Acceleration Angle

Hello Everyone!

My fellow Strength & Conditioning Coaches will appreciate this photo I captured of one of UNCG's Women's Tennis players (she's a freshman btw).

I have been working on Speed, Agility, Quickness and Overall Movement Efficiency with the Women's Tennis team since August. The girls have worked very hard and have been very receptive to my coaching. This photo is proof that movement training is vital for athletes as it is truly a practical skill that is performed (and required) in most sports.

Things to take note of:
* Shoulders, hips, knees, and ankles are all in alignment
* Good 45 degree acceleration angle
* Good "toe-up" dorsi-flexion
* Good attack back and shin angles.

BTW, the girls won that match and almost upset #27 ranked Indiana the night before. :-)

Keep Training!
Coach Amanda Haren

With a Vision, People Thrive

Hello Everyone!

"Without a vision, the people will perish" - Proverbs 29:18

Do you have a vision for your life? If you're an athlete do you have a clear vision of what you want your athletic career to consist of? If you want to change your life, how are you going to do it? And when?

I believe in the importance of visualizing what you want your life to be and using that vision to help you establish goals that will help you make your vision a reality. If you do not have a vision for your life then you are just living day by day, making no significant changes in your life.

Below is a sample from my personal "Lifetime Goals". I have provided it for you to use as a guide if you wish to create your own. It has specfic goals that have deadlines and the what, why, and how they will be achieved. These (and many others) are parts of the vision I have for my life, a vision that I plan to make a reality.

Without a vision, the people will perish...
...With a vision, people thrive!

Are you ready to thrive in all aspects of your life? Take some time and invest it in yourself.

Keep Liftin'
Coach Amanda Haren

How to Make Your Own Suspension Exercise Trainer

Hello Everyone!

Suspension training has been around for some time in various forms. It involves suspending part of the body and using the rest of the body's weight as resistance when you perform different movements.



I think suspension training is great! It allows you to train your whole body in one area and it's portable. Some of the most popular suspension training devices are the TRX and Blast Straps. The only problem is these systems can be expensive. So I decided to make my own (tried it out this weekend and it worked great!) and I will show you how you can make your own for under $15! Mine cost $14.18 and I have enough material left over to make another one!



Step 1:
Purchase:
1 Polypropolene Rope (mine was 50ft and I cut it in half for 2, 25ft ropes)
1 Friction Tape (the kind you use on baseball bats & hockey sticks)







Step 2:
Tie Slip Knots on both ends of the rope (I used THIS video to help me tie the knots)







Step 3:
Cover the loops with the Friction Tape. Be sure to add extra layers to the one end so that the rope doesn't slide through and tighten around your hands when in use.





THAT'S IT! Again, I used mine this weekend, it worked great and my abs are still sore. I would suggest maybe using only 20ft of rope instead of 25ft since I have to wrap mine around a lot to get the right height, but that is a small price to pay for saving so much money and having 2 units!


Keep Liftin',
Coach Amanda Haren