Posts Tagged ‘athletics’

Info On Weightlifting Sports

Wednesday, October 7th, 2009

Why weightlifting? Why do weightlifting connect with various activities and sports? What should you know on weightlifting?
Almost all sports require weightlifting, because any athlete needs to develop strength and muscle resistance in order to be competitive. In the past, lots of coaches believed that weightlifting sports extensive training achieved a bulk of muscle mass without real relevance for the athlete’s performance. Well, things have changed a bit these days. Presently, the benefits of weightlifting for athletic performance are well known and weightlifting has become part of the training routine of football players, rugby players and power athletes alike. We should not consider weightlifting sports applications only in relation with the use of heavy weights. A more refined approach is necessary for sports that require resistance training.

Muscle growth is not an objective or a concern for athletes, and this is not what weightlifting is about. Other elements deserve more attention in all weightlifting sports applications. While some athletes need hypertrophy or bulk muscle mass, others require maximal strength for outstanding performance. Rugby and football players will normally use the muscle mass in aggressive body contact, that is a fact. For other athletes the muscles size could be a hindrance too, particularly when it is not synonymous of strength. Bulk muscles do not reflect the force level.

Weightlifting sports sessions should mainly aim at developing endurance, maximum strength and explosive power. By using endurance exercises, you will also increase the exercise economy, making workouts a lot more efficient. Besides power lifting, explosive power will hardly ever be required from an athlete, yet, lots of people are curious to find out which is the maximum effort they can generate at a certain moment. If the latent potential is not channeled towards a real sports purpose, it actually remains fruitless.

Cycling, swimming, distance running or rowing also depend on weightlifting sports endurance. Circuit training is most often used for strength endurance because it prevents the appearance of plateaus. For athletes that have to undergo specific performance exercises, weightlifting will have to be combined with other strategies and tactics meant to prepare the neuromuscular system for the specific tasks. Periodization can contribute to the athletic success by the possibility to gradually increase the difficulty level so as to enhance the capacity of the muscle to generate strength.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in General | No Comments »

The Most Important Factor in improving a baseball pitcher’s velocity and control is pitching mechanics

Monday, June 22nd, 2009

Football is a physical sport, so it makes sense for players to want to bulk up with plenty of muscle and weight to hustle down the field making tackles. Baseball, on the other hand, is not a contact sport. While physical skills are certainly required by the game, brute strength isn’t one of them - most especially if you’re a pitcher (who isn’t expected to be the world’s best hitter or runner). Why, then, do too many pitchers train for strength when they should be working on improving pitching techniques?

Which physical skill is more important: strength or speed? When it comes to pitching a baseball, speed wins. No, strength training is not required to gain speed, either. First, the mind has to understand pitching mechanics, then the body has to practice them - so that executing proper position and form is as natural as slipping a hand into a batting glove. Since the body and not the arm controls speed, once one learns the proper body mechanics, everything else falls right into place.

What are some things to think about that will encourage a pitcher to gain speed via pitching mechanics instead of attempting to increase strength? Don’t do weight training, throw heavy balls, or focus on the long toss. Remember, this will only make the arm stronger, not increase speed. In fact, these are sure ways to simply increase chance of injury, so it is doubly important to avoid them. Neither are pitching drills or other excessively repetitive exercises helpful.

Should the pitcher, then, instead do the complete opposite and simply try to improve by playing “catch” or doing anything less than game intensity pitching? No.  Just because the pitcher should be working on training his whole body to use proper pitching mechanics - instead of focusing on his arm through tunnel vision - doesn’t mean his practice shouldn’t be intense.

Keep the body under control by eliminating unnecessary and speed-decreasing movements. Don’t rotate your trunk or hips. Don’t step to the side before lifting your leg or lift your leg too high. Do have a longer stride, however, to put you closer to the plate and add to your overall control. While position is important, don’t obsess over “staying tall”, as this can actually shorten your stride. Don’t forget: In pitching, speed outranks strength, and speed is gained not through strength and pitching drills, but through mechanics. With good mechanics, a pitcher will simultaneously acquire both faster speed and better control.

