Hey, It's been a while but I want to let you know about an instructional course I am leading along with Dr. Tim Pethrick, DC.
Kettlebells are so versatile and are a great tool to build strength, mobility and resiliency.
They work really well for Water Polo athletes.
-- Coach Michael Reid
Going to Margitsziget (Margerit Island) in Budapest this weekend (July 2-3, 2011) to watch some International Water Polo (Vodafone Kupa).
The Vodafone Kupa this year has Hungary, Greece, Germany and Russia mens playing in round robin play.
There appears to be live streaming of the matches. Close to the bottom of this page will be a picture like below, click on the camera on the right side.
As an added bonus, the Hungarian women play Germany in a European Championship qualifying match on Saturday at 1600.
If you are a coach or player and want to talk training, you can reply to this post. I will be at the pool for most of the day on Saturday and Sunday.
Enjoy and Be Well,
Michael Reid, B.HE. CSCS, RKC
My New Quick Morning Work Out
This is something I have started doing last year and I can't believe it has taken me this long to actually do it. Well, I do know why it has taken me a while to figure it out because what I do is so simple yet so hard .... the Farmers Walk.
Note: not a picture of me; gloves are not needed
While I am certainly not the first person to praise the farmers walk, I am sure I will not be the last.
It's just so simple and sinister.
What is the "Farmers Walk"?
Traditionally, the Farmer's Walk is an event you would see in a strongman contest.Take a heavy weight in each hand and go for a walk. For me, I do this at home with the two heaviest weights I have which are a 32kg and 24kg Kettlebell. I take one in each hand and walk BUT I have a secret method. I live on the top floor in my building, it's 80 steps down. I take the Kettlebells, walk down the stairs, out the door and do one lap around the block which is ~300m, then back up the stairs. Once I start there is no wimping out, no elevator to take and no short cuts. The whole thing takes me around 9-10 minutes to complete. Every time I need to put the weights down I switch around the Kettlebells.
Read the rest of the article here
Enjoy and Be Well,
Michael Reid, B.HE. CSCS, RKC
note: Originally published on WaterPoloPlanet.com.
Complex?
A complex is a series of movements performed in a row with the same load. In the video below, I use a complex consisting of 5 different movements using a 25lb plate. Performed for 5 reps/exercise for 1-2 sets ends up being a very good warm up and dynamic flexibility training for the hips and shoulders. Do more sets or reps with short rest periods and you now have a conditioning session.
With complexes, you can get through a lot of different movements in a short period of time and they require very little equipment.
Exercises in the video:
40 total reps for 1 set.
Video Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyEq_MujiTY
Sticking to these movements or variations of them and you will be well prepared for the pool.
From a long term athletic development (LTAD) perspective, the movements are important at all levels BUT how you program them will be very different. What is depicted in the video is something more applicable to an athlete in the Train to Compete (competitive High School or youth regional/national team) or Train to Win (NCAA, Sr. National team, Professional).
In the early stages of development, these movements should be introduced but only one at a time. So, by the time the athlete reaches a higher level with much greater training volume and intensity the coach can take these movements and introduce them to these athletes in a series or complex.
Try them out and please let me know how you are using them with your athletes.
If you are an athlete, do you feel better in the water after doing a dry-land warm up like depicted in the above video?
Enjoy and Be Well,
Michael Reid, B.HE. CSCS, RKC
Great chance for the Canadian Men to Qualify for the worlds in July 2011.
Apparently the top 2 teams from this tournament qualify and there are now only 3 teams in the competition with Cuba dropping out.
The USA Mens team have already qualified which is why they are not participating.
Aaron Feltham and Kevin Graham who are playing pro in Hungary will be there but not Justin Boyd who is playing his first year pro in Montenegro (https://www.waterpolo.ca/News1698.aspx). I am sure Justin will be missed. From what I saw of him last summer in Hungary, he is a very crafty scorer from the 1 position on the 6 on 5, he is also right handed. Althougth tradionally this is a spot reserved for the left handed player (which by the way drives me nuts) the right handed player has some unique options available to the them which can make them a real threat to score.
Best of Luck to all the teams.
