Courtesy of my father! :)
Strength coaches doing heavy lifting - By Pat Forde
The article highlights of life/career of Notre Dame S&C coach Pat Longo. The article begins with a description of Coach Longo's office and strength room. 250+ piece of equitment, 50M track, 45yrd tuft. Rough life huh?
The article also described a 'big time' college fb coach similar to having the responisbilities of the head coach. They spend equal, if not more time with the players (thanks or no thanks to NCAA rules). I never really thought of it like that. But, now that someone has brought it up, it is very true. The FB coaches can only work with the players for a certain amount of time during the season/off season due to NCAA rules. However, the SC coach has a greater range of access to the players because they are in charge of the over all fitness/strength level of the players (which means the off season).
The SC is also similar to the head coach bc he/she works will ALL of the players, not just the o or the x or the running backs, which the 'specialty' coaches do. Like the head coach the SC overlooks the whole roster. Even the 'redshirt' freshmans that might never play in 5-6 years (they still have to lift etc).
The article then talks about the relationship between the head coach and sc, and how Longo and Kelly are co-workers, friends, confidantes etc. They have a long term relationship on and off the gridiron/weightroom. This is something I find to be very important, nothing could be worse then a head coach and a sc being on two different pages. Been there, done that. It is not fun nor easy as an athlete.
The one part of the article that stood out to me and I am not sure how I feel about it yet is Coach Longo's 'art of coaching' "the sound of silence" the article qoutes. No music, no TV/ESPN, no distractions in the weight room. I agree with the TV why would you put TV in a weight room to begin with?! Sounds like a huge lawsuit I wouldnt want to deal with. But, no loud music? I am not sure I could have survived 4 years of college athletics without music in the weight room. It wakes you up, gets you excited etc. I don't view it as a distraction.
The article also mentions Coach Longo's 'lack of barking'. "raises his voice only to be heard, never to motivate or berate". This is a tough one I understand he doesn't want to yell and scream and I agree with that/ But, does he not cheer on / encourgage his athletes as well. And honestly if the players are screwing around there comes a time when you might have to 'berate'. I do like how his philosophy is that 'the pep talks are left to the players'. This is very important that the players build a bond. But, the way I see it the SC is a part of the team/family and should be leading or at least taking part in the cheering/pep talking.
Anywho, that is just what I took out of the article. I would love to go sit in on a session with Coach Longo and see what the atmosphere really is like. I am sure it would be an incredible experience.
Until next time,
in eineacht le neart (with strength)
KIK
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Friday, June 25, 2010
MBSC First Week
So MBSC opened up on monday for the summer session. And let me just say it was pretty crazy, luckily we have a huge staff (at least at the Woburn facility).
Day 1 - The intern house was scheduled to open. I was up at 5am to get ready. We arrived at the facility at 6:15 and began setting up for the first group 6:30am. The day went fairly smoothly but we were still confused, unorganized and there was a lack of communication. The intern house was there from 6:15am til about 5pm. At 1:30 we went through the workout as a group. I don't mind this so much, however I wish I could warm up and do conditioning on my own. No offense to whomever but slideboard or sideways sled pulls dont exactly carry over to track. I am more then willing to do/practice the lateral stuff, but I also want to be able to do my 'track' related stuff. So after our workout we tidied up a bit and then headed home for the night.
Day 2 - We 'opened' MBSC again. Similar to Day 1, but we were a little more organized and flowed a little better. Today instead of staying at assinged stations we went along wit diff coaches/groups. I got to work with a lot of different coaches and athletes so that was good. Don't think I have a preference as to who I'd like to work with/ be paired with starting next week. Again, we worked out around 130 and were free to go around 4.
Day 3 - Today we had a 12:30pm - close shift. Close is between 8-9 depending on how quickly the athletes are done and how quickly we clean afterwards. We were there past 9 :(. Nicole had a chit-chat with us afterwards just giving us some fedback. She had good fed back but I think she assumes some things without knowing the full story. Oh well. Between 12:30 and our workout I jsut sorta floated and did some tidying and house cleaning stuff. I felt there were too many coaches on the floor, most groups had 3 - 4 coaches. Today we had a shorter workout bc we did not get going until like 2pm. After the workout I took about 30 mins to shower/change/eat/relax. Then it was back to work. The afternoon is much slower which is good and bad. Toward the evening adult groups come in, so I worked with some of them helping Evan and Dave out. Cool people. the adult workouts are a little different, but still basically the same. I thought that was pretty neat.
Day 4 - We had the same shift as yesterday. Nicole was away so Jamie was in charge of us. I floated around between 12:30 and 1:30ish. Then around 2pm I latched on to a group of young boys. They were interesting haha. I worked primarily with Ryan 1 and 2. They were seasoned vets and fun to work with. The were my first 2day program so that was a little weird getting used to when 2 day programs are before or after a 4day, it can be confusing. After that I helped Marco with a group of hs boys, they were funny. After that I skipped around with a few more groups until I worked out at like 4. I did the program on my own except added some tredmil intervals after slideboard. Not very good at incline bench I have to admit, dont think I have ever done it. After my workout I just kinda floated around until it was time to start cleaning.
