Sports Illustrated Writer and Author David Epstein on Genetics Role in Training and Sport
Author David Epstein of The Sports Gene:Inside the Science of Extraordinary Athletic Performance joined Stephen McCarthy of The McCarthy Project to discuss his book and his motive for writing Sports Gene. Secondly, we discussed how to apply his findings to athletes and the future application of dna or genetic research. Complete interview will be aired on Friday September 6th at 8am CST.
David’s motive was his joy for researching, science and sports. He has always been fascinated with elite performance and why certain athletes from certain areas of the world perform at higher levels. To listen to this portion of the interview, visit David Epstein and His Story.
During the second part of the interview, we talk about future applications of his research and the trend of analyzing your DNA for the purpose of understanding how you can train at a higher level. We also discussed some of the pitfalls of the science and how athletes can use the information for their benefit. Click here to listen to David and Stephen’s thoughts on The Future of Genetic Testing and Its Application.
Author and Writer David Epstein
Sports Illustrated Senior Writer David Epstein writes about sports science and medicine, Olympic sports, and is an investigative reporter for SI. His science writing has won a number of awards, including the Society of Professional Journalists 2010 Deadline Club Award for an article on the genetics of sports performance; Time Inc.’s Henry R. Luce Award for public service for an article on the dangers of the dietary supplement industry; and the Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Association’s “Big Hearted Journalism” award for his story “Following the Trail of Broken Hearts,” on sudden cardiac death in athletes. Epstein was a 2011 Livingston Award finalist for a package that included articles on pain in sports and the anticipatory skills that allow Major Leaguers to hit 100 mph fastballs.
There tends to be a fair amount of confusion surrounding the efficient functioning of the mind. For this reason I have created to tune into your mental dashboard.
This DashBoard keeps optimal mental functioning front and center allowing the athlete to utilize their brain as a weapon as opposed to a weight.
Here are our critical concepts to tap into power of the mind:
1. INTENTIONALITY VS PASSIVITY:
Engaging your mind to be purposeful begins to charge the mind with the initial
2. PRODUCTIVITY VS EFFORT: achievement is about being able to be productive. Effort is meant to serve the productivity. Sometimes we over value work and under value being productive.
3. DESCRIPTION VS JUDGEMENT: When we take the time to reflect on our performance it is more helpful to think about describing our performance then judging it. We are the worse evaluators of our own performance.
Keeping these concepts on our dashboard will help us be our best as well as continue to reach for heights beyond our current experience.
Erwan will the joining The McCarthy Project next Monday to discuss the world of physical fitness and how to live life in balance with the world, not a just a droning continuance of it.
Check out the post for his workout of the day:
Warm Up Mobility – (3 rounds)
Forward Sprawl to Pushup – 8x
One-Arm Deadhang – 20sec each side
Skill –
Jerk – 20x Bodyweight – break into sets as needed
Combo – (4 Rounds)
Balancing Tripod Transition – 3x each side
Muscle Up – 3x
Walking split squat – 100ft
Sprint – 100ft
Tuck Pop-Up – 5x
For the youtube video and more information on MovNat training, visit their website.
Triathlon Legend and Hall of Famer Dave Scott on Developing Young Talent within Endurance Sports
Dave Scott and Mark Allen from 1989 Iron War
6-Time Triathlon World Champion Dave Scott joined Stephen McCarthy of The McCarthy Project to discuss current trends in the world of triathlon and the development of young athletes.
We covered the following areas specific to endurance athletes.
1. Strength and Conditioning needs to remain or become a vital part of a triathlete’s overall program.
2. Balance within each athlete’s training program is a key to success, not survival of the fittest training or who works the hardest as method of choice to develop your talent as an endurance athlete.
3. Art and Science are feathered together to find the best program based on the individual athlete, not “mythical, old-wives tales or “science says do this” training programs.
4. Recovery must be promoted as one of the pillars to success in triathlon.
Dave currently devotes his time educating and inspiring athletes of
all abilities and ages, leading sport camps, clinics and races across the country and running his own training group in Boulder, CO. Dave combines years of wisdom, wit and creativity to his passion for helping others. He has been the head coach for Team In Training since 1999, helping to certify TNT coaches nationwide and is actively involved in the running of his business.
Dave Scott, Inc. offers individual and group fitness and nutrition consultations, innovative strength & flexibility e-program exercises, multi-media sport analysis and training tips, video analysis and corporate and tri club speaking engagements and clinics. Dave is based in Boulder, Colorado and greatly enjoys spending time with his three children and maintaining a healthy and physically fit lifestyle.
South Dakota State Basketball Coach Scott Nagy on Balance in Life and Sport, Winning and Losing
South Dakota State Basketball Coach Scott Nagy
Coach Scott Nagy will be joining Stephen McCarthy to talk about life growing up as a coach’s son to becoming a Division I coach at South Dakota State University.
Coach Nagy’s will be sharing his unique story of taking South Dakota State from Division II to Division I and how the experience taught him about winning and losing. He will talk about his special approach to recruiting and the process of attracting the proper athletes to his program. He also will explain how Nate Wolters became a part of SDSU and how he helped the program to compete with the more established programs, both on and off the court.
Lastly, Coach Nagy will discuss the difference between a Top 150 athlete without character and the athlete who has the desire to compete with character.
