Golf And Baseball Season Are Approaching.

February means that golf, baseball, dance recitals, track and field, and other seasonal sports are fast approaching.  (Yes, dance recitals too.)

Do you know what this means?   Get strong!!!

With the exception of a long distance event, which do tend to be very aerobic in nature, these other events mentioned have one thing clearly in common.  ANAEROBIC STRENGTH!!!!! (Believe it or not, a longer dance recital may possibly be the one that is the toughest.  With all the anearobic strength moves involved, and a longer duration, this one calls for the individual to be brutally strong, as well as brutally conditioned).

How long does it take to swing a golf club, swing a baseball bat, track down a fly ball in the left-centre gap, or sprint the 100 or 200 metres?  Anywhere from a fraction of a second, to maybe 30 seconds, depending on your level of 200 metre sprinting.

See where I'm going here?

Hockey coaches often tear apart their players for staying out too long on their shifts.  A 45 second duration or thereabouts, is usually ideal.  Fair enough.  But I laugh because of the inconsistency.  They are talking about an anaerobic situation, but then the training they suggest is soft, and has them jogging these great distances all off season.  Coaches want their players to be "in shape".  No.  No.  No.  They have this twisted idea in their heads that lifting objects that may be steel, or going to bone crushing failure on a 1:2, work:rest ratio, is not what a hockey player needs.  I will never win this war, but am trying to win a few individual battles with my students.

Am I against jogging or speed walking to complete the picture?  Of course not.  You should be starting to know me by now.  It all has to come together.  Jogging two times, maybe every 10 days, would be a great cross-train.  BUT it will not help you generate the power you need to swing through a drive off the tee, or sprint that 100 metres.

Work hard to failure.  Keep recovery times short. Get strong, and get into superior anaerobic shape.  It will be easy to put some aerobic training in there to finish off the total scenario.

Don't be afraid to get strong.  Everything good comes from getting strong.

GO FOR IT.  GET YOURSELF READY.