Brian Grasso :: The Leader in Youth Sports Training

2008-04-27T19:38:00.002-05:00

What the IYCA 'means' is something much bigger than just "another certification company".

We are an international family tackling international problems.

We are not faceless.

We are not isolating ourselves from you.

We are real people who work with kids everyday and looking for those few professionals passionate and committed enough to join us in our efforts.

We provide business opportunities.

We provide education and direction.

We are the gate keepers to the largest revolution this industry has ever seen.

That 'we' I have been referring to is 'me' - Brian.

I started the IYCA with the sole intent of changing the face of the industry as we know it.

The video below validates that my efforts thus far have been on the mark.

But I'm not done and neither should you be.

Isn't it time that you got involved with an organization that cared as much about you as a person and professional as they do about making sure you pay your membership dues on time?

IYCA member Christi Smith thinks so.

Listen to what she has to say...

2007-06-13T11:27:00.000-05:00

Last week I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Christin Gillham of Newsweek magazine for an article on personal training for kids. This was followed by a photoshoot in Chicago with myself and some of my young athletes.

The full article is available in this week's edition of Newsweek, and there is also a shortened version online available here:

Brian Grasso in Newsweek

I have also put a portion of the article below...

Have a great week,

Brian

Does Your Child Need a Personal Trainer?
By Christina Gillham
Newsweek

June 18, 2007 issue -

... Here are some tips for finding the right person to work with your child:

Make sure the trainer has the proper credentials. Simply taking an Internet class doesn't qualify someone to be a personal trainer. Be sure your child's trainer is certified by a nationally recognized organization, such as the National Strength and Conditioning Association (nsca-lift.org) or the American College of Sports Medicine (acsm.org) and/or has a bachelor's degree in physical therapy or a fitness-related field. Within the past few years, some organizations, like the International Youth Conditioning Association (www.iyca.org), have begun offering youth-fitness-training certificates, though these are still uncommon.

Ask what kind of experience the trainer has with kids. Because kids are still growing, they are in a constant state of development and need to be trained accordingly. Look for a trainer who has taken courses in child development or pediatric exercise science or has worked with kids before. Be sure to ask how many of his or her clients are kids. Small says that number should be at least 50 percent.

See a pediatrician first. Just like adults, kids should have a thorough checkup before they start a new fitness program. If your child has any special medical condition, such as diabetes or asthma, find out what the limitations of his physical activity should be. Kids who are loose-limbed or have recurring injuries also need to take some precautions with weight training. Have the pediatrician set restrictions and make sure the trainer knows them.

Know when to start. Most experts agree that children can start a weight-training program between 6 and 8 years of age, but only you know your child's maturity level. Ask yourself, "Can he accept and follow directions? Is he able to participate in group activity?" Even if he's at the right age biologically, he may not be the right age emotionally.

Assess the trainer's personality. When Tammy Olszewski of South Barrington, Ill., was looking for a trainer for her three kids—Morgan, 12, Michael, 10, and Madison, 8—she considered Brian Grasso of the IYCA. His bachelor's degree in exercise science, continuing education in pediatric exercise science and years of working with kids impressed her. Then, "I met him and his personality was, like, 'boom.' My kids adore him," she says. Kathie Davis, executive director of IDEA Health and Fitness Association, a membership group for fitness pros, stresses the importance of the trainer's interaction with kids. "We have to make kids want to exercise," she says. Having a trainer who knows how to interact with kids is essential to getting them motivated. (For more tips on what to look for in a personal trainer, see ideafit.com and click on Fitness Resources.)

Regardless of the reason parents send their child to a personal trainer, the emphasis should be on having a good time. "Kids don't respond to repetitive monotony," like walking on a treadmill, says Small. "They need variety. It has to be fun." Olszewski, for one, saw the positive outcome. "My kids didn't even realize they were exercising," she says. "They had a blast." And that is music to any parent's ears.

2007-04-16T09:07:00.000-05:00

Because Most Trainers Don't Know How

Sometimes the nature of my articles to you have to be in relation to market trends.

Right now, there seems to be a large number of trainers out there who are taking on clients as young as 6 - 10 years old.

You may be thinking that I have a problem with that.

But, I don't...

...At least not in principle.

I am sensitive to the fact that many young athletes are being asked to compete in endless numbers of games within a given season, these days.

That seems to have become the standard in our society with respect to youth sports participation.

