Boston Sports Medicine and Performance Group, LLC Blog

BSMPG Announces Brian McCormick To Speak At 2011 Basketball Specific Conference

Posted by Boston Sports Medicine and Performance Group on Fri, Oct 22, 2010 @ 08:10 AM

BSMPG is proud to announce that Brian McCormick, Founder of Youth Basketball Coaching Association and Performance Director, Train for Hoops will join Brandon Ziegler at the BSMPG Basketball Specific Conference featuring Dr. Shirley Sahrmann as a keynote speaker next June 3rd and 4th, 2011.

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McCormick is a basketball coach, trainer and author. He coached the Visby Ladies in the Swedish Damligan (women's pro league) and UCD Marian in Ireland's Men's SuperLeague. He also has coached youth, AAU, and high school teams and assisted at the junior college and college levels in California. As a coach and clinician, he has traveled to Canada, China, Greece, Macedonia, Morocco, South Africa and Trinidad & Tobago to direct camps or speak at clinics.


McCormick is a certified strength coach through National Strength & Conditioning Association (CSCS), National Academy of Sports Medicine (PES) and USA Weightlifting (SPC).


As the Performance Director for Train for Hoops, McCormick wrote a year-round periodized general strength training and off-season skill development program for youth and high school players and maintains a blog that covers all areas of player development.


After publishing Cross Over: The New Model of Youth Basketball Development in 2006, he founded the Youth Basketball Coaching Association to create a certification and coach education curriculum for volunteer youth basketball coaches.

McCormick also transformed another of his nine books, Developing Basketball Intelligence, into a developmental league, Playmakers Basketball Development League, which operates in more than six states in 2010.

McCormick lives in Irvine where he works as a personal train at the U.C. Irvine Recreation Center, trains local high school basketball players and writes the free weekly Hard2Guard Player Development Newsletters. To subscribe, email hard2guardinc@yahoo.com or follow Brian on twitter @brianmccormick.

Articles:

Play Multiple Sports to Build Athleticism

Mindful Learning

Q&A

Core Stability and Basketball Training

ACL Review: Teaching The Jump Stop

 

Topics: Brian McCormick, basketball performance, basketball resources, basketball training programs, boston hockey summit, Strength & Conditioning, Conditioning-Agility-Speed, boston hockey conference, basketball videos, female strength training, everything basketball

The Future Of Sports Medicine Must Mirror Dentistry

Posted by Boston Sports Medicine and Performance Group on Mon, Oct 18, 2010 @ 08:10 AM

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There are certain things you just have to do each day – brushing your teeth is one of them.

I first heard the analogy from an old friend of mine when discussing implementing an ACL prevention program with our soccer team and the struggles to keep the coaches on it once the season started,

“You wouldn’t brush your teeth everyday for six months and then stop for six months would you?”

Dentistry has is right.

Not just the brushing every day part, (although clearly important) but their whole approach.

You probably don’t even remember your first visit to the dentist do you?  That’s my point.  Dentists get you right from the get-go. You’re evaluated, x-rayed for a baseline to compare future visits to, you get picked at, poked and prodded and then they finish your visit with a cleaning, rinse and some fresh minty breath.

If you have good insurance you get to go back twice a year – Shoot, sometimes you go in and you don’t have any tooth pain at all. But isn’t this the point?

If the dentist finds tarter build up – BAM that little hook comes in and blasts that gunk right out of there.  No use in letting that sit until it causes a cavity – your dentist wouldn’t be doing their job if they did. 

Yet, many times (I really mean all the time) in sports medicine we see athletes and patients with poor movement patterns, dysfunctional squats, steps and lunges and we do nothing.

We wait.

Their knee doesn’t hurt yet.

No need to take a look.  No baseline assessment. No poking. No prodding.

Once in a while an athlete or patient comes in on the advice from a friend – they have back pain.

“No problem. I’ll help – let’s just get some ice and e-stim on that, there, that should do the trick.  See you tomorrow.”

