Boston Sports Medicine and Performance Group, LLC Blog

Assessing Movement: Conference Review by Patrick Ward

Posted by Boston Sports Medicine and Performance Group on Thu, Jan 30, 2014 @ 07:01 AM

bsmpg seminar

 

by Patrick Ward

 

Yesterday I made the 2 hour trip from Portland down to Stanford University for Assessing Movement: A Contrast in Approaches & Future Directions. The course was set up to be a dialogue and debate between Dr. Stuart McGill and Gray Cook. The event was put on by Craig Liebenson with support from the Stanford Sports Medicine Department. Laree Draper of On Target Publications was there to capture the event for a DVD release at a later date.

Initial Impressions

I have to first thank Dr. Liebenson for putting on the event. It was well run and structured. Also, thanks to Laree Draper for being there to capture it. Laree has done a great job of putting out wonderful educational resources for the profession over the past 4 years or so.

I didn’t know what to expect heading down there. I know these are two passionate individuals, both of whom I have gotten the opportunity to learn a lot from for a number of years, and, based on many of the (foolish) comments on facebook (Ex., “Who won?” or “Did McGill steam roll Gray?” or “Was it a battle?”) I believe this topic is one that people get very emotional about. Truth be told I thought it may turn into a total train wreck with people getting upset, getting loud and uncomfortable, and nothing getting accomplished (IE, no real learning taking place). I was pleasantly surprised. I found both of the presenters to be very complimentary of one another, showing a lot of respect to each other, and maintaining healthy discussion rather than resorting to personal attacks or comments that were not going to lead to further discussion or better learning for the audience.

The Lectures

The morning started out with both speakers giving two lectures in a “you go, I go” type format.

Gray was up first and he presented the basis of the Functional Movement Screen and discussed why we screen, what the FMS is, what it isn’t, and what things the test may be telling you in order to provide you with information to draw up your exercise road map.

Continue Reading Pat's article HERE 

 

See Patrick Ward and other Leaders in Sports Performance Training at the 2014 BSMPG Summer Seminar. 

Seats are filling up FAST - This event will sell out AGAIN!

 

patrick ward 

 

PATRICK WARD

NIKE

SPONSORED BY:

 

Normatec

 

From 2006 to 2012, Patrick Ward ran his own sports performance training facility in Phoenix, AZ, where he worked with athletes across a variety of sports, including golf, volleyball, football, soccer and other world-class athletes training for international competition. Patrick earned a Master of Exercise Science from California University of Pennsylvania in 2007, holds NSCA and CSCS certifications and is a licensed massage therapist. Currently Patrick works within the Nike Sports Research Lab in Portland, OR, where he works with some of the greatest athletes in the world and helps Nike collect sports performance insights.

Patrick maintains an active blog, www.optimumsportsperformance.com, where he frequently writes about his thoughts and ideas in the world of health and human performance.

 

Topics: Patrick Ward, Neil Rampe, BSMPG Summer Seminar, Fergus Connolly

Save the Date - BSMPG 2014

Posted by Boston Sports Medicine and Performance Group on Tue, Nov 12, 2013 @ 07:11 AM

 

BSMPG 

 

"The snake which cannot cast its skin has to die.  As well the minds which are prevented from changing their opinions; they cease to be mind."

- Friedrich Nietzsche

 

Join the Leaders in Sports Medicine and Performance May 16-18th at the 2014 BSMPG Summer Seminar

 

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Topics: BSMPG Summer Seminar, Boo Schexnayder, Fergus Connolly

BSMPG 2014 Summer Seminar - Patrick Ward Added To Speaker List

Posted by Boston Sports Medicine and Performance Group on Mon, Oct 7, 2013 @ 07:10 AM

BSMPG is proud to announce Patrick Ward as the second speaker added to the 2014 BSMPG Summer Seminar speaker list - May 16-18th, 2014. Last year was a sell out and the only difference this year will be us announcing a sell out a month in advance!  This will be one of the greatest performance and therapy seminars of all time!

Seriously, this will sell out - Registration will open January 1st, 2014.  Members of the BSMPG family will receive an opportunity to reserve their seat in advance - stay tuned for details.  With speakers and attendees traveling from around the world, this seminar will close in record time.