It is now the weekend and i can relax until like 5am on monday. By sunday I will know my schedule and which coach(es) I will be working with. I have worked with Megan, Nicole, Shaeff, Marco, Kevin C, Dave, Dan, Evan, and Sam. I have not worked with Bobbie, Kevin L, Anthony, Jamie, Kyle, Ben or Jenna (but i know they are way cool). I guess Kevin C, Dave, Dan or Evan would be my top choices all for different reasons. Each coach has their own style and I like bits and pieces of each.
I will try to write more after the weekend when I know the plan of action.
In eineacht le neart, (with strength)
KIK
Day 1 - The intern house was scheduled to open. I was up at 5am to get ready. We arrived at the facility at 6:15 and began setting up for the first group 6:30am. The day went fairly smoothly but we were still confused, unorganized and there was a lack of communication. The intern house was there from 6:15am til about 5pm. At 1:30 we went through the workout as a group. I don't mind this so much, however I wish I could warm up and do conditioning on my own. No offense to whomever but slideboard or sideways sled pulls dont exactly carry over to track. I am more then willing to do/practice the lateral stuff, but I also want to be able to do my 'track' related stuff. So after our workout we tidied up a bit and then headed home for the night.
Day 2 - We 'opened' MBSC again. Similar to Day 1, but we were a little more organized and flowed a little better. Today instead of staying at assinged stations we went along wit diff coaches/groups. I got to work with a lot of different coaches and athletes so that was good. Don't think I have a preference as to who I'd like to work with/ be paired with starting next week. Again, we worked out around 130 and were free to go around 4.
Day 3 - Today we had a 12:30pm - close shift. Close is between 8-9 depending on how quickly the athletes are done and how quickly we clean afterwards. We were there past 9 :(. Nicole had a chit-chat with us afterwards just giving us some fedback. She had good fed back but I think she assumes some things without knowing the full story. Oh well. Between 12:30 and our workout I jsut sorta floated and did some tidying and house cleaning stuff. I felt there were too many coaches on the floor, most groups had 3 - 4 coaches. Today we had a shorter workout bc we did not get going until like 2pm. After the workout I took about 30 mins to shower/change/eat/relax. Then it was back to work. The afternoon is much slower which is good and bad. Toward the evening adult groups come in, so I worked with some of them helping Evan and Dave out. Cool people. the adult workouts are a little different, but still basically the same. I thought that was pretty neat.
Day 4 - We had the same shift as yesterday. Nicole was away so Jamie was in charge of us. I floated around between 12:30 and 1:30ish. Then around 2pm I latched on to a group of young boys. They were interesting haha. I worked primarily with Ryan 1 and 2. They were seasoned vets and fun to work with. The were my first 2day program so that was a little weird getting used to when 2 day programs are before or after a 4day, it can be confusing. After that I helped Marco with a group of hs boys, they were funny. After that I skipped around with a few more groups until I worked out at like 4. I did the program on my own except added some tredmil intervals after slideboard. Not very good at incline bench I have to admit, dont think I have ever done it. After my workout I just kinda floated around until it was time to start cleaning.
It is now the weekend and i can relax until like 5am on monday. By sunday I will know my schedule and which coach(es) I will be working with. I have worked with Megan, Nicole, Shaeff, Marco, Kevin C, Dave, Dan, Evan, and Sam. I have not worked with Bobbie, Kevin L, Anthony, Jamie, Kyle, Ben or Jenna (but i know they are way cool). I guess Kevin C, Dave, Dan or Evan would be my top choices all for different reasons. Each coach has their own style and I like bits and pieces of each.
I will try to write more after the weekend when I know the plan of action.
In eineacht le neart, (with strength)
KIK
Friday, June 18, 2010
MBSC Training Day 4&5
Didnt get around to writting yesterday so here it is now...
Day 4: 11am workout. We did linear warmup the same as tuesday, but lifts were different. Bench, landmine, lat stretch. KB Press, SL sit ups, plank circuit. Y/ER Combo with Keiser cables, Hammer Curl, Atl push/push with Keiser cable. Ended with 4x20 yrd cart pushes, real hard. And 'tempo' runs. 10x15 secs, 45 secs rest. Was not a fan of that bc tredmills dont nearly go fast enough for 15 sec sprints, at least for me. I used the 'self propelling' tred mill. Was interesting but still need to get used to it. After our workout we cleaned up shop a little and had our usual powwow.
Day 5: Today started with another 11am wrkout. We did our lateral warm up same as wednesday. For lift we did similar to tuesday. Clean & Ball roll out. Trapbar DL, invert row TRX, sumo squat stretch. X pull down with keiser, 1 leg squat, leg curl with TRX or slideboard, stability lift with keiser. We ended with slide board 6x30secs.
