Boston Sports Medicine and Performance Group, LLC Blog

Mission of the CATAPULT Performance Director Meeting: To provide the leaders in performance training and medical oversight an opportunity to engage with leaders of similar attitude, vision, and entrepreneurial spirit, while pursuing innovative strategies in performance methodology. 

A few seats are still available for this special event following the annual BSMPG Summer Seminar - Sunday May 18th.  Contact BSMPG at bostonsmpg@gmail.com for registration details.

David Tenney was named the Sounders FC fitness coach on January 9, 2009. He is one of Major League Soccer’s most respected and highly-regarded fitness coaches following two years in Kansas City. On January 1, 2014, Tenney was named Sports Science & Performance Manager for the Sounders. Tenney’s Sports Science & Performance department is the first of its kind in MLS — and is tasked with collecting and analyzing the physiological, physical, and tactical data related to performance, fatigue, and injury prediction. Prior to the Seattle Sounders, Tenney held similar positions with the Kansas City Wizards (now Sporting KC), the George Mason’s Men’s & Women’s teams, and the Washington Freedom (women’s professional soccer).

Tenney holds a Bachelor’s degree in Coaching Science from George Mason University (VA), and a Master’s degree in Exercise Science - Performance Enhancement/Injury Prevention from California University of PA. He also holds a European Soccer ‘A’ license from the Czech Republic FA, and an NSCAA ‘Premier’ diploma. 

Interview with Dave Tenney on 8weeksout.com by Joel Jamieson

When I first started using HRV with some of your athletes from the Seattle Sounders, what were your initial thoughts as far as the information it was able to provide you with as a coach?

Beyond using HRV, we were also at the time using the Polar T2 system to monitor training loads. However, I was slowly becoming frustrated, because I didn’t really know what a “high” measurement meant. Did the players perform too much? Why was a certain player high?

My first thought was that this would be giving me a better indicator of why an athlete would be high or low in his HR response. It filled in a big picture to the puzzle. When you begin to understand the metabolic make-up of your athletes, and then get a good picture in how they typically fatigue, then all the other forms of training monitoring – Polar HR, GPS, etc. – takes on a new relevance

Based on the HRV results and feedback that I was able to give you, what impact did it have on how you approached training the athletes that we were testing? How was this approach different than it might have been if you had not been able to use HRV with those guys?

We could individualize our loading structure so much better. We could make earlier interventions with athletes because the residue of fatigue was there to be clearly recognized. There was less of a “put him out there and hope he makes it through”. It also opened up a whole new world of individualization of recovery methods based on the results we were getting.

And, lastly, it helped us really understand what was taking place with a guy. Maybe he didn’t look right, lethargic… This gave us the tools to recognize he was fatigued, and he needed us to back off.

Can you give us any specific examples of big changes in performance or fitness or recovery and such that happened with any particular players that were included in that first test group?

The first test group was given some specific recovery methods. We have it programmed well enough now, where we know what athletes need which type of soft tissue therapy post training based on HRV data. We’ve had our starting center midfielder here, just end the season leading the league in tackles won, and playing over 1,200 more minutes than previous seasons – after having nagging quad injuries that previous two years. I attribute this to how well we managed our system using HRV.

A second example is our right back, who we actually kept on the field and played more than we normally would have because he continued to have very healthy parasympathetic tone. We were deep into our 2010 season, and had multiple games per week, and the coaching staff felt this player needed a rest, because we had no cover for him and couldn’t afford to lose him.

I was adamant that HRV indicated there was little residual fatigue there, and other players who had played less needed a rest far more than he did. This player continued on and played every match the rest of the year.

Continue reading this interview by clicking HERE.

Interview with Dave Tenney on Complementarytraining.blogspot.com by Mladen Jovanović

Continue reading this interview by clicking HERE.

Join the Leaders in Sports Medicine and Performance at the 2014 BSMPG Summer Seminar - May 16 & 17, 2014.

Registration is now OPEN.

What is Fascial Abrasion Technique and what are the potential benefits?

Fascial Abrasion Technique involves releasing movement-restricted fascial tension in underlying soft tissue. This technique specifically targets and loosens the fascia that surrounds and interconnects muscle tissue that when tight, can restrict range of motion and impair quality of movement. Performance tissue mobilization uses a specialized, patented tool called the Fascial Abrasion Technique Tool or FAT-Tool.

The Benefits of Soft Tissue Mobilization using the FAT-Tool

Tissue mobilization using the FAT-Tool is a quick and highly effective tool for Healthcare providers to improve quality of movement and normalize fascial mobility for their patience. Correct use of the FAT-Tool allows you to quickly solve and release troublesome areas of tissue tightness and restricted range of motion and in so doing, support improved patient outcomes.