Scott Nagy returns for his 19th season at South Dakota State after guiding the Jackrabbits to the NCAA Tournament for the first time at the Division I level, after doing so eight times in Division II. After a 2011-12 season filled with milestones, both personal and team related. The milestones started with a 92-73 win at Washington on Dec. 18, continued when he won his 300th career game 10 days later at Frost Arena and rolled through The Summit League Championships, when the Jacks tied a school record with 27 wins and earned a chance to dance for the first time in Division I.
University of Iowa Volleyball Coach Sharon Dingman on Purposeful Training and Common Sense
University of Iowa Volleyball Coach Sharon Dingman
Stephen McCarthy and Iowa Volleyball Coach Sharon Dingman talked about life as a coach ,as well as, the concept of purposeful training and getting back to the common sense, basics of athlete development.
Today’s world of youth sport has changed over the last 30 or so years from her start as a high school player looking to make friends. Coach talked about her thoughts on her coaching career and the simple motivation of assisting young athletes in their life as people and athletes.
We discussed the role of club teams and attending the big tournaments is double-edged. Coach mentioned that the players really benefit from the extra coaching and experience, but sometimes at what cost to the parents and families. Sharon also developed her thoughts around purposeful training, not just going to the gym for 5-6 hours without a goal or idea on why you are going.
Another area of focus for her athletes are the common sense aspects of elite performance. Proper nutrition, sleep, learning to recover and focusing on the task at hand.
Tune in for the complete interview, Sept 30 at 9:00am CST.
Sharon Dingman was named the eighth coach in the history of University of Iowa volleyball March 21, 2008. In five seasons at the helm of the volleyball program, she has imposed a winning attitude and established a volleyball culture. She has previously coached at Butler, Illinois State University and Auburn University.
Foluke Akinradewo of USA Volleyball on Life as a Student First-Athlete Second
Foluke Akinradewo of USA Volleyball
All too often we hear the stories about athletes who are given a passing grade just because they are an athlete. Well, Foluke Akinradewo of USA Volleyball broke that mold. Foluke joined Stephen McCarthy of The McCarthy Project to talk about world of high level volleyball and staying focused on pursuing an education.
Foluke grew up in a household that education was priority and sports came second. She excelled in school and eventually attended Stanford University to play volleyball and complete her education. She graduated with a major in Human Biology. She was named the PAC Ten Player of the year in 2007 and 2008,
She continued her career with Team USA narrowly missing the 2008 Olympics. Foluke returned for the 2012 London Games to help the team win a silver medal.
She talked about the balance of studying, playing a sport and the value of completing your education.
Develop Elite Basketball Skills at The Highest Level
Press Release: (Minneapolis, MN-August 20, 2013) Stephen McCarthy of The McCarthy Project, Quincy Caldwell of SWAG, Inc., and Amanda Galloway have teamed together to create the Elite Skills Basketball Camp. The team has developed players who have played or currently playing at all levels of college basketball and in the NBA. The Elite Skills Camp is positioned to be the become the best basketball camps in the State of Minnesota.
The Elite Skills Camp will be a position-specific skill development camp. Areas covered include: position specific-skills, nutrition, off court and on-court skill development, and presentations on how to attain mastery of the sport.
Frank Bradley, Head Coach of Florida State University Swim Team, Shares Thoughts on Individualized Training
Florida State University Head Swim and Dive Coach Frank Bradley
Stephen McCarthy of The McCarthy Project will sit down with Florida State University Swim Coach Frank Bradley to talk about “old school vs new school” training systems and his thoughts on individualized training for swimmers.
Coach Bradley will share his story on growing up in Florida as a swimmer through his time as a athlete on the swim team at Florida State University to ultimately returning to his alma-mater as the head swim coach.
Over the years, he has had tremendous success focusing his philosophy on the concept of individualized training and athlete development. He will be sharing his perspective on how he develops the complete person, student and athlete.
Florida State Director of Athletics Randy Spetman announced the hiring of Frank Bradley as the head coach for men’s and women’s swimming and diving programs at FSU. Bradley, who swam for the Seminoles from 1994-1997, has been the associate head coach at Auburn for the past three seasons and previously served as head coach at Indian River Community College and as an assistant at South Carolina.
North Carolina Head Coach Sylvia Hatchell Discusses Passion and Distractions In Sport
North Carolina Head Coach Sylvia Hatchell
University of North Carolina Head Women’s Basketball Coach Sylvia Hatchell joined Stephen McCarthy of The McCarthy Project to discuss passion, distractions, technology and relationships.
Coach Hatchell was recently inducted in the Basketball Hall of Fame. While on a trip to Massachusetts, she spoke about the concept of passion and what it takes to succeed at the elite level in life and sport. Or more specifically the game of life and women’s basketball.
Coach mentioned that the relationships built within the team are paramount to building the desire or passion in her athletes. She also talked about the power of distractions and how they decrease the ability of the team playing with passion.
Over her career as a coach, she had seen distractions in many different sizes and shapes. One newer area is the concept of technology and social media. Coach Hatchell talked about her policy of no phones at any team events. She also mentioned that when curfew arrives phones are handed in until breakfast. Limiting technology improves performance and builds relationships within the team.
