Congrats UNCG Women's Golf!

Hello Everyone!

Congratulations are in order for UNCG's Women's Golf team! They finished 2nd at this year's SoCon Golf Tournament!

I must admit though, while most schools would be very happy and excited about a 2nd place finish, I know the girls are not. They have said from the beginning that their goal was to "win the SoCon". Does a 2nd place finish take away from all of their accomplishments, hard-work, and sweat? Certainly not! Will a 2nd place finish make them more hungry, driven, and motivated? You can bet on it! Do not be surprised if UNCG becomes a "big school" for women's golf, because with girls like these, the only thing they will settle for is greatness!

UNCG's Erica Creed is part of a strong team.

Go get 'em ladies!

Keep Training!
Coach Amanda Haren

SoCon Women's Tennis Player of the Year!

Hello Everyone!

Just a quick post to say CONGRATULATIONS to Ale on being selected the SoCon Women's Tennis Player of the Year!

She is very talented on the tennis courts and it has been a great pleasure of mine to work with her and the entire Women's Tennis team at UNCG. As a team, they are very motivated, hard-working, and willing to learn, grow, and become better athletes.

Below is a photo I took at the girl's last regular season match (which they won). Can anyone say "Single Leg Romanian Deadlift (RDL)"? :-)

Ally serving during UNCG's regular season win over Wofford.

Keep Training!
Coach Amanda Haren

Off Season 103

Hello Everyone!

This is the last installment of the "Off Season" mini-series, click the numbers for parts 1 and 2.

I have been hinting to this last fundamental aspect of off season training throughout the mini-series, so without further hesitation...

Off Season 103
Get Stronger!
Without a doubt, you have to get stronger during your off season. Becoming a stronger athlete has multiple benefits:
1.) More Strength = More Power
If you increase your overall strength then you increase your potential for more power. It's basic science, POWER = (FORCE x DISTANCE) / TIME. So if you increase your ability to generate force and all other variables remain constant, your power will increase.
2.) More Strength = Faster Movement
If you increase your overall strength then you increase your potential for faster speed. Again using proven science, ACCELERATION = FORCE / MASS or acceleration is defined as "the change in velocity of an object". How do you change the velocity of an object? You force it to move faster! The more force you can generate the more acceleration and velocity you can produce.
3.) More Strength = Higher Injury-Prevention Threshold
The body is only as strong as its weakest link. You must strengthen your body to better prepare it for the stresses and forces it will endure and absorb during your sport.
4.) More Strength = More Confidence
Knowing you a stronger (and therefore more powerful and faster) can be a huge confidence booster. Not only that, but the hard work and challenges that go into become stronger can really strengthen your mind as well as your body.

UNCG's Kyle Hines understands the importance of a good Off Season.

Make the most of your off season to make you a more balanced, healthy, and better athlete.

Keep Training!
Coach Amanda Haren

Off Season 102

Hello Everyone!

This is part 2 of the Off Season mini-series, click here for part one.

Off Season 102
Move Forward, by Planning Backwards
Once your goals are defined, its important that you plan with the end in mind. If you're a basketball player, you know that you need to me in near "game ready" shape when October and Pre-Season roll around, and that being in "game-ready" shape in May will not win you a Conference Championship in March. That is why it is important to plan your off season backwards, starting with the end (in this case October).

Here's an example:
Collegiate Basketball Player (Main Goals: Increase Strength, Power, Speed, & Agility)
October: END Near "game-ready" shape.
September: 55% Strength & Power Work. 25% Speed & Agility Work. 20% Basketball Skill Work.
August: 80% Strength & Power Work. 10% Speed & Agility Work. 10% Basketball Skill Work.
July: 85% Strength & Power Work. 10% Speed & Agility Work. 5% Basketball Skill Work.
June: 85% Strength & Power Work. 10% Speed & Agility Work. 5% Basketball Skill Work.
May: 90% Strength & Power Work. 10% Speed & Agility Work. 0% Basketball Skill Work.
April: 90% Strength & Power Work. 10% Speed & Agility Work. 0% Basketball Skill Work.

Now I am sure most of you are reading that and thinking, "she's crazy!". Let me explain, if your main goals are to improve Strength, Power, Speed & Agility (meaning your basketball skills are up to par) then you need to make those the focus of your off season.

You may also wonder why Speed & Agility work is so low, the reason being that one of the best ways to improve your speed is by becoming stronger & more powerful. There are many research articles you can read on that subject if you have your doubts.

It is also worth noting that Speed, Agility, and Basketball Skill Work mainly increase only a month before the END. The main reasons for this are 1) it takes a lot longer to develop and improve strength and power. Basic exercise physiology states that the first 6-8 weeks of training lead to mainly neuromuscular adaptations (more nerves firing in more muscles, this is really important for power development), only after that does the body start making muscular changes (increase in size which assists in increases in strength) and 2) it does not take long for the body to adapt into better levels of cardiovascular conditioning. In fact, many suggest it takes only about 4 weeks to greatly improve one's level.

Stay tuned for more Off Season info!

Keep Training!
Coach Amanda Haren

Off Season 101

Hello Everyone!

For the athletes out there, I want to provide a few quick tips that could go a long way into making your off-season an exceptional time to grow, improve, and most importantly help you reach your athletic goals.

Off Season 101
1.) Get Healthy
If you have some type of injury your first and most important goal is to get healthy! Take advantage of your resources; athletic trainers, physical therapists, chiropractors, doctors, strength & conditioning coaches, etc. and let them help you heal. Ignoring an injury will not make it go away, take advantage of your off-season (when you are not playing competitively) and get your body balanced and healthy.

2.) Set, Write, & Plan Your Goals
Everyone has heard the old saying, "Failure to plan, is planning to fail." Before your first off-season training session you should have all of your athletic goals defined and written out.
Personal Playing Career Goals: more playing time, faster, stronger, more competitiveness, jump higher, quicker agility...
Team Goals: win conference championship, improve overall record...
Personal Goals: eat better, more sleep...

3.) Individualize Your Off Season
Building off of #2, take some time to find out what your weaknesses are. Look critically at yourself. What areas do you need to improve? Be honest. You do not want to spend your off season getting better at things you are already good at when you could be completing yourself as a player by improving your weaknesses. Also ask those around you what your weaknesses are. Ask your coaches, athletic trainers, teammates, and strength & conditioning coaches to honestly tell you where you need to improve. Once your weaknesses are defined you can then develop the best plan of action that will turn your weak points into your strengths!

Stay tuned for more Off Season 101!

Keep Training!
Coach Amanda Haren