Agility training is all about change of direction as quickly as possible while maintaining one’s balance and one of the best foundational drills for challenging lateral agility is the stutter step and stick drill performed with speed hoops. This drill focuses on lateral (sideways) movement with a balance component followed by a change of direction…
In my fifteen years of coaching experience I have seen quite a few things and run across many different players. Some guys have a lot of talent and equal amounts of baggage to go with it. Others may not be as gifted athletically, but they set themselves apart with their work ethic and leadership. Of…
Over the past year or so I have had a lot of coaches tell me that their kids love to scrimmage, but they only have 12 players. Typically they have the assistant coaches fill in and they are usually dad’s who are one divot in right field away from tearing their knee to shreads. There…
One of the best uses for speed hurdles is to teach the quick, high knee action necessary for sprinting. Another great use for this tool is to use it during warm-ups. One useful drill that opens up the hips and activates the muscles of the legs is the around and over drill which combines a…
This week I have decided to change gears a little and share with you one of my favorite “coach controlled” games we play at our camps and practices. It’s called Backwards Baseball and it is a version of a game that I learned from Jeff Rodin when I worked for the Arizona Diamondbacks. Players love…
The cornerstone of speed and agility work is the ability to rapidly change running speed and direction; a valuable skill to possess when attempting to catch or evade an opposing player as seen in rugby, football and soccer to name a few sports. The transition from a slow running speed to an all-out sprint, or…
With all the focus lately on strength work and speed exercises, I have been neglecting one of the most important aspects of any physical training program; core work. Those who have followed this column for some time know that a strong core is important for maintaining correct posture, preventing injuries and improving power transfer from…
I received an email yesterday from a District Little League President and she inquired if I had any suggestions for naturally healing tendinitis. As I was writing her back it got me thinking that others may be wondering the same thing so I thought I would share my response to her with you. I am…