likelihood of sticking to this goal (no matter how concrete) becomes diminished. To fix this, your driving emotion needs to be unveiled.

A better goal that addresses your “Why” might instead be;

“In order for me to feel as confident, energetic and handsome as I did my senior year of high school when I was the Varsity football captain, as well as improve the quality of my married life by fitting into the suit I wore to my wedding five years ago, my goal is to lose 10 lbs. By March 1, 2019 which I will do by strength training and performing interval training an average of 3x per week for the next 3 months…”

What does the above accomplish? Simple! By providing a story, a narrative and a visual focus, the goal now becomes something that is rooted in emotion and value. Losing weight in this case represents confidence, energy and vitality. It is no longer simply a ‘means to an end’ which is what categorizes so many goals.

Practice Extreme Ownership & Find Your Why

In summary, by practicing extreme ownership and reframing your goals to always encompass a ‘why’ statement, you too will be able to unlock latent potential in your abilities, commitment and purpose.

So, keep the SMART acronym, but tell your story and review it constantly. This is how the most successful people in world enact lasting change and the beauty is that this is entirely within your control.

3 Foods to Avoid Before a Workout

February 25, 2019May 18, 2018 by Velocity Sports Performance

Food is what fuels your human machine. Choosing the right kind of fuel can go a long way towards optimizing your performance. This article focuses on things to avoid before your workout.

Too much protein

Protein is, of course, an important part of any athlete’s diet. Getting the right timing around your workout is important. Too much of it before a workout or a game can leave you feeling too full or lethargic – neither of which you want.

Fried and Fatty Foods

Any food with a lot of saturated fat should be avoided. This type of fat molecule takes a long time for your body to digest. It stays in your digestive system longer, and can lead to bloating, cramping, or diarrhea.

Foods high in fiber

Even though your doctor might want you to up your fiber intake, don’t do it pre-workout. Doing so right before you want to break a sweat might have some unpleasant consequences. Fiber certainly gets the digestive system moving, but you don’t want that during a hard training session.

There’s a lot more to be said about nutrition before, during, and after training or competition. Check back for more in the future, and if the topic interests you, start researching!

Sources:

http://www.health.com/weight-loss/foods-to-avoid-before-a-workout

https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/9-foods-avoid-workout/

https://blogs.usafootball.com/blog/1078/3-foods-to-avoid-before-practices-and-games

Do athletes need a bigger engine or better brakes?

April 14, 2021May 8, 2018 by Velocity Sports Performance

When it comes to training for performance, many, if not most, people immediately begin thinking about being faster and more powerful. After all, victory often depends on getting to the ball, finish line, goal line, end zone, or basket before your opponent.

This is the same as buying a new car with only one concern: How big is the engine? How fast can it go? How quickly does it get to 60mph? This is, of course, very important to athletic performance.

So, if we stick with our car metaphor, what’s going to happen if you buy a brand new Ferrari but the breaks don’t work? It won’t matter how fast you can go, because, without breaks, you can’t control all that speed.

In fact, the majority of non-contact injuries happen in just this way: athletes can’t manage stopping because they don’t have strong enough brakes and something, well, breaks.

So which one should you pick? The answer is that it depends. If you’re an explosive athlete who can’t change direction quickly, then you probably need better breaks. If your top speed blows away your competition but it takes you too long to get there, then maybe you need a more powerful engine. The first step is to assess where you are now and where you need to be.

At Velocity, we use a battery of tests to see where our athletes are strong and where they need to improve. Based on this and other information, like injury history and goals, our coaches can make smart decisions about what our athletes need in order to improve their performance.

If you want to see how your brakes and engine are working, contact us and schedule testing!

Do You Know What Your Strength Signature Is?

TRAINING: 3 drills to help you stop on a dime

December 30, 2019April 30, 2018 by Velocity Sports Performance

Almost every sport is about more than just running fast or a huge vertical. Pick one, and we’ll bet that most of the action happens around changing direction. For the majority of the athletes with whom we work at Velocity around the country, this means they have to be just as good at stopping as they are at starting. Without good brakes, they simply can’t control their speed.

Three of our coaches have chosen their favorite drill to help their athletes have strong, fast brakes so that they can stop on a dime.

Level Lowering Ladder

One of the most basic skills an athlete needs to change direction is the ability to maintain proper position during deceleration. One of the tools we like to use at Velocity is the agility ladder because it helps focus the athlete on foot position and accuracy in addition to whatever skills we choose to address that day.

To do these drills, athletes first need to have the coordination to perform basic ladder drills well, such as swizzle, scissor switches, and the icky shuffle. Once the athlete can perform each of these without difficulty, they can modify the drill and pause as they drop their center of mass, stopping themselves in the proper position. The most basic, and therefore most important, positions in sports are the square, staggered, and single leg stance. A mini-band can be placed around the athlete’s knees to create awareness of proper knee position. If the athlete adds a medicine ball into the drill, they can work on more ballistic/dynamic eccentric movement with a different stimulus.