Slideboards i was not a fan of. Moving lateral hasnt really been my thing for 5 years now, so i struggle with some of that stuff. Needless to say I was a bit upset that I was struggling. I will get the hang of it eventually. I found it amusing that the two guys from ireland were struggling too. Maybe its an irish thing hah.
We got done today around 3 and are hanging out for the night. Either beach or the city tmrw.
In einacht le neart (with strength)
KIK
Day 4: 11am workout. We did linear warmup the same as tuesday, but lifts were different. Bench, landmine, lat stretch. KB Press, SL sit ups, plank circuit. Y/ER Combo with Keiser cables, Hammer Curl, Atl push/push with Keiser cable. Ended with 4x20 yrd cart pushes, real hard. And 'tempo' runs. 10x15 secs, 45 secs rest. Was not a fan of that bc tredmills dont nearly go fast enough for 15 sec sprints, at least for me. I used the 'self propelling' tred mill. Was interesting but still need to get used to it. After our workout we cleaned up shop a little and had our usual powwow.
Day 5: Today started with another 11am wrkout. We did our lateral warm up same as wednesday. For lift we did similar to tuesday. Clean & Ball roll out. Trapbar DL, invert row TRX, sumo squat stretch. X pull down with keiser, 1 leg squat, leg curl with TRX or slideboard, stability lift with keiser. We ended with slide board 6x30secs.
Slideboards i was not a fan of. Moving lateral hasnt really been my thing for 5 years now, so i struggle with some of that stuff. Needless to say I was a bit upset that I was struggling. I will get the hang of it eventually. I found it amusing that the two guys from ireland were struggling too. Maybe its an irish thing hah.
We got done today around 3 and are hanging out for the night. Either beach or the city tmrw.
In einacht le neart (with strength)
KIK
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
MBSC Training Day 3
Another long and hard day! My body hurts! :(
So we started today at 11am for our workout. We did the lateral mvmnt warm up. This consisted of some of the same stuff as yesterday, but not all. The stretches were the same.
Activation: Band Pull series (in front like a reverse fly) (diagonal in front of the body) (down/back starting above head and pulling down and out and behind head) X-Band walk (athletic stance, arms straight over head holding band, mini lateral steps)
Mobility: 1/2 kneeling ankle mobility (medial, lateral, nuetral), lat leg swings, split squat, lat squat, 'rotational' squat (90* at hips), single leg SLDL
Warm Up: lateral skip, cross behind skip, cross infront skip, shuffle, carioca (and no you can not pop you leg up like a runner :( haha) lateral crawl (push up position walk sideways)
Agility Ladder: 'icky shuffle' with stick, cross in front, cross behind, 2 in 2 out (frwd and lateral), scissors
Ploys: 1 leg hurdle hop (lateral, medial)
Med ball: standing overhead pass, 1/2 kneeling side throw (rotation in thoracic spine, fixed lower body).
After all of that, we re-did yesterdays lift. We went through fairly quickly so we could finish up.
After our workout we went over the rest of the workouts/exercises with Coach Boyle. Most of it is repetitive so things went fast. I was praised for asking a lot of questions. May or may not have caught Coach Boyle off gaurd, good things resources tell me he likes that. haha (Are 'B' Skips pointless for track athletes, except maybe hurdles/stepple/jumpers?)
We stayed and workout and talked to a few of the coaches afterwards. Got praise for that too. Looking forward to catching Coach Boyle off gaurd some more, in a good way that is.
In eineacht le near, KIK
So we started today at 11am for our workout. We did the lateral mvmnt warm up. This consisted of some of the same stuff as yesterday, but not all. The stretches were the same.
Activation: Band Pull series (in front like a reverse fly) (diagonal in front of the body) (down/back starting above head and pulling down and out and behind head) X-Band walk (athletic stance, arms straight over head holding band, mini lateral steps)
Mobility: 1/2 kneeling ankle mobility (medial, lateral, nuetral), lat leg swings, split squat, lat squat, 'rotational' squat (90* at hips), single leg SLDL
Warm Up: lateral skip, cross behind skip, cross infront skip, shuffle, carioca (and no you can not pop you leg up like a runner :( haha) lateral crawl (push up position walk sideways)
Agility Ladder: 'icky shuffle' with stick, cross in front, cross behind, 2 in 2 out (frwd and lateral), scissors
Ploys: 1 leg hurdle hop (lateral, medial)
Med ball: standing overhead pass, 1/2 kneeling side throw (rotation in thoracic spine, fixed lower body).
After all of that, we re-did yesterdays lift. We went through fairly quickly so we could finish up.
After our workout we went over the rest of the workouts/exercises with Coach Boyle. Most of it is repetitive so things went fast. I was praised for asking a lot of questions. May or may not have caught Coach Boyle off gaurd, good things resources tell me he likes that. haha (Are 'B' Skips pointless for track athletes, except maybe hurdles/stepple/jumpers?)
