Grizzlies Open Try-Out

This moring I was out at the Gateway Grizzlies open try out at GCS Ballpark. I was there to time the 30's and 60's of the players. Using the SPARQ XLR8 Cones makes this process so easy and accurate. Using the cones I was able to get split times. This makes large testings and assessments so much more efficient because your killing two birds with one stone. With 1 sprint I was able to get the 30 and 60 times of each athlete. The best 30 time today was a 3.64 while the best 60 was a 6.8.
Every player in attendance regardless of their time had one thing in common, poor running mechanics. It is amazing that athletes can make it to such a high level of play with very little knowledge or previous training mainly with running mechanics. These athletes could greatly improve on field performance by improving their running mechanics. In baseball, 1/10th of a second off your 30 time is 1-2 steps down the first base line. Over the course of a season how many times is a player thrown out by 1-2 steps at first? How many times could a ground ball or fly ball have been caught if you had 1 or 2 more steps? Now you can see how important speed is in the game of baseball. In future blog postings I will take a step by step approach to form running so that you can improve your speed and on field performance.

TRAIN BETTER, TRAIN SPEED BOOSTERS.

Fastpitch Clinics

It's been a busy and crazy week since my last post but I just wanted to keep everyone informed of another great camp opportunity this summer. Scott Sullivan, owner of St. Louis Baseball and Fastpitch Academy will be offering one day fastpitch clinics every Wednesday in June. The clinics will be offered to girls ages 10U - 18U and will offer some of the best instructors and college coaches in the area.

The clinic includes the following:
Softball 2.0 SPARQ Testing by Speed Boosters
Arm Strength & Throwing Evaluation
Bat Speed & Mechanics Checklist
CD Highlighting Clinic Events
Lunch
T-Shirt & Prizes

Special Guest Instructors:
June 4th - Kim Schuette, Eastern Illinois University
June 11th - Craig Nicholson, Ball State University, Chicago Bandits
June 18th - Rich Sturm, Oakville High School
June 25th - TBA

Clinic Instructors:
Scott Sullivan
Jim Greiner
Randi Null
SLU, Mizzou, Kansas, Ball State, & Bradley Players

For more information on the fastpitch clinics visit www.stlacademy.com

TRAIN BETTER, TRAIN SPEED BOOSTERS.

Summer Training

Does your training need a SPARQ? We will be offering several options for athletes who are interested in increasing their athletic performance. Listed below are several options for training with us this summer. We also do group and team SPARQ Training and SPARQ Testing sessions and will come to your facility or practice. Check back often for more offerings.

New Summer Training Sessions begin June 9th.

SPARQ Training Sessions
Days: Monday and Friday
Times: 9:00-9:45, 9:45-10:30, 10:30-11:15
Location: St. Louis Baseball & Fastpitch Academy
Cost: $10 per session
Open Enrollment- Attend on days and times of your choice

Female Functional Strength Training w/SPARQ Training Sessions
Days: Monday & Friday
Times: 9:00-10:30, 9:45-11:15
Location: St. Louis Baseball & Fastpitch Academy
Cost: $15 per session

Open Enrollment- Attend on days and times of your choice

For more information contact:
sean.erwin@speedboosters.net

TRAIN BETTER, TRAIN SPEED BOOSTERS.

Dynamic Stretch: Inchworm

Here is Dynamic Stretch 7 of 7. I hope that you have implemented these into your warmup and pre-game routine. Remember we must prepare for dynamic activity by stretching dynamically.

7.) Inchworm - Start in the up position of a pushup. Walk your feet up towards your hands while keeping your hands on the ground. Once the feet reach the hands, walk the hands away from the feet. Keep hands flat on ground. Perform 8-10 reps and then jog it out 10 yards. This stretch targets the lower back, hips, and hamstrings.

TRAIN BETTER, TRAIN SPEED BOOSTERS.

U.S. Soccer & SPARQ

Speed Boosters in collaboration with Nike and SPARQ will be participating in the training and testing of young National Teams and Developmental Academy Clubs. Speed Boosters looks forward to working with some of the top soccer players in the St. Louis area as well as the country. The following release comes from the U.S. Soccer Official Website:

U.S. Soccer Partners With Nike and SPARQ Training to Provide Training Expertise For Youth Players

SPARQ Will Provide Physical Testing and Training Component to Players on Youth National Teams and All Development Academy Clubs;
Training Revolution Will Begin this Spring and During Academy Showcase in Rockford, Ill.

CHICAGO (April 2, 2008) — As part of its commitment to provide elite youth players with the best possible environment and tools for training and development, U.S. Soccer is partnering with Nike and SPARQ to enhance training for players on the men’s and women’s Youth National Teams and all clubs in the Development Academy. All athletes from the Youth National Teams and the Development Academy will be tested this spring and each athlete’s test results and subsequent SPARQ Soccer Rating will serve as the foundation for a comprehensive individual program to focus training and track progress and improvement over time.

What is the Sparq Soccer Rating?
The SPARQ Soccer Rating is a proprietary, standardized method for evaluating match-relevant athletic and functional ability. It is a single number derived from performances on four soccer-specific physical tests of speed, power, agility and endurance capacity. The results serve as the foundation for individualized training programs.

“Partnering with Nike and SPARQ is another step in providing the absolute best atmosphere to improve the development environment for the elite soccer players in our national teams and in the Academy,” said U.S. Soccer Development Academy Director and Men’s National Team assistant coach John Hackworth. “We are excited about SPARQ training because it is another tool players can use to achieve their highest soccer potential.”

SPARQ stands for speed, power, agility, reaction and quickness, and is a training resource that uses a standardized method of testing to provide athletes with an assessment and training tools to help them improve. The standardized testing environment enables players to measure themselves against their peers and international caliber soccer players.

Nike Athletes Using SPARQ
Landon Donovan (MLS)
Kevin Durant (NBA)
Steve Nash (NBA)
Adrian Peterson (NFL)
Lindsay Tarpley (U.S. Women)
LaDanian Tomlinson (NFL)
Hope Solo (U.S. Women)
Abby Wambach (U.S. Women)

SPARQ trainers will test athletes at their local club and at the Development Academy Spring Showcase from May 23 to 26 in Rockford, Ill. Once tested, players receive an individualized program designed to provide meaningful training by addressing personalized areas of weakness and focus on areas of strength. The physical training element is focused on developing soccer athleticism, which is a major component of successful professional clubs’ programs, along with tactical and technical training.

Launched in the fall 2007 after a comprehensive review of the player development systems in the U.S. and across the world, the Development Academy will provide the best possible opportunity for players to develop. Teams in the Academy are required to train a minimum of three times a week, eliminating the growing trend of playing excessive games in lieu of consistent training patterns, while also playing relevant weekly matches at a high level against other teams in the program.

More than 3,000 players are part of the Development Academy, which includes clubs with teams in each of the two Academy age groups: Under-15/16 and U-17/18. The clubs are divided into eight conferences (based on geographic proximity), with each team playing 30 matches during the eight-month season. The winner of each conference will participate in the Academy Finals Week at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., in July.

ussoccer.com is the official website of U.S. Soccer, the governing body of soccer in the United States

TRAIN BETTER, TRAIN SPEED BOOSTERS.

Dynamic Stretch: Long Step Backpedal

Here is dynamic stretch 6 of 7.

6.) Long Step Backpedal - Jog backwards with your legs. Try to increase the length of each step. Reach backwards with each step. Perform 8-10 reps and then jog it out for 10 yards. This stretch targets the hip flexors.