Clubs adding Sports Performance Training to their offerings. Xplosive Edge, First Pick Performance and Kratos Gym
Most of the larger clubs now include or offer sport-specific performance training to their teams. Let’s delve into some of the reasoning for this starting with The Xplosive Edge working with Premier Volleyball and First Pick Performance working with VCNebraska. …
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Continue ReadingMost of the larger clubs now include or offer sport-specific performance training to their teams. Let’s delve into some of the reasoning for this starting with The Xplosive Edge working with Premier Volleyball and First Pick Performance working with VCNebraska.
Diane Banderas | B.S. | CSCS | USAW1
Director of Sports Performance
Premier Volleyball
The Xplosive Edge, LLC
At the Xplosive Edge, we have worked with Premier Volleyball for the past 16 years. The use of resistance training in youth athletics is a newer concept that has really picked up speed in the past 10 years; there are many position statements that prove it is crucial in fundamental athletic development and injury reduction. From a young age, kids are running and jumping with no formal training. They carry heavy backpacks, launch themselves off of playground equipment, and participate in athletics much sooner and at a much higher level than we could have ever imagined. Our goal is to create a foundation of movement that provides a solid base for future development. As we age, we lose the ability to move; our mobility decreases, as does our strength. Developing strength and good positioning at a young age prevents these things from occurring and allows youth athletes to develop both physically and mentally; thus, creating better athletes.
As a sports performance facility primarily training athletes 8-18 years old, we understand that kids are not miniature adults. There are stages to training that should be followed and evolved as athletes age. Our goal is to create athletes, not bodybuilders. Thus, oftentimes we start athletes with PVC pipes and 15-pound aluminum barbells to ensure that proper form is being used and retained. Once an athlete has mastered their technique, we can progress the amount of weight being moved. In the off-season we take training a step further with our 13-18-year-old athletes, increasing the amount of time in the weight room and upping the intensity of workouts. We also aim to educate each athlete on the importance of nutrition within athletic performance. Training is great, but if an athlete has a subpar diet, maximum results will never be achieved.
In regard to volleyball athletes, our main objectives are to improve their jump, increase their lateral speed/change of direction, and reduce injuries. We work a lot on explosive power, rotational power, and lower body strength. Over the years, we have seen outstanding results training athletes twice a week throughout the club season; aiming to have them peaking for major tournaments. Additionally, from how our athlete’s warmup to how they squat, the science of Postural Restoration ® (PRI) is integrated into all of our training sessions. In doing so, we are addressing asymmetries in the body to create more balanced, functional athletes. Every athlete is screened by Edge Physical Therapy prior to training in the weight room and we are notified of any modifications that need to be made to the program. These modifications aim to improve shoulder function, reduce low back tightness, and decrease knee pain to name a few. PRI is a great tool that adds an additional dimension to our program.–Diane Banderas
Christian Dudzik
First Pick Performance Co-Owner
Partnered with VCNebraska
Kratos Performance and Fitness
David Schwartz–Co-Founder, Performance Coach
Working with Nebraska ONE athletes
Kratos performance training is building better athletes through improving full-body stability, strength, power, agility, speed, and learning correct movement technique to improve neuromuscular coordination. Our philosophy is quality training and putting athletes in the best position to learn efficiently and effectively. It’s what you do AND more importantly how you do it. Our training prepares athletes for the demands of sport through tissue adaptation and building movement skill / abilities through quality training. What separates Kratos is our high level of expertise, experience, and mindset development. All of our coaches are CSCS experts and know the most effective ways to train athletes to improve performance and prevent injuries.