http://www.internationalbigmanacademy.com
It’s amazing how many youth and even university teams employ a counting method while conducting a team stretching session before the running starts. What I mean by this is that most teams use a standard stretching routine before every practise session and a player will take the lead and proceed, along with the rest of the team, to count to ten while performing various stretching techniques.
This often boggles my mind because, if memory serves me correctly, as athletes we stretch to loosen up the muscle groups to avoid injuring ourselves. The best way to get loose while stretching is to BREATHE deeply before the stretches then exhale during the stretches. So, especially for most young players who breathe through their mouths which is what most of them do, how do they take in oxygen while counting during a stretching session with their team?
This process has often mystified me. Whenever I walk into a gym and there is a youth or college team stretching before the running starts, 80% of the time the team will count during the stretching session. I often think to myself ‘why bother to stretch if you cannot breathe?’ Most young players have a problem breathing during a simple stretch, much less to count and breathe at the same time during the stretch. They never take a deep breath before the stretch so therefore they have no oxygen in their lungs to release during the stretch.
Due to years of practising proper breathing and stretching techniques, I can always tell when a player is not breathing during a stretch because they appear to be straining. For example, if the stretching exercise calls for the player to stand with locked knees while bending forward to touch his or her toes, you can always see the tension on their faces. Or if they are sitting on the floor with legs straight forward and the stretch calls for them to touch their toes, you can always see the tension because nine times out of ten they are holding their breath while trying desperately to touch their toes, which they will never do because they are holding their breath.
I always wait for this to happen then I will say EXHALE!! When they finally exhale (even though they do not have much oxygen in their lungs), you will notice a slight lunge forward propelling them closer to their toes. For me that’s always a good time to teach the importance of taking a deep breath before every stretch and then exhaling during the stretch.
So, again, if they are counting during a stretching session how do they breathe? And if they can’t breathe, why stretch?? This counting system is something coaches need to revisit with their trainers or strength and conditioning coaches because young kids are not stretching properly during these sessions. In my opinion it should stop because it is affecting their flexibility. But at the same time, because of years of bad practice, I wonder if we can ever eradicate it from our systems.
Peace
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Learning From The Pros - 1983 - Training and playing pick up with Bill Walton
http://www.internationalbigmanacademy.com
(San Diego 1983) Yep...1983. I took a bus from Tyler JC, to San Diego to attend summer classes at San Diego State before the fall semester and training camp started at my new school and with my new team.
Tyler, Texas was such a small city compared to San Diego. Playing pick up ball in Tyler you would never expect to see an NBA super star walk into the gym to ball with everybody. Nope, not in Tyler! You were more likely to see Earl Campbell at the gas station.
But a few days after arriving in San Diego a teammate, Michael Cage, took me to beautiful Balboa Park to a gym that was located close to an Aerospace Museum. The gym was called Muni gym and as we entered the gym there was the first 7 footer I ever saw running up and down the floor playing with a group of university and college players who attended school in the San Diego area. His name was Bill Walton.
Walton was the center for the San Diego Clippers, but according to Mike Cage he was hurt and was working his way back into shape. I remember how it made me feel to finally get a chance to play with an NBA player. I felt on top of the world. The fist thing I thought was I wanted to dunk on Mr. Walton if I ever got the chance. Yea..I know, young dude dreaming!
But I guess thats what happens when young players get a chance to compete against professional players. They dream Really BIG dreams! I know I did! All kind of creative ideas were running through my mind as my adrenaline was pumping my heart out of my chest. I could not wait for my chance to get on the court.
And I remember this as clear as crystal because at the time it was such a disappointment. Bill's team lost and he had to leave the court. My heart dropped! But as Bill was leaving the court the player who was to choose next, (Zack Jones) an ex San Diego State player, pick Bill to run with us and he agreed.
So this was even better because now I get to play with Bill Walton and give him high fives. Yea!
Man, I was in heaven. I had so much to prove too because I was the new recruit every one was talking about. The Junior College All American transfer from Jamaica, with mad hops. Back then I had a 41 inch vertical jump and dunked everything I could and couldn't get my hands on.
I can't remember if we won the game or not but I do remember Bill pulling me aside at some point and giving me a few words of encouragement. He even asked me to shoot around with him on the other court while games continued on the middle court.
He did not want to play anymore because of his ankle injury so he could not risk injury. So off we went to practice on the side.
