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| Initial
Assessment |
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When you walk into the
strength and conditioning facility for the first time, your
heart’s racing, your nervous system is in over-drive and you
have three bottles of Gatorade in your duffle bag to help you
get through the first session.
Dr. Avery Faigenbaum is a leading youth fitness researcher and
practitioner with years of experience working with children and
teenagers in the weight room. He is an Associate Professor in
the Department of Health and Exercise Science at The College of
New Jersey. Dr. Faigenbaum is a Fellow of the American College
of Sports Medicine, and a member of the Board of Directors of
the National Strength and Conditioning Association. His research
shows that off-ice training:
1. Increases self-esteem.
2. Helps improve sports performance.
3. Helps prevent sports injuries.
4. Helps develop healthy lifestyles.
As long as a strength-training program is well designed and
properly supervised, the risk of injury is low and the benefits
are high. Every athlete should begin a program with a thorough
assessment. What are your strengths? Where your weaknesses? What
are the goals you’d like to reach? The initial assessment allows
the coach to work with you to answer these questions and
determine the best training program to undertake.
In last month’s article we discussed how two athletes might look
the same initially, but are worlds apart when it comes to
performance levels. A proper evaluation will provide the coach
with insight to customize the training and work in concert with
the athlete to reach his or her goals.
The initial assessment consists of three distinct parts:
1. Physical Examination
Handled by a pediatrician or primary care physician, this
medical evaluation is imperative to help rule out any underlying
health issues that may be of concern to an athlete. All high
school athletes must obtain a preseason physical prior to their
competitive season. Any athlete who is interested in strength
training should obtain a thorough pre-participation screening.
2. Performance Testing
An evaluation prior to the start of an off-ice conditioning
program will help to formulate the specific needs and goals of
the individual athlete. Performance testing should include:
• short distance acceleration and speed (10-yard and 20-yard
sprints)
• multi-directional speed & agility (pro-agility, 4 cone drill)
• lower body strength and power (vertical jump and broad jump)
• core and upper body strength and power (rotational throws,
sit-ups, pull-ups)
Many athletes join a program with the goal of working on
specific needs (i.e. quicker feet or putting on mass) but cannot
explain why this area of focus is most important. Performance
testing is designed to give specific feedback to both the coach
and the athlete – allowing them to understand the athlete’s true
needs and plot out the right program to achieve success.
3. Movement Screening
In addition to performance testing, it’s vital that an athlete
undergo a movement screening. You need to be put in a position
that will mimic the planes of motion your body will travel
through on the ice. How do you react to being on one leg or the
other? How about in a split stance or moving across the sagittal
plane? Movement screening tests your ability to adjust through
an ever-shifting center of mass/center of gravity allowing the
coach to assess any joint issues relating to flexibility or
previous injuries. The body works as a complete system and if
part of that system is not functioning properly, it will affect
all of the other systems and reduce your ability to perform.
The initial assessment sets the tone for training. From this
assessment a program can evolve that will not only take you to
the next level, but will specifically address your training
needs. A good assessment will also uncover many underlying
issues that cannot be seen by you or your coach yet might have
an adverse effect on your performance or health. |
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