After over 1,000 career games and 36 seasons of coaching, it stands to reason that North Carolina head coach Sylvia Hatchell would belong to some exclusive clubs. She was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2004. She is one of only four head coaches in Division I history to reach the 800-win plateau. She is the third-winningest active coach in the nation. She has been named national coach of the year three times and has led teams to at least 20 wins 27 times, fourth-most nationally.
“Art, which is to say, imagination, is the path to enlightenment, an infinite voyage in which there is no final state. Contrary to every system, illumination is not received passively. It is literally created by each person. Like it or not, we are all artists?Art radiates its currents into future time, and a major crossroad of that future is here. Reality, as we know it and accept it, is breaking apart like icebergs in the waves. The minor stage play called civilization-as-we-know-it is surviving only because it continues to turn out replicas and cartoons of itself.”
“People are educated to believe that it takes special, inborn talent to imagine and create. That is one incredibly destructive teaching. It stunts natural development to the point where passivity becomes the order of the day—and of a life.”
Stephen McCarthy of The McCarthy Project will be breaking down the time-space continuum and your ability to create new art with Jon Rappoport. He will be joining us to develop his thoughts around the concept of individualism, creativity, and the ability to create art, no matter what your are doing.
The author of an explosive collection, THE MATRIX REVEALED, Jon was a candidate for a US Congressional seat in the 29th District of California. Nominated for a Pulitzer Prize, he has worked as an investigative reporter for 30 years, writing articles on politics, medicine, and health for CBS Healthwatch, LA Weekly, Spin Magazine, Stern, and other newspapers and magazines in the US and Europe. Jon has delivered lectures and seminars on global politics, health, logic, and creative power to audiences around the world. A painter, Jon’s work has been in shown in galleries in Los Angeles and New York. His poetry has been published by The Massachusetts Review. He is a graduate of Amherst College (BA, Philosophy), and lives with his wife, Dr. Laura Thompson, in San Diego.
Jim Price of RinkNet Scouting Talks Hockey and Recruiting
Jim Price of RInkNet Scouting Software
Jim Price of RinkNet joined Stephen McCarthy of The McCarthy Project to talk about scouting hockey, how he created a near monopoly in the world of scouting hockey players, organizing the entire process and how RinkNet is currently used by 29 National Hockey League teams and numerous other high-level clients.
RinkNet Scouting Software has been producing scouting software for various leagues and teams since 1998. Our software is used by 29 NHL teams, plus 125 junior and college clubs in the CHL , NCAA, USHL and many other Tier I and Tier II leagues. Hockey Canada, USA hockey and several European elite league teams also use our software. More than 3,100 hockey professionals use our hockey system daily. We continually work hard to maintain a comprehensive database. Our commitment to expand our coverage of amateur and professional leagues all over the world has made RinkNet the global leader in Scouting Software and information.
News Flash: Concussions on the Rise, Supplements May Be Harmful, Steroids Are Cheating
Today, Stephen McCarthy will be covering a wide range of subjects: The rise in awareness around concussions in athletics and the continued emphasis on diagnosis. Supplements are marketed to athletes no matter what the company’s science and may include harmful chemicals. Lastly, in case you last checked it out steroids and other performance enhancing drugs are cheating, but why are athletes still saying that they are not. Rafael Palmeiro and Alex Rodriguez, Lance Armstrong, Tyson Gay, etc.
Rod Aldoff of the Pensacola Ice Flyers on Nutrition and Steroids
Rod Aldoff, 15 year pro hockey veteran and current head coach for the Pensacola Ice Flyers, will be joining us to discuss life in the world of elite hockey. Rod will be answering questions on proper balance of nutrition, hydration, and recovery, as well as, hard work will take you to your destiny in life and sport. He will be discussing some of the ditches or paths that hockey players may fall victim in the their pursuit of the dream of making it to the NHL.
Erwan Le Corre of MovNat on Moving Naturally in The World
Erwan Le Corre of MovNat
Stephen McCarthy of The McCarthy Project will cover the weekly news and Erwan Le Corre of MovNat will join us to discuss the world of physical education and fitness. The concept of mastery of self and your surroundings will create the foundation of the show and provide a platform for a great discussion on the world of human development.
Erwan started MovNat to open the world thought on the freedom that can be created through human movement. And to provide a unique approach to the development of efficient movement. He has traveled the world researching and developing his philosophy of physical, mental and spiritual development.
Subjects to be covered:
1. The MovNat and Erwan Le Corre story and philosophy of human movement.
2. The fallacy of bodybuilding or bicep training as the only way to true fitness
3. The art of human movement as it relates to the brain or central nervous system
4. The discussion of the true power in life: an accurate knowledge of self and your surroundings.
5. The definition of recovery training and some basic concepts on implementing recovery into your life.
6. Repetitive stress injuries and their prevention by training for human movement, rather than specialization in sport.
For more information on MovNat and Erwan Le Corre, visit his website.
Editors Note: This weeks show Shawn visited his thoughts on the power and validity of detailed, individualized on-field assessments. Here is a post from his website on the subject.
For the interview only on Group Thinking vs Individualized Training, click here.