We stayed and workout and talked to a few of the coaches afterwards. Got praise for that too. Looking forward to catching Coach Boyle off gaurd some more, in a good way that is.
In eineacht le near, KIK
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
MBSC Training Day 2
Day 2 of training is over and out.
We met today at 1030am to prepare for our workout. First thing we did was fill our P3 forms which are more or less a shoulder/knee/low back injury form.
After that we began our workout.
1. 15 minutes of rolling, stretching, and 'activation'. Rolling (hips/glutes/ad/ab ductors, back from low to high, lats/shoulder girdle) Stretches (hamstring on table, 'pigeon', hip flexor on box, partner adductor) Activation (grey cook hip lift, band circuit).
2. 15 mins of Dynamic Warmup (hah i felt like I was at track practice all over, except there were more men then women, and not everyone looked comfortable doing an A-skip. i guess we cant all be athletic track athletes in which these mvmnt patterns were based).
3. Lean Fall Run (to work on out first few steps of frwd sprint)
4. Day 1 Lift program (cleans, bw dowel jumps, ball ab rollouts) (chin ups, RFE 1 Leg squat what i call a bulgarian, side plank) this is where we stopped due to lack of time, but normally it would finish with... (TRX lunge/bulgarian, 1 leg SLDL, 1 arm 1 leg row, half kneeling stability lift)
Everything works in a circuit like fashion, there will be 3 stations with the 3-4 different exercises, and each station will have 1 athlete per exercise. They go through thier motion and when the whole group (9 athletes) is finished we shift on to the next 'section'/ segment. Kinda confusing, after the first week of athletes, if i survive ill elaborate more... if possible.
So, after our workout we had about 20 mins of dwn time, then the meeting began. We finished going over Day 1-4 lift programs. Then began to talk about the warmup segment, we got through stretching/rolling. Tomorrow we will talk about dynamic warmup (lateral/linear) and conditioning.
As for this, I am tired with a slightly sore back. Not sure how the summer is going to bode on my back problems. Talked to one of the coaches Evan, he is going to help me with some things this summer. We shall see.
In eneacht le neart (with strength in Irish Gaelic)
KIK
We met today at 1030am to prepare for our workout. First thing we did was fill our P3 forms which are more or less a shoulder/knee/low back injury form.
After that we began our workout.
1. 15 minutes of rolling, stretching, and 'activation'. Rolling (hips/glutes/ad/ab ductors, back from low to high, lats/shoulder girdle) Stretches (hamstring on table, 'pigeon', hip flexor on box, partner adductor) Activation (grey cook hip lift, band circuit).
2. 15 mins of Dynamic Warmup (hah i felt like I was at track practice all over, except there were more men then women, and not everyone looked comfortable doing an A-skip. i guess we cant all be athletic track athletes in which these mvmnt patterns were based).
3. Lean Fall Run (to work on out first few steps of frwd sprint)
4. Day 1 Lift program (cleans, bw dowel jumps, ball ab rollouts) (chin ups, RFE 1 Leg squat what i call a bulgarian, side plank) this is where we stopped due to lack of time, but normally it would finish with... (TRX lunge/bulgarian, 1 leg SLDL, 1 arm 1 leg row, half kneeling stability lift)
Everything works in a circuit like fashion, there will be 3 stations with the 3-4 different exercises, and each station will have 1 athlete per exercise. They go through thier motion and when the whole group (9 athletes) is finished we shift on to the next 'section'/ segment. Kinda confusing, after the first week of athletes, if i survive ill elaborate more... if possible.
So, after our workout we had about 20 mins of dwn time, then the meeting began. We finished going over Day 1-4 lift programs. Then began to talk about the warmup segment, we got through stretching/rolling. Tomorrow we will talk about dynamic warmup (lateral/linear) and conditioning.
As for this, I am tired with a slightly sore back. Not sure how the summer is going to bode on my back problems. Talked to one of the coaches Evan, he is going to help me with some things this summer. We shall see.
In eneacht le neart (with strength in Irish Gaelic)
KIK
Monday, June 14, 2010
MBSC Training Day 1
First day of internship today. It was a short day, thankfully. They are easing us in. We arrived at 12, by 12:15 we met with Nicole who is out supervisor. We did an 'about us sheet' and then got a tour of the facility. We then had about 20 mins to mingle and talk amongst ourselves before the meeting started.
The first hour of the meeting was Coach Boyle going over the rules for the summer, pretty standard. The next 3 hours we went over Day 1 and Day 2 workouts. Coach Boyle showed us how it will be done. We will be working with groups of 9-10 athletes at once, 3 coaches per group. So 3 athletes to 1 coach more or less. Everything is done in a circuit like fashion. Each station there will be 3 exercises and athletes will be at each station for 20 minutes. Athletes will roll and stretch for about 12-15 mins first thing, they they have about a 12-15 dynamic warmup. Then they go through their lifts. Finally endin with conditioning.