The athlete needs to lower his/her center of mass to create “triple flexion” in lower extremity joints: hip, knee, and ankle. The center of mass, knee, and ground contact must be in a good alignment to keep the movement safe and efficient.

Most importantly, the athlete must achieve proper hip hinge and dorsiflexion of the ankle. The vast majority of non-contact injuries occur during deceleration, often at knees or ankles. Learning how to absorb (load) force with proper body position (hip hinge, stable knee, and dorsiflexed ankle) will help prevent these injuries.

Springs and Shocks Ladder

The agility ladder is a great tool to help our athletes develop their shocks and springs.

When it comes to speed, athletes need to be springy and quick off the ground. When we talk about “springs,” we mean our athletes’ ability to be faster by using the elastic properties of their muscles.

“Shocks” means having the ability to absorb impact and force so our athletes can stop safely and quickly. This drill emphasizes both abilities and applies to any sport.

How to do the drill:

through the ladder try to be a quick as you can off of the ground. This is where we focus on our springs. When we land we want to land and be under control. The more control we have when decelerating the safer our body will be when changing direction. Most important part of the landing is keeping the body in proper position and not allowing a valgus knee.

Important details to watch are: position and control. We want an athlete to be able to develop the strength and control through the proper range of motion. This is especially important as we begin to add not speed or distance. Do not let athletes progress unless they can properly and effectively let control their landing for at least 2 seconds.

Resisted Deceleration March Series

Slowing down is often the most challenging aspect of changing direction and requires the athlete to absorb more force than at any other phase of the movement. This series of drills teaches athletes to keep good posture and body-alignment during deceleration. When we add a concentric movement (explosiveness) immediately followed by a deceleration phase the drill also develops reactive strength and power in the athlete.

How to do the drills:

Position the athlete in a good athletic base with a resistance band or bungee cord around their waist. The partner holding the band increases resistance by pulling toward the direction where deceleration needs to occur.
The athlete controls their posture while moving toward “the direction of pull”. Their shin is a very important detail and must point away from the direction of pull. This helps their foot dig into the ground and resist the momentum that is trying to keep them moving in their original direction.
The ground contact, knee, and athlete’s center of mass should be in alignment and proper posture maintained.
If you want to incorporate an explosive moment, have the athlete perform any form of change-of-direction movement, such as a lateral push, crossover step, or jump.

Important details to watch are:

Make sure the athlete understand the basic athletic base position. Hip-hinge and dorsiflexion of the ankles are very important.
The level resistance needs to be appropriate to their strength and ability. You may adjust this by using a different size resistance band or the distance between the athlete and partner.
Ground contact, shin angle, knee position, and the athlete’s center of mass stay aligned (away from the direction of pull).
Make sure the athlete is not leaning on the band.
Eccentric control first, then concentric! Make sure your athletes understand how to use the brakes before they hit the gas pedal.

Be safe! Bulletproof Your Shoulders For Baseball

December 30, 2019April 9, 2018 by Velocity Sports Performance

Its springtime and that means it’s time for Baseball and Softball. Players and coaches know that maintaining shoulder health is important for these sports, but they don’t always know what to do about it. Use these simple exercises to bulletproof your shoulders and stay in the game.

In this video, Coach Kenny Kallen shares two exercises that help improve posture and increase mobility in the thoracic spine and latissimus dorsi. Using these exercises in your warm-up will increase functionality, stability, strength, and power in the shoulders. The ultimate result will be better-throwing mechanics and less pain.

Next, Coach Ken Vick explains why shoulder stability is so important for baseball players. He demonstrates the Band Y, T, and W exercises to be used in any warm-up or workout routine. Improve your baseball throwing mechanics by stabilizing your scapula and rotator cuff to control your follow-through. Improvements in this area translate into increased speed, functionality, stability, strength, and power in the shoulders.

Sports Medicine Specialist Wes Rosner shows you how the 1/2 Turkish Get-Up can help bulletproof your shoulder. It can strengthen and stabilize the shoulders, back, and core to help prevent injury. You want all these strong and stable when it’s game time.

Meditation to optimize your life and performance

January 26, 2021April 7, 2018 by Velocity Sports Performance

Around the globe, in every religion, spiritual tradition, and culture, we find some form of meditation. Breathing practices, purposeful reflection, chanting, mantras, singing, and prayer are some of the oldest forms of improving mindset, wellness, and performance through meditation.

Whether your goal is to achieve calm, a sense of gratitude, or feeling connected to people and nature, these disciplines can help us live a more centered life. In the world of human performance, when someone is really “in the zone,” we like to call it a “flow state.” When we are there, we perceive things differently actually process information in a different way.