If you went to a dentist and you had a tooth ache and they rubbed some Novocain on your gum and told you to come back the next day to do it again you’d soon find another dentist to go to. One that addressed the problem and not just the symptom, and one then that gave you some advice on how to avoid future problems.

Dentists do it right – Baseline Evaluation, Regular On-Going Assessment, Treatment/Maintenance  and Education.

I remember when I was a child brushing my teeth three times a day and then if on the rare occasion I was allowed to have some ice cream or candy my mother would make me do it again!

33 years later not a single cavity.

I wish I could say the same for my back pain.

 

Art Horne is the Coordinator of Care and Strength & Conditioning Coach for the Men’s Basketball Team at Northeastern University, Boston MA.  He can be reached at a.horne@neu.edu.

Topics: Art Horne, Health & Wellness, basketball performance, basketball training programs, boston hockey summit, Strength & Conditioning, basketball videos, orthopedic assessment, everything basketball

BSMPG announces Brandon Ziegler to speak at 2011 Basketball Conference

Posted by Boston Sports Medicine and Performance Group on Fri, Oct 15, 2010 @ 08:10 AM

BSMPG is proud to announce that Brandon Ziegler of Oregon State will be part of the Basketball Specific Conference speaker set featuring Dr. Shirley Sahrmann as a keynote speaker next June 3rd and 4th, 2011.

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Brendon Ziegler is in his fifth season at Oregon State where he serves as the strength and conditioning coach for the men’s basketball team. In his duties, Ziegler handles all strength and conditioning duties for the men’s basketball squad, including lifting and strength work, core training, speed and agility drills, flexibility drills as well as conditioning. He also coordinates all off-season conditioning programs. Prior to Oregon State, Ziegler served in similar positions with Hawai’i, Wisconsin and the Chicago Bulls of the NBA.


Ziegler is certified through NSCA-CSCS and USA Weightlifting. A native of Edgerton, Wisc., Ziegler was a four-year starter in football at Hamline University and is also a competitive weightlifter.

Topics: Strength Training, basketball resources, basketball conference, basketball training programs, athletic training conference, boston hockey summit, Vertical Jump Training, Strength & Conditioning, boston hockey conference, Brendon Ziegler, basketball videos, everything basketball

Are You Qualified? Preparing Your Athletes For Rotational Training

Posted by Boston Sports Medicine and Performance Group on Thu, Oct 14, 2010 @ 08:10 AM

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In the vast majority of well planned programs in both Strength and Conditioning and Sports Medicine, athletes and patients must “qualify” for a particular exercise prior to being introduced to it as a formal part of their training or rehabilitation program.  For example, it would be ill advised to simply ask an athlete to perform depth jumps without knowing they had a sufficient strength base first (1.25 x BW for females and 1.5 x BW for males seems to be standard).  Hang Cleans are rarely taught until an athlete or patient shows proficiency in a box jump, good front squat technique and a reasonable strength base.  Even in Sports Medicine, one must “qualify” to drop the crutches after injury in favor of full weigh-bearing so long as they are abel to demonstrate normal, pain-free gait.  Yet, when it comes to addressing “core” exercises many are often prescribed without thought or prior planning.  This is especially true when evaluating rotational exercises.

McGill has demonstrated time and again that people with troubled backs simply use their backs more during activities.

“But you need a strong back don’t you?”

Well yes, but there’s more to it than that.  In fact, the guys that have these troubled backs most often have much stronger backs but are less endurable than matched asymptomatic controls (McGill et al, 2003).  In addition, those that have back pain (and a stronger back mind you) tend to have more motion in their backs and less motion and load in their hips.  And we all know what poor hip mobility means don’t we – you got it, back pain.  (McGill SM et al. Previous history of LBP with work loss is related to lingering effects in biomechanical physiological, personal, psychosocial and motor control characteristics. Ergonomics 2003;46:731-46.)

"So what does all this hip, back and stability stuff have to do with rotational core and power training? I just want to throw some heavy medicine balls against the wall and wake up the neighbors!”