Days 1&3 are lower body and back/core. Days 2&4 are upperbody days. Similar to what I usually do, so thats nice. Then 2/4 days are linear conditionig, and 2/4 are lateral conditioning. Should be very hetic. Each session is 1hr and 30 mins. The facility moves through about 300 athletes a day. Our schedule seems like it will be 7am-9pm with 1-3pm for lunch and work outs. Not sure how I will survive. The good thing we only work Mon-thurs.
There are about 12 interns total between 19 and 27 years old. Mostly college students or just graduated. Most are from NE and/or go to school in NE. Rachael and I felt like the outsiders, me esp. because I went to school in the south. Not sure how they'll take the 'ya'll' haha. There are 5 girls total for interns. The three of us in the house a girl Bridget (i think) who is still in college I believe. And a rcent BU grad named Marietta (i believe). There are 2 interns from Ireland as well (Dubin and Cork). So it is a interesting group of people.
I am looking forward to working with everyone and getting to know people and seeing what their backgrounds are like. I feel like I'm the only one who does not have a background in exercise science, or some sort of sport/athletic related field. Oh well. I have enough experience and should be doing just fine. Esp since Coach told us multiple times today not to get too smart/sciency on the athletes. Most of them will not get it anyway.
Welp, time for me to make some dinner I think. Then relax.
Until next time, KIK
The first hour of the meeting was Coach Boyle going over the rules for the summer, pretty standard. The next 3 hours we went over Day 1 and Day 2 workouts. Coach Boyle showed us how it will be done. We will be working with groups of 9-10 athletes at once, 3 coaches per group. So 3 athletes to 1 coach more or less. Everything is done in a circuit like fashion. Each station there will be 3 exercises and athletes will be at each station for 20 minutes. Athletes will roll and stretch for about 12-15 mins first thing, they they have about a 12-15 dynamic warmup. Then they go through their lifts. Finally endin with conditioning.
Days 1&3 are lower body and back/core. Days 2&4 are upperbody days. Similar to what I usually do, so thats nice. Then 2/4 days are linear conditionig, and 2/4 are lateral conditioning. Should be very hetic. Each session is 1hr and 30 mins. The facility moves through about 300 athletes a day. Our schedule seems like it will be 7am-9pm with 1-3pm for lunch and work outs. Not sure how I will survive. The good thing we only work Mon-thurs.
There are about 12 interns total between 19 and 27 years old. Mostly college students or just graduated. Most are from NE and/or go to school in NE. Rachael and I felt like the outsiders, me esp. because I went to school in the south. Not sure how they'll take the 'ya'll' haha. There are 5 girls total for interns. The three of us in the house a girl Bridget (i think) who is still in college I believe. And a rcent BU grad named Marietta (i believe). There are 2 interns from Ireland as well (Dubin and Cork). So it is a interesting group of people.
I am looking forward to working with everyone and getting to know people and seeing what their backgrounds are like. I feel like I'm the only one who does not have a background in exercise science, or some sort of sport/athletic related field. Oh well. I have enough experience and should be doing just fine. Esp since Coach told us multiple times today not to get too smart/sciency on the athletes. Most of them will not get it anyway.
Welp, time for me to make some dinner I think. Then relax.
Until next time, KIK
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Perform Better Summit Day 2&3
Brett Jones - Another favorite presenter from the weekend. Coach Jones is one of the original kettlebell people, so naturally he spoke about 'Kettlebell Power'. Very smart guy, and also has a sense of humor. He talked about diff Kettlebell exercises, why to do them, how to do them etc. I also am a fan of Jones because he talked to me and my father about back surgery, how in some cases its a must. Not sure if I am one of those cases, but now my father is at least willing to listen.
Sue Falcone - I decided to go to Ms. Falcone because she was the only female presenter, and because she was a 'back person'. Unfortunatly, I could not find her to have a one-one convo with her. Ms. Falcone was very smart, and defitley loved the back.
Greg Rose - his hands on was different and interesting. I learned a bunch of new core/hip exercises that I had not seen before. Although, I am not a 'golf person' his lecture could work with any 'rotational sport' or just for core strength in general.
Lastly was the Q&A Session. This was not too great, few questions were asked and the answers were multiple and lengthy it was hard to keep track of who said what and what the question even was at times. However, it is something that needs to be done and is a great way to pull all the presenters together.
Day 3 - We only stayed for 2/3 presenters (had a long drive ahead, and dinner plans with our family.)
Lee Taft - need I say more on Lee? He is great, fast, smart. He is def the man for speed! I absolutely loved his hands on! We did some new drills that I never used. They were fun, and challanging, and they def worked! It was a little hard for me to do the multi directional stuff bc I have been moving fwrd and only fwrd for so long (haha), but it was fun to try. Huge, huge fan!