Be sure to save the date and reserve your hotel room well in advance.

See you in Boston next May!!!

 

Patrick Ward

 

PATRICK WARD

Strength & Conditioning Coach / Massage Therapist

nike

SPONSORED BY:

 

normatec

 

From 2006 to 2012, Patrick Ward ran his own sports performance training facility in Phoenix, AZ, where he worked with athletes across a variety of sports, including golf, volleyball, football, soccer and other world-class athletes training for international competition. Patrick earned a Master of Exercise Science from California University of Pennsylvania in 2007, holds NSCA and CSCS certifications and is a licensed massage therapist. Currently Patrick works within the Nike Sports Research Lab in Portland, OR, where he works with some of the greatest athletes in the world and helps Nike collect sports performance insights.

Patrick maintains an active blog, www.optimumsportsperformance.com, where he frequently writes about his thoughts and ideas in the world of health and human performance.

 

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Topics: Patrick Ward, Neil Rampe, BSMPG Summer Seminar, Ben Prentiss, Fergus Connolly

BSMPG 2014 Summer Seminar - Neil Rampe - Arizona Diamondbacks

Posted by Boston Sports Medicine and Performance Group on Mon, Sep 30, 2013 @ 07:09 AM

BSMPG is proud to announce Neil Rampe as the first speaker added to the 2014 BSMPG Summer Seminar speaker list - May 16-18th, 2014. Last year was a sell out and the only difference this year will be us announcing a sell out a month in advance!  This will be one of the greatest performance and therapy seminars of all time!

Seriously, this will sell out - Registration will open January 1st, 2014.  Members of the BSMPG family will receive an opportunity to reserve their seat in advance - stay tuned for details.  With speakers and attendees traveling from around the world, this seminar will close in record time.

Be sure to save the date and reserve your hotel room well in advance.

See you in Boston next May!!!

 

BSMPG

 

NEIL RAMPE

Manual Therapist for the Arizona Diamondbacks

BSMPG

SPONSORED BY:

 

INSIDETRACKER

 

Neil Rampe is currently in his sixth year as the Manual Therapist for Major League Baseball’s Arizona Diamondbacks. Neil’s education includes an AA in Personal Training as well as BS in Athletic Training and Physical Education with an emphasis in Strength & Conditioining from the University of Findlay. He went on to receive his M.Ed. in Applied Kinesiology with a Sport and Exercise Science emphasis from the University of Minnesota where he served as a strength & conditioning coach in the golden gopher athletic department. Neil then served as a certified athletic trainer at the Boulder Center for Sports Medicine in Boulder, CO. Neil then spent five years at The University of Arizona where he served as the Associate Dierctor, Performance Enhancement. Neil is a Certified Athletic Trainer through the NATABOC, a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist through the NSCA, a Licensed Massage Therapist through the AMTA and NCBTMB. Neil is also a Certified Active Release Techniques provider, Functional Range Release provider and has received his Performance Enhancement Specialist and Corrective Exercise Specialist advanced specializations through the National Academy of Sports Medicine. Neil is also a C level DNS practitioner the The Prague School of Rehabilitation and a PRT (Postural Restoration Trained) through The Postural Restoration Institute. Over the past 14 years Neil has had the opportunity to consult and work with a number of elite athletes at the high school collegiate, olympic and professional ranks in the areas of rehabilitation, therapy and performance enhancement.

 

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Topics: Patrick Ward, Neil Rampe, BSMPG Summer Seminar, Ben Prentiss, Fergus Connolly

The Future of Sports Science in America

Posted by Boston Sports Medicine and Performance Group on Wed, Jun 19, 2013 @ 07:06 AM

An interview with Fergus Connolly following the 2013 BSMPG Summer Seminar.
Fergus Connolly Fergus Connolly

After what Stu McGill at BSMPG, referred to as "the best presentation I've heard in 26 years in sport", I sat down with Fergus Connolly before he left Boston to explore in more detail the future of high performance sport here in the US.  With the surge in sports analytics and ability to capture sports metrics along with a personal interest in managing and presenting data, Fergus’ presentation couldn’t have come at a better time

We discussed many things, but I started by asking him to give some insight into the future challenges professional sports faces in the US and what our professional teams needed to avoid in the future.

