Change

Now that we have change are you going to change or are you going to keep doing the same thing and expecting different results? I only ask this question because the more I listen to what people say they're going to do, the more I realize there is always more said than there is done. I'm hoping as the NBA season continues, the college season begins and the high school season is around the corner that I will continue to see change and improvement. A few months back I wrote a blog about "Accepting Mediocrity", in it I said the following...Many players and coaches today get mediocre results from the minimum amount of hard work and effort they put into things. They do just enough, or only what is expected of them.

Many live by the words 'I’m good'. It's a lazy and hopeless way to think, but again many of us when asked to do more work or sacrifice in the short term for long-term gain respond....”I’m good!”

Be honest for a moment. Are you really that good? Have you done enough? Would someone call on you in the game or in life to take the game-winning shot?

If you do everything that everyone else does, you will continue to be just like everybody else.

If we got recognized for doing what was expected of us, we would get recognized all the time. Unfortunately we don't get recognized all the time, because life doesn't work like that.

When you want more, you will need to do more.

Never confuse activity with results

Some coaches taped those words on their office door to inspire themselves and their players, some coaches got angry and asked for no more emails. Fast forward and ask yourself, am I still accepting mediocrity? I guess we will know soon when the results come in.




Results

WHAT: NJ SPARQ Basketball Showcase is an elite level event and an opportunity to get an official SPARQ Rating

WHO CAN COME: Any Male or Female High School basketball athletes looking to showcase their skills against the best players, get a Certified SPARQ Rating, and participate in an elite level training experience with one of SPARQ's top trainers.

WHEN AND WHERE: November 17th-19th, 2008 Elite Boys Girls Basketball Showcase. This event will be held at North Hunterdon High School in North Hunterdon NJ 6-8pm

FORMAT: In addition to game competition, athletes will participate in a number of athletic tests that compose the SPARQ Basketball rating. With these testing results you will receive a SPARQ Rating to see where you stand with the best in the country. An elite training session will follow the SPARQ Testing. Testing is available through SPARQ and Nike events and through SPARQ certified trainers throughout the United States. SPARQ has tested over 200,000 athletes in high school, college and professional ranks in the past four years.

WHAT IS A SPARQ RATING?: SPARQ stands for Speed, Power, Agility, Reaction and Quickness, the essential tools for superior athletic performance. SPARQ Training is the dynamic training method used in elite level training. The SPARQ Rating is a number that identifies overall athletic ability and is used by top coaches and trainers around the nation as an initial indicator of an athlete's potential on the court.

BENEFITS: This is a great opportunity for you to take advantage of SPARQ's commitment to basketball, get SPARQ tested at a unique Combine event and see how you rate nationally against some of the best basketball players in the nation. There is also an opportunity for great recruiting exposure and coverage. Results will be distributed to major college basketball programs throughout the U.S.

ABOUT SPARQ: SPARQ Training is a new dynamic training method designed to make you a better player by improving on five basic elements of athleticism: SPEED. POWER. AGILITY. REACTION. QUICKNESS. SPARQ Training provides athletes with access to new and dynamic training experiences. A SPARQ Rating enables athletes to track their progress, measure improvement and benchmark themselves against other elite performers across the nation. Since its inception, more than 200,000 official SPARQ Ratings have been registered by athletes determined to reach the next level. The SPARQ Rating, referred to by many as "The SAT of Athleticism", is a proprietary method for evaluating athletic and functional ability. SPARQ has implemented testing and measurement technologies at the 2006 USC and 2007 USC, Texas, Ohio State and LSU Pro Days.


To register for this event click here

For more information call 917-957-0187

No Static

On the subject of change, can we change our pre-event stretching routine? 

Research shows that many athletes’ warm-up regimens are not only a waste of time but actually bad for you. The old presumption that holding a stretch for 20 to 30 seconds known as static stretching prepares muscles for a workout is dead wrong. Stretching muscles can reduce strength because the central nervous system rebels against the movements. The straining muscle becomes less responsive after stretching, which is not how an athlete wants to begin a workout. WARM-UP should do two things: loosen muscles to increase the range of motion of various joints, and literally warm up the body. Stretching muscles while moving, known as dynamic warm-ups, increases power, flexibility and range of motion. Muscles in motion don’t lead to inhibitory response, instead they get a message to perform. So while we are on the subject of change, lose the static stretch routine and opt for a thorough dynamic warm up to increase performance and decrease the chance of injury. In case you don't know it here is the dynamic warm-up I use with my athletes before training, practice or games:

Video of Dynamic Warm-Up
Hi-Knees
Backpedal
Tap n Turn
High Knee Carioca
Heel to Butt
High-Knee Skips
Walking Lunge Hands Up
Lung and Rotate
Spiderman
Inch-Worm( we add a push up to each rep)

Inch-Worm