Michael Reid, B.HE. CSCS, RKC
| by: Dr Marion Alexander, PhD, Dave Hill, Yumeng Li, BKin, Julie Hayward, B Kin |
IntroductionThe bicycle slide is a rapid sideways movement of a water polo player, in which she moves to the side of her current position while leading with her feet. The bicycle slide is primarily a key defensive skill in water polo when playing a zone in a gap between two players. It is used when the player has to move rapidly sideways to cover a shooter or a pass to a shooter, while still retaining visual contact with the ball. This technique allows the defender to move feet first toward the space, in order to provide defensive coverage. The defender executing the slide is horizontal on her side in the water with her head toward her primary defensive focus. In the attached photo (Figure 1), the defender is wearing a white cap and has her arm pointing upward. The center forward is in front of the net with the American (behind with white cap) holding on to her. The American defender with her arm up would use the bicycle slide to cover the area between the center forward and the player with the ball, before rising over her feet to present the blocking arm. The defender in this situation would slide toward the person she is defending with her feet leading the movement, which is a unique method of covering this distance. |
Read the whole article here: The Bicycle Slide in Water Polo: A Description
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My Comments:
This is fresh off the press, the most recent research in Water Polo. It focuses on the biomechanics of a specific movement in the water which really has no universally accepted name. The researchers called it the bicycle slide after viewing the video footage (see the article for the video and you will see why).
This research is coming out of Winnipeg, Canada. The athlete in the video is a member of the Canadian National Team program.
It definitely re-inforces the importance of good flexibiliy in the hips to be able to produce an efficient technique that is powerful and useful.
As a coach, understanding a skill at a deep level will give you more options when teaching said skill. So, although this article may be quite technical if you are not a biomechinist, read it, study it, read it some more and give the information time sink in. There are also some good references in the article that will further your knowledge.
Enjoy and Be Well,
Michael Reid, B.HE. CSCS, RKC
What is the most common site of pain and injury in Water Polo players?
Big drum roll please .... The shoulders!!!!!
You do not even have to look at the research. If you have been involved in the game as a player, coach or even parent you are probably very aware of the importance of shoulder health and how common it is for Water Polo athletes to experience some kind of shoulder pain or injury during their career.
In this article I will discuss some very valuable tips and tricks for keeping your shoulders healthy.
Enjoy and Be Well,
Michael Reid, B.HE. CSCS, RKC
DOWNLOAD: Preliminary Conference Schedule
For the championship, tickets for game sessions are around $10 USD for prelim; $30 USD for finals.Enjoy and Be Well,
Michael Reid, B.HE. CSCS, RKC
Below is my latest article published on WaterPoloPlanet.com. Read and enjoy.
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RESEARCH REVIEW - #1, August 2010
In this series of articles I will copy the abstracts of relevant Water Polo research and give a short commentary on each one. Due to copyright laws I am unable to supply the full article. If you wish to have the full article please go to PubMed.com or other appropriate website to obtain a copy. If you are affiliated with an university you will likely be able to obtain many of these articles for free from your library.
McCluskey L, et al. Throwing velocity and jump height in female water polo players: Performance predictors. J Sci Med Sport (2009)
Abstract: Throwing velocity and vertical jumping ability are essential components for shooting and passing in water polo. The purpose of this study was to determine whether there is a relationship between throwing velocity and water jump height in highly skilled female water polo players. Throwing velocity and head height at ball release were measured in twenty-two female players (age 20.41 years (6.16); weight 68.28 kg (8.87)) with two 50 frames per second cameras while shooting at goal. Water jump height was also measured with a modified Yardstick® device. Multiple regression analyses showed that peak lower limb power was the most significant predictor of maximal velocity. Power alone accounted for 62% of the variance in maximum velocity (p < 0.001). Once power was entered into the model none of the other physical characteristics (lean mass, fat mass, land jump height and anthropometry) made a significant contribution to throwing velocity. After controlling for the effect of power, head height at ball release accounted for an additional significant proportion of the variance in maximal velocity (R2 change 7%; p = 0.049). Lower body power was a significant predictor of higher throwing velocity in highly skilled female water polo players. Players with relatively higher underlying levels of lower limb power who are able to generate greater elevation out of the water are able to throw the ball faster.