This is the transcript of some of the recorded interview. 
 

"Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe" - Abraham Lincoln 

[Q]
Fergus, based your work with NFL and NBA teams – is US professional sport is going through a short phase of sports science or a critical changing period?

I've gone on record as saying I believe US sport really is at a very interesting crossroads just now, I think the preparation of professional teams is changing. There is a more informed awareness, media attention on performance, better appreciation of fatigue, about critical injuries, return to play approaches, a fascination in performance technology along with more and more data available for everyone - customer included!
These developments, along with a leveling off in advantages from analytical recruitment approaches mean the focus has now shifted to find Moneyball 3.0 - and it's pretty clear this new edge is going to be sports science. There's not a team I know that are not aware of the developments and changes they face. This a big challenge for the NFL and NBA teams to address - and most importantly to do it correctly. It's a big tree to chop.
And, so with such a big tree to chop down, to paraphrase President Lincoln - it's best spend the time sharpening the axe rather than swinging wildly.

So you think there are two attitudes or approaches to this?


Well, some teams are moving fast, but I notice the more progressive GM's and directors are doing due diligence, not being slow - but steady, asking better questions and identifying the pathway they want to move towards, not making knee-jerk decisions.

"Don't have time to do it right, but the money to do it twice."

[Q]
Ok, so accepting that these changes are here and coming, and recognizing care is needed to avoid knee jerk movements - what is the biggest challenge these teams and the performance staff face?

Ok, so looking at the two sports I know most about - and to simplify it greatly, the challenge is player volume management and game volume management - in the NBA it's about game volume management and in the NFL it's about player volume management. Unfortunately in many professional sporting situations, and I'm thinking of the NBA as one stand-out example from my experiences here in the US, the time pressures are immense.
Speak to guys like Bill Burgos, Bryan Doo, Keke Lyles or others and you'll soon learn 82 games a season with the travel demands combined leaves little time for much actual development - either player or staff. Everything is geared toward management of the player, game by game.

And football?

In the NFL you have far greater numbers training and it's a case of player management, individualization is much more difficult. So it's no wonder that it can be a "Time once, Money Twice" effect in pro-sport, where the teams "Don't have time to do it right, but the resources to do it twice." It's not a criticism - the sports almost demand it by design and all sports I've worked in are somewhat similar, whether it's the English Premiership or International Rugby. It's certainly difficult to keep the bigger picture in mind, but what is often missed - is that having to do it twice will cost twice as much and take twice as long regardless!
This is where the better organizations develop sports science, not slowly, but smoothly, introducing and investing in new positions and new technologies - and managing their implementation with clear long term goals in clear view for all.

"80% of Sports Science is knowing what NOT to do. The other 20% of the job is knowing how to deliver it"

[Q]
Well that brings us along nicely to the next question about Sports Science - which as you are well aware is the new buzz word - what do you see as the biggest challenge for sports science in the US?


Yes, Sports Science is probably the single greatest area of fascination in US sport just now, certainly in the NFL. I think it's a really good development for the player welfare first and foremost, and I'm glad to see teams like the Jaguars and the Eagles start to develop sports science programs.
I know Tom Myslinski for many years and have great respect for what he and the Khan family are doing, and I know Josh Hingst too at the Eagles. Neither are naive, they know the limitations and time it will take to develop the programs.

What about the NBA?

Good question Art,  basketball is an interesting animal all on its own, however – I believe the first NBA teams to master and integrated sports science approach will benefit much more and more quickly in injury reduction and reduced fatigue. Simply because of the reduced player roster - these improvements will be much easier to affect. I also expect them to compete at a more consistent level.

But sports science is definitely here to stay?

Correct and the good news is that, for the US sports scientist today, it is very like being a child in a candy store - there are more toys available now than ever, it's like Christmas Day every day. However, the bad news is - "batteries not included" - some technologies will work, many don't and most only work in certain contexts. For that reason alone, I make it clear to teams that "80% of a good sports scientist’s role is to know what NOT to do, the other 20% of the job is knowing how to deliver it".