Not so fast, as I mentioned, mobile hips and a stable and strong mid-section are paramount and a MUST prior to any type of rotational medicine ball or rotational power training.  The Mobility-Stability/Joint by Joint Approach to Training made famous by Boyle and Cook is of course a must, yet very few actually test to see if their athletes have “stability” where stability should lie – the lumbar spine. This is especially important for post players who require a decisive and strong drop step to establish position in the post. Any leakage in energy or disconnect between their shoulders and lower body will surely afford them a less than desirable position on the low post.

To view this complete article and view associated videos click HERE.

Art Horne is the Coordinator of Care and Strength & Conditioning Coach for the Men’s Basketball Team at Northeastern University, Boston MA.  He can be reached at a.horne@neu.edu.

 

 

Topics: Art Horne, basketball performance, basketball resources, basketball conference, Strength & Conditioning

For Hire

Posted by Boston Sports Medicine and Performance Group on Wed, Oct 13, 2010 @ 07:10 AM

Need a doctor, hire a doctor.
Need a lawyer, hire a lawyer.
Need a real estate agent, hire a real estate agent.
Need a dentist, hire a dentist.
Need a computer analyst, hire a computer analyst.
Need a strength coach, hire an assistant football coach, or assistant basketball coach, or an athletic trainer, or a PT, or a the director of operations, or your high school buddy..

Is there something wrong here???


Ray Eady is the Strength and Conditioning Coach at the University of Wisconsin and can be reached at RDE@athletics.wisc.edu

Topics: Ray Eady, basketball training programs, boston hockey summit, Strength & Conditioning, boston hockey conference, Ownership, Leadership

The Puke Bucket

Posted by Boston Sports Medicine and Performance Group on Mon, Oct 11, 2010 @ 07:10 AM

everything basketball
“Do you know what all those names on that bucket mean?”

“Um, no I’m not sure. What?”

“Each name is a kid that puked during one of our training sessions. Isn’t that awesome?  See the one that has the number four scratched off and a five put beside it? He really blew some chunks!  I let them sign it after they puke.”

(The above is an actual conversation from a “performance coach” at a “sports performance” center just outside Boston )

Now accepting your child for only $600 for an eight week session!

When did squat, clean and puking become the standard for which we measure success?

What’s next, bicep and hernias?

The challenge for sports performance centers is not necessarily developing a bigger bench, squat and clean, but developing performance measures that correlate directly to success in their client's individual sporting events and filling the gaps in their training and performance profile.

Either way, puking isn’t an indicator of success in any sport.

 

Art Horne is the Coordinator of Care and Strength & Conditioning Coach for the Men’s Basketball Team at Northeastern University, Boston MA.  He can be reached at a.horne@neu.edu.


 

Topics: Strength Training, Strength & Conditioning, sports performance, mental toughness

Would your athlete's choose you?

Posted by Boston Sports Medicine and Performance Group on Fri, Oct 1, 2010 @ 08:10 AM

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The free market doesn’t exist in college athletics.  But let’s just say it did, just for a day.  When “your” athlete walks into your Athletic Training Room, or into your Strength and Conditioning Room and could choose from any member of your staff to help them, would they choose you?

What about the athlete from the rowing team? The Softball team? A male athlete? A female athlete? The freshmen athlete?

College athletes usually don’t have a choice, but if they did, would it be you?

Are you known as the “Football Guy” or the “Shoulder Girl” and those are the only athletes you work with or care about?

What does that say about your customer service?  Your willingness to listen to your athletes and patients? Your ability to follow up with them after an incredible training session or a devastating injury? Your ability to send an email, a text message or a simple word of encouragement?

What does it say about you if your designated athlete was able to choose their care and chose someone else on your staff…?

Would you choose you?

 

Art Horne is the Coordinator of Care and Strength & Conditioning Coach for the Men’s Basketball Team at Northeastern University, Boston MA.  He can be reached at a.horne@neu.edu.

