1. The Importance of Deceleration
Sean Holmes, CSCS, BA (Honours) Kinesiology and Health Sciences
Now usually when I state that deceleration is the key to being faster to the coach or athlete I am met with a very puzzled look. I can see it in their eyes; they are asking ‘why if the game is about speed and I want to get faster are you telling me I need to practice and train to slow down more efficiently?’ If you analyze the game of lacrosse and think of all the different movement skills that occur during a game and how they occur I am sure that very rarely if ever will you see two players from opposite teams standing still next to each other while the play is ongoing just waiting to sprint in a straight line for the ball. Invariably, there is always some form of constant movement by a player whether it be walking, jogging, backpedalling, shuffling, or running.........
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2. The Warm-up is The Workout
Sean Holmes, CSCS, BA (Honours) Kinesiology
Possibly the most overlooked and undervalued part of a training session or lacrosse game is the warm-up. While coaches do preach the importance of the warm-up prior to a game they almost always just mean the lacrosse skills part, of getting out on the floor or field and doing some shuttle drills and warming up the goalie. The physical warm-up tends to just consist of jogging around a few times and then inevitably forming a large circle with the team Captain in the middle leading the team through some static stretches (that most of the players just talk and joke through, not really even putting any effort into such basic and simple tasks). Static stretches are those that are held in a stationary position for roughly 30 seconds. However even this is better than what most older players do when they go to their local gym to workout and do not even warm-up at all, but go directly into lifting weights (chest and biceps for the guys almost every time too, but that is a discussion for another day). I would like to introduce the concept and importance of the actual physical preparation and warming up of the body before a game, practice, or performance training session and all the things a proper warm-up will accomplish to help you perform at your absolute peak level right from the start and more importantly help to reduce the likelihood of injury during the game. ........
Read Full Article (PDF)
3. Train Movements, Not Muscles
Sean Holmes, CSCS, BA (Honours) Kinesiology and Health Sciences
A well rounded performance training program for lacrosse should include many different components to help you improve your game. There should be exercises or drills that focus on your speed, agility, flexibility, power, and conditioning. However the most common area that all athletes will focus on is strength training. Improving your strength can help you run faster by improving your ability to produce force, make your body more resilient to injuries, and help you win those one-on-one battles during the game. As a strength coach it is my job to know the best ways to improve strength, how to properly plan out an entire offseason program so that an athlete peaks at the proper time, and how to illicit the maximum benefits in the shortest amount of time possible from all my athletes. The amount of information is endless and beyond this article, so I am going to propose and explain one basic tip and concept for you to help improve your strength training program and get better results: train movements, not muscles.
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4. The Death of the crunch
Sean Holmes, CSCS, BA (Honours) Kinesiology and Health Sciences
The core is a very overused and misunderstood term. It is often just used interchangeably with abs. While your abdominals are part of your core, there are many more muscles involved in your core. The core is the most important area for a lacrosse player to develop. It is responsible for the transfer of force from your lower body to your upper body, and it is also a major part of body control during multi-directional movements. The core also helps to develop rotational power while shooting. I spend a lot of time in commercial gyms and hear a lot of people talking about training their core. Inevitably they go to the ‘core area’ and begin to do sit-ups/crunches or some variation of them. On some occasions I have seen people spend upwards of 15 minutes solely performing crunches and other variations of it, probably performing well over 500 reps of virtually the same exercise. It pains me to watch because not only do crunches only work one of the muscles of which your abs are comprised, but they are actually doing more harm than they are good. That’s right, I said it. Crunches/sit-ups are old school and should no longer be done!!!
So if we shouldn’t do crunches anymore, how do we train the core? I hear this question all the time from athletes (although from teenage guys I also hear ‘how do I get a six pack then?’). Before I explain how to properly train the core or why crunches are bad I will first explain the abdominals. Your abs are made up of four anterior (front) muscles and many small but important posterior (rear) muscles.......
Download a copy of this article (PDF)
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5. Not All Fitness Professionals are Created Equal
Sean Holmes, CSCS, BA (Honours) Kinesiology and Health Sciences
Every year more lacrosse players are recognizing the importance of training and how it relates to and improves their ability to play the game. Becoming bigger, stronger, and faster will translate to greater in-game performance. The off-season is the best time to make improvements in these areas. However, some players make major gains while some make only small if any improvements even though they are training just as often. While genetics may be part of the reason the main reason is usually a lack of knowledge of how to make these changes properly. There is a big difference between going to the gym to ‘workout’ a few times a week and going to the gym to ‘train’ a few times a week. The person who is working out is usually just going to the gym and lifting weights randomly, with no long term plan in mind. The person who is training has a well thought out, balanced program that focuses on improving all aspects of sports performance including flexibility, joint mobility/stability, strength, speed, power, agility, and conditioning, and progresses so that you peak on a certain date (usually the start of training camp or the season). If you are serious about making improvements in all these areas then you certainly need to find a professional to help you along the way. As well, having someone train you will help motivate and push you harder than you can push yourself. However, not all fitness professionals are created equal and you should be very selective about who you are going to trust (and pay) to help you reach your goals and maximum athletic potential. Your goal should be to try and find a ‘strength and conditioning coach’ rather than a ‘personal trainer’ and ideally one that works at a facility that is geared towards training athletes rather than just at a commercial gym.