Very good point, but sports science is a very young field here with those with experience are few and far between.

True, but bear in mind, just because you have a technology and perhaps know how to use it, you still have to present and manage the delivery of this to the players and coaches too and make sure the outcome is successful.
One other confusing aspect of sports science is that people think just because you have something you have to use it. Think of it as if you were making a fruit salad - if you had tomatoes in the fridge you wouldn't use them in a fruit salad even though they are a fruit and just because you have them.      

"Million Dollar Athlete and 2 Cent Therapist"

[Q]
Ok, so bearing that food analogy in mind - where can we expect to see sports science being used to its greatest effect in US pro sport?


I believe there are 2 broad areas sports science will impact, Injury prevention (or reduction) and improved on court/grass performance. US sport has clearly pioneered recruitment, and European and Southern Hemisphere sport has so much to learn from you. However, how you support the recruited athlete is equally important and has huge room for improvement in the US.

I’m glad you mentioned this. I often find that teams make tremendous investments in players yet when it comes to player health or development see this as an extra cost that they are not willing to put forward.
 
Yes. Good coaches or Performance Directors like Bill Sweentenham, the legendary Australian swim coach, used go to great trouble and make a point of recruiting elite level sports science staff to ensure his swimmers were the best prepared in the world and had no excuses. There's no point in having an elite athlete and not having the systems, resources and environment to support them. It's akin to buying a million dollar sports car and not having the money for engine oil or a service. Sure, it'll manage at first, but eventually fail and perform poorly given time.

But will this change in the US?

It is changing, I know two US NFL teams who are already applying some of the recruitment diligence standards to their staffing and resources as they do to players to avoid mismanagement. An old mentor of mine used refer to this as having the "Million Dollar Athlete and 2 Cent Therapist" approach. By "therapist" he didn't mean a person necessarily, rather the complete support structure.
The irony is that, I've found, in some of the most successful teams and organizations, quality athletes often recognize good support structures and accept slightly lower salaries to come work, compete and win in environments where the support is better.    

“A system is people and technology – not technology alone”

[Q]
Finally, Fergus, read the future once more - what is the "next big thing" for physical preparation in professional US sport?


One of the next major developments and "fashions" in US sport will be a demand for computer systems to manage the myriad of data lines coming downstream from all the various technologies being introduced, rightly or wrongly. This will lead a rush for off-the-shelf software to address this problem. While this will bring it's own issues, it will miss the fundamental point - a system is not about software alone.

But if it's not about software, how are the data issues addressed?

 
Performance Systems by my definition, and at this stage I've built and implemented 3 completely different systems, are combined human and technology solutions - the people employed are as critical, perhaps more so, than the actual technologies and software. A “system” is people and technology together – not technology alone. More importantly the technology can't be off-the shelf or standalone - they must suit the team and environment concerned.
At Northeastern here Art, you've recognized the needs of the environment which has led to the integration of sports medicine and performance services as one - you also know you need to develop a solution specific to your environment with regards to data management – something most colleges haven’t even considered as of yet.  I often warn teams that in many cases this - a performance management software system - is the single fastest way to throw money away, and you only have to look across at some manufacturing industries to see that. It is a pathway, a process and it's fluid, but controlled and it needs extremely careful management to ensure it succeeds.         

So what you're saying is that it's a double edged sword?

Yes, just buying a few Catapult units isn't Sports Science. Anyone can do that - making it work and affect winning is what matters. Whether it's the NFL or NBA, the game will stay the same, now there are just some small tools that are going make preparing for it a bit easier and make training a bit more effective.
Look, the bottom line is that it's all about outperforming the other guy - you've heard the joke about the two guys in the jungle and they see a lion running towards them. One of the men starts putting on his running shoes. Amazed at this, the other man says to his colleague "What are you thinking, you can't outrun a lion!". "I don't have to outrun the lion," says the first man, "I just have to outrun you."
Well Art, almost every NBA and NFL team is up and running or starting to run, but only some have tied their running shoes.