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Baseball | No Comments »

Pint-Sized Players – Basketball, Soccer, and More

Tuesday, June 2nd, 2009

These days, even the littlest school children are playing team sports. They are out there in droves with their whole families watching while they are playing t-ball, peewee football, soccer and even basketball. The rules of the games are simplified to allow these littlest players to learn the basics while having fun and the playing fields and basketball hoops and goals are sized down to fit the players. Watching these pint-sized players makes a person feel good in so many different ways.

 

Imagine a late spring evening, the park lights are on, cars line the streets and families are out in droves to support the team. The players aren’t much bigger than a regular baseball bat, but their love of the game is as big as the field they’re playing on. The little players learn the basics of the game and enjoy the benefits of their own accomplishments. The excitement that each little play generates rivals that of any major league team.

 

Now imagine a wide field marked into numerous smaller soccer fields. The smallest fields with the smallest players have but four players on each side and no goalie. The players run determined behind the ball in a little bunch as it is dribbled up and down the field.

 

Each player tries his or her hardest to get the ball away from the group and guide it down the field to kick it into the goal. The parents, siblings and grandparents on the sidelines cheer each little attempt and personal accomplishment, often for other players on the team as well as their own. Applause is heard from all whenever one of these littlest players scores, even if it is a score for the other team.

 

Basketball for the little guys is played on half courts with adjustable basketball hoops that have been lowered to fit the height of these smaller players. They take as much pride in their ability to score a goal as the big guys do though and are cheered just as enthusiastically. Their games are often played on indoor goals and out of the chilly weather that often accompanies basketball season. Inside, the court is brightly lit and the players heat up the court as they show their newly acquired dribbling and passing skills. It isn’t hard to imagine, once again, the cheers and enthusiasm of parents and friends as the players make their moves.

 

Team sports offer so much to the child, the family and the community as a whole. The children are active, setting the tone for a healthy lifestyle and building skills that will enable them to continue playing and enjoying the health benefits of vigorous activity. They are also benefiting from the experience of playing as a team while building friendships that last through the years.

 

The families are coming together to enjoy the accomplishments of the player and in doing so are spending some quality time together. The community grows closer as players and parents get to know each other and come together regularly, cheering each other’s accomplishments and commiserating with each other in defeats.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in General | No Comments »

Competitive Sports As A Hobby

Sunday, May 31st, 2009

Chances are pretty good that even if competitive sports were a part of your childhood, you aren’t playing now. We are all familiar with the emphasis that America places on college and professional sports. Most of us, however, don’t play competitive sports past the high school or, if we were lucky, the college years. We have fond memories of playing and we would have a blast if we participated in a friendly game with our friends or co-workers, but we don’t. I’m here to tell you that we should.

 

Competitive sports get us moving. Face it; most of us really need to get moving. We may not be as fast as we once were. In fact, most of us are sure to have been slowed down a bit by age. Fortunately, the same applies to most of our friends and family as well. On top of that, our friends and family could all benefit by getting outside and playing a nice rousing game of the sport of our choosing. We’ll all breath deeper, laugh harder, and, in the end, rest better after a bit of friendly competition.

 

Competitive sports also help us to stay in touch. We often get so wrapped up in the necessities and mundane tasks of daily life that we forget to socialize. Humans are social creatures and we are healthier when we get a chance to interact meaningfully with friends, family or friendly co-workers.

 

Though we may want to play, actually getting out and playing can be a challenge. We have to battle schedule conflicts for ourselves and our potential team mates and we always have so many other things on our endless “to do” lists. Getting set up with a local league in the sport of your choice may help you get out and play. Sometimes we need to make a commitment to ourselves and others in order to ensure that we will follow through with our plans to play. For example, you may have to enter a league in order to get court time and play on quality indoor goals.

 

Many cities offer competitive sports leagues through their parks systems. These offer locations for practices and games and game schedules. Though some just offer the basics like baseball, basketball and football, some cities also have soccer, volleyball, or even tennis.  Leagues vary from competitive to casual and teams can even be set up as a family, friend or work group who wants to play together.

 

If you are more interested in a casual game setting, then getting a smaller group together regularly for a game of three on three basketball using the basketball hoops in your driveway or at the park. Or maybe a game of touch football might be the perfect thing for you. You get all of the benefits of revisiting your glory days with a group of friends without the long-term commitment to a team schedule.

 

Playing sports made you happy in your younger years. It might be just the thing now. There are so many benefits to getting moving and competitive sports are a great way to do it.  

Tags: , ,
Posted in General | No Comments »