The FAT-Tool...

The revolutionary design of the FAT tool features multiple treatment surfaces and edges in an all-in-one, tool. In addition, tissue tension release is enhanced with the unique, patented textured finish, which allows for superior grip of the fascia with less direct pressure applied to the surface of the skin.

Course Objective

Healthcare providers will learn techniques using the FAT-Tool to release areas of tissue tension and improve range of motion and quality of movement for their patients. Participants will learn about the role of fascia, the theory and principles of fascial mobilization, how to assess areas of fascial restriction and how to use the FAT tool to achieve release of fascial tension.

Learn more about the FAT-Tool and the Boston course by clicking HERE. 

Join the Leaders in Sports Medicine and Performance at the 2014 BSMPG Summer Seminar - May 16 & 17, 2014.

Registration is now OPEN.

BSMPG is proud to announce Dr. Philip Skiba as a speaker at the 2014 CATAPULT Performance Directors Meeting - May 18th (following our annual summer seminar, 16-17th).

Dr. Philip Skiba is the Program Director for Sports Medicine at Lutheran General Hospital, in Chicagoland. He also serves as acting Program Director for Sport and Exercise Medicine at The University of Exeter, UK. His research studies focus on the determinants of athletic performance in both power / speed and endurance sports. His work has been used by athletes in amateur and elite sport on a regular basis, including the 2012 London Olympic Games. He is the CEO of PhysFarm Training Systems LLC, and has coached a number of world-class athletes, most notably U.S. Olympian, Half-Ironman World Champion and World Record Holder Joanna Zeiger, and 4-Time World Champion Catriona Morrison of Scotland.

Join the Leaders in Sports Medicine and Performance Training here in Boston May 16-18th - but register today before seats sell out!

Topic: The Rhythm of the Game: Optimizing Athlete Recovery During Play

Lecture Description: Team sports such as basketball or hockey present a unique challenge to the athlete’s physiology. For example, a series of abrupt changes in pace can rapidly fatigue players and leave them unable to match a sudden push by the opposing team. Dr. Skiba will discuss his recent research publications, which describe new ways of profiling and understanding athlete performance. These tools permit coaching and management staff to better optimize team dynamics and strategy.

Watch Dr. Skiba at the 2014 MIT Sloan Analytics Conference by clicking HERE. 

Join the Leaders in Sports Medicine and Performance at the 2014 BSMPG Summer Seminar - May 16 & 17, 2014.

Registration is now OPEN. 

Interested in attending the CATAPULT Performance Directors Meeting on Sunday May 18th with Dr. Skiba and other top professionals from across the globe?

Contact our team at bostonsmpg@gmail.com

See Dr. Spina May 2-4th in Boston for FAP/FR Spine Course

For additional information on barefoot training read Barefoot in Boston!

by Matt Kuzdub from PUSHSTRENGTH

Periodization Reviewed

Periodization can be defined as dividing training into separate phases or ‘periods’. Why segment training into different phases? The stressors that are placed on an athlete during training can be very taxing and, from a physical, psychological and emotional level, cannot be sustained indefinitely. There are therefore, periods during the year that are more intense while others that are less intense. This approach will promote the greatest response in terms of recovery and adaptation.

Figure 1

Before we continue, I should note that there is an important relationship that exists between volume and intensity (Figure 1). Training volume is made up of the number of reps per set, the number of sets per session, the number of sessions per week and the number of weeks per year. Training intensity is made up of the load being used. As volume decreases, intensity increases…and vice versa.

On top of volume and intensity, you’ll often hear the term ‘volume load’ thrown around strength & conditioning circles. This term simply combines volume and intensity into one number and expresses it in tonnes of weight (reps x sets x load). Volume load (Flanagan) can be used to visualize training over time (Figure 2).

Periodization Models

Linear Model

This model (Figure 2) is characterized by high initial training volume and low intensity (load). As training progresses, volume decreases and intensity increases (Bompa). Before the modern era of sport, this model was widely implemented. The reason – if you were an Olympic athlete (long track speed skater for example), you likely only had a couple competitions per year. With long periods of time with very little to no competition, this approach was possible.

Figure 2

Undulating (or Non-Linear) Model

This model (Figure 3) is characterized by variation in the planning and implementation of training programs throughout a training session, training week and annual cycle (Bompa). Example, look at figure 2 again, the volume load varies (or undulates) from week to week while intensity does the same, inversely. Note that there are times when intensity and volume are both high or both low (this depends on the phase within a season and the state of the athlete).