Thanks Fergus – can we count on seeing you return to BSMPG for an encore presentation?

Certainly, I’d love to come back. Apart from Boston being Ireland’s second city and feeling right at home, the BSMPG conference was an excellent event to be part of and contribute to. It’s got a unique vibe to it. Not to mention, having heard some possible speakers you’ve looked at for next year, I actually expect 2014 to be an even better and more exciting event, believe it or not.

Register for  Charlie Weingroff Seminar Oct 25-27, 2013

Topics: BSMPG Summer Seminar, Fergus Connolly

Elite Pre-Conference Workshop Announcement - BSMPG 2013

Posted by Boston Sports Medicine and Performance Group on Wed, May 1, 2013 @ 10:05 AM

SPONSORED BY:

TOPCODER

 

Register for the 2013 BSMPG Summer Seminar before May 4th and be entered to join our 2013 Speakers and select guests for our annual pre-conference workshop and speaker social.  Each speaker below will present for 30 minutes with conversation, food, and drinks provided by BSMPG to follow.

 

Date: May 16, 2013

Time: Lectures start at 5:15pm with food and drinks to follow (exact time is subject to change)

Location: TBD

Cost: There is no way to register. Win to Get In!  Register for the 2013 BSMPG Summer Seminar before May 4th and be entered to win a spot to this exclusive meeting.  BSMPG will be awarding SIX tickets to this exclusive event to those that register for our seminar prior to May 4th! 

 

SPEAKERS INCLUDE 

 

Omegawave

 

VAL NASEDKIN

Topic: Controlling adaptive and compensatory reactions in sports.

Omegawave

 

 

Fergus

FERGUS CONNOLLY

Independent Consultant 

Topic: The Performance Practitioner: Looking Ahead

NORMATEC

 

 

BSMPG 

DR. JOHN MARCHESE

Topic: Screening Athletes: Don't Forget the Brain

Zephyr

 

 

Dr. John Marchese is a highly sought after Chiropractic Physician in the Boston area, practicing at his clinic Marchese Sports Therapy in Woburn, MA. Dr. Marchese obtained a Bachelor of Science in Physical Education at the University of Rhode Island, and went on to complete his Doctor of Chiropractic at the Palmer College of Chiropractic in 1996.  Dr. Marchese uses a combination of techniques based in the sciences, coupled with the application of restorative therapeutic exercises and the latest physiotherapeutic modalities, making his care at Marchese Sports Therapy innovative, fun and highly effective. Dr. Marchese enjoys working with a diverse patient base, ranging from professional athletes to neurologically compromise individuals with diseases such as MS and Parkinson’s. In addition to his clinical practice, Dr. Marchese lectures locally and throughout the country on topics including but not limited to soft tissue techniques, strength and conditioning, therapeutic exercise and rehabilitative strategies.


Remember: this is an invite only event for seminar speakers and those that register to WIN!

 

topcoder 

TopCoder is an on-demand digital creation platform. They deliver custom software, algorithms/analytics, and front end solutions to customers of all sizes: from startup to Fortune 100 firms. TopCoder’s platform uniquely leverages a community of 479000+ members who compete to solve your problems through online competitions. Complex projects/problems become a set of manageable contests that combine to give customers the best solution. TopCoder is returning again to help coaches and medical professionals in the direction of high end analysis, data visualization, and algorithm development.

 

Register now for the 2013 BSMPG Summer Seminar

Register for the 2013 BSMPG  Summer Seminar Today

 

 

A special thanks to: 

 

PERFORM BETTER

 

 

Topics: Val Nasedkin, Fergus Connolly

Innovators Welcome

Posted by Boston Sports Medicine and Performance Group on Mon, Apr 8, 2013 @ 07:04 AM

 

A quick video to remind us why we all put so much blood and sweat into our work - see you at BSMPG, where innovators meet.

 

 

Join the INNOVATORS in Sports Medicine and Performance Training at the 2013 BSMPG Summer Seminar - May 17 &18 in Boston MA.