Downgraded elements have become:

Fun
Development of self-efficacy
Development of general skill
Development of athletic ability

Highlighted elements have become:

Competition
Destruction of self-efficacy
Over-concentration on specific skill
Over-concentration on specific
ability

I spoke about this topic with Nicholas Roy just yesterday.

Nicholas is a very talented young trainer in Quebec, Canada. He attended my Youth Development Principals seminar last year in Montreal and tells me that his career has skyrocketed in terms of understanding and application ever since.

He is in the process of becoming IYCA Level 1 certified as a Youth Conditioning Specialist.

He did run into a slight problem last week, however.

Nicholas was asked to present a seminar on global youth development to a group
of figure skating coaches - and it was apparently not well received.

The notion that these coaches should be spending less time on the specific skill
nuances associated with complex figure skating techniques and more time on
global aspects of development was seemingly not a favorable message.

And I've heard the arguments, by the way.

But figure skating is one of the sports that requires an athlete to develop
early, so specific skill development must be introduced at a young age.

True.

But so many other variables have to be considered:

Fewer than 1% of all figure skaters ever ascend to a level of national
or international success. In that, coaches of all sports must become better
at objectively identifying talent - and this true of all sports.

Even in isolated circumstances of 'elite' ability, a globalized
developmental scenario must be followed. A young athletes eventual skill
level and injury avoidance capacity is based on their systemic development.

Over-patterning the same relative movements again and again will lead to
structural and mechanical dysfunctions and compensatory patterns - in short...
injuries.

I mention this last point because much of the adjunct training that young
athletes are exposed to serves little more than to contribute to this
over-patterning issue.

The off-ice training programs of young figure skaters often involves
participation in 'jump classes'.

It seems that the repetitive pounding young figure skaters get on the ice isn't
enough.

The additional training that young baseball players are asked to do often comes
in the form of hitting and pitching lessons.

I guess because they don't encounter enough of that during their 60+ game
schedules.

So no, in principal, I am not against the fact that some young athletes and
there parents are seeking out the services of trainers in order to augment there
child's sport participation.

I am however, entirely against the fact that many times, the parents and
trainers use this adjunct training time in a misguided way.

It is not about enhancing the child's ability on the ice, field or court; it's
about providing non-specific stimulus that serves to develop the child
athletically.

Within the next 12 - 18 months, the IYCA will be opening our first of many
facilities around the world.

And we have spent a great deal of time in research and practical application of
creating a system of development for all young athletes that is progressive,
safe and quite frankly, works.

I could do what a lot of other elite trainers do.

Create a system and try to entice you to purchase it.

That's not what this newsletter is all about, though.

It's about me sharing information and ideas so that young athletes are better
cared for.

So...

Here's what you should be doing with young athletes every training session or
practice - and it does not matter if you are a coach or a trainer.

A) Non-locomotor/Non-manipulative Stimulus:

These are exercises and games that require balance and stability.

4-point kneeling with opposite arm/leg circles
1-knee kneeling
Scramble to balance
Sport-specific balance points. For example:

In figure skating, 'hit' the position of a landed jump and maintain
this position while you coach posture

In baseball, 'hit' the top position of a pitcher about to throw a
ball and maintain while you coach posture)

In soccer, 'hit' the position of the backswing of a kicking motion
while you coach posture (be sure to perform this with both legs)

B) Locomotor/Non-manipulative Stimulus:

These are exercises and games that require movement and fluidity.

Technique-based running drills

Technique-based skipping drills

One and two foot hopping drills

Sport-specific movement technique. For example:

In figure skating, time spent on the technical aspects of skating
In baseball, time spent on the technical aspects of running the
bases

In basketball, time spent on the technical aspects of cutting and
direction change without the use of a ball

C) Manipulative Stimulus:

These are exercises and games that require the introduction of external objects

Throwing

Catching

Kicking

Carrying objects

Sport-specific manipulation techniques. For example:

In figure skating, skating laps carrying a weighted medicine ball
while you coach power and force production through the legs via
efficient motion

In baseball, catching an over-sized ball without a glove while you
teach proper acceptance and force absorption systemically

In soccer, practicing kicking a ball into a specific spot of the
goal

Next week, I will talk to you about 'Outcome-Based Training' and how your
coaching style is probably confusing the crap out of your young athletes.

'Till then,

Brian Grasso

2007-04-07T10:58:00.000-05:00

How One Man Changed My Day

As you know, my last few newsletters have been based on my thoughts and comments about the 'HOW TO GROW A SUPER ATHLETE' article written by Dan Coyle a couple of weeks back.

I hope I challenged you. I hope I made you think.