 

Topics: Art Horne, basketball conference, athletic training conference, Strength & Conditioning, Leadership

It's never too early to panic

Posted by Boston Sports Medicine and Performance Group on Thu, Sep 30, 2010 @ 08:09 AM

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It’s been 6 weeks since the date of injury and the athlete you’ve been working with is nowhere near ready to return to play. The coaching staff is breathing down your neck demanding answers and the rest of your staff is raising their eyebrows wondering what could have gone wrong.

Panic sets in….

Instead of panicking after it’s too late, try allowing panic to set in early.

Have a work-study student do a lit-review on the injury as soon as it happens, research the probable causes, latest rehabilitation techniques, running progressions, alternative therapies, and similar cases.

Better yet, let panic set in real early.

Prior to the date of injury, research and implement prevention strategies alongside your performance staff prior at the beginning of the season. Perform a meaningful orthopedic and movement screen with your athletes on the same day as your traditional pre-participation screenings to identify asymmetries and dysfunctional movement patterns with prescribed intervention to address these problems.

Let panic set in before there is anything to panic about.

Panic just like a duck. Calm above the water, and paddling like mad underneath.

Panic is good.

Panic keeps you a float and moving forward.

 

Art Horne is the Coordinator of Care and Strength & Conditioning Coach for the Men’s Basketball Team at Northeastern University, Boston MA. He can be reached at a.horne@neu.edu.

Topics: Art Horne, athletic training conference, boston hockey summit, Strength & Conditioning, Good to Great, customer service, development

Mirror, mirror on the wall...

Posted by Boston Sports Medicine and Performance Group on Mon, Sep 20, 2010 @ 06:09 AM

everything basketball

We’ve all done this at one time or another; walk into a weight room, watch an athlete train, and know exactly who their strength coach was or what strength coach programmed their training.

Whether you know Tony Testa, Director of Sports Medicine at Seton Hall or not, you’d know exactly which kids he taught the Olympic lifts to and which ones he didn’t. Tony is a perfectionist and a first rate teacher of the Olympic lifts, in fact, probably the best I’ve ever seen. Whether he was helping out in the weight room during training or implementing the clean as part of his rehabilitation program, his athletes are a direct reflection of his affection for the Olympic lifts.

With other strength coaches, its bench press Mondays.  10 sets of Bench… doesn’t matter if you have time for anything else.

“I’ve competed in bench press competitions so you’ll bench too.”

On the flip side, you’ll find other “performance coaches” with little actual training experience avoid weights all together.

 “It’s all about flexibility.  Feel the stretch”

So what exercises are your athletes performing today, or should I say, which ones are they not doing simply because you don’t perform them yourself?  Are you looking to fill in the gaps or just simply looking to fill time?

 

Art Horne is the Coordinator of Care and Strength & Conditioning Coach for the Men’s Basketball Team at Northeastern University, Boston MA.  He can be reached at a.horne@neu.edu.

Topics: Art Horne, basketball resources, Strength & Conditioning, hockey conference, Ownership, development, Leadership

My boss won't let me

Posted by Boston Sports Medicine and Performance Group on Wed, Sep 15, 2010 @ 06:09 AM

everything basketball

 

Is just an excuse for not wanting to do the work required to get a project shipped.

If your boss truly won’t let you, it’s probably because you are asking the wrong questions.

If you want your boss to support you during a project which will ultimately reward you if it works, but punishes the boss if fails then of course you’re asking the wrong questions.

What exactly won’t your boss let you do?

Did you investigate it? Research it? Find a gap in your current operating procedures that is worth filling? Does it fit into your core principles? Values?

If the answer is yes, and your boss really won’t let you, then you might want to find another job where your boss supports the extraordinary work that you’re doing.

Unless of course, your happy with ordinary?

(rant inspired by Seth Godin and his most recent book, Linchpin)

Art Horne is the Coordinator of Care and Strength & Conditioning Coach for the Men’s Basketball Team at Northeastern University, Boston MA.  He can be reached at a.horne@neu.edu.

Topics: basketball conference, Strength & Conditioning, Ownership, discipline, athletic training books, customer service, development, Seth Godin