 

Register for the 2013 BSMPG  Summer Seminar Today

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Topics: Charlie Weingroff, BSMPG Summer Seminar, Marco Cardinale, Fergus Connolly, Stuart McGill, Rob Butler, Bobby Alejo, Mark Lindsay

Jumping High: External Focus More Important than Strength?

Posted by Boston Sports Medicine and Performance Group on Wed, Jan 16, 2013 @ 07:01 AM

 

Vertec

 

from Attention and Motor Skill Learning – Gabriele Wulf

“Zachry had participants perform a jump-and-reach task using a Vertec measurement device (see photo).  Participants were instructed to jump straight up and touch the highest rung on the Vertec they could reach with the tips of their fingers.  Each participant performed five trials under one of three conditions: control, internal focus, and external focus.  For the control condition, no additional focus instruments were given.  Under the internal focus condition, participants were instructed to concentrate on the tips of their fingers.  Under the external focus condition they were instructed to concentrate on the object to be touched, that is, the rungs of the Vertec.

Participants indeed reached higher rungs when they adopted the external focus (on average 4.79 rungs) compared to the internal focus (4.12 rungs) or when they received no attentional focus instructions (4.10 rungs).  Also the time they spent in the air was longer under the external (0.491 s) than under the internal focus (0.477 s) or the control condition (0.478 s)  Thus a change in the focus of attention significantly affected reach height: Focusing on the object to be touched resulted in more effective performance than did focusing on the finger with which the object was to be touched.  Perhaps most interestingly, instructing the participants to adopt an external focus increased jump height above and beyond what participants achieved under “normal” conditions (i.e., control conditions without instructions).  These results were recently replicated by Carolina Granados in my lab (Wulf, Zachry, Granados, & Dufek, 2006, Experiment 2).  In addition to looking at reach height, Granados calculated the displacement of participants’ center of mass during the jumps.  Interestingly, she found not only the greatest reach heights under the external focus condition, but also greater vertical displacements of the center of mass (0.51 cm) compared to those in the internal focus (0.47 cm) and control conditions (0.47 cm).

These findings might seem surprising given that one might expect the jump height to be determined mainly (although not exclusively) by the participant’s strength.  Yet we also know, for example, that the coordination between and within muscles influences maximum force production as well (Hollmann & Hettinger, 2000).  It is possible tha an external focus optimizes those coordination patterns.  While we have to await further research to find out how exactly the attentional focus instructions affected jump height, the findings of this study could have implications for sports in which maximum forces must be generated in a short periods of time (e.g., high jump, long jump, pole vault, basketball layup).  In those cases, focusing on the target (e.g., the bar in the high jump) might also result in more effective performance than focusing on movement coordination or not focusing on anything in particular.” Pg 58-59

 

“The studies we have reviewed in this chapter confirm the anecdotal observation (in windsurfing) that the performance of motor skills seems to be more effective if one focuses on the effects one’s movements have on the environment rather than on the movements themselves.  The results from studies using various laboratory tasks as well as sport skills provide converging evidence for the advantage of instructions that induce an external relative to an internal focus.  The benefits of an external focus appear to be even more pronounced if the movement effect occurs at a distance from the body, thus making it more easily distinguishable from the body movements that produced it.  Furthermore, this effect seems to be rather general and not dependent on individual preferences.  In fact, performers often notice immediate changes in their performance as a function of their focus of attention.  Importantly, the effects of adopting an external focus when practicing a skill is not just temporary, that is, present only when the individual adopts that focus; rather, these benefits are seen in the retention of the skill and in transfer to novel variations of the skill.” Pg 77

 

Focus your attention to the 2013 BSMPG Summer Seminar - Where the top Sports Medicine and Performance Professionals meet every year!

 

Sign Up before April 15, 2013 and enjoy our Early Bird Pricing!

 

Register for the 2013 BSMPG  Summer Seminar Today

 

Topics: Charlie Weingroff, Motor Control, BSMPG Summer Seminar, Ben Prentiss, Marco Cardinale, Marvin Chun, Fergus Connolly, Stuart McGill

Your Anatomy Teacher Was Wrong - Again!

