STS 5-7-08

"The secret of winning football games is working more as a team, less as individuals. I play not my 11 best, but my best 11." - Knute Rockne, American football coach

"It is possible that the number of accelerations and decelerations a player performs in a multi sprint sport (soccer/netball/basketball/hockey etc) is the most potent predictor of athletic performance" - Craig Duncan

Great qoutes that apply extremely well to Ultimate.

This is amazing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lM-IndBayWA

Vern Gambetta has been posting some phenomenal stuff lately. Really does a good job of explaining the big picture and how to apply all facets of athleticism to your workouts.

Functional Path Training Rules

In order to travel effectively on the Functional Path there are some basic rules of travel that must be followed
Ø Have a Plan, Execute It, and Evaluate It
Ø Build the Complete Athlete
All systems work together
Train all components all the time - Use It or Lose It
Ø Always Train Fundamental Movement Skills Before Specific Sport Skills
Ø Train Sport Appropriate - You Are What You Train To Be
Ø Build the Athlete from the Ground Up
Ø Train the Core as the Center of the Action
Ø To Be Fast You Must Train Fast
Ø Build a Work Capacity Base Appropriate For Your Sport
Ø Train Toe Nails To Fingernails
Train Movements not Muscles
Train Multi Joint & Multi Plane Movements
Ø Training is Cumulative
Win the Workout

The characteristics of
Functional Path™ training are:

No system of the body is emphasized to
exclusion of another, all systems of the body work together synergistically to
produce smooth efficient movement. No one method or physical quality becomes an end unto itself. Each athlete is a case study of one; each athlete brings something unique to the table.

In order to be considered functional, an
exercise or training method must meet all of the following criteria:

-Multiple Plane
-Multiple Joint
-High Proprioceptive Demand
-The Work Must Be Mindful

Full Article:

http://functionalpathtraining.typepad.com/functional_path_training/2008/05/a-functional-pa.html

The 20metre Rule: (really think about this)

http://athleticdevelopment.blogspot.com/2008/04/team-sports-and-20metre-rule.html

I believe that the maximum distance a multi sprint sport athlete needs to run
in one direction during conditioning training should be limited to 20metres.
Think about it for a while and try it as I have tried to follow my 20metre
rule for the majority of the training year. In the analysis of soccer we can
see that it is rare a player runs more than 20metres in one direction so I
ask why should we do anything differently in training. we want to
move away from players cruising during the game and move towards attacking the space at pace.

I've always said that at least 70% of Ultimate is played in under 30 yards (probably more if you're a handler-type) so at the very least 70% of your training should be in under 30 yards. Speed transition (start-stop-start speed) is always the difference-maker in so many types of cuts (and D) and should be a focal point of your training. It's also important to note that one of the other major benefits is that short-yardage training will have a substantial affect on your long game. The converse of that isn't true unfortunately. Remember, Ultimate is not a middle-distance activity (even though it has moments of jogging), it's a sprint-endurance sport. Train as such. Side note: If we really want to make sport analogies, Ultimate is a sprint-specific type of biathlon. Work at absolute max intensity, then stop, focus & make a precision throw while under time constraint, then immediately back to max intensity work. That's why this sport is the shit, it's a perfect balance of mentally and physically demanding work.

Speaking of Acceleration/deceleration:

Acceleration/deceleration Threshold

It is possible that the number of accelerations and decelerations a player
performs in a multi sprint sport (soccer/netball/basketball/hockey etc) is the
most potent predictor of athletic performance. There is a need to research this
further and with GPS equipment it is possible. I advocate that an
acceleration/deceleration threshold and training to increase this threshold
maybe a very important advancement in training for team sports. It all makes
sense to as straight line running in training involves only small if any
acceleration/deceleration and this is why a player wont be fit or match fit as
they maybe aerobically fit and their anaerobic threshold may improve but there
is no training or the acceleration/deceleration threshold. I am interested in
your views on this topic- Craig Duncan

Repeated sprint recovery:

http://conditioningresearch.blogspot.com/2008/04/repeated-sprintshow-to-recover.html

A nice Q & A with Alwyn Cosgrove where he explains the difference between
strength & metabolic conditioning. (2nd question down)

http://alwyncosgrove.blogspot.com/2008/05/may-q-i.html


Workout:

Movement Prep: standard stuff

Med-Ball: 3-throw sequence with intermixed mini-band shuffles. 2x's through, 10 throws each throw.

Plyo Training:

1A: Sitting box jumps
1B: superman pushups (walk hands all the way out in front
of body, do pushup so forearms are touching ground, walk hands back up to
standing)
2x's 10 each

2A: split-squat jumps
2B: Knee-to-elbows (hang from bar, bring knees to elbow)
2x's 10 each

Functional Lifts:

Split-squat push-press: http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/OlympicLifts/QuickDrop.html
same motion as this except bar is in front and land in a split-squat vs.
regular squat. Arms go up, legs go down, core stays active but stable.
-3 sets of 6 each leg alternating

1A:
Thrusters: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOFegns0qwI
1B: Pullups
-3 sets of 10 thrusters and pullups TF

RDL's: http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/OlympicLifts/RomanianDeadlift.html

2 sets

This week:

Monday: recovery
Tuesday: workout above
Wednesday: 15 min. high-intensity jump workout followed by tabata row machine intervals & 1:1 sprint/rest intervals on the elliptical
Thursday: Weights- metabolic conditioning
Friday: med-ball & sprint training
Saturday: Beach ultimate
Sunday: yoga and/or recovery

#40