Compared to the undulating model, the linear approach to periodization is a bit dated. Studies suggest that the linear model may be impractical because of the varied schedules of most sports in the modern era. Although research is limited in regards to periodization, the undulating model has been shown to aid in recovery/adaptation while producing the greatest gains in strength and power (Rhea and Alderman).

Click HERE to continue reading. 

Join the Leaders in Sports Medicine and Performance at the 2014 BSMPG Summer Seminar - May 16 & 17, 2014.

Registration is now OPEN.

 A special thanks to:

Meet the PushStrength Crew at the 2014 BSMPG Summer Seminar

Email Matt at matt@pushstrength.com to set up an individual demonstration during our seminar or learn more about the power of PushStrength.

by Derek Hansen

Article originally appeared on:Runningmechanics.com

I had the fortune and pleasure of working closely with and learning from Charlie Francis for a period of approximately ten years prior to his passing. As a young track athlete in the 1970s and 1980s in Canada, I was guided by many of the ideas taught by Gerard Mach and his protégé coaches such as Charlie. In fact, one of my youth coaches kept in close contact with one of Charlie’s athletes during the 1980’s and relayed training concepts to us on a weekly basis. In many ways, I was experiencing an early education in Charlie’s approach to training that has stayed with me until this day. Not a day goes by when I am not reminded by some of the training principles Charlie passed on and how it impacts how I teach my athletes, my assistant coaches, interns and even my own children.

As Al Vermeil has always stated, Charlie Francis’ brilliance was in his simplicity of application for effective results. “Simple application, complex explanation,” Al would always tell me. If coaches need to resort to long lectures and explanations for “why” they are doing “what” they are doing, there is something wrong. The eight points below demonstrate Charlie’s assertion that none of this is “Rocket Science” – if anything it is pure common sense.

1. Cast a Wide Net

Charlie was adamant that when identifying future talent it is always best to have the largest pool of athletes from which to select. He discussed his own experiences in track and field and how he was given a large group of young athletes to coach. “I started with 30 kids. How was I to know which ones would be Olympians and World Record Holders?” He never made himself out to be an expert in talent identification. However, he understood that while early identification of talent was something that everyone wanted to do, some of the real superstars would develop later on and it was his job to keep them around long enough so that they could mature into top performers.

The problem with many current development models that incorporate early specialization is that they can be exclusionary, separating the high level groups from the others. Charlie realized that while success can breed success, it could also breed contempt, apathy and a false sense of entitlement and security – which could lead to problems in the long run. When I had the opportunity to work with Charlie, I remember one occasion where he had a pretty mixed bag of athletes: one world record holder, one Olympic gold medalist, one master’s athlete and a few national class athletes. Part way through the workout, a middle-aged Ben Johnson showed up and did a few explosive starts out of the blocks like he had stepped out of a time machine, not missing a beat. That was quite a day and quite the training group. Yet everyone still received the individual time they needed and the mood of the training group was extremely positive.

Continue reading article by clicking HERE.

See DEREK HANSEN at the 2014 BSMPG Summer Seminar - May 16-17th, 2014.  

BSMPG: Where Leaders Learn

Join the Leaders in Sports Medicine and Performance at the 2014 BSMPG Summer Seminar - May 16 & 17, 2014.

Registration is now OPEN.

"Some organizations, they pull two Advil from their pocket and say that's all you can have. To me, that's not reality, man. We're playing 162 games. Guys are going to get beat up. You try to find ways to make guys comfortable on the field. It's nice to have a medical staff here that's open. Some of the stuff I've seen here, I've never seen before."

- Bronson Arroyo, speaking about Arizona Diamondbacks Medical Staff

article orginally published on: USAToday.com

Miguel Montero shook his head, and not just because the Arizona Diamondbacks catcher was still trying to clear the cobwebs of that trip to Australia.

No, he was considering the idea that the club's new right-handed workhorse, pitcher Bronson Arroyo, is 37 years old, beginning his 15th major league season and never once has landed on the disabled list.

CORBIN: Resting after Tommy John surgery

"It's hard to believe, really," Montero said. "Everybody has their little stays on the DL. I don't know how he does it."

The answer for the free-spirited Arroyo: any way possible.

But it looked for all the world just a few weeks ago that Arroyo's remarkable streak of durability could end when he experienced back stiffness and pain in his lower back and was scratched from a spring-training start.

