I remember returning from my first trip to Australia totally enthralled with what I had seen in terms of systematic recovery programs at the AIS and some of the state institutes. I came to the conclusion at the time that you must be proactive and design your training around recovery. Conceptually at the time that might have been a logical conclusion especially with the attitude that existed here i [...]

Self Assessment or Coach driven evaluations are ok but they are not orthopedic assessments. The trend now is to do a FMS or some sort of evaluation. This is a good process because no evaluation is a bad idea for most. Still, a good PT (don't dare say Chiro!) is worth their weight in gold as they are looking at root problems not visual impairments. Fix the movement? Sorry Mr. Cook you are only por [...]

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I am headed up north to Canada for business this weekend. My blog is on hiatus as I am working on several DVD project with one being customized for an olympic team. After this weekend I will update my experience with several world class therapists. [...]

Those vesting a lot of money and effort to any system (like the omegawave) with 60 jump tests and research of Russian sailors should do some more investigating. I do think some merit is there with Heart Rate Variability but let's get real and start observing your athletes. While some great people are involved with this, so far not a shred of evidence can be shared of it's effectiveness. Some sim [...]

The healing power of the pool was shared earlier in the post aquagenesis, and I decided to elaborate more with some protocols. Water will never replace the land, and the land will never replace the water, so what is an optimal balance of both? What I do know is the pool work that Flow Jo did didn't create a big enough problem to slow her down, regardless how she ran her times. The fear of altered [...]

Water is an excellent medium that provides unique qualities that athletes can exploit for various needs such as conditioning, specific strength, joint mobility/flexibility, and rehabilitation. What I like about the zealous enthusiast is that they explore all the possibilities that water can do, even if another option is superior. This is important for well rounded programs, as even if a tool or pr [...]

3 years ago today, I started coaching at West Point. My wife and I made the move from Baton Rouge to the Northeast because she wanted to move closer to her family and West Point seemed like the best option that fit that bill at the time. When I accepted the job, I had no idea what I was in for (good and bad). Having just recently resigned at West Point 3 months ago, I can now look back and reflec [...]

Mike Nelson brings a good point about therapy and pain. Obviously he is a Z-health proponent and brings a wealth of knowledge to his blog every week. My problem with his response is he doesn't give case examples with athletes. I have been exposed to some fantastic therapists and found that traditional massage and soft tissue release (similar to ART and was used earlier) to be a major advantage. [...]

Brain Juice. Java. Black Tea. Cup of Joe. Rocket Fuel. All of these are names for the ubiquitous beverage that is coffee. While there's a longstanding belief that coffee is bad for you (it dehydrates! makes your teeth black! disrupts sleep!) there's a growing amount of evidence to suggest that coffee may very well be one of the healthiest things you can put in your body. Here's a look at why y [...]