For the opening of training camps, I have spent each day in Mankato, MN for the Minnesota Vikings camp. For next 2 days, I decided to travel to the Viking’s next door neighbor rival in WI, the Green Bay Packers. Getting to see only 1 true practice, I obviously couldn’t spend a significant amount of time breaking down multiple players but I wanted to give any interested readers more insight on the team as they do have some interesting athletes across this roster. Luckily, of 2 of the players that I plan to evaluate (Clay Matthews and Randall Cobb) I have already taken some time to get to know them during the offseason by viewing their film (even though neither one is an athlete of mine). I do this frequently simply because I am intrigued by some of the movement that they have displayed in the past when I have seen them make plays on Sundays.
Today, I will start with All-Pro, All-Everything, Linebacker, Clay Matthews. Any trip to Lambeau Field that entails live football would be incomplete without giving rightful justice to #52. Unlike Chad Greenway who BTS evaluated last week at training camp, anyone who seriously watches football already knows who Clay Matthews is. Some of this comes from his freak athleticism and game-changing playmaking, some of it because he got paid straight-cash homie money in the offseason, and some because of his personality and unique look that has given him significant TV time. Though I am only a year removed from having long-flowing locks that some would argue would rival 52’s (no one would say about my hair, at all), I am not here to give any analysis on that piece of who he is. Instead, I will talk about the former because that is something I am actually an expert in (his unique athleticism).
To start, one look at his trademark flexing post-big play celebration and you quickly realize we are talking about a different breed of athlete here. He presents a special blend of speed, size, and strength that is immediately noticeable to witnesses. He flashes off of film (or to the eye in person) as soon as a ball is snapped (and even sometimes before). Like many of the hybrid outside backers playing in the league today, he is not asked to do many of the things that most other LBs across the league who play in more traditional defenses are required to do play-in and play-out. Instead, the defensive scheming by the Packers defensive staff really allows him to show off his strengths which revolve around go hunting by allowing him to be put in positions to show off by frequently running people down (esp. quarterbacks and much lighter runningbacks). His explosive linear burst for someone his size is unparalleled among his peers in the league. I don’t know what his combine times (not the 40, you fools…more like the 10!) were back when he entered the league but I would be more interested in his current (during game) 3 to 7 yard distance times. I believe that these quantitative figures would blow people’s minds if compared to others in similar roles across the league.
Heart Rate Variability Training and Elite Performance
A common question I get asked about my Vertical Mastery jump training system is “how many inches can I expect to gain?” Now as much as I would love to be able to say something specific like “9 inches in 8 weeks”, the truth is there are so many variables outside of the workouts themselves that can have an impact on the results making such predictions is actually impossible (and to be blunt about this – people who do make such claims about specific results are lying to you).
You see, when it comes to athletic training each person IS different. Here is a list of just some of the things outside of the actual training program that can, and indeed do impact how much an athlete improves:
Age
Gender
Body type
Genetics
Training history
Diet
Sleep habits
Life stress (exams, job, relationship, money etc)
Other sporting commitments (games, training, other sports)
Climate they live in
Lifestyle choices (smoking, drinking, drugs etc)
Custom Training: Sometimes the need for a custom training plan is rather obvious.
As many of you know my belief about ANY form of training is that from an actual programming point of view having a customized workout based on the individuals needs as they relate to a specific goal is the fastest way to get results. This isn’t a great revelation by the way, most good coaches and trainers would agree with this view. But even with a custom training program there are still all those other outside factors at play. The question this raises is how then do you account for them in building and designing workouts?
Heart Rate Variability Training To Rescue
This is where Heart Rate Variability (HRV) training comes in! What exactly is HRV? In really simple terms HRV is the variability in the time between our heart beats. If there is a high level of variability in those times it essentially means that the parasympathetic nervous system is more active. If the variability is low it means that the sympathetic nervous system is more active.
Kelly Kremer, Head Coach for the University of Minnesota Swimming and Diving team, Talks About Developing Young Swimmers in Life and Sport
Kelly Kremer of Minnesota Swimming
Coach Kelly Kremer of the University of Minnesota Swimming and Diving team will be joining Stephen McCarthy of The McCarthy Project to discuss his views on developing young swimmers from age-group to the Olympics. The show will be airing Wednesday, August 28th at 9:00am CST. Tune in to listen to the complete show.
Coach will be covering his path from a club swimmer in Mandan, ND to NAIA champion Drury University to his current position as the Head Coach for the University of Minnesota Swimming and Diving team.
He will be discussing how he develops team chemistry with 75 swimmers from all over the world and how they can maintain their individuality while being a part of the team. Secondly, he will be commenting on the role of parents, athletes and coaches in creating a elite level swimmer.
Former English Soccer Player and Sports Performance Coach Talk Performance and Injuries
Andy Barr, Sports Performance Coach
Injury prevention in soccer is a much discussed subject and picking up steam every year. With the number of athletes participating in sport and the amount of dollars floating around the pro athletes, the concept of sports performance and injury prevention have a natural connection. The ultimate goal is to eliminate injuries and keep the players playing. This is a very complex problem to solve. But as you will hear 80% of the problem comes from things that each athlete can control on their own. The amazing part of the discussion is that even the athletes who are making millions to play the game they love are not doing the basics.
Today Andy Barr, former English soccer player and sports performance coach for numerous pro teams in England, joined us to talk about these concepts and how they directly apply to game of soccer.