Download a copy of this article (PDF)
Now usually when I state that deceleration is the key to being faster to the coach or athlete I am met with a very puzzled look. I can see it in their eyes; they are asking ‘why if the game is about speed and I want to get faster are you telling me I need to practice and train to slow down more efficiently?’ If you analyze the game of lacrosse and think of all the different movement skills that occur during a game and how they occur I am sure that very rarely if ever will you see two players from opposite teams standing still next to each other while the play is ongoing just waiting to sprint in a straight line for the ball. Invariably, there is always some form of constant movement by a player whether it be walking, jogging, backpedalling, shuffling, or running.........
Read Full Article (PDF)
2. The Warm-up is The Workout
Sean Holmes, CSCS, BA (Honours) Kinesiology
Possibly the most overlooked and undervalued part of a training session or lacrosse game is the warm-up. While coaches do preach the importance of the warm-up prior to a game they almost always just mean the lacrosse skills part, of getting out on the floor or field and doing some shuttle drills and warming up the goalie. The physical warm-up tends to just consist of jogging around a few times and then inevitably forming a large circle with the team Captain in the middle leading the team through some static stretches (that most of the players just talk and joke through, not really even putting any effort into such basic and simple tasks). Static stretches are those that are held in a stationary position for roughly 30 seconds. However even this is better than what most older players do when they go to their local gym to workout and do not even warm-up at all, but go directly into lifting weights (chest and biceps for the guys almost every time too, but that is a discussion for another day). I would like to introduce the concept and importance of the actual physical preparation and warming up of the body before a game, practice, or performance training session and all the things a proper warm-up will accomplish to help you perform at your absolute peak level right from the start and more importantly help to reduce the likelihood of injury during the game. ........
Read Full Article (PDF)
3. Train Movements, Not Muscles
Sean Holmes, CSCS, BA (Honours) Kinesiology and Health Sciences
A well rounded performance training program for lacrosse should include many different components to help you improve your game. There should be exercises or drills that focus on your speed, agility, flexibility, power, and conditioning. However the most common area that all athletes will focus on is strength training. Improving your strength can help you run faster by improving your ability to produce force, make your body more resilient to injuries, and help you win those one-on-one battles during the game. As a strength coach it is my job to know the best ways to improve strength, how to properly plan out an entire offseason program so that an athlete peaks at the proper time, and how to illicit the maximum benefits in the shortest amount of time possible from all my athletes. The amount of information is endless and beyond this article, so I am going to propose and explain one basic tip and concept for you to help improve your strength training program and get better results: train movements, not muscles.
Read Full Article (PDF)
4. The Death of the crunch
Sean Holmes, CSCS, BA (Honours) Kinesiology and Health Sciences
The core is a very overused and misunderstood term. It is often just used interchangeably with abs. While your abdominals are part of your core, there are many more muscles involved in your core. The core is the most important area for a lacrosse player to develop. It is responsible for the transfer of force from your lower body to your upper body, and it is also a major part of body control during multi-directional movements. The core also helps to develop rotational power while shooting. I spend a lot of time in commercial gyms and hear a lot of people talking about training their core. Inevitably they go to the ‘core area’ and begin to do sit-ups/crunches or some variation of them. On some occasions I have seen people spend upwards of 15 minutes solely performing crunches and other variations of it, probably performing well over 500 reps of virtually the same exercise. It pains me to watch because not only do crunches only work one of the muscles of which your abs are comprised, but they are actually doing more harm than they are good. That’s right, I said it. Crunches/sit-ups are old school and should no longer be done!!!
So if we shouldn’t do crunches anymore, how do we train the core? I hear this question all the time from athletes (although from teenage guys I also hear ‘how do I get a six pack then?’). Before I explain how to properly train the core or why crunches are bad I will first explain the abdominals. Your abs are made up of four anterior (front) muscles and many small but important posterior (rear) muscles.......
Download a copy of this article (PDF)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5. Not All Fitness Professionals are Created Equal
Sean Holmes, CSCS, BA (Honours) Kinesiology and Health Sciences
Every year more lacrosse players are recognizing the importance of training and how it relates to and improves their ability to play the game. Becoming bigger, stronger, and faster will translate to greater in-game performance. The off-season is the best time to make improvements in these areas. However, some players make major gains while some make only small if any improvements even though they are training just as often. While genetics may be part of the reason the main reason is usually a lack of knowledge of how to make these changes properly. There is a big difference between going to the gym to ‘workout’ a few times a week and going to the gym to ‘train’ a few times a week. The person who is working out is usually just going to the gym and lifting weights randomly, with no long term plan in mind. The person who is training has a well thought out, balanced program that focuses on improving all aspects of sports performance including flexibility, joint mobility/stability, strength, speed, power, agility, and conditioning, and progresses so that you peak on a certain date (usually the start of training camp or the season). If you are serious about making improvements in all these areas then you certainly need to find a professional to help you along the way. As well, having someone train you will help motivate and push you harder than you can push yourself. However, not all fitness professionals are created equal and you should be very selective about who you are going to trust (and pay) to help you reach your goals and maximum athletic potential. Your goal should be to try and find a ‘strength and conditioning coach’ rather than a ‘personal trainer’ and ideally one that works at a facility that is geared towards training athletes rather than just at a commercial gym.
Download a copy of this article (PDF)