In order to avail yourself of the many benefits of meditation, we believe it’s important to remain intellectually and emotionally open. Open-minded, to the wide variety of meditative practices found throughout our world’s cultures, religions, and philosophies. What is important is that the methods you choose work for you.

Whether or not you consider yourself spiritual or religious, improving your meditative skills teaches you how to control your brain and mindset to reach a state of higher performance.

How does one begin?

This is a beginner’s guide to practical ways for accessing a better state of mind and will highlight some of the benefits they offer.

Your Analytical vs. Intuitive Mind

Once people become adults, they spend a lot of time walking around with their brains in an analytical mode: making choices, solving problems, working, thinking about the future, and analyzing the past.

This is an incredible gift that has helped our species thrive and discover amazing things, but it is not the entire picture of ourselves. Our mind is also capable of incredible creativity, empathy, and connection to purpose and other people. This is also a skill we need to build and use daily.

Analytical thinking blocks emotion and empathy and vice versa, according to some recent studies [1,2]. You can think of your brain as having two modes: the rational, analytical mind, and the creative, intuitive one. When we function optimally, we are able to switch back and forth between them.

Rational thinking is necessary. We accomplish a lot of things in our lives through it. However, we can lose balance when it’s the only mode we are using.

In modern society, we subject ourselves to an increasing level of information input. News, social media, texts, streaming shows, and the web provide a constant stream of input for our analytical mind to process.

Because this endless stream of stimuli is always available for our mind to analyze, it’s essential to actively practice turning off our analytical processes. Quieting your analytical mind opens you up to a performance-enhancing mindset. Here are a few ways to do that.

Reset Switch

Being able to alter your state of mind is an immensely powerful skill. As an athlete, performing artist, executive, or anyone who has to perform under pressure, you need to be able to reset occasionally.

When the stress builds, when the conditions change, or when things go wrong, being able to step back and out of the chaos is critical for good decision making. Retaining a sense of calm allows you to tap into your strengths, instincts, and training.

It’s also a valuable switch when the game is over when you’re done with work, or after practice. We all need to go into recovery mode.

Just as you don’t want the engine on your high-performance sports car revving at 5,000 rpm when you put it in the garage at night, you don’t want your brain stuck in analytical mode or your emotions on high when it’s time to relax and rest.

Meditation

Meditation may be the most well-known way to silence the mind. It doesn’t require a special place or any equipment other than your own time and mind. It doesn’t even have in any particular manner.

Meditation allows you to tap into a state of calm. Turning off (or just down) the thoughts running through your head increases creativity [3], reduces stress and anxiety, and increases one’s sense of happiness [4].

These effects are magnified with practice, and you can practice any time, anywhere, for free.

Here are two simple ways to meditate:

Breath

Sit, close your eyes, and inhale deeply into your belly for a count of 4, hold for a count of 4, slowly exhale for a count of 4, hold for a count of four. Repeat. Focus on the sensation of your breath filling your body and then emptying out.
Observation. Sit in a quiet place, close your eyes, take a step back from your mind, and watch your thoughts. Don’t judge them or pursue them; simply let them come and go as you watch. There are two distinct entities here: you, the calm watcher, and your mind, the source of your thoughts.

Try these, or do whatever gives you that inner sense of calm. When you notice your mind wandering, simply return to your mind to the meditation. You might do just 2-5 minutes to start. You might build to longer stretches. Most importantly, do it consistently and you’ll strengthen your meditation muscles.

You must resist the temptation to do it the “right way.” This idea deters many beginners because they aren’t sure if they are doing it “right.” Meditation is challenging in that sense because it’s not the type of activity that provides immediate, concrete feedback. Getting guidance from a coach or in performing a specific form of the practice can help. So can some modern technologies.

Muse

If you go a traditional route to master meditation, you might spend hour after hour, month after month, year after year, sitting at a monastery meditating. You can take a long, meandering path, meditating daily for 20 to 40 years, finally becoming a Zen master. It’s a long, slow process that demands extraordinary dedication.

Whether this would be beneficial is beyond the point; it is neither feasible or desirable for most of us. Still, many people are looking for a way to incorporate meditation into their lives and want to get feedback along the way.

This is where modern technology like Muse can come in. The system measures your brainwaves while you meditate and provides feedback in real-time through the sounds you hear. This feedback teaches you to rewire your brain faster because you are learning when your brain is actually in the right state.

It also “gamifies” the process. At the end of each session, you get scores on how well you did and points for having a calm mind. You get credit for “recoveries” when your mind started to wander and think but you brought it back to calm.

It also can help you keep on track session to session. Goals, recommendations to increase time, rewards for consistency and daily streaks, and the tracking functions all can help you state motivated to practice.

Other Way To Develop Your Skills

As you try to build your skills and use meditation to improve performance, here are a few more Methods that can help.

Heart Rate Variability Training

Heart Rate Variability (HRV) is a method of measuring and analyzing beat-to-beat changes in your heart rate that gives us insight into the state of your autonomic nervous system. This feedback can be used when learning how to use meditation for your performance.