You will be surprised to find out that the basics: sleep, hydration, and proper nutrition are the starting point to elite level recovery and injury prevention. Not some hyper scientific training program or diet.
Injury Prevention and Sports Performance with Andy Barr of the New York Knicks
Injury Prevention and Sports Performance Coach Andy Barr
Injury prevention is a much discussed subject and picking up steam every year. With the number of athletes participating in sport and the amount of dollars floating around the pro athletes, the concept of sports performance and injury prevention have a natural connection. The ultimate goal is to eliminate injuries and keep the players playing. This is a very complex problem to solve. But as you will hear 80% of the problem comes from things that each athlete can control on their own. The amazing part of the discussion is that even the athletes who are making millions to play the game they love are not doing the basics.
Today Andy Barr of the New York Knicks joined us to talk about these concepts and how they directly apply to game of basketball.
You will be surprised to find out that the basics: sleep, hydration, and proper nutrition are the starting point to elite level recovery and injury prevention. Not some hyper scientific training program or diet.
Michael Much of Minnesota Preps/Yahoo Rivals on The Recruiting Game
Michael Much on The Recruiting Game
Stephen McCarthy and Michael Much of Minnesota Preps/Yahoo Rivals talked about the recruiting game and the cold hard truth about how initially numbers do matter. Secondly, we broke down the ways athletes can develop their mind and their game if they are not on the Top 150 list.
Michael has worked with the Yahoo Rivals group for over 6 years and has observed the development of football and basketball in Minnesota. The unfortunate reality is that to be ranked on their site you need to be an outlier. If you are 6’5″ with skills and 275 lbs in high school, you will be on the list as an offensive linemen. If you are 6’6″ with a 35″ vertical and can shoot. You will be on the list. Harsh but true. If you don’t, you will not be on the list.
Does that mean that there is no hope as an athlete if you are not an outlier. Absolutely, not. Just stick to your craft and master your sport, there will be a place for you to play at the next level. You just have to take a different path to elite level performance.
Stephen McCarthy of The McCarthy Project will be breaking down the frontrunning health news of the week, as well as, the concept of efficient movement in sport. When you look at a top-end sports car, what do you see? Sleek, power, efficient, high performance. The majority of the training programs in our world are not creating sports cars, we are creating muscle cars. Over the top show pieces that have a lot of power, but ask them to change directions and it is over.
Stephen will be joined by three distinguished guests in the world of sports performance. We will be discussing the foundational concepts of talent development. Once the foundation is solidly in place then you can account for the variables of each individual athlete. (1) Current body composition (2) The sport (3) Past and Current Injuries (4) Goals of the program. Then get to work creating the ability to create the necessary force to move efficiently in space to become elite and accomplish your goals.
Lastly, check out this youtube video of Erwan LeCorre moving naturally through space. This is the end result a well rounded athlete should be able to accomplish. Once this level of mastery is obtained, add your goal specific training and your program will be complete.
Guests on today’s show include:
1. Jack Woodrup of Vertical Jumping on goals, variables, and other components of training properly for performance.
2. Shawn Myszka of Explosive Edge Athletics on assessment of energy leaks, proper movement and how to correct with training
3. Andy Barr, Sports Performance Coach of the NBA New York Knicks, will be talking about how to fix structure in your body and then move onto development. Visit Andy at twitter.
National Championship Basketball Coach Dr. John Tauer on “The ESPN Effect, Individualism and Creativity
Dr. John Tauer, University of St. Thomas Basketball Coach on “The ESPN Effect”
Dr. John Tauer, Associate Professor of Psychology and basketball coach for the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, MN, joined host Stephen McCarthy of The McCarthy Project to discuss the role of technology (The ESPN Effect) on future generations of athletes.
In 2009, Dr. Tauer published a study “The ESPN Effect: How Slam Dunks Affect Individualism, Competitiveness, and Optimism” in the International Journal of Sport Communication. He shared his viewpoints on the culture of sport and how technology changes athletes outlook of themselves and their abilities based on what they see on tv or highlight videos. He also talked about the ability of athletes to think creatively based on what they see in these videos.
John has implemented his findings into his basketball team. It is hard to argue with his results to this point. 1 NCAA D-III National Championship, 7 consecutive MIAC Conference Championships, and the 2012-2013 team was ranked #1 in the nation with a record of 30-2.
Lastly, Dr. Tauer developed his ideas on winning and losing, raw talent vs. talent with skills. He put out his thoughts on how coaches and athletes should view their game, how they can get better and ultimately, master life and sport.
17 year NHL Vet Bret Hedican Talks About Life and Staying in the Moment
By Stephen McCarthy, The McCarthy Project
Bret Hedican “Staying In The Moment”
Host Stephen McCarthy was joined by Bret Hedican last week to talk about the concept of staying in the moment and how to master your sport.
Bret is a 17 year NHL veteran, played on Team USA, and won a Stanley Cup. The amazing part of the story is that he had only one college scholarship offer out of high school. And the offer was not a full ride.
He tells of the challenges he faced his first couple years of college, his Team USA experiences and ultimately, arriving in the NHL.
The best part of the show was the story of playing in the NHL and realizing that he needed to make some changes in how he thought. The 10-15 minute segment on how to develop the ability to stay in the moment, how to practice the concept, and how to own it is timely for all athletes, no matter what you do in life.