My Comments: A critical factor of having a big shot is leg power but not just in the water. The athletes with an above average throwing velocity also had a higher on-land vertical jump and were basically just larger athletes.
The authors in their closing statement (see full article) state “... multifactorial approach including water based training such as swimming and water polo skills training as well as land based training such as strength training are consistent with achievement of higher overhead throwing velocities.”
So, don't discount your strength training and other on-land activities BUT you still must practice and improve your sports specific skills in the water.
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McMaster WC, Long SC, Caiozzo VJ. Isokinetic torque imbalances in the rotator cuff of the elite water polo player. Am J Sports Med Jan-Feb;19(1):72-5 (1991)
Abstract: The specific repetitive activity of water polo, like baseball pitching, emphasizes adduction and internal rotation. This study used the Cybex II to evaluate the isokinetic strength of the rotator cuff in elite water polo players and in a group of control subjects. The water polo players were significantly stronger than the controls. Of greater importance was the confirmation of imbalances in the rotator cuff force couples of adduction/abduction and external/internal rotation. These changes are similar to those reported for pitchers. The adductors in the water polo group had gained in relative strength resulting in an increase in the adduction/abduction ratio to about 2:1. The internal rotators had gained in relative strength resulting in a decrease in the external/internal ratio to about 0.6:1. For both force couples the differences are more apparent at a slow speed. Side-to-side differences were not significant.
My Comments: This and other similar articles are important to remember and think about when designing strength training programs for Water Polo athletes. I believe that the first thing all strength programs need to do is keep the athlete healthy. Look at the sport and do the opposite! It may seem contrary to conventional thought, especially when you think of specificity but there is a cost for only doing sport specific training and that cost is usually pain and injury.
Basically, spend more time on training your pulling muscles and external rotators of the shoulder. This is a key to effective programing for the Water Polo player and is outlined in many of the articles I have written here on Water Polo Planet.
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READ THE REST OF MY RESEARCH REVIEW HERE.
Enjoy and Be Well,
Michael Reid, B.HE. CSCS, RKC
This is the first of many articles focused on answering your questions. It will be a collection of questions from the Water Polo Planet Forum, my website www.WaterPoloTraining.net and personal conversations I have with athletes and coaches from around the world.
If you have any questions please do not hesitate to send them my way and I will do my best to give a complete answer to your question the next time I write a Q & A article.
READ MORE ....Topics in this article:
Enjoy and Be Well,
Michael Reid, B.HE. CSCS, RKC
PS. I must of been really tired when proof reading this article:)
Below is my latest article published on WaterPoloPlanet.com.
Enjoy and Be Well,
Michael Reid, B.HE. CSCS, RKC
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Most Water Polo players will experience some kind of shoulder injury or dysfunction at some point in their career. In conjunction with that comes some knowledge of the “rotator cuff” (RC) to the point where these two words have become part of the lingo of most if not all Water Polo coaches and athletes. But of all the rotator cuff (RC) exercises out there, which ones are the best suited for Water Polo and which are less then desirable.
With the increased knowledge of the human body comes the realization that what was done in the past wasn't always the best option. You will see in this article some exercises that you are very familiar with that have become part of the trash heap while others are receiving very high approval from researchers and rehab clinicians.
In this article I will discuss the following key points:
Rotator Cuff Function
There are four muscles that make up the rotator cuff (Subscapularis, Infraspinatus, Supraspinatus & Teres Minor). When you look at these muscles it is quite obvious that they are rather small when compared to some of the bigger prime movers of the shoulder.
The function of them is usually categorized as either Humeral (shoulder) internal or external rotators but probably more important is the function of keeping the head of the Humerus centrally located in the Glenoid Fossa (or cavity).
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But it's not that simple ... or is it?
You also need to consider that the body works as a whole not as isolated parts, the RC muscles are no different. Since they all originate on the Scapulae (shoulder blade), the position of the shoulder blade will greatly impact how well the RC muscles are able to perform their job. As seen in my last 2 articles, “Stretching the Shoulders for a BIGGER Shot – Part I & Part II”; the position of the Thoracic Spine will affect the range of motion of the shoulder. It just so happens that the position of the Scapulae also is greatly influenced by the Thoracic Spine. ...
READ WHOLE ARTICLE HERE