Posted by Boston Sports Medicine and Performance Group on Fri, Nov 23, 2012 @ 06:11 AM

 

If you were the average student in the average anatomy class, you were taught that the psoas major was responsible for hip flexion and external rotation of the femur.  If you were lucky, you may have had a minor discussion regarding its role in lumbar stability.  

But did your anatomy teacher discuss the psoas as it relates to the diaphram and breathing? What about the psoas and the pelvic floor?

No?

I didn't think so.

Let's take a quick look at what you may have been missing...

 

 

Psoas

"The fascial relations of the psoas major to the surrounding tissues warrant special attention as these links influence the biomechanics of these interlaced structures. The medial arcuate ligament is a continuation of the superior psoas fascia that continues superiorly to the diaphragm. The right and left crus constitute the spinal attachment of the diaphragm. They attach to the anterolateral component of the upper three lumbar vertebral bodies. The crus and their fascia overlap the psoas major and appear to be continuous with this muscle until they come more anterior and blend with the anterior longitudinal ligament. (8) As the psoas descends, its inferomedial fascia becomes thick at its inferior portion and is continuous with the pelvic floor fascia. (9) This forms a link with the conjoint tendon, transverse abdominus, and the internal oblique. (10) As the psoas major courses over the pelvic brim, the fascia of the posterior fascicles attach firmly to the pelvic brim."

 

Psoas major: a case report and review of its anatomy, biomechanics, and clinical implications by Sajko, Sandy & Stuber, Kent. Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association, 2009.

 

Discover what you've been missing and what the leaders in Sports Medicine and Performance already know at the 2013 BSMPG Summer Seminar - May 17 & 18, 2013 in Boston.

 

Register for the 2013 BSMPG  Summer Seminar Today

Topics: Art Horne, Charlie Weingroff, Adriaan Louw, Marco Cardinale, Fergus Connolly, Stuart McGill, Randall Huntington

The Top Sports Franchises In The World Rely On Him

Posted by Boston Sports Medicine and Performance Group on Wed, Nov 14, 2012 @ 07:11 AM

Fergus Connolly

 

“…my training and experience as a teacher has been invaluable in dealing with players one-on-one, because understanding learning styles and teaching methods is fundamental to developing trust and educating players. After all, it doesn’t matter what I know, what I’ve done or what I can do – what really matters is what my clients, teams or players understand, absorb or learn and then execute. What I can translate to them is central.” 

- Fergus Connolly, 2013 BSMPG Summer Seminar Keynote Speaker

 

Dr Fergus Connolly has extensive experience as a Performance Consultant to Coaches, Performance Directors and Sports Scientists in elite team sports from Premiership football and International Rugby, to NFL and NBA, and from Professional Boxing to even Special Forces worldwide. A PhD in Computer Optimisation, combined with specialised knowledge acquired from apprenticeships working with some of the most successful coaches, academics and practitioners, he is an original thinker in the development of unique effective monitoring, training and regeneration approaches to improving results in team sport.

Fergus opens up the discussion by clarifying that his role is a Performance Scientist. He suggests that he does things ‘differently’ and that might be one of the reasons why some people view him and his work as effective. Fergus tells me how he has travelled the globe on a personal and professional development quest, visiting numerous targeted professional sports clubs, teams, coaches and practitioners to better understand different approaches to providing support to elite level athletes. In the years that have passed, Fergus has integrated these eclectic experiences into his own brand of supporting the athletes, coaches and teams that he works with.

Fergus goes on to describe sport as his passion and that he is constantly motivated within his role to ‘help’ the people that he comes into contact with. This notion of help shouldn’t be mistaken for a personal caring approach. Whilst this is indeed a central tenet to how he operates as a practitioner, one of the fundamental features of his work is to enhance performance. Winning is at the core of his business and he emphasises that firmly within our conversation.

Continue to read this article by clicking HERE.  

 

Learn how Fergus mixes just the right amount of both strength training and sports therapy together when working with clients from around the world and why the top sport franchises rely on Fergus to provide them with the winning edge at the 2013 BSMPG Summer Seminar.

 

Register for the 2013 BSMPG  Summer Seminar Today

 

 

 

 

 

 

Topics: BSMPG Summer Seminar, Fergus Connolly