Here at VerticalJumping.com we love squats, deadlifts, kettlebell swings, box jumps, power skipping, the 123 drill, and many more. But there is one exercise that rates above all else as the very best vertical jump exercise ever.
This particular exercise improves just about all the required athletic attributes for jumping high, and is head and shoulders above everything else at improving movement efficiency. Also if your sport requires you to do any jumping then this is the most sports specific exercise choice you can make.
Practice Makes Perfect
So what is this magnificent jumping exercise that trumps all others? The very best vertical jump exercise ever is, drum roll please, practicing jumping. Yep, it is that simple. As is the case with most things, the best way to improve at something is to actually go out and do it.
If you are training to jump for a particular sporting application then one of the best things you can do is to go and practice jumping as you would for that sport. For example to jump higher in order to slam dunk a basketball, go out, find yourself a basketball ring, and then spend time trying to jump up to it. At first you will work towards just touching it, then towards being able to grab it, and then, ultimately trying to get as much of your arm above the ring as possible. If you can get your wrist above the ring, then provided you can time it right, you should be able to dunk off a lob.
Practicing your actual jumping technique is one of the most commonly overlooked things you can do to improve your vertical jump. People often believe they need all sorts of fancy exercises, different sorts of weight training equipment, and cleverly designed programs, but it is amazing how often they overlook the basic act of going out and simply doing some jumping.
Spending time working on your jumping technique will help you jump higher in so many ways. First and foremost though it will improve your movement efficiency! This is a big one. If you have less than stellar co-ordination then you will be severely limiting your potential jump height. Poor efficiency means you cannot fire your muscles in the correct order to create a smooth and powerful jumping motion.
Practicing jumping also helps develop explosive strength and reactive strength in a manner specific to jumping. Box squats, power cleans etc also develop these strengths, but jumping itself is obviously going to help you improve these traits for jumping better than every other exercise you can do.
Basically all training you do is designed to force your body to adapt to its environment (also known as an adaptive response). Thus if you want to get stronger you must expose your body to continuously greater loads, usually by weight training. This sends the signals to your body that in order to survive it will need to develop greater strength. The same goes for jump training. If you want to jump higher you must go out and regularly try to jump continuously higher. The more you practice jumping high the greater reinforcement of the message to your body and the quicker it will adapt.
Just about the only thing jumping doesn’t do that well is to increase your maximal strength levels. This is better achieved using weights. At some point most athletes will need to spend some time getting stronger in the gym in order to fully maximize their vertical jump, but unless they have mastered the action of jumping in the first place, then really, they are just wasting their time.
Conclusion
If your training has stagnated and your vertical numbers are going nowhere maybe it is time you took a step back, removed all your other exercises from your program, and just went out and started jumping. You might be surprised how much you can gain simply by including a bit of sport specific jump work into your program.
Athletes Perform Better Under Pressure When They Make a Fist With Their Left Hand
Athletes Perform Better Making A Left Handed Fist
From the Journal of Experimental Psychology, a simple way to activate the part of your brain that lets you stop worrying and just be the ball.
PROBLEM: Thirty percent of penalty kicks in professional soccer are missed, as are 20-30 percent of NBA free throws, despite practice scenarios in which those numbers are notably lower. Studies have suggested that the reason is primarily psychological — they fail not from lack of focus, but “because attention is directed toward the execution of the action” — since most perform better at these rote but accuracy-dependent aspects of the game (which they’ve nearly perfected from a mechanical aspect with thousands of hours of practice) in low-pressure situations. So, like so many of us, they’re always looking for ways to get out of their heads.
According to the researchers, freaking out is primarily associated with the left hemisphere of the brain, while the right hemisphere deals more with mechanical actions. Meanwhile the cortex of the right hemisphere controls movements of the left side of the body, and the left hemisphere controls the right side of the body. So they figured that if you can purposely activate the right hemisphere — in this case, by making a fist or squeezing a ball with your left hand — it will improve physical performance and draw focus away from the ruminating left hemisphere.
2. Bret Hedican, 17 year NHL veteran, will be sharing his thoughts on how to develop your mind to “live in the moment” and master your sport.
3. Quincy Caldwell, NBA trainer and former pro basketball player, will be talking about the attitude and perspective needed to compete at the highest level.
4. Keith Lockwood, former collegiate football player and high school coach at White Bear Lake High School in White Bear Lake, MN, on the role of creativity and imagination in the game of sport.
One of the lost arts in life has become mastery of life. We are a very distracted bunch who only listen to random bites of information at almost every opportunity, rather than think strategically and in wholes for a longer duration of time.
Bret Hedican with The Cup
I dare you to try this project:
Read a book, research the author’s life and their viewpoints, the influences these viewpoints had on their life and work, develop out the message of the book and write a one page report on your findings.
Why would this be a big deal? You would be reading to understand the whole, rather than being entertained and compartmentalized.
The first time I did this project I was amazed about how little I knew about the world of creativity, the motives of author, and how the viewpoint was bias. I just assumed what they had told me in the book was true.
