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Powerline: Addressing agility and skill specificity year-round
Change of direction (COD) is not only inherent in just about every athletic endeavor; it is viewed by many as one of the most important movement constituents in physical development. As vital as straight-line speed may be, very few sports — with tr...
The ‘Spartan Rotation’ conditioning workout
Coaches are always searching for conditioning drills that fit the specific needs of their sport while concurrently adding enough variety to keep things interesting and challenging. This is especially true when dealing with anaerobic or power...
Powerline: Gaining size and speed
We recently hosted our annual strength and conditioning clinic here at Michigan State, and the topic I addressed was that of efficient methods for increasing muscular size and strength. Without fail, it's the most asked question crossing my de...
Powerline: Tackling 2014’s biggest strength training questions
I’ve always enjoyed the ongoing interaction with Coach & Athletic Director readers over the past 15 years; it’s proved to be a great forum for the exchange of information. The opportunity to share ideas in this field — and to learn so many ...
Powerline: Understanding eccentrics
The positive effects of negative training for advanced trainees Most conventional strength training movements, regardless of the chosen modality, entail both concentric (raising) and eccentric (lowering) phases. Also known as positive (raising) and ...
Don’t neglect the neck
The neck is a critically important area for football players “Do your players truly invest adequate time and effort in strengthening their necks?” It is my hope that everyone answered with a resounding, affirmative yes! In football �...
Why strength training is important for all athletes
Strength training has become such an integral part of an athlete’s training regimen over the past several decades that you would assume it is universally accepted as standard operating procedure. However, judging from some of the correspondence I r...
Strength training for multisport athletes
As far as strength training has come in not only gaining acceptance, but also in being embraced by the athletic community as a vital component to success, some archaic and unfounded notions still prevail. A common dilemma at the high school level ...
Ken Mannie’s mailbag: Answering questions from coaches
It’s time once again to reach into the mailbag and scan my email for some of the most frequently asked questions I’ve received from coaches. There were a lot of great questions that require some lengthy discussion, and I’ve picked a few that...
Football: Why every player should be put on hill sprints
Football coaches who are looking for ways to get an edge on the competition or are curious about the kind of training that can make their players faster and stronger are invited to investigate the possibilities of hill sprints, and running the bleach...