Arroyo said Tuesday he received an epidural injection and, after a final spring-training start, he expects to be ready when the Diamondbacks restart their regular season.

"I threw three innings in a simulated game on the 19th and threw a bullpen," he said. "Through that, I was still not perfect. But the last four days, I've been feeling perfect. I threw (Monday) and felt as good as I've ever felt, so I just want to get one more outing and get built up a little bit."

He expects to pitch Saturday against the Cubs and anticipates throwing 85-90 pitches.

That is terrific news for the Diamondbacks, especially in the wake of the not-so-terrific news that staff ace Patrick Corbin, as anticipated, underwent Tommy John surgery Tuesday in Florida.

That Corbin is only 24 years old and lost for the season just underscores how fortunate Arroyo has been during his career — knock on maple or ash.

Arroyo's dependability and his history of stabilizing pitching staffs by eating up 199 or more innings in nine straight seasons are reasons the Diamondbacks signed him to a reported two-year, $23.5 million contract.

It also clearly has become a point of pride for Arroyo.

"There's never been a time in my baseball career I didn't think I was going to get out there on Day 5," he said. "There maybe is going to come a time when I can't. If it would have been the regular season, how my back was three weeks ago, I wasn't going to get out there no matter what.

"But I've been fortunate to find a way to get out there. Usually you know your body enough to know that even when things are wrong, you've got enough to find a way to get out there. Right now, I'm totally good."

Arroyo said the epidural was the third he has had since 2008 to resolve disk irritation in his lower lumbar spine.

"I didn't know what it was for a long time," he said. "Around 2008, I figured out what it was from a (magnetic resonance imaging test) when I was signing a contract. ... They went and checked it. I had an epidural in 2008, one in 2011 and this year, so I've had three of them total. It's worked every time."

He said it has taken a little longer on each occasion for the shot to work.

"The body kind of adjusts to them," he said. "But if need be, these guys here are really open minded, which is nice. So if I feel something and it gets a little irritated throughout the year, they can hit me with another one.

"A lot of times, it's like pulling teeth with teams to get somebody to do something like that for you. It's why guys are so fearful of going into the training room. They think they're going to get shut down immediately.

"Some organizations, they pull two Advil from their pocket and say that's all you can have. To me, that's not reality, man. We're playing 162 games. Guys are going to get beat up. You try to find ways to make guys comfortable on the field. It's nice to have a medical staff here that's open. Some of the stuff I've seen here, I've never seen before."

That includes, evidently, blowing up balloons in the morning, reducing rather than increasing flexibility in some muscles, and using special glasses with lenses that distort vision to determine how it affects movement.

Continue to read article by clicking HERE.  

See Neil Rampe from the Arizona Diamondbacks at the 2014 BSMPG Summer Seminar

NEIL RAMPE

Arizona Diamondbacks

Lecture Topic: Addressing the "Over-Extended" Athlete

SPONSORED BY:

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.

Join the Leaders in Sports Medicine and Performance at the 2014 BSMPG Summer Seminar - May 16 & 17, 2014.

Registration is now OPEN.

by Derek Hansen

Article originally appeared on: StrengthPowerSpeed.com

Over the last five years, I have noticed some gradual changes in the role of the strength and conditioning coach at the professional sports level. Some of my thoughts are based on casual observations, but also frank discussions with coaches who are currently working in the professional ranks, or coaches that have moved on from the pros to other levels of sport – mostly college jobs. But one thing is clear: The strength coaching profession of today is not the same challenge as it was 15 to 20 years ago. There are some emerging realities in professional sports that make it a different world, and one in which coaches may have to re-invent themselves. While some coaches interpret these changes as the result of innovations and progress, others – especially strength coach purists – see it as a step backwards away from the art of coaching and the development of a true coaching position.

Key changes and trends include:

1. Restructured Collective Bargaining Agreements

A number of professional sports leagues have restructured their collective bargaining agreements in favor having less off-season commitments for the players. For the most part, player unions have negotiated less mandatory practice and training time for players during the off-season. Some sports have reasoned that the wear-and-tear of extra workouts needed to be curtailed, inferring that contact sport athletes training extra days in the off-season would lead to more injuries and concussions. The sad part is the negotiators threw the baby out with the bathwater and did not allow the teams to condition players in the off-season for very long periods, even though good training helps to prevent injuries – not create them.