“From a child I was fond of reading, and all the little money that came into my hands was ever laid out in books. Pleased with Pilgrim’s Progress my first collection was of John Bunyan’s works in separate little volumes. I afterwards sold them to enable me to buy R. Burton’s Historical Collections; they were small chapman’s books, and cheap, 40 to 50 in all. My father’s little library consisted chiefly of books in polemic divinity, most of which I read….Plutarch’s Lives there was in which I read abundantly, and I still think that time spent to great advantage. There was also a book of Defoe’s, called an Essay on Projects, and another of Dr. Mather’s, called Essays to Do Good, which perhaps gave me a turn of thinking that had an influence on some of the principal future events in my life.”
What man, woman or child has read any of these pieces of literature (or current works) and understood the concepts therein?
None of us. We must learn to think at a higher level. To diligently apply ourselves to think at a deeper level than entertainment value. Here are areas to research and develop your cognitive ability in order to become a master in life and sport:
In John Taylor Gatto’s Underground History of American Education, he writes, “At the top, one-half of 1 percent of the students,where, as future policy makers, they learned to think strategically, contextually, in wholes; they learned complex processes, and useful knowledge, studied history, wrote copiously, argued often, read deeply, and mastered tasks of command.”
The simple solution is to elevate your thoughts from controlled do’s and don’ts to free, individualistic, and creative. Then spend time looking at other opinions and comparing them to your own. Develop out your viewpoint of right and wrong in life. Stand up for yourself, see the complete picture and get to work studying. This is entry point of the process of mastering life and sport.
There are many inspiring stories that highlight the power of a “team”. One such movie is “Miracle”, a movie that tells the epic story of the 1980 Olympic Hockey teams unprecedented journey to the gold medal. There are many riveting moments in the movie however, one stands out for me; The team had been selected and many of the players seemed to be a bit to comfortable with the fact they had simply made the team. This sense of comfort lead to a nonchalant attitude and a complete lack of focus. In a heated moment Herb Brooks confronts one player amongst the team and said; “The name on the front of your jersey is a lot more important then the one on the back!.
There is a timeliness to this comment today in 2013.
Do we really believe this? Do our actions energy, and attitudes support the idea that the team is of greater importance then any one persons success? For the sake of this writing I would have to say “NO” we do not believe this. Before, I go further I need to clarify that I do believe that people need to have individual fulfillment. The team should allow for the success of each person. However, I believe that we are producing groups of individuals that play by and for themselves surrounded by others, rather then a team that plays together allowing for individuals to shine in specific roles that support the goals of the TEAM. skill set. Because the team counts on them to excel in this role it tends to raise the effectiveness of others in different roles. Our teams are underachieving because;
I have discussed the benefits of squatting deeper for the jumping athlete. These benefits included a better carry over to vertical jump performance, improved knee health, and increased mobility. All of these things are something any athlete should want. So, how do you create proper squat technique?
The 2 Reasons You Can’t Squat Deep
In my experience there are 2 reasons why someone can’t squat deep.
1. They are using too much weight.
2. They lack the flexibility/mobility.
Too Much Weight
Fixing the first on is easy, just take some weight off the bar. The weakest point of the lift is at the bottom, when you start squatting deep you will have to start with a lighter weight then you have been used to lifting. Don’t let your ego get the better of you – which if you have been used to lifting heavy loads for partial squats, can be easier said than done.
Lack of Mobility or Flexibility
The second issue is a bit more complicated but definitely not insurmountable. The obvious solution to a lack of mobility or flexibility is of course to start doing some more stretching and mobility work both before you lift, and as an ongoing activity to improve your range of movement.
The main areas of tightness that you should focus on with your stretching are the glutes, calves, hips, hamstrings, chest, and shoulders.
By Stephen McCarthy, Director of The McCarthy Project
I see this all the time in the health and fitness world. The hype in magazines and the media. Take a look at the cover of Muscle and Fitness of Rich Froning, 3 time CrossFit Champion. Now take a look at the photo from Outside magazine. Which one is true and which one is false? Is it just propaganda to sell their goodies? Are people lying to us on what they do for elite performance? Or is the truth training that comes from time proven health and fitness development not needed? Just do the “random hard core workout” and eat whatever you want and you will be a champion.
I will let you decide the answers to these questions.. Here are some facts and observations for you to contemplate.
1. Muscle and Fitness magazine cover of Rich Froning. Look closely at his torso and notice the perfect taper from the upper part of his chest and back to his hips.
2. See the photo from Outside magazine of Rich Froning. Notice the taper is not there. The dude is 5 foot 9 200lbs as mentioned on the Outside website.
Truth Training or Hype?
Which one is the real Rich Froning?
Now lets move over to the information in the Outside website article on his tips for elite performance. While I would venture to say that all the things that he passes along as “tips in training” are not bad, some of them are absolute hype. Eating a whole apple pie and do not pay attention to your nutrition. Workout 2-5 times a day and never take a day off.
On the other side of the fence, we have a PHD from Ball State who has proven that overtraining can occur in only 3 weeks.
What do you think? Who is telling the truth?
If this is all true, good luck.. You may be an outlier that can handle the same training and nutrition as Rich. You may be the next CrossFit champion if you follow his philosophy. But my guess is that you will probably burn out.
Why do we believe this stuff? The majority of it is propaganda to sell a public that is addicted to the half-truths and pictures of athletes who would like to look like Rich Froning. Here is a article that will make you mad, but it is the truth on why we continue to fall for these ideas.
