Water Polo Training

Keeping it Simple - the farmers walk

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

www.michaelreid.ca

www.WaterPoloTraining.net

Water Polo Mobility Complex

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:

1. Goblet Squats x 5
2. Split Squats x 5/side
3. Halos x 5/direction
4. Cossacks or side to side squats x 5/side
5. Bent Over Row x 5

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

www.michaelreid.ca

www.WaterPoloTraining.net

Keeping your Shoulders Healthy - 4 Tips for the Water Polo Athlete

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.

READ THE REST HERE

 

Enjoy and Be Well,

Michael Reid, B.HE. CSCS, RKC

www.michaelreid.ca

www.WaterPoloTraining.net

Q & A article

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:

• Periodization
• Ab training
• Butterfly
• Weightlifting for young teens
• Freshman Goal Keeper Training

Get my answers here.

Enjoy and Be Well,

Michael Reid, B.HE. CSCS, RKC

www.michaelreid.ca

www.WaterPoloTraining.net

PS. I must of been really tired when proof reading this article:)

Is your Can Empty or Full?

Below is my latest article published on WaterPoloPlanet.com.

Enjoy and Be Well,

Michael Reid, B.HE. CSCS, RKC

www.michaelreid.ca

www.WaterPoloTraining.net

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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
• The Best and the Worst
• Thoughts on progressions and other useful exercises

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).

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

Stretching the Shoulders for a BIGGER shot - part II

Look at the picture below; you don't need to be a brain surgeon to realize that this range of motion (ROM) in the shoulder will not be conducive to a powerful shot or a healthy shoulder.

But what about this next picture, looks a lot better, but what has changed?

The body works as a complete unit all the time, it is never isolated. What the picture above shows is the relationship between the thoracic spine position and the arm position you are able to achieve. If the thoracic spine is stiff or unable to extend (straighten) then shoulder motion will be reduced and health of the shoulder will be greatly compromised.

In this article I will show some examples of exercises that you can start using today to improve your shoulder ROM, improve shoulder health and ultimately aid in your development as a world class shooter.

READ MORE ...

READ PART I

Enjoy and Be Well,

Michael Reid, B.HE. CSCS, RKC

www.michaelreid.ca

www.WaterPoloTraining.net

Better Shooting using Heavy Balls?

If I can train with a heavier ball, then when I go back to the regulation size and weight I should be able to just "kill it".

It makes sense right?

Get stronger by using heavier loads doing the same motion as your sport skill, it is basic strength training science.

Although this is a really good idea in many circumstances (i.e. trying to copy or mimic exactly what you do in your sport with heavier loads) it may not always be a good idea.

One thought process I recently heard which I like and makes sense is (paraphrased from an audio interview of Coach Nick Tumminello - http://nicktumminello.com):

If the sport skill requires lots of accuracy (like Water Polo passing/shooting, golf swing, basketball shot) then you need to be extremely careful with loading that skill, if you even load it at all.

But if the sport skill does not require a lot of accuracy (like a vertical jump whether on land or in water) then loading that sport skill can be much more aggressive and beneficial.

It has long been accepted that doing weighted squat jumps is one of the best exercises for improving your on-land vertical jump. A vertical jump doesn't require lots of accuracy, it is a fairly crude movement when compared to something like a golf swing or throwing a ball.

This is one reason I am not a big fan of trying to mimic the shooting motion in the weight room. Best case you only waist your time but worst case you really screw up your sport skill.

I am a strong believer in getting strong with the basic movements first regardless of your sport.

I have written about Deadlifts before and it might just be the best exercise for everyone regardless of sport. It is one those strength exercises that you can positively say "just do this!". 

With respect to Water Polo, there are heavy Water Polo balls on the market and I do believe they have a use on-land and in the water. But it depends with who and what you specifically do which will greatly determine if it becomes a positive or negative training adaptation.

This subject is very interesting to me and a recent study I just read used Handball players training not with a heavier ball but with a lighter ball!

They had two groups of athletes, one trained with the normal handball while the other trained with a handball that was 20% lighter.

"The results showed that training with lighter balls could improve the performance of throwing more than using normal balls."