The autonomic nervous system is important to understand because it is one of the bridges between body and mind. It has two parts: the parasympathetic and sympathetic branches, which are essentially opposites.

The sympathetic nervous system is often described as the “fight or flight” system. It activates our body, mind, and the resources to act quickly when needed. The parasympathetic nervous system handles the opposite functions of rest, digest, and recovery: the functions that help restore and sustain our bodies.

HRV feedback teaches you to consciously synchronize your brainwaves and heartbeat, which puts you into a parasympathetic (recovery) dominant state. This is a state of calm focus. It’s the same benefit you get from meditation, but HRV training gives you real-time feedback, so you know when you’re improving.

You can train your heart rate variability and track your results with an HRV sensor like the Inner Balance or Em Wave2 from HeartMath. This feedback helps you to recognize that feeling of inner calm and achieve that state of mind more quickly than you would with normal meditation.

Sensory Deprivation

Sensory deprivation tanks also called float tanks, eliminate nearly all sensory input to your brain. Suspended in water with more than 1000 lbs. of dissolved magnesium salt, you float without any pressure on your body. You’re in a light- and sound-proof chamber. The water and air are both maintained at your body temperature.

When you lay still, you don’t see, hear, or feel anything. You lose the sense of time. Deprived of any sensory input, you are presented with an opportunity to be one with one’s mind that is difficult to find elsewhere.

A typical float session is 60 – 90 minutes long. For many people that sounds like an eternity to just lay there, floating in the dark. It typically takes three sessions to really get “good” at floating, but the results are usually enjoyed immediately the first time.

This doesn’t mean it is always easy. Often your mind wanders at first. You may have thoughts like: This is boring. This is stupid. Get out. You feel claustrophobic. But if you stick it out, eventually your mind lets go.

This lets us experience a state of calm, of relaxation. For some people, they experience a state of creativity or hover somewhere between wake and sleep. Not only will you reap the rewards after the float, but most people also find that they sleep better afterward and the state of calmness is easier to reach in the following days.

Next to time you want to accelerate your mindfulness practice, or need to reduce stress and anxiety, try a float. In most major cities you can find a float center near you.

Try something and practice it

When it comes to meditation for performance improvement; try something.

Whether you’re meditating, praying, chanting, getting feedback or floating in salt water, it’s worth it to learn how to quiet your mind. It only takes a few minutes a day and the benefits to your health, wellness, and performance are huge.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1053811912010646?np=yhttps://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/10/121030161416.htmhttp://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10400410902858691http://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/1809754https://www.heartmath.org/research/research-library/energetics/electricity-of-touch/

Coaches Favorite: Kettlebell Exercises

February 25, 2019March 30, 2018 by Velocity Sports Performance

Kettlebells are a great tool which have been around for decades but have become popular again. And it’s for good reason; they’re versatile and dynamic. We surveyed some of our coaches to find out what their favorite exercises are with a kettlebell.

Coach Mike’s Pick: Double Kettlebell Clean + Squat + Push Press

The Double Kettlebell Clean+Squat+Push-Press is a full-body exercise complex that gives you a lot of bang for your buck. When done correctly, you develop power through the Clean, leg strength in the Squat, vertical pressing strength in the Push Press, and core strength throughout the entire movement.

Execution: Before beginning, you must keep your core rigid through the entire movement to ensure you don’t hurt yourself.

Start with the two kettlebells of the same weight 1-2 feet in front of you and feet slightly wider than your shoulders.
With knees slightly bent, keep your back flat and push your hips back to the wall behind you and grab the kettlebells tightly.
Take a good breath and “hike” the kettlebells backward between your legs
Stand up as fast you can to snap the kettlebells up and forward into the rack position.
Clean the kettlebells to the rack position.
Take a new breath, slowly squat down with the kettlebells as low as you can then drive up as fast as possible.
Start to press the kettlebells above your head as you reach the top position, using the momentum of your squat to help finish the movement.
Once the kettlebells are straight above your head, take another good breath and slowly pull the kettlebells down to the Rack position.
Once in the rack position, reset with a good breath and prepare yourself for another repetition. Instead of starting with kettlebells on the ground, carefully let the kettlebells “fall” (while still holding them) and again hike them back through your legs and repeat the exercise for as many reps as prescribed.

Velocity Sports Performance on Vimeo.

If your goal is to develop all-around strength, use a heavy set of kettlebells for 3-6 reps. If your goal is to get a solid metabolic workout, go with a lighter set with which you can get in 8+ challenging reps.

Misao’s Pick: Halo

The Kettlebell Halo improves upper body mobility and stability. It is an overhead pattern that requires core stability as well as mobility and stability of the shoulders and shoulder blades.

