QUESTION:
Dear Coach:
My son has always been interested in sports and fitness. Now, at 13, he has joined a gym so he can use the stair-step, bicycles, treadmill, and other equipment.
I am apprehensive about him using weight machines or lifting at his age. I have heard that use of weights before he reaches his full size could negatively affect his growth.
Please advise. Thank you for your informative website.
ANSWER:
To whom it may concern :
The National Strength and Conditioning Association has authored a position paper on the subject of youth and strength training. This position stand has also been endorsed by the American College of Sports Medicine. I can send you a copy if you e-mail me your address. In addition, at last week's national convention in Vegas, there was a special roundtable on this very subject.
You are correct in being concerned. The potential danger to your son concerns the UNSUPERVISED or INADEQUATELY SUPERVISED activity of strength training.
Poor form, sloppy technique, improper and/or inappropriate program design (volume and loading variables) could all result in injury to a youth trainee. There are definite guidelines that need to be followed.
If a certified strength and conditioning specialist is available or a ACSM certified health/fitness instructor or certified exercise specialist is available to teach/instruct/supervise your son, I have little doubt that he could safely enjoy the many benefits associated with youth strength training. Please be sure to check the credentials, training/education and PHILOSOPHY of the supervising instructor prior to allowing your son to participate in this activity. In addition, he should probably be cleared by his pediatrician before initiating such a program.
Good luck,
Richard Lansky, CSCS
Clinic Director
OPTI Sports & Fitness Clinic
QUESTION:
Dear OPTI Staff:
Whenever I go out to play basketball, I definitely feel like I have lost a step or two. What types of exercise would you recommend to try to increase foot speed?
Justin Z.
KansasANSWER:
Improving your ability to produce speed can be a complex issue.
You've stated that a loss of foot speed is apparent during basketball play. We need to look at the causitive factor behind this decreased speed. Were you injured? Did you take a long layoff from competitive play and/or conditioning? Have you experienced some other medical problem that could have negatively influenced your speed capabilities?
Since I don't know the specifics of this loss, I'll approach the issue from a perspective that you've taken some time off for rest or personal issues. As such, I'm assuming that there are no current medical problems that would hamper your ability to perform the speed development drills necessary to improve your agility, quickness and foot speed.
Basketball play requires that a player can react to a stimulus, accelerate quickly and abruptly decelerate, change his/her direction of movement and reaccelerate. These biomotor abilities require high degrees of concentric force production to propulse yourself forward, eccentric strength to decelerate quickly moving limbs and absorb force to slow yourself down, and a highly efficient nervous system to fire the appropriate motor units necessary to get you moving once again.
Balance, coordination and proprioception are all important components that will help you to accomplish these movements. Plyometric drills and agility exercises may also help .
The following practical drills are examples of exercises that we use with our clients/athletes at O.P.T.I. to help with their on-the-court basketball movement capabilities.
It is important that you consult with a strength and conditioning professional before attempting any of these drills/exercises, since the individual application will vary depending on athlete capabilities, maturity levels, conditioning status and injury/medical history. A Certifed Strength and Conditioning Specialist or Speed Development Consultant with a sprint training/coaching background would be most appropriate.
The above activities are simply examples of some of the drills we use with our athletes, some will not be applicable to your individual needs or concerns.
- shuttle runs (suicides)
- speed ladder exercises ( lateral, front and back )
- t-test/drills
- jump and start drills
- court specific pattern runs (incorporating many sudden cuts and drives)
- toe-taps/foot speed drills using a step or box
- ice skater lateral movement drills
- reaction drills using the "speed coach" electronic prompt or tennis ball drops
- exercises like "catch lunges", "one leg hops", and '180's that require balance, proprioception and acceleration/deceleration demands
In addition, do not neglect basic speed development activities such as proper running technique, attention to the optimal stride length and stride frequency combination, and the ability to put force into the ground to propulse your body in a certain direction.
Good luck with your training. If we can be of more specific help, please do not hesitate to contact us by phone, fax, e-mail or letter.
Remember to consult your physician prior to engaging in any exercise activities that you may read about in this or any other website, publication or pamphlet.
If you have questions about sports performance, conditioning, or other health and fitness related topics, e-mail them here.
Our professional staff will answer selected questions and post the responses on this page.
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