That is the goal of every single one of these newsletters that I write for you. Youth sports and the safe training of young athletes is contingent on us being able to take a critical look at what we have done in the past, what we are doing right now, and what we must do in the future to ensure optimal safety and potential development.

Every once in a while, I get a great email from someone just like you - someone who has been reading my newsletter for some time now, and just wants to offer their thoughts.

One of my favorite subscribers (I can say that because he has actually come to one of my seminars and so I had the pleasure of meeting him in person). is Bill... he's a baseball coach from the east coast of the United States.

Bill's got a ton of passion when it comes to youth sports and baseball in particular. I have always really enjoyed the emails I get from him - they're usually very insightful and his passion for the game really shines.

Here's something Bill emailed to me recently:

'I want to point out that NOT ALL baseball practices in this country still start only with a lap and static stretching anymore and you are one of my influences why. I wish you could attend one of the winter workout sessions I perform with my youth athletes (note I refer to them as athletes and not baseball players). Our program is built on the platform that to be a better baseball player we first need to focus on making you a better athlete.'

O.K, so you may be thinking, 'of course Brian likes Bill's emails... it's basically one big stroke to his ego'. I encourage you... read on:

'You and the article touched briefly on one of the biggest problems facing the youth coach in the United States for most sports today that I wish you can more fully address in a future article. Your two word sentence 'All competition' and Dan Coyle's footnote # 7 about replicating the Spartak system 'a focus on the glamour of winning rather than on the brickwork of building technique' gets to the heart of the elite travel team trend in youth sports. I am seeing travel teams emphasizing schedules of 60 + games which makes me wonder when do they actually focus on developing the skills it takes to be and/or remain ELITE'.

This is an absolutely fantastic point, and one I am going to challenge myself with.

Bill, you've got it my friend - A critical anaylysis on 'the over-competition syndrome' is coming next week.

Here are the closing comments in Bill's email to me:

'I just wanted you to know that you are having an effect and that not ALL youth coaches don't get it. I am constantly preaching to youth coaches at coaches clinics the importance of basic skill developments (like neural cross patterning) as essential as they can't take for granted that players know how to move correctly.'

You have no idea how much that reads like music to my ears!

This speaks to the heart of why I created packages like Complete Youth Training

I poured my heart and every ounce of my knowledge into a multi-dimensional package that encases everything I know about training kids safely and effectively.

The fact that my work IS impacting Trainers and Coaches around the world means everything to me.

Bill... thanks for the email... I appreciate you taking the time to respond to my newsletters.

'Till next week,

Brian

2007-03-09T08:04:00.000-06:00

Young Athletes & Poor Technique - Part 2

Today, I want to show you how to teach exercises from the BOTTOM UP in order to reform poor technique.

With young athletes who exhibit poor technical quality on a particular exercise or group of exercises, the best method of offering correction is often to become less dogmatic or predictable in your teaching method.

When teaching the squat for example, most Trainers and Coaches tend to take a 'top down' approach to skill execution. They teach the young athlete to set there feet and proceed through an eccentric-concentric progression.

The nuances as to why a squat may be faulty are many, but very often, it is the inability of the young athlete to get to and summarily regulate the base of the squat phase (the 'hole'). When inaccurate applications of force production/absorption are applied to the eccentric and 'pause' phase of the eccentric base (no matter how quick or seemingly inconsequential), the ability of the athlete to apply correct force sequences towards the concentric motion will be compromised.
In that, it is often the incorrect pattern of eccentric loading and 'hole' stabilizing that causes an incorrect pattern of force production through the concentric phase of the lift.

Many Trainers and Coaches will visually recognize the poor form during the concentric phase, but fail to recognize that it was due to incorrect loading patterns during the eccentric portion.
Having said that, a wonderful way to reform poor squat technique (as an example) is to start the young athlete in the fixed, static 'hole' position, and then proceed up through the concentric phase.

Have the young athlete assume a quality 'hole' position and talk them through what they should be feeling:

- Weight back on the heels
- Knees pushing outward
- Neutral low back
- Chin up
- Chest push forward
- Elbows angled downward

Do not be afraid to hold these positions for several second counts. An increase in the static strength of this position can, and usually does, improve technical patterning of the entire squat.
Upon ascending into the concentric phase, be sure that the young athlete understands how to push from their heels, using the large muscles of the hip extensors and drive through the ground.

Repeated efforts of this exercise, perhaps over a single training session or for several successive sessions, will have a tremendously positive impact on the technical qualities of a young athletes squat.

