It's no secret that there is a definitive link between agility and quickness (change of direction), acceleration, top speed, and vertical jump capacity. 2 A real-world example of this can easily be seen at the Annual NFL Combine each and every year. Top performers routinely turn out great performances in all 3 skill types in skill players. Of course, there are the exceptions and some differences, but as a norm, there is more similarity than difference. Obvious reasons for

Sometimes during this wonderful journey of learning and growing as a coach, you simply miss or underrate training concepts or exercises that you should have been doing. Fortunately, if you are reading this, then I'm going to be providing you with some valuable insight that has somehow managed to stay under the radar for all these years. I should have connected the dots, and usually do when it comes to the practical application of training theory and research, but for some r

Now I'm sure many of you have heard of the three hip flexors which comprise the Iliopsoas muscle group (Psoas Major and Minor, and Iliacus). Right now we are going to cover this very powerful and still misunderstood muscle group thoroughly. T he reality is that if you want to become your best athletically and remain healthy, then you need to emphasize the Iliopsoas in your training program regularly. Reports from elite coaches years back showed greater cross-sectional areas o

In part #1, you were shown some of the foundational reasons why deceleration is so critical to both your short-term and long-term health and performance capacity, and now you will be provided with a short list of active training strategies to ensure you are maximizing your deceleration potential, giving you peace of mind. Here is the list of methods we will explore in this article: Primary Training Methods: -Strength Training -Plyometrics -Specific Deceleration Strategies (Ov

When it comes to staying healthy and performing at an ultra-high level, regardless of the type of sport you compete in, there is zero doubt that being able to decelerate properly will make or break your performance. Look at the likes of Stephen Curry, Lionel Messi, Tyreek Hill, Cooper Kupp, and countless others, and you'll quickly notice that it's all of these individuals' innate and or acquired ability to stop on a dime and gain separation that provides the freedom to contro

Here is a fresh set of training tips to help support your hamstring health. Hamstring injuries are still running rampant in sport and training culture today, and it's at the expense of an athlete's goals and showcasing all of the prior hard work and blood, sweat, and tears that were put into practice. Fortunately, hamstring issues can be either prevented or reduced in severity. Here is a fresh set of training tips to help support your hamstring health. Active stretching durin

Welcome to the second installment of sled training exercises. I decided to break up the theme into two pieces just to make it easier to read. Ten drills can be a lot to digest for some, so I hope the format helps. #6-SLED MARCHING I never write to appease people because I'm interested in what truly helps and the truth. What's unfortunate is that this video, like many others, receives more attention and does far less than the ones that do far more for athletes and coaches.

I must admit that I'm a bit of a dinosaur when it comes to all of this online marketing and tech-savvy stuff, but I'm learning and getting better every day. Truth is that I've been a fitness and performance writer for almost 20 years and counting. Much of what I wrote originally was for other people and their brands because that was the only way I could get eyeballs on my work, and I was really happy to help. But over the past couple of years, I've moved away and really fo

I thought it would be helpful to coaches, trainers, athletes, and general gym goers if I disclosed my top go-to sled training drills. The sled can seem a bit bland and limited if you look at the web, and it can be difficult to identify variations that satisfy the purpose outside of just pushing and sprinting a loaded sled. Fortunately for you, there are some applications that you can implement with anyone to immediately develop or sustain several training skills which I wil

Common knowledge would tell you that you need to lift relatively heavy to get stronger. In other words, attempt to push as much weight as possible as often as possible with proper form. At least this is what your intuition and ego would tell you, especially when you are highly motivated to attack your lifts in the weight room. But is this approach of maxing out weight often the best road to getting stronger and staying healthy over the long-term? Of course not! Like everythi

When it comes to testing maximal strength in athletes, industry advice often attempts to differentiate between training populations. Collegiate and professional players should test differently from high schoolers, and high schoolers should be separated from youth testing. This may be a viable option if done properly and according to the physical demands and needs of each level of athlete, but there is nothing wrong with simplifying and using a "one size fits all" model when