Execution:

In a kneeling or standing position, hold the kettlebell with both hands by the horns
Brace your core and hold the bell in front of your chest.
Slowly circle the bell around your head clockwise, then counter-clockwise. The movement must be slow and under control.
The weight of the bell needs to be light enough so your torso does not sway side to side or arch.

Velocity Sports Performance on Vimeo.

You can easily progress this exercise by changing the way you hold the bell. Holding the weight with the bell pointing down is easier as the weight stays securely in your palms. If you grip it upside down (with the bell on top) it becomes more challenging because the weight travels farther away from your body, increasing the strain on the muscle due to a longer lever.

Coach Kenny’s Pick: Turkish Get Up

The Turkish Get-Up is great for shoulder stability, overall strength, and just plain toughness. It also can help develop a sense of body control and awareness and test an athlete’s focus.

Execution:

Start laying on your back with your right knee bent and your left arm extended out to the side. Your kettlebell should be on the ground next to your right arm.
Grasp the bell with your right hand and press it up so your right arm is completely straight and perpendicular to the ground.
Keep your eyes on the bell throughout the entire movement.
Roll up onto your left elbow, and then to your left hand.
Push your hips up towards the ceiling as high as you can.
Slide your left leg under your body and come up onto your left knee.
Stand up.

To get back down, simply reverse the movement.

Come down to your left knee.
Place your left hand on the ground
Slide your left leg out from underneath you so it’s totally straight, keeping your hips pressed up.
Let your hips come to the ground.
Lower on your left elbow.
Completely lower yourself to the ground so you are laying flat.
When bringing the kettlebell back to the ground, be sure to use your free hand to help guide it. Safety first.

Now do the same thing on the other side.

Coach Yo’s Pick: Bottom-Up Overhead Press

This series is great for shoulder stability, grip strength, elbow joint health, and core strength and stability based on athlete’s positioning. The Bottom-Up series gives the athlete a different stimulus since the load (kettlebell) is in an unstable position. This will improve overall proprioception (your level of awareness of where your body is in space), and by using different base positions ( ½ Kneeling, Tall Kneeling, Standing, Single Leg, etc), allows athletes to develop core strength and stability. It is a very unique exercise, and the kettlebell is an ideal tool for its execution.

Execution: Before you start, make sure that you have proper overhead mobility and stability and can do basic overhead press exercises with dumbbells or barbell. Once you have that skill, you can start by holding the kettlebell upside-down (bottom-up) right in front of shoulder. Make sure you the weight you use is not more than you can control with your grip alone. You can check holding the bell upside-down in a static position for a while without letting it drop. Ensuring you have basic stability before adding movement is always a good idea and will prevent needless injuries.

Performing the exercise in different positions will work on different elements of core strength and stability.

Coach Gary’s Pick: Split Squat KB Complex

The Split Squat KB Complex addresses muscle activation patterning, neuromuscular control, and dynamic stability of the trunk and lower extremities. This complex will challenge any athlete while reducing the likelihood of lower extremities injuries. This is valuable because more than 50% of injuries in college and high school athletics are knee injuries according to the American College of Sports Medicine. This 4-phased complex also allows coaches to progress athletes based on ability, making it excellent for novices and experienced athletes alike.

Execution:
Starting position – Kneel with your right foot flat and the right knee directly over the heel. Start with the bell on the ground in front of your left knee.

Starting Movement:
Inhale and lift the kettlebell with your left hand to the level of your forward (right) thigh.
Level your hips by pressing the hips forward and Press the forward (right) heel into the ground.
The upper body should remain tall and erect with the chest up and out and the shoulders level and stacked over the hips.

Phase 1: Split Squat – Stand up on both legs while driving your front heel into the ground. Once your legs are fully extended, reverse the motion and lower the body back to the starting.

Phase 2: Clean to Split Squat – Quickly thrust the body upward and bring the bell to the front of your shoulder. With the bell in this position, extended both legs to stand up, again driving your front heel into the ground. Once fully extended reverse the motion and lower the body back to the starting position.

Phase 3: Jerk to OH Split Squat – Quickly thrust the body upward and Jerk the bell overhead with the upper arm tight to the ear. With the bell in this position extended both legs to elevating the body upper, think about driving your front heel into the ground. Once fully extended reverse the motion and lower the body back to the starting position but remaining on the feet.

Phase 4: OH Split Squat to knee drive – With bell overhead and the upper arm tight to the ear, extend both legs to stand up. Once fully extended, quickly drive the back knee up and in front of body then back to the same spot on the ground. Once ground contact is made lower the body back to the starting position but remaining on the feet.

Exercise 6: Pistol Squat

The Pistol Squat is a great way to test balance and overall hip and glute strength. It also gives you a clear interpretation of your strength to bodyweight ratio. If you can easily perform the movement as a bodyweight exercise, add a kettlebell.