Michol Dalcourt - Another new and different hands on experience. We did a lot of interesting core exercises using bands. Things I would not have considered core, but they do work your core among other things. He talked about alternations by moving 'hand and foot print', angles, speed, resistance etc. I really enjoyed it. I never really thought how moving from a 'reg push up' to a 'staggered hand push up' changes the 'core muscles' that are being worked. Cool stuff!
Unfortunatly I had to miss Dave Jack's lecture on 'Coaching From Good to Bad' I heard good things about it though,and I do have the notes from the lecture, so I am not at complete loss.
Sue Falcone - I decided to go to Ms. Falcone because she was the only female presenter, and because she was a 'back person'. Unfortunatly, I could not find her to have a one-one convo with her. Ms. Falcone was very smart, and defitley loved the back.
Greg Rose - his hands on was different and interesting. I learned a bunch of new core/hip exercises that I had not seen before. Although, I am not a 'golf person' his lecture could work with any 'rotational sport' or just for core strength in general.
Lastly was the Q&A Session. This was not too great, few questions were asked and the answers were multiple and lengthy it was hard to keep track of who said what and what the question even was at times. However, it is something that needs to be done and is a great way to pull all the presenters together.
Day 3 - We only stayed for 2/3 presenters (had a long drive ahead, and dinner plans with our family.)
Lee Taft - need I say more on Lee? He is great, fast, smart. He is def the man for speed! I absolutely loved his hands on! We did some new drills that I never used. They were fun, and challanging, and they def worked! It was a little hard for me to do the multi directional stuff bc I have been moving fwrd and only fwrd for so long (haha), but it was fun to try. Huge, huge fan!
Michol Dalcourt - Another new and different hands on experience. We did a lot of interesting core exercises using bands. Things I would not have considered core, but they do work your core among other things. He talked about alternations by moving 'hand and foot print', angles, speed, resistance etc. I really enjoyed it. I never really thought how moving from a 'reg push up' to a 'staggered hand push up' changes the 'core muscles' that are being worked. Cool stuff!
Unfortunatly I had to miss Dave Jack's lecture on 'Coaching From Good to Bad' I heard good things about it though,and I do have the notes from the lecture, so I am not at complete loss.
Perform Better Summit Day 1
The first speaker I went to was Martin Rooney, who was actually the person who convinced me to begin writting. One of his slides were Rooney's Numbers to Success (or something like that). I am to read 20 pages a day, and write 10 pages a month (at least I hope I got that correct). Seeing as I just finished college and spent my time reading way too much (sociology and spanish major with a concentration in spanish lit), I am not keen on jumping back into reading too much. Writting on the other hand is something I can do. Anywho, I digress. So, the night I got home I set up a blog, the following day I wrote my first entry. And 2 days later I am at it again.
Martin Rooney - he is one of Parisi Speed Schools guys. I have heard him speak before, I believe at the same conference in 08. He is very easy to listen to because he gets WAY excited for things. It is fun, interesting, entertaining etc. It was a great lecture for me seeing as I am still 'wading' in the shallow end of S&C.
Al Vermeil - The Godfather as some might call him. He is in his 60s and has been around for over 30 years. He has championship rings in 2 pro sports! I went to his hands on which was all about Speed. He was very good, but he does tend to speak in circles at times. Non-the less he is brillant.
Fraser Quelch - my first of many encounters with Canadians this weekend. Fraser is a TRX guy, and very outdoorsey. He looks the part too ;). He talked about bodyweight training, surprise being a TRX man. hah. Although it was not a hands on, Fraser turned it into a hands on. He had us up doing different lunging/reaching motions so we could feel how our different muscles activate etc. It was interesting and fun. Not much room to move though with all the chairs!
Mike Boyle - My soon to be mentor. I went to Coach Boyle's hands on. I thought that would be more benefitial to get an idea of what type of stuff I will be coaching/doing. It was fun, most of the things I knew from previous knowledge or reading his first book, some things were new though. I need to learn how to ROLL!
Lee Burton - A FMS guy. He talked about Core Training and Assessing, I thought this would be good for me considering I have a herniated back I am still fighting with. His hands on was great! Of course he did FMS things, some were new to me, some old. All was great! It really made me relate due to my back.
Thomas Plummer - Mr. Plummer is on the other side of things, if you will. He is a buisness man, and a very good one. He spoke last time in 08, and his lecture was similar. To make matters short he is loud, he is rude (not the bad kind), he is funny, he is intense. Basically crazy (not in a bad way). He does basically tell us all that we're terrible buisness people and we will never have money. We work 90 hrs a week, for little money, but we dont care. We dont consider it a job etc. Basically hit the nail on the head for our profession.
Martin Rooney - he is one of Parisi Speed Schools guys. I have heard him speak before, I believe at the same conference in 08. He is very easy to listen to because he gets WAY excited for things. It is fun, interesting, entertaining etc. It was a great lecture for me seeing as I am still 'wading' in the shallow end of S&C.
