Athlete Performance Testing - Part 3

Just as performance testing gives the athlete an idea of what performance goals are feasible, testing also gives the performance coach a good feel for where the athlete’s overall athletic potential lies. To determine athletic potential, the performance coach will often create and utilize an athletic profile of the athlete.

When performance coaches profile an athlete, they look at the performance requirements for a particular sport, and then evaluate the athlete based on their performance results to determine what areas the athlete is proficient and deficient in. Based on their evaluation, the performance coach will then create a program to address the individual strengths and weaknesses of each athlete.


A sample athletic profile comparing an athlete’s performance testing results to ideal marks.

While most athletes tend to gravitate toward training only their strengths, it is the performance coach’s responsibility to bring up the athlete’s weaker areas while maintaining their stronger suites to create the most balanced, well-rounded profile possible. The saying “you are only as strong as your weakest link” rings true here!

Athletes who neglect their weaker areas of performance in favor of training only their strengths present a significant disadvantage on the playing field, as these weaker points will undoubtedly be exploited by competitors once they are identified.

This is why it is crucial to have a sound performance program that constantly evaluates athletic potential in an unbiased manner and places a premium on addressing weaknesses as well as strengths!

Keep Training!
Coach Anthony & Akron General Sports Performance

Sporting Goods Stores and Buying Performance

Hello Everyone!

So I recently went into a sporting goods store and I wasn't sure if what I was seeing was funny or sad. It was obvious the store was trying to get their potential customers to believe that their products will make them:

• faster
• stronger
• more powerful
• quicker
• get more playing time
• jump higher
• leaner
• bigger

You name it. Anything an athlete could desire they want you to think you could buy it. Well I'm sorry if you think a new pair of shoes will make you faster. Or a new bat will make you a more powerful hitter. Or any product will suddenly take your game to the next level.

AGSP athletes getting faster, stronger, and more powerful through proper training.

 What will make you faster and what will make you more powerful is something you can't buy in a sporting goods store. It's hard, consistent training where you're constantly fine tuning your skills, improving your movement, building a body full of strength, and developing the power needed to excel in your chosen sport. Once you've done that, then you'll look great with that new pair of shoes as you round the bases after smashing it over the fence with your new bat.

Regardless of level, AGSP will work with you to help you become the best athlete you can be!

Keep Training!
Coach Amanda Kephart and Akron General Sports Performance 

Athlete Performance Testing - Part 2

In Part 1, we established that regular performance testing creates a baseline to evaluate your progress as you train. In this next installment, we’ll examine another important reason to test – goal setting.

As we have discussed before, athletes are unique and have varying levels of athletic ability. Regardless of whether you are a second stringer or second-to-none on the playing field, you have the ability to improve your athletic performance. This is where goal setting comes into play.

And just so we’re clear, “getting better” is not a goal.

   You need to make sure your goals are S.M.A.R.T.

                              Specific – What exactly do you want to accomplish?

                              Measurable – How will you know when you have accomplished it?

                              Attainable – Can you realistically achieve this goal?

                              Relevant – Is the goal specific to improving performance in your sport?

                              Time-Bound – When will you accomplish the goal?

Training with S.M.A.R.T. goals is like having a GPS telling you where you are on your journey to your destination. You’ll know where you’re heading, how far you’ve gone, how far you have to go, and when you’ll get there.

Yes, we use these at the facility. No, you can’t have one. They’re proprietary and we’re still working the bugs out.

Training without S.M.A.R.T. goals is like to not even knowing where you want to go.  You are a performance training vagabond. Really, we can’t even say you’re training, because training involves having specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, time-bound objectives that you are trying to achieve!

Keep Training!

Coach Anthony & Akron General Sports Performance











Athlete Performance Testing - Part 1

Why do we test?

A very pertinent question! Testing does a couple things for sports performance coaches as well as a couple things for you, the athlete!

-        Testing establishes a baseline to determine your current athletic performance level.
 

-        Testing gives you an idea of what performance goals are feasible and gives the coach an idea of where your overall athletic potential lies.
 

-        Testing allows the coach to see what the athlete’s strengths and weaknesses are. Once these are established, weaknesses can be addressed to create a more balanced, well-rounded athlete.

Each one of these points is important and each will be covered in a separate article.

Probably one of the most obvious reasons to test is that it creates a baseline to compare yourself to as you train and develop your performance engine. Speed, strength, power, flexibility, and work capacity can all be enhanced with consistent, progressive training. As you improve these components of performance, your test results will reflect this improvement. You’ll run faster, jump higher, change directions more efficiently, and fatigue less.

Most importantly, you’ll be able to perform at a higher level than if you had not invested the time and energy to better yourself.

New England Patriot's LB Jamie Collin's jumping 41.5" at last year's NFL combine. SICK.

Stay tuned! Part 2 coming soon!

 Keep Training!
Coach Anthony Colarusso and Akron General Sports Performance

Catching-up on Sleep (and breathing)

Hello everyone!

During the holiday season many athletes are looking to getting some much needed rest!

I recently learned that sleeping and breathing have something in common. You can catch-up on them,  but you can't store them!

Research has shown that you can indeed catch up on sleep.  Which is why naps and an extra hour here and there can make you and your body feel a lot better.

Green High School Football Players trained before school last spring, a good reason for lack of sleep!

It's important to understand the distinction between catching up and storing for later use. If you miss lead yourself into thinking you can store sleep for later, you'll find yourself greatly disappointed come that next early alarm clock. 

Think of sleeping like breathing after exercise: you can't take deep breaths and store them for the end of the race, but you can take deep breaths after the race to catch-up!

Feel better (and recover better) this holiday season by catching-up on some sleep!

Keep Training!
Coach Amanda Kephart and Akron General Sports Performance