Execution:

Front rack the kettlebell of your choice. Hold the bell with whichever hand is opposite from your “down” leg.
Load your weight over one leg and slowly lower yourself to the ground on a single leg.
Extend your “up” leg in front of your and keep it from touching the ground.
Load your bodyweight onto one leg and as you drop down into a squat shift the loading glute back and extend the opposite leg forward in an attempt to keep it from touching the ground.

If you want to challenge yourself further, try performing the same movement while standing on some type of balance pad to give your foot an unstable surface to manage.

Coach Rob’s Pick: Single Arm Kettlebell Swing

The Swing is certainly the most ubiquitous use of the kettlebell. Once you have mastered it, try moving onto the single arm swing. This variation adds an anti-rotational component to the explosive hip drive inherent to the Swing.

Execution:

Start with your feet hip-width or slightly wider. The kettlebell should be on the ground about a foot in front of you. Remember that during any weightlifting exercise, it is crucial that you keep your core tight and your back flat. Failure to do so, especially during a ballistic movement like a kettlebell swing is asking for injury.
The weight you select should be lighter than you think you need until you get the feel for the exercise.
Drop your butt towards to floor while keeping your chest up, grasp the bell firmly with one hand and “hike” it behind you, keeping your wrist tight to your body.
Stand up quickly and let the bell rise up to about shoulder height. This part of the movement should be snappy and crisp.
Keep your grip on the bell and let it fall, swinging back behind you while you keep it tight to your body.
Repeat this movement for as many reps as prescribed.

Once you have this movement down, you can challenge yourself by switching hands every rep. To achieve this, let the bell swing up to its highest point, at which time it should be weightless for a brief moment. Have your opposite hand ready to grab the handle as soon as you let go with the swinging hand.

Whether you alternate hands or not, the Single Arm Swing is sure to get your heart rate up, make you sweat, and develop leg strength and core stability. Have fun!

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HOCKEY TRAINING: Five Exercises to Help you Battle in the Corners

October 5, 2019March 9, 2018 by Velocity Sports Performance

We do a lot of work with hockey athletes here at Velocity, and one thing they all share in common is that they are ready to work. Hockey has a long tradition of grueling training, and that’s because being on the ice is a fight (sometimes literally, though that’s not what we’re talking about here).

As performance coaches, we love athletes who aren’t afraid to get after it – the ones who are going to leave a trail of sweat on the gym floor when they’re done. Hockey players always fit this description, so we wanted to give all of you ice-warriors a few exercises to help you win when you’re up against the boards, fighting it out in the corners.

Add these to your training program and we bet you’ll win more of those corner battles on your way to winning the war.

Exercise 1: The Burpee

For such a simple exercise, few movements forge mental toughness and an unbreakable body like the burpee. With little more required than “get down to the floor and get back up,” it develops a mindset and work ethic that won’t quit, which is critical for winning the battle of the boards during all three periods and beyond. If you want to learn how to bend but not break, all while preparing your body for grinding competition, then burpees are for you.

To begin, drop your chest to the ground as quickly as you can while under control. Maintaining tension through your midsection during the descent is critical to a clean, efficient burpee. Next, push away from the floor, snapping your hips up so your feet land under your hips and jump. Spend as little time on the ground as possible – if you want to build a better motor you have to practice going as fast as you can. It’s that simple: get down, get back up! This simple exercise is a fantastic tool for the body and the mind because you have to keep your body moving even when it wants to give out – a skill every hockey player needs.

This physical and mental strength will serve you well the next time your opponent picks your most exhausted moment to come after you. If nothing else, the burpee teaches you how not to give up.

Exercise 2: Keiser Pulley Push-Pull

This cable exercise is a great way to build whole-body explosive power in a rotational pattern. When you are fighting along the boards, it’s not just about pushing or pulling in one direction. When you need to knock the other guy off his skates, rotational movement from your skates all the way through your upper body makes the difference. Build this type of explosiveness and you’re sure to win more battles.

We like to use the Keiser trainer for this exercise because its unique air resistance lets us move more explosively and measure an athlete’s power output, but you can use any cable trainer that has two arms.

In a good athletic stance, use your legs and hips to rotate your body. Transfer that power to an explosive pulling and punching motion with the arms. Control it on the way back to the start position.

Exercise 3: Double Kettlebell Front-Rack Position Lateral Lunge

This exercise is designed to strengthen the legs and core in the frontal plane of movement (side to side). It challenges the athlete’s ability to resist and absorb lateral forces as well as produce force coming out of the lunge. These abilities are critical not only for general skating but also for staying on your skates while pushing back against your opponent as you fight for the puck.