"These findings are in agreement with previous studies that involve similar movements of other sports and suggest that the decreased resistance during training that involves ballistic movements can be advantageous for the player’s performance ..."

Skoufas D, Stefanidis P, Michailidis C, Hatzikotoulas K & Kotzamandou M. The Effect of Handball Training with Underweighted Balls on the Throwing Velocity of Novice Handball Players. JHMS, 2002

View Full Article Here

Performing ballistic movements with a light load can improve your strength; primarily starting and speed strength.

It is believed by some coaches that the mechanism at work is more one of inhibition.

What does this mean?

The human body is extremely strong and powerful. It is so powerful that if you were able to  generate your true maximum force that you would probably end up breaking bones, rupturing tendons and tearing ligaments.

In strength trained athletes, they may be able to use only 35-40% of the available motor units, which means there is great room for improvement (non-strength trained athletes would be less).

So, it is believed that when lifting these light loads extremely fast you take the bodies safety brakes off a bit and thereby the athlete is able to recruit a higher number of motor units and ultimately generate more force.

From a training perspective, there is a little more to it then that because lifting heavy loads has a similar effect.

Something to consider whether to use light, heavy or a combination of both in your training is the actual movement you are training. It comes back to whether the skill (movement) does or doesn't require a high degree of accuracy.

In Water Polo that may mean doing a combination of both heavy and light resistance with your on-land training (example heavy deadlifts & jump squats; heavy push ups & medicine ball throws) but sticking with the regulation ball most of the time for your pool training.

There are exercises with the heavy ball in the pool that can be used with most athletes. One that I like is the 2-hand overhead throw; great for the legs especially if passing in partners and always keeping your hands out of the water.

What is your experience with training with heavy Water Polo balls or do you even use them?

Please write about your experience in the comment section below.

Thank You & Be Well,

Michael Reid, B.HE, CSCS, RKC

www.michaelreid.ca

www.WaterPoloTraining.net

Stretching the Shoulders for a BIGGER shot - part I

In Jim Solum's new book, “Science of Shooting”, he writes about three arm positions of the dominant arm. The position that has the most power is what he calls the “long arm cock”. This arm position is essentially one that is high and far behind the head and body. This allows the athlete to have a larger arm motion on their shot which in turns creates a more powerful shot or more speed on the ball.

Why a more powerful shot?

Because the ball will be in the athletes possession for a longer period and said athlete will have increased opportunity to transfer the power from their body to the ball. This is much like trying to run as fast as you can on a track.

If it takes you around 40m to get up to top speed, then that 40m of track is your “long arm cock” position. If you only had 20 meters of track, the maximum speed you would be able to attain would be much less.

In this two part article I will discuss safe and effective methods of improving your “long arm cock” position to help you achieve a better shot but also a healthier shoulder. If you don't have this “long arm cock” position then you will likely be throwing more like President Obama then a top level Water Polo player.

READ MORE...

Next month I will publish part II of this article.

Enjoy and Be Well,

Michael Reid, B.HE. CSCS, RKC

www.michaelreid.ca

www.WaterPoloTraining.net

Hungarian Water Polo Strength Training

The below video is of the Hungarian Water Polo Club "T-Mobile-Honvéd" performing some strength training.

Suspension training is very useful and easily portable tool for developing strength for Water Polo.

I believe they are best for upper body training, pushing and pulling, while leg training can easily be done just as good with no equipment (like a single leg squat).

Enjoy and Be Well,

Michael Reid, B.HE. CSCS, RKC

www.michaelreid.ca

www.WaterPoloTraining.net

Deadlifts are GOOD!!!

Deadlifts get an undeserved bad rap for being a dangerous exercise that can seriously hurt your back.

How can this possibly be when it's original name used to be “the health lift”. Somewhere along the way we took a wrong turn ... but I will leave that discussion for another time.

In this article I will show you a safe way of learning the deadlift, key points for safety, performance and variations so that you can start training deadlifts even if you do not have access to a weight room.

Benefits of Deadlifts

1. Improved Grip Strength

2. Shoulder Stability

3. Upper Back Strength

4. Trunk Stability

5. Leg Strength

Read the rest of the article here.

Be Well,

Michael Reid

www.michaelreid.ca

www.WaterPoloTraining.net