The NFL example is the most alarming. Previously, the players had 14 weeks of off-season training to prepare for pre-season and in-season competition. This has been shaved down to nine weeks, with only about three or four of those weeks dedicated to actual strength and conditioning work. Yet, fans are alarmed when the injury rate for the latest season is greater than previous years, with a larger number of big-name players having season-ending injuries. In fact, when some of the most serious injuries are considered – such as ACL injuries – 27 pre-season and 23 in-season ACL injuries (50 total) were recorded for the first three months of the 2013 NFL season, on pace for the highest number on record. Some would argue that the higher number is a result of the NFL clamping down on helmet-to-helmet hits, encouraging defenders to hit below the waist. However, the vast majority of ACL injuries were classified as non-contact injuries.

With strength and conditioning coaches having less mandatory time with the athletes in the off-season, one can only wonder what kind of shape the athletes show up to training camp in. If athletes haven’t completed the proper amount and intensity of training in the off-season, one could reasonably expect that these athletes could be at greater risk of injury due to fatigue and strength deficits. Assuming that all of the athletes will ensure their fitness is appropriate for the demands of training camp is naïve at best. The question is, what can the strength coach do to mitigate the negative impacts of less mandatory off-season training? Strength coaches who want to show their value to the organization must find a way to maximize their time with athletes, while not going overboard and creating injuries in training that would preclude the players from participating in actual team practices. If athletes are left to their own devices for the majority of the off-season time, strength and conditioning staff must build a cohesive relationship with each individual player to ensure buy-in to the program, a degree of mutual trust and a greater probability that the team complies with the workout plans sent out at the conclusion of the season.

2. The Hiring Process

Strength coaches are not evaluated using the same parameters as other sport coaches. Head coaches are evaluated on wins and losses. Assistant coaches and position coaches are evaluated on the statistics of the athletes they supervise. Strength coaches could be evaluated on how strong, powerful and fast their athletes have become under their programs. However, the majority of team administrators do not track this type of data closely. More often than not, strength coaches are hired based on their relationship with a sport coach. When a head coach is hired, he typically brings on board a strength coach that he was worked with previously. There are rarely any exhaustive interview processes where strength coaches are grilled on their knowledge, experience, philosophy and effectiveness. 

Continue reading article by clicking HERE.

See DEREK HANSEN at the 2014 BSMPG Summer Seminar - May 16-17th, 2014.  

BSMPG: Where Leaders Learn

Join the Leaders in Sports Medicine and Performance at the 2014 BSMPG Summer Seminar - May 16 & 17, 2014.

Registration is now OPEN.

BSMPG is proud to announce DEREK HANSEN as a speaker at the 2014 BSMPG Summer Seminar - May 16-17th, 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!

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

See you in Boston in May!!! 

Lecture 1: Identifying Opportunities for Recovery and Regeneration:  Making It Work for You

Lecture 2: Electrical Muscle Stimulation:  Performance and Recovery Applications

SPONSORED BY:

Join the Leaders in Sports Medicine and Performance at the 2014 BSMPG Summer Seminar - May 16 & 17, 2014.

Registration is now OPEN.

by Adam Naylor

I had the opportunity yesterday to share some ideas on lessons from the playing field that could assist in patient care at the Massachusetts Veteran Affair’s Medical Center.  I truly could not have been more humbled by the attention and the enthusiasm he healthcare professionals showed towards the ideas presented.  The lunchtime grand round session broke off into a brainstorming session about goal setting.

The general feeling expressed to me was that goals were valuable, the medical community encourages goals to be set, and the process had become fulfilling and limited in its benefit to patients.  In order to encourage evidence-based practice and to embrace technology, docs are encouraged to complete some sort of an app with/about their patients documenting goals for treatment and the upcoming months.  Not a bad idea… but one that struggles due to the “Jekyll and Hyde Nature of Goal Setting” and the challenges of technology.  Yet, all of the practitioners wanted goal setting to work well for their patients.

From sitting and listening, the nagging problem with “modern” approaches to goal setting came into focus.  I witness this similar story play out in sports medicine settings on a regular basis.  SMART goal setting is preached to and embraced by practitioners, yet its outcomes seem so… watered down.  Rather than being a double shot of espresso to boost motivation and provide clarity, transparent decaf that does little to change the patient’s psychological status quo is being served.

Goals have dynamic power. They can…

• Enhance motivation
• Fine tune focus
• Enhance learning
• Nurture self-awareness
• Improve communication
• Minimize confusion
• Calm nerves
• Clarify direction
• Build confidence

They can… but are they?

When considering the use of goals in the industrial-medical complex (and elsewhere) the question I stumbled to was, “Who benefits from this goal setting process?”  

Continue to read this article by clicking HERE.

BSMPG Summer Seminar - May 16-17, 2014 Boston MA