Al Vermeil - The Godfather as some might call him. He is in his 60s and has been around for over 30 years. He has championship rings in 2 pro sports! I went to his hands on which was all about Speed. He was very good, but he does tend to speak in circles at times. Non-the less he is brillant.
Fraser Quelch - my first of many encounters with Canadians this weekend. Fraser is a TRX guy, and very outdoorsey. He looks the part too ;). He talked about bodyweight training, surprise being a TRX man. hah. Although it was not a hands on, Fraser turned it into a hands on. He had us up doing different lunging/reaching motions so we could feel how our different muscles activate etc. It was interesting and fun. Not much room to move though with all the chairs!
Mike Boyle - My soon to be mentor. I went to Coach Boyle's hands on. I thought that would be more benefitial to get an idea of what type of stuff I will be coaching/doing. It was fun, most of the things I knew from previous knowledge or reading his first book, some things were new though. I need to learn how to ROLL!
Lee Burton - A FMS guy. He talked about Core Training and Assessing, I thought this would be good for me considering I have a herniated back I am still fighting with. His hands on was great! Of course he did FMS things, some were new to me, some old. All was great! It really made me relate due to my back.
Thomas Plummer - Mr. Plummer is on the other side of things, if you will. He is a buisness man, and a very good one. He spoke last time in 08, and his lecture was similar. To make matters short he is loud, he is rude (not the bad kind), he is funny, he is intense. Basically crazy (not in a bad way). He does basically tell us all that we're terrible buisness people and we will never have money. We work 90 hrs a week, for little money, but we dont care. We dont consider it a job etc. Basically hit the nail on the head for our profession.
Perform Better Summit 2010 OverView
Since I just went to the 2010 Perform Better Conference this past weekend in Providence. And that was the real push that inspired me to start a blog, it makes a lot of sense to write my first 'real' entry about that conference.
The conference was 2 and a half days long, it started on Friday June 4 and lasted through a half day on Sunday June 6. I had a great time overall was there. I met a lot of new people who were from all over the world, and all had different roles in the 'fitness' industry. I was also able to meet Mike Boyle again, who I will be interning with beginning on Monday! :O He brought his 'pose' with him per usual, so I was able meet them and get to know them a little before I begin my work with them. Coach Boyle was very nice and had a sense of humor (which I was not expecting). I am looking forward to the summer at his facility.
I was also able to meet Lee Taft again and hear him talk, he might be my favorite coach. That is probably because I am biased due to him being the 'guru for speed'. Man can he move! The weekend provided great networking for me, I was even able to talk to a few women in the field (role models if you will). This was the first conference in which I felt I really went out of my way, and out of my comfort zone to meet people and talk to people.
It was a great time and I look forward to my next conference. Whether it will be with my father, with Coach Boyle, on my own, or with my graduate school, we will find out.
The conference was 2 and a half days long, it started on Friday June 4 and lasted through a half day on Sunday June 6. I had a great time overall was there. I met a lot of new people who were from all over the world, and all had different roles in the 'fitness' industry. I was also able to meet Mike Boyle again, who I will be interning with beginning on Monday! :O He brought his 'pose' with him per usual, so I was able meet them and get to know them a little before I begin my work with them. Coach Boyle was very nice and had a sense of humor (which I was not expecting). I am looking forward to the summer at his facility.
I was also able to meet Lee Taft again and hear him talk, he might be my favorite coach. That is probably because I am biased due to him being the 'guru for speed'. Man can he move! The weekend provided great networking for me, I was even able to talk to a few women in the field (role models if you will). This was the first conference in which I felt I really went out of my way, and out of my comfort zone to meet people and talk to people.
It was a great time and I look forward to my next conference. Whether it will be with my father, with Coach Boyle, on my own, or with my graduate school, we will find out.
Monday, June 7, 2010
How it all began
I decided to start off by thinking about "how it all began." Where did this passion for coaching people (esp athletes) on Strength and Conditioning come from? I guess I could start off by blaming my father Bruce Kelly. But that would be too easy. However, that is a part of it. My father has been a part of the 'fitness/personal training/health/s&C' field for over 20 years now, that number is according to him, I think it is more around 10-15, but who really knows. So, obviously growing up with a dad such as mine, as was automatically integrated into this area.
I went to my first conference in the field when I was 19. It was the NSCA 2008 Sports Specific Conference, in Anaheim Cali. Since then I have also been to 2008&2010Perform Better Conference, and the 2008&2009 Strength & Conditioning/Athletic Development Conference (Loyola University).
But things go back before that, I didnt randomly go to a conference and fall in love with everything. I apparently had a passion before going to my first conference. I don't remember exactly when or how but I do remember in my later years of HS helping my dad coach different teams on strength & conditioning. My father was involved with some of my HS's (and other HS's) sports programs, and would come sporadically to help train the teams. I would go with him and assist with drills/exercises.
