Everything Off-Ice

I just offered a speed and agility program for football that is going to start in January and was surprised at how many parents wanted their 8 year olds to participate in my program which is 10 and up. I had to think quickly what I could offer to these young athletes and I came up with a 30 minute speed and agility class specifically for young...

Running is something that when we are young we do very naturally. If you take the time to look at young children playing ath the park you can see what efficient running looks like. What happens between then and when a youth starts to become serious in his or her sport. Overtraining is a big culprit in the changing of a persons biomechanics as...

I just finished training some baseball players at Derek Hacopian's Baseball Academy. What an incredible facility. Derek played baseball at University of Maryland and was ACC player of the year. The kids tonight were great. We did an hour long program which consisted of a warm-up, speed drills, eye hand coordination drills, plyometrics,...

I was talking to a friend today and was asked if Diet Coke was healthier than regular Coke. Truthfully, I didn't know the answer at the time, but started some research. My reference, Caffeine Blues by Stephen Cherniske, M.S. What I found was some surprising statistics that explains many of the health problems that we are suffering from...

Preparing for practice tonight with the Washington Pride, a U19 women's ice hockey team. The team has a 7 month season which started in September and lasts through March into the first week in April culminating at Nationals. I meet with the team once per week and give them workouts to do on their own as well as a team after practice which is...

First client today was at 5:30am and finished at noon. I am currently training 4 gentlemen who have either Parkinsons Disease or Alzheimers. In my career as a strength coach/personal trainer I have never been exposed to this many clients at one time with neurological diseases. They all have differing qualities of disabilities but none are...

My experience as a strength and conditioning coach began at the University of Maryland when I met Frank Costello, a pioneer in the strength and conditioning field, and I started my internship with him. This relationship continues today, but Frank was responsible for my exposure to The Washington Capitals which led to me being his assistant for 13...

Ice hockey research indicates that an effective skater has certain characteristics such as deep knee bend while skating, increased forward lean while in the skating motion, quick recovery time after propulsion, wide strides, high stride frrequency, and using the shoulders in a sideways manner to counteract the motion of the legs. What does all...

January 3, 2003. First day on the job as Head Strength and Conditioning Coach for The Washington Capitals. It's a game day. Team has 10am skate with Jeff Halpern and Michael Nylander injured. I stretch Michael and Jeff and prepare the workout for the healthy scratches for tonight. The wokout consists of Dumbbell Incline Chest press-2x12,...

Speed and agility programs specifically for lacrosse will start December 1st at Rockville Fitness, www.rockvillefitness.com. Sessions are $25.00 and will run 60 minutes. Jim Fox, owner of Infusion Athletic Training, Inc. will oversee the workouts. Jim Fox is in his 21st year as a performance coach and has past positions with Washington...