You do not have to fall for lies and propaganda spewed into our lives. Simply train and develop your mind properly. You will arrive at your goal in due time.
Lindsey Berg of USA Volleyball Discusses Team Building
Lindsey Berg on Team Building
Leadership and team building are two of the most discussed topics in today’s business world. Lindsey Berg, Olympic medalist and entrepreneur, joined host Stephen McCarthy to develop out her ideas around developing a successful team or company.
Lindsey has been known as a leader through out her career in volleyball. She talked about how she applies the same concepts to business.
Lindsey talked about the balance between being a team player and maintaining your individuality. In the end, you do not have to choose, you can have both.
Secondly, they talked about the power of assumption in leaders and how wrong it is to use a tool of management. Earning the right to talk and lead and much, much more.
Stanford Study Shows Improved Performance By Simply Sleeping
Sleep Your Way to Improved Performance
Today’s world is always looking for the silver bullet to improved productivity and performance. Stanford and many others have proven that getting the proper type and amount of sleep will allow you to perform at a higher level.
On this weeks The McCarthy Project, we will be looking into the areas that will prove that sleeping will eliminate many daily maladies, like the need for energy drinks, caffeine, and constant entertainment to keep you alert. Secondly, sleep allows your brain to process what you learned from the day, to formalize your thoughts into coherent, new ideas.
1. Decreased energy. Reduces your body’s ability to store glycogen — energy that you need.
2. Worse decision making and reflexes. Studies have shown that people who don’t get enough sleep are worse at making decisions and less accurate.
3. Hormone changes. Not getting enough sleep can increase levels of cortisol, a stress hormone that can slow down healing, and worsen memory. It also lowers levels of growth hormone that helps repair the body.
Allow yourself to sleep and have some down time. Your overall quality of life will improve and your performance will benefit.
Shaun Goodsell Discusses How to Win in the Game of Uncertainty
Thriving Through Uncertainty
The one certainty about life is experiencing moments of uncertainty. With uncertainty often comes doubt, confusion, anxiety and for some debilitating levels of fear. The question is how do you thrive in these moments and utilize them for growth and stepping stones of greatness.
Last week, we discussed excitotoxins and the use of proper diet and recovery as the foundation of stimulating the brain and athletic development. This week, we move on to the subject of cns training and creating athletes that use strength and speed development means and methods to improve performance.
The main focus of any cns training program is to activate motor units, the basic functional entity of muscular activity, while performing your event.
There are a many methods to improve, but almost as many to hinder.
3. Proper amount of rest during workouts that allow recovery of cns. This allows for maximum effort during each set or rep.
4. Allow yourself some downtime away from technology and sport. Paint a picture, walk in the woods, etc.
On the hinder side.
1. Manage the number of random hard core workouts or survival of the fittest speed sessions.
2. Training for multiple sports with multiple trainers at the same time.
3. Refuse to look at restoration training or managing work loads. If you are swimming at the lake all day, practicing for 2 hours and then going to workout. It may be too much for one day.
Innovative, Thought-Challenging High Performance Coaching and Corporate Wellness Programs
Corporate Wellness Programs by The McCarthy Project
The McCarthy Project builds customized, high-impact corporate wellness programs. You’ll see the results in your employees’ health, both mentally and physically — and your bottom line.
Benefits Brokers and HR managers: The McCarthy Project has a track record of delivering results for businesses, professional firms and non-profits. We create cost-effective solutions with high ROI, customized to each client’s individual needs.
Our high performance coaching, employee wellness services and corporate health programs are built on our proprietary model. We help clients analyze health screening and HRA results, then design and implement comprehensive wellness programs.
Our solutions include:
1. High performance coaching which leads to increased productivity
2. Results reporting on HRA (health risk assessment) and health screening results
3. Wellness programs that maximize productivity and reduce healthcare expenses
4. Best-in-class partners and solutions
5. Incentive programs to support healthy behavior change
6. Employee communications campaigns
7. Establish program goals and track progress
8. Wellness programs and Return on Investment (ROI)
Recent Study: Omega 3 Supplements and Cancer Linked.. True or False?
Scientists and Omega 3 Fish Oil
This week a study was published by a cancer institute that stated that omega 3 supplements are inked to a 70% increase in prostate cancer. What!!
For the last 20 years, we have been told that omega 3 fish oil or here have numerous long-term health benefits.
What is the doctors motive? What are they really saying? A 360 degree change, have we followed a lie?
I would propose that the doctors are lying or manipulated the results of the study to support their business and the pharmaceutical companies. Check out the following information.
Mike Adams of Natural News on how a study can make it into the mainstream media under a false premise.
As a follow-up, Michael Savage on the same subject.
Athletes who listen to all this junk end up confused and dazed with misinformation. Remember, don’t believe everything a doctor or scientist says. You must look deeper and find the truth.
Author David Epstein of The Sports Gene:Inside the Science of Extraordinary Athletic Performance joined Stephen McCarthy of The McCarthy Project to discuss his book and his motive for writing Sports Gene. Secondly, we discussed how to apply his findings to athletes and the future application of dna or genetic research. Complete interview will be aired on Friday September 6th at 8am CST.