To do the Double Kettlebell Front-Rack Position Lateral Lunge, you need to:

Hold two kettlebells in the front-rack position with elbows forward and not to side
Maintain a rigid torso
Take a large step to the side with toe pointed forward (not to the side) while keeping the other foot in place
As you lower yourself to the side, keep your chest up, core tight, and feet flat
Push your hips backward
Get as low as possible while maintaining posture
Push back to original standing position with speed and continue to maintain posture
Repeat on the opposite side and continue to alternate for the prescribed repetitions

Exercise 4: Anti-Rotational Stability Chop

This exercise is designed to improve athletes core control in different positions. It teaches the athlete to engage and brace his or her core while the rest of the body is doing other tasks. This ability is critical for all movements on the ice, but especially at the point of contact.

To do the Anti-Rotational Stability Chop, you need to learn basic breathing technique and lumbo-pelvic control. Then you can apply the exercise to different base positions, such as: Tall-Kneeling, Half-Kneeling, Split Stance, and Standing.

Exercise 5: Airex Pad Single Leg Stability

The is a simple exercise that can be performed with or without equipment. It forces the athlete to focus on balance and stability at the hip, knee, and ankle of the working leg. Even though it doesn’t involve any weights or powerful movements, the improved balance and stronger stability you will gain will make you a tougher skater to knock down.

To perform this exercise, stand with both feet together and one small ball of any type in each hand (LAX ball, baseball, tennis ball, whatever you have). Start with your feet on the ground and progress to standing on a balance pad when you need more of a challenge. While hinging at the hip and keeping your back flat, bring your chest forward and down by bending one knee while keeping the opposite leg straight. Reach across your body with the right hand, placing the ball on the ground. Return to standing position and try to maintain your single leg stance. Next, reach across your body with the left hand to place the ball on the ground. After you’ve stood back up, repeat the process to pick up the balls. Small cones may also be used: instead of setting something down and picking it up, you have to touch the cones.

4 Reasons Why You’re Not Sleeping Better

March 12, 2019February 28, 2018 by Velocity Sports Performance

There are many factors that can affect your sleep quality and quantity. Regardless of the cause, every sleepless night takes a toll on your body and mind and can seriously throw off your game.

Here are four common reasons you might not be getting enough zzz’s and how to fix them.

1. YOUR MINDSET

The Problem: Often, those of us who have trouble sleeping can chalk it up to having too much on our minds. Information overload and an endless list of seemingly urgent tasks plague many people.

Kenny Kallen is a Performance Coach at our Redondo Beach facility who specializes in working with individuals trying to optimize their performance. He says it’s all too common that when “we finally get into bed and turn out the lights, we often find they are already thinking about what we have to do tomorrow, or what we should have done differently today! To make matters worse, we stare at the clock thinking ‘even if I fall asleep now, I will only get X hours of sleep!’”

The solution: The key here is to reduce your anxiety by calming your mind. This helps move your body into the parasympathetic state it requires to rest and recover. Coach Kallen suggests that “breathing can help you get into a more relaxed state. It’s very powerful because it creates both a physiological and psychological response. I recommend an exercise called ‘box breathing.’ Inhale for four seconds, hold your breath for four seconds, exhale for four seconds, and hold with breath exhaled for four seconds. Repeat this cycle 10 times, and take note of whether you feel more relaxed from when you started.”

2. YOUR DIET

The problem: You know caffeine is a stimulant, but you may not realize how long its effects last.

Some people also should avoid spicy foods and meals high in fat or sugar before bedtime. These can elevate heart rate or cause digestive issues that will keep you awake.

The solution: Check your caffeine intake. How much are you getting, and when (tea and many fitness drinks can be an unassuming culprit)?

“Try to restrict your coffee intake to the morning and drinking more water throughout the day,” says Kallen.

3. YOUR PHONE, TABLET AND COMPUTER

The problem: Everywhere you look experts tell you to unplug before bed.

Why?

The blue light emitted by screens can really impact your brain: it signals the brain and impairs its ability to produce melatonin which helps induce sleep.

The solution: Make it a point to unplug 30 – 60 minutes before bedtime. If your phone or tablet has a “nighttime” setting that changes the screen tone from blue to more reddish, warm tones at night can also help. When your device doesn’t have this option, look to see if you can download an app that will do it for you.

To create a sleep sanctuary in your bedroom, replace your bulbs with ones that filter out blue light and emit a softer glow.

4. YOUR BEDROOM

The problem: It’s probably not a news flash that your environment affects your sleep. Too much light, noise, and heat are all factors that can disrupt your sleep. Try to not have a clock or any lights visible that might draw your attention.

The solution: Ideally, your bedroom would be designed to be a sleep sanctuary. Make sure your curtains block out all light, and buy a quality mattress and pillow to assist your sleep.

Sound can also be a problem. While you can’t move your house or change your neighbors, you can do your best to create a place that feels restful to you that you only use for sleeping.

Take Action

If you are having problems sleeping, go on the offensive. A lack of sleep impacts your performance in all aspects of life.

Instead of leaving it to chance, look to fix these things that may be getting in the way.