But, even before I was helping my dad, I was an athlete. My first memory of being an 'athlete' was when I was probably 5. My parents, at the time, were involved of the 'recreational' Track and Field Team in my home town, Swarthmore PA. And my brother, who is 18 months older was a member of the team. Going to practice week after week, and most likely being bored, led me to the brilliant philosophy of 'if you can't beat 'em, join 'em'. Or maybe, 'when in Rome, do as the Romans'. So, naturally in my pink Little Mermaid sandals, and most likely some God awful outfit my mother had me dressed in, I began to run. I raced the 'older kids' who were on the gravel track, while I was on the grass.
I would regret to leave out the fact that I was skiing years before this occured. Sadly enough, I do not remember my first time skiing. I am not sure if this because putting a child on skis before they're 2 is probably considered child abuse, or because I was just too young to remember the mountain. But, either way I was a Steamboat Springs Colo 'snow bunny' if you will from a very young age. Apparently so young I dont remember. Eventually, to my dads worse desire, I turned to the 'dark side' about 8 years ago and began snowboarding as well.
Eventually, I assume I became involved in a more appropriate, less sketchy way. I guess I could say I have been competing in T&F for 16 years or so. Track was my sport of choice, I excelled into HS, and was a state wide competitor in HS. I was recruited for college track, and choose to be a Richmond Spider. Unfortunately, my freshman year was the only year I was 'healthy'. After that it was one issue after another, but I am determined to give track one last try when I go to Graduate School.
Besides track I was an avid Swimmer and Diver during the summers, and sometimes winters as well. From 3-6 grade I played baseball with the boys. I was a soccer player from grade 3-11 and a basketball player from 3-9. There were also the dreadful 'raquet' sports that I fiddled with but never really liked possibly because I wasn't the best at them.
To this day I still consider myself an athlete. I plan on returning to the track in Grad school, and eventually begin playing soccer on a team again. I also plan to begin road racing, and doing bi/tri athalons when I 'retire' from 'college' sports.
So my recall of 'how it all began' is a little blurry. Maybe someday I will remember the exact moment when I decided I loved strength and conditioning. Until then, this will have to do.
I went to my first conference in the field when I was 19. It was the NSCA 2008 Sports Specific Conference, in Anaheim Cali. Since then I have also been to 2008&2010Perform Better Conference, and the 2008&2009 Strength & Conditioning/Athletic Development Conference (Loyola University).
But things go back before that, I didnt randomly go to a conference and fall in love with everything. I apparently had a passion before going to my first conference. I don't remember exactly when or how but I do remember in my later years of HS helping my dad coach different teams on strength & conditioning. My father was involved with some of my HS's (and other HS's) sports programs, and would come sporadically to help train the teams. I would go with him and assist with drills/exercises.
But, even before I was helping my dad, I was an athlete. My first memory of being an 'athlete' was when I was probably 5. My parents, at the time, were involved of the 'recreational' Track and Field Team in my home town, Swarthmore PA. And my brother, who is 18 months older was a member of the team. Going to practice week after week, and most likely being bored, led me to the brilliant philosophy of 'if you can't beat 'em, join 'em'. Or maybe, 'when in Rome, do as the Romans'. So, naturally in my pink Little Mermaid sandals, and most likely some God awful outfit my mother had me dressed in, I began to run. I raced the 'older kids' who were on the gravel track, while I was on the grass.
I would regret to leave out the fact that I was skiing years before this occured. Sadly enough, I do not remember my first time skiing. I am not sure if this because putting a child on skis before they're 2 is probably considered child abuse, or because I was just too young to remember the mountain. But, either way I was a Steamboat Springs Colo 'snow bunny' if you will from a very young age. Apparently so young I dont remember. Eventually, to my dads worse desire, I turned to the 'dark side' about 8 years ago and began snowboarding as well.
Eventually, I assume I became involved in a more appropriate, less sketchy way. I guess I could say I have been competing in T&F for 16 years or so. Track was my sport of choice, I excelled into HS, and was a state wide competitor in HS. I was recruited for college track, and choose to be a Richmond Spider. Unfortunately, my freshman year was the only year I was 'healthy'. After that it was one issue after another, but I am determined to give track one last try when I go to Graduate School.
Besides track I was an avid Swimmer and Diver during the summers, and sometimes winters as well. From 3-6 grade I played baseball with the boys. I was a soccer player from grade 3-11 and a basketball player from 3-9. There were also the dreadful 'raquet' sports that I fiddled with but never really liked possibly because I wasn't the best at them.
To this day I still consider myself an athlete. I plan on returning to the track in Grad school, and eventually begin playing soccer on a team again. I also plan to begin road racing, and doing bi/tri athalons when I 'retire' from 'college' sports.
So my recall of 'how it all began' is a little blurry. Maybe someday I will remember the exact moment when I decided I loved strength and conditioning. Until then, this will have to do.
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