Pushing Power in Athletics

When it comes to developing the ability to push someone around, a skill necessary for almost every team-based sport, there isn’t a better training tool than the push-up. So let’s take a look at our progressions to get a young athlete crushing push-ups on a regular basis!

Overworked and Underpaid

Overworked, Underpaid and…Exhausted? If you are reading this, it’s fair to assume it is because you answered “yes” to at least one part of that question. Let’s be honest here, most of us feel this way at some point or another, no matter what industry you’ve worked in. Many sport performance coaches spend countless hours planning, preparing and delivering, only to fall short on financial performance and feel exhausted. After all, we wake up before the sun, and go to bed just before it rises again…right?    If you are like most performance coaches, passion got you started—persistence keeps you.. More »

2 Keys to protecting self-esteem

The following video is of a spontaneous pep talk given by Irish IYCA 2015 Coach of the Year Shane Fitzgibbon on the importance of not negatively comparing ourselves to others. The audio quality isn’t fantastic, as it was unintentionally recorded as part of a physical training session. However, upon reviewing the footage, the message is too important not to share. In the video, Shane explains the benefits of focusing on self-improvement and the dangers of comparing oneself unfavorably with someone else. Key take-home points: Don’t compare your weaknesses to other person’s strengths Seek improvements to your abilities, for your sake,.. More »

7 Lessons from 7 years in business

Today marks 7 years of business for Force Fitness and Performance. We opened our doors in 2008, and over the past 7 years I have learned so many things about running a gym and sports performance program. The following is a list of the 7 things that have shaped the business that I run today. These 7 lessons have allowed me to recently open a new 10,000 square-foot building, and assemble a great team of coaches and managers around me. 1) Relationships are everything The relationships you create in your business are the most important thing to the long-term health.. More »

5 Simply Not True Myths of LTAD

5 Myths of LTAD By Wil Fleming  Long-term athletic development (LTAD) is one of the founding principles of the IYCA. As an organization, we want to promote sustainable training to create athletes who are not only more successful on the field and court in the short term but also happy and fulfilled in the long term. We want to create coaches who can help athletes succeed now but also can be the coaches of the future. As an organization, this means that promoting a model of LTAD is more important than promoting ideas of “get faster in 6 weeks” or.. More »

Is it Necessary to Emulate Sport-Specific Movements during Training in Our Youth?

By Jeff King Throughout the years, my approach and philosophy towards training young athletes has changed. Many factors have attributed to this: books I have read, conferences I have attended, and respected coaches I have talked to. Each has played a vital role in developing my current approach with any young athlete I have the opportunity to train. One major aspect that has changed in my training philosophy since I became a strength coach nine years ago is whether to emulate sports-specific movements during my training sessions with my young athletes. Let me take you back nine years ago. I.. More »

Large Group Assessment

“If you want to provide your athletes with the best assessment protocol for them, you can today! Here is Dave Gleason’s IYCA Youth Athletic Assessment Specialist (YAAS)- it is a must have in your training toolbox!”

Mid-Back Training: A Must for All Athletes

Dr. Keith Cronin Let’s start this topic with the focus on the title and the word “ALL.” I say “all” because the majority of athletes I have seen who suffer from chronic overuse injuries have weak mid-back muscles. And to this day (knock on wood), I have never seen a young athlete in for physical therapy who had chronic low back, neck, or shoulder pain who also had strong mid-back muscles. So going forward, please understand not only the importance of this topic to the safety, health, and overall performance of young athletes but also that this information applies.. More »

A Challenging-to-Teach Movement Pattern Made Simple

Teaching a young athlete how to hip hinge can be a challenge. However, we have been developing athletes for a number of years now and typically have no trouble using our progression system to teach a solid hip hinge within a week or two. Learn more about our system today!

Fighting the Good Fight: LTAD can work for your gym

By: Wil Fleming Each time a new athlete comes in for an assessment or first session, I get really excited. I am excited to work with them and to help them open the same doors that were opened for me because of athletics when I was young: to travel, to make friends on your teams, to go to college on a scholarship or potentially for free. I firmly believe that every athlete who walks through my doors has the potential to be the best athlete that I have ever worked with; they all deserve my utmost excitement and optimism. But.. More »

4 Big Fallacies in Training Youth Athletes

By: Jeff King I have trained young athletes for the past seven years. It has been a great experience inspiring the youth of America and making them better all around. During my many interactions with various athletes and teams, I have heard some common beliefs about how to properly train young athletes. Some are sound and logical statements, while others are patently false. I am here to address 4 of the biggest fallacies of training youth athletes. 1) Ladders drills are good for speed development Growing up, I had some coaches who would use ladder drills during practice. They told.. More »

A Hierarchy for Delivering Your Message to Athletes

By Wil Fleming – IYCA Director of Sport Performance I was recently talking to Robert Dos Remedios about the order in which you need to get better as a coach. The question arose as we discussed the ways in which coaches pursue continuing education. Dos mentioned that he sees a lot of coaches heading down pathways that tend more towards physical therapy disciplines than coaching disciplines. We both thought this could be a problem if coaches aren’t well versed in the areas that are most important to being a great coach. We settled on a track that most coaches should find.. More »

9 Components of Strength Training Program for Young Athletes

Team Training

Strength training program design can get very complicated, but it doesn’t have to be. The bottom line is that you need to develop a well-rounded, comprehensive program that encourages hard work and progressive overload of the musculature. If those components are in place, you are well on your way to helping your athletes reap the benefits of a strength training program for young athletes. Strength Training Program for Young Athletes Component #1: Comprehensive A strength training program for young athletes should address every major muscle group in the body: chest, upper back, shoulders, biceps, triceps, neck (for collision sports), abdominals,.. More »

Resistance Band Deceleration Drills

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCoft2v1BGA IYCA Speed & Agility Expert, Jim Kielbaso, gives you a great drill to do with your athletes as it relates to deceleration! Check out how he creatively uses bands to get what he wants out of his athletes. Need bands? Here is a special coupon for your purchase at www.resistancebandtraining.com : RBTIYCA15

The King of Athletic Performance Potential—Squatting

Fundamental movements like squatting are necessary skills for an athletic foundation. While today’s typical 12-18-year-old athlete often lacks refined movement skills, with a simple learning progression, he or she can quickly become a proficient squatter. Learn more about squatting today.