So, whether it is the squat, lunge, push-press or any other compound exercise, think 'BOTTOM UP' when trying to create a positive change in the technique capacity of a young athlete.

In my next article, I will conclude our look at changing a young athletes technique by examining set and rep ratios... you're going to be surprised!!

2007-03-01T18:01:00.000-06:00

Cleaning Up A Young Athletes Technique

When a young athletes presents with poor technique in a strength training exercise, how do you correct it?

Naturally,
there are many Trainers and Coaches in the world who simply allow the
athlete to keep hammering out reps with the same technique, either
oblivious or unconcerned about the potential repetitive stress damage
that improper technique can bring – not to mention the limited
performance gains that will occur.

More over, there are Trainers and Coaches who use only some basic verbal or visual cueing
to help an athlete overcome a poor habitual pattern. “No, get off your
toes” or “Here, do it like this” are common verbal and visual coaching
methods that typically have no impact whatsoever.

In the verbal
explanation above, notice how the Coach told the athlete what NOT to
do, rather than providing information as to WHAT to do.

This may sound like an irrelevant difference, but I could assure you that it isn’t.
Very often, technique is poor because young athletes have been riddled
with countless cues that offer little more than instruction on how not
to perform an action.

Your job is to empower your athlete with the knowledge of HOW to perform an activity and more over, WHY …

… Which is the reason that basic cueing methods also don’t work with trying to reestablish correct technique in an athlete with limited execution ability.

Many
Trainers and Coaches also confuse ‘visual’ coaching styles (which are
actually quite effective when applied correctly) with basic examples
like the one offered above.

It’s not about showing or
demonstrating a few times, it’s about breaking down the motion into
smaller units and having the young athlete develop and understanding
for the technique process by being able to see it in phases.

Develop Skill Sets:

In terms of the cueing,
break down each exercise you are trying to alter into a 4-stage skill
set. Always cue with the same verbiage and in the same order. Have your
athlete work on the verbal dialogue of thiscueing system and gain an understanding of why the new pattern is good.

For
instance, when instructing the squat to an athlete with habitually poor
form, break down the set-up and movement parameters to the exercise in
terms of primary and secondary skill sets:

-Set your feet
-In-Steps off
-Hips back
-Eyes on the horizon

This is the primary skill set and covers the ‘set-up’ portion of the squat techno.

Your secondary or movement skill set should look like this:

-Push back
-Push the knees out
-Chest tall
-Drive off the heel

This will cover both the eccentric and concentric phases of the motion.

Teach
these words and phrases to your athlete and have them be able to both
recite them back as well as diagnosis what they mean in terms of
application. Poor technique often occurs because the athletedoesn ’t
truly understand the nuances associated with how to execute well, and
this is especially true of young athletes who were previously poorly
coached and therefore have developed poor habitual patterns.

2007-02-07T14:20:00.000-06:00

How Will Coaches Argue Now?

For years, I have had to put up with youth sport coaches and parents echoing the words and mimicking the behaviors of successful coaches such as Vince Lombardi and Mike Ditka.

True.

You can't argue with the success those guys had.

But do you really think that yelling at 10-year old football players for making a 'bad play' or chastising 12-year old soccer players for 'missing a shot' is the best and most sane way to coach kids?

Unfortunately, my arguments have fallen on deaf ears more than once over the past decade.

I just couldn't make youth sport coaches realize that aggressive and negative behavior can be damaging to young athletes, and that a primary reason why so many kids drop out of sports at an early age is because of the often abusive treatments they get from their coaches.

"But", the coaches would tell me, "Look at how Ditka treated his players... and you can't argue with his success".

"You've got a point", I would grudgingly admit, "But Ditka was dealing with adults, we're talking about kids here".

Ha... I got 'em now. No come back on that point...

Or so I hoped...

"Whatever, Brian. You show me someone at the elite level who is as successful as Ditka, Lombardi or Bill Parcels, and I'll change my ways. Until then, I coach the way I know will work".

YOUTH SPORTS COACHES & PARENTS OF THE WORLD...

I AM PROUD & HONORED TO INTRODUCE YOU TO A COUPLE OF WONDERFUL MEN AND TRULY SUCCESSFUL HEAD COACHES...

This past weekend saw two of the nicest and most positive coaches in the world compete for the supreme prize of North American sports - The Super Bowl.

Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith.

They respect their players.

They never raise their voices.

They look to try and make each and every one of their players better - in both football and life.

They are as successful as it gets.

Sounds to me like every abusive coach and parent just lost their final argument.