This was such a boost to my ego as I rebounded for him while he took ten shots. When he was finished with his ten he told me to take ten. We shot for a while then I fed him post entry passes so he could execute 10 post moves. Then it was my turn. I still remember him teaching me that little jump hook.
Working out with Bill Walton was always a cool thing to do because my mind would always have these super fantasies about playing in the NBA. And I was learning from a professional just from working out with him or watching him play. I learned so much that summer it made my adjustment to Diego so much easier.
Mike Cage was not a pro yet but was about to be drafted at the end of the upcoming (1983-84) season.
Bill was traded from the Clippers to the Celtics in 1984. I guess because the Clippers were about to draft my teammate Michael Cage in the first round. But the runs continued at Muni gym the next summer and when Bill was home ( San Diego was his home) he would always come out to play and shoot the jive with us young fellas. It was always a pleasure to see him and work out with him. It was always time to learn.
I left San Diego the spring of 1985 and never saw or spoke to Bill Walton again till I saw him at his son's (Luke) basketball camp in San Diego at Francis Parker High School in July or August 2006. We only had a small opportunity to say hello because he was there to address the campers and he was bombarded with autograph seekers. But it was cool to see the man who first taught me the Jump Hook.
Peace
(San Diego 1983) Yep...1983. I took a bus from Tyler JC, to San Diego to attend summer classes at San Diego State before the fall semester and training camp started at my new school and with my new team.
Tyler, Texas was such a small city compared to San Diego. Playing pick up ball in Tyler you would never expect to see an NBA super star walk into the gym to ball with everybody. Nope, not in Tyler! You were more likely to see Earl Campbell at the gas station.
But a few days after arriving in San Diego a teammate, Michael Cage, took me to beautiful Balboa Park to a gym that was located close to an Aerospace Museum. The gym was called Muni gym and as we entered the gym there was the first 7 footer I ever saw running up and down the floor playing with a group of university and college players who attended school in the San Diego area. His name was Bill Walton.
Walton was the center for the San Diego Clippers, but according to Mike Cage he was hurt and was working his way back into shape. I remember how it made me feel to finally get a chance to play with an NBA player. I felt on top of the world. The fist thing I thought was I wanted to dunk on Mr. Walton if I ever got the chance. Yea..I know, young dude dreaming!
But I guess thats what happens when young players get a chance to compete against professional players. They dream Really BIG dreams! I know I did! All kind of creative ideas were running through my mind as my adrenaline was pumping my heart out of my chest. I could not wait for my chance to get on the court.
And I remember this as clear as crystal because at the time it was such a disappointment. Bill's team lost and he had to leave the court. My heart dropped! But as Bill was leaving the court the player who was to choose next, (Zack Jones) an ex San Diego State player, pick Bill to run with us and he agreed.
So this was even better because now I get to play with Bill Walton and give him high fives. Yea!
Man, I was in heaven. I had so much to prove too because I was the new recruit every one was talking about. The Junior College All American transfer from Jamaica, with mad hops. Back then I had a 41 inch vertical jump and dunked everything I could and couldn't get my hands on.
I can't remember if we won the game or not but I do remember Bill pulling me aside at some point and giving me a few words of encouragement. He even asked me to shoot around with him on the other court while games continued on the middle court.
He did not want to play anymore because of his ankle injury so he could not risk injury. So off we went to practice on the side.
This was such a boost to my ego as I rebounded for him while he took ten shots. When he was finished with his ten he told me to take ten. We shot for a while then I fed him post entry passes so he could execute 10 post moves. Then it was my turn. I still remember him teaching me that little jump hook.
Working out with Bill Walton was always a cool thing to do because my mind would always have these super fantasies about playing in the NBA. And I was learning from a professional just from working out with him or watching him play. I learned so much that summer it made my adjustment to Diego so much easier.
Mike Cage was not a pro yet but was about to be drafted at the end of the upcoming (1983-84) season.
Bill was traded from the Clippers to the Celtics in 1984. I guess because the Clippers were about to draft my teammate Michael Cage in the first round. But the runs continued at Muni gym the next summer and when Bill was home ( San Diego was his home) he would always come out to play and shoot the jive with us young fellas. It was always a pleasure to see him and work out with him. It was always time to learn.
I left San Diego the spring of 1985 and never saw or spoke to Bill Walton again till I saw him at his son's (Luke) basketball camp in San Diego at Francis Parker High School in July or August 2006. We only had a small opportunity to say hello because he was there to address the campers and he was bombarded with autograph seekers. But it was cool to see the man who first taught me the Jump Hook.
Peace
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
