Will A Speed/Agility Ladder Make Me Faster?

I hear a lot of athletes say they want to get faster. A lot of coaches/parents think the best way to get faster is to improve foot speed with speed ladders and jump ropes. Makes sense, right?

Not necessarily. The question of improving an athlete's speed is a loaded one. There are many factors that go into an individuals' running speed. Starting with your feet, you must look at dorsiflexion, whether you pronate/supinate excessively, your balance in split stance (or upon foot strike), excessive heel strikes, etc.

But that's just the start. The fact of the matter is that we don't gain speed by increasing how quickly our feet move. We get our speed from the force we generate into the ground. To generate a greater amount of force, we must improve the strength and power of our lower extremities.

Great Video from Cressey

This is basically what I'm talking about. I will try to post more videos like these as I get the opportunity. Your athletes should be doing exercises like these.

Below is a YouTube video done by Eric Cressey.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6MW6iGfoB0

Posture and Alignment

Hello, all! I decided it was time to make a new post. I attended a course recently in Indiana where Bill Hartman was the main speaker. Here is a quote from him, where he breaks down the basics of the course I attended:

"....body segments held out of alignment for extended periods will result in adaptive shortening or lengthening and further result in postural deterioration...

...malalignment will cause inefficient interaction of muscle strength, joint proprioception in the foot and ankle, alignment, and postural tone...

... if the individual uses compensatory shoulder elevation and neck shortening for stability due to an inactive trunk, there will be consequential inefficiencies in trunk rotation and increasing postural misalignment...

...Failure to organize dynamic alignment and synergistic action of the musculoskeletal system will result in compensatory learning...

...Normal musculoskeletal alignment provides for kinesiological synergistic activation of muscle groups for stability in the core of the body an sustained activation of the musculature of the limbs for perform complex tasks...

So my question to all... if you don't know how to determine position/alignment of your client, you can't restore neutral. If you're not restoring neutral, then how effective do you think your training program will be?"

My First Post

This is my first post. I'm officially a "blogger" now, I reckon'.

Basically, my goal with this blog is to post videos, pictures, articles, thoughts/ideas, and potentially workouts, warm ups, exercises etc. for athletes of all ages. The term "athlete" here doesn't solely apply to individuals currently involved with a "team," but can also include persons just looking to get (or remain) active.

Being a big baseball fan, the majority of my posts will likely be aimed in that general direction. Most of these exercises, drills, techniques, etc. can be applied to multiple sports/conditions. For example, if I make a post about shoulder mobility/stability exercises for a pitcher, that same information can be used for a quarterback, tennis player, swimmer, or even someone who at one time had shoulder surgery.