TimB4Last
16 Jul 2008, 12:14 PM
I saw a couple of articles I thought worth sharing ...
First:
http://www.gazette.net/stories/071608/damaspo191157_32357.shtml
....
Randy Rocha, 35 of Brookeville, will serve as the United States Men’s Soccer Team’s Strength and Conditioning coach ...
....
In the earlier practices, he conducts intense warm-ups, then gets them to himself in the second session, pushing players in the weight room and on the field for fitness drills.
He likes to emphasize ‘‘working your non-dominant side as much as your dominant side,” as well as immediate start-stop explosion. Some of his more unique exercises include the tow-and-release, where a player is harnessed with a bungee cord and tries to power in the other direction as quickly as possible — eventually, the cord is released, and the player sprints with an extra jolt of less weight to carry. Another is one he created himself, which he calls ‘‘combative pursuit,” where two players are attached by a belt and a piece of Velcro, and the pair take turns following each other through a series of flags. One will dictate the movements, meaning the other has to utilize quick feet and shiftiness to keep pace.
‘‘That’s the fun stuff,” he says. ‘‘You watch guys in these combative drills, trying to get from point A to point B — you get to see who’s hungry and who wants to work hard.”
....
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I'd love to see videos of the two exercises described: "tow and release" and "combative pursuit."
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Second:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/4/story.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=10521873
The biggest challenge for New Zealand Olympic athletes in Beijing will be adapting to 30degC to 35degC heat and humidity of 90 to 95 per cent, says a sports scientist accompanying the men's soccer team.
Andrew Foskett will accompany the Oly-Whites, the first New Zealand soccer squad to go to the Olympics, to Beijing with body cooling gel, gas masks, ice baths, compression stockings and a tonne of nutritional snacks.
....
The 18-strong squad will prepare for the sweat in China by playing several practice games in Australia, followed by two weeks of acclimatisation in Indonesia.
During games, players will wear special vests soaked in a cooling gel originally formulated for racehorses to delay the onset of fatigue caused by overheating.
....
Dr Foskett, a lecturer at Massey University's Auckland campus, said the players will wear carbon filter masks in China to reduce the harmful effects of air pollution.
"Athletes are more susceptible to catching bugs when they're at peak fitness," he said in a statement.
....
**********
I'd love to hear more about the cooling gel vests.
First:
http://www.gazette.net/stories/071608/damaspo191157_32357.shtml
....
Randy Rocha, 35 of Brookeville, will serve as the United States Men’s Soccer Team’s Strength and Conditioning coach ...
....
In the earlier practices, he conducts intense warm-ups, then gets them to himself in the second session, pushing players in the weight room and on the field for fitness drills.
He likes to emphasize ‘‘working your non-dominant side as much as your dominant side,” as well as immediate start-stop explosion. Some of his more unique exercises include the tow-and-release, where a player is harnessed with a bungee cord and tries to power in the other direction as quickly as possible — eventually, the cord is released, and the player sprints with an extra jolt of less weight to carry. Another is one he created himself, which he calls ‘‘combative pursuit,” where two players are attached by a belt and a piece of Velcro, and the pair take turns following each other through a series of flags. One will dictate the movements, meaning the other has to utilize quick feet and shiftiness to keep pace.
‘‘That’s the fun stuff,” he says. ‘‘You watch guys in these combative drills, trying to get from point A to point B — you get to see who’s hungry and who wants to work hard.”
....
**********
I'd love to see videos of the two exercises described: "tow and release" and "combative pursuit."
**********
Second:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/4/story.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=10521873
The biggest challenge for New Zealand Olympic athletes in Beijing will be adapting to 30degC to 35degC heat and humidity of 90 to 95 per cent, says a sports scientist accompanying the men's soccer team.
Andrew Foskett will accompany the Oly-Whites, the first New Zealand soccer squad to go to the Olympics, to Beijing with body cooling gel, gas masks, ice baths, compression stockings and a tonne of nutritional snacks.
....
The 18-strong squad will prepare for the sweat in China by playing several practice games in Australia, followed by two weeks of acclimatisation in Indonesia.
During games, players will wear special vests soaked in a cooling gel originally formulated for racehorses to delay the onset of fatigue caused by overheating.
....
Dr Foskett, a lecturer at Massey University's Auckland campus, said the players will wear carbon filter masks in China to reduce the harmful effects of air pollution.
"Athletes are more susceptible to catching bugs when they're at peak fitness," he said in a statement.
....
**********
I'd love to hear more about the cooling gel vests.