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Velocity Coach’s Favorite Speed Drills

February 11, 2019February 13, 2018 by Velocity Sports Performance

Speed training is fundamental to the Velocity system. We asked four of our coaches which drills were their favorites – a kind of “desert island” scenario for speed training. If you don’t have much time, or maybe just don’t know where to start, try these.

Coach Kenny’s pick: The Single Leg Tuck Jump

Reason
Every athlete needs to be quick and powerful on just one leg. Whether it’s cutting, jumping, landing, or sprinting, sports are mostly about exploding, stopping, and exploding again as quickly as possible.

Focus
This drill requires athletes to generate as much force as they can while getting their foot off the ground as quickly as possible.

Execution
While in a single-leg stance, jump as quickly as you and tuck your knee up toward your chest as soon as your foot leaves the ground.

Sets & Reps
As many reps as you can on one leg for 20 seconds.

60 seconds of rest.
As many reps as you can on the other leg for 20 seconds.

Repeat this series three times and you’ve done some respectable speed training in under four minutes.

Coach Yo’s Pick: Build Your Brakes! (Level Lowering Series)

Reason
In addition to being a place where many athletes can make a meaningful difference in their on-field or on-court speed, the moment when an athlete needs to change direction or decelerate is where the majority of non-contact injuries occur. This is due to lack of strength, poor posture or position, or a combination of both.

Fortunately, these types of injuries are easily preventable by learning good base position and improving eccentric strength.

Focus
Learn what good base positions are and how to get in and out of them quickly.

Execution
Work on your base positions:

Practice the Square Stance
Next try the Staggered Stance
Advance to the Single Leg Stance (on each side)

Next, you need to learn the “Loading Position.” At Velocity, we often refer to this as Level Lowering. While you can do this without any equipment whatsoever, we often use the following tools to help with these drills:

Agility Ladders help with your tempo and target ground contact time.
Minibands are fantastic for activating and keeping athletes’ glutes engaged.
Other variations include adding anti-flexion and anti-rotation elements to target different muscle groups and strength qualities.

Sets & Reps
Level Lowering is about posture and position before it is about volume. Therefore, going through a certain number of reps if the correct posture cannot be maintained is at best unhelpful and may be dangerous. The best way to approach these drills is to work until you master the positions.

Sports Medicine Specialist Misao’s pick: 5-10-5 Change of Direction Test

Reason

The movement patterns involved are simple, excellent for training specific movement, and are common to any sport that involves more than running straight ahead.

The test is very short, lasting at most six seconds. This means that an athlete’s performance is determined by their foot quickness and ability to change direction, not by endurance.

Another benefit of this drill is that it’s not a drill – it’s a test. Athletes get timed, so not only do they tend to push themselves harder than they would otherwise, they also get direct and immediate feedback as to whether they are getting faster or slower.

Focus
This test is about how quickly and athlete can change direction, plain and simple.

Execution:
Place three cones (or something similar) in a line with five yards between each cone. The athlete starts in the middle in a square stance, facing directly ahead, with one hand on the ground. The athlete sprints five yards one direction, then ten yards back the other way, then turns around to sprint back through the middle.

Time starts as soon as the athlete makes his or her first move coming out of the square stance and ends when the hips cross the middle line.

Sets & Reps
We suggest giving an athlete one or two test runs at about 80% to get a feel for the movement and decide which direction they want to start running. After that, more than three or five times through the test is adequate. If you are looking for a change-of-direction drill for conditioning purposes, we would suggest something like suicides or the 300-yard shuttle.

Coach Rob’s pick: Jump Rope

Coach Rob spends a lot of time with our Youth athletes, whose ages range from about 8 to 12. While simplicity is valuable regardless of your athletes’ ages, its importance increases with younger athletes, whose attention spans and motor control are not yet fully developed.

Reason
Part of the Velocity Big Four Speed Formula is small time, which is purely about getting your feet off the ground quickly. Jumping rope correctly teaches athletes how to get their feet up quickly and improves their ability to do so. It gives them immediate feedback as to whether they are getting better at being quick – they get over the rope or they don’t.

The coordination required to jump rope is another reason it work so well. Many of our young athletes need work in this area, and when they can coordinate their jump roping, it usually translates in to an improvement in overall coordination. This helps with running technique and a wide variety of other movements.

This drill requires a lot of focus, and nearly all of our youth athletes need more of that. In fact, our coaches know the quality that determines which athletes excel is often not talent or strength, but the ability to focus. We’ve found that giving our athletes drills that force them to lock in their attention to the task at hand is a great way to develop that ability.

Focus
Developing quick feet, coordination, and focus.

Execution
Jump over the rope by picking up your toes, not by bending your knees.

Sets & Reps
Set a goal for your athletes to be able to do 100 jumps in a row without stopping for any reason. Beginning with just five minutes of practice every day will yield great results. Once they can do that, move on to single leg jump rope, and then to double-unders.

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