Joe Bonyai's Blog (71)

Here’s a video demonstrating some "self help" strategies for improving upper body posture and mechanics. These tools are acceptable replacements for athletes who don’t have access to a qualified therapist or soft tissue specialist. They are all relatively inexpensive as well (even the Arm Aid, which is worth it’s weight in gold).

The implications of upper body restorative strategies should also be viewed "from…

If you’re going to open a sports performance facility in a small space, prepare to answer the question "but how do you train speed and agility"? Understandably, most athletes and parents expect turf, track lanes, and elaborate cone drills from their "speed and agility" resource. As you can see from our videos, we have neither of those luxuries (yet). Ironically, if there was one component of training that we believe sets our model apart from other…

First off, I really appreciate that you’re reading this article. "Regressing" is not a sexy way to begin a title. Most trainers want secrets, progressions, and new variations to "mix it up". Deciding to take a look at this entry shows you understand the importance of constructing a complete toolbox to provide appropriate exercise prescription to all of your athletes and clients. Thank you.

A little while ago I demonstrated how to…

Looks can be deceiving! With the majority of medicine ball progressions consisting of rotational throws and slams, it can appear that these exercises are custom-made for rotational or throwing athletes. Surely, medicine ball exercises are an easy sell to baseball, tennis, hockey athletes, etc; however, if we change our perspective slightly, it is clear that every athlete can benefit from med ball work.

Medicine balls are just an implement, as universal as a dumbbell or cable…

A few posts back, I explained the theoretical consequences of coaching an athlete to "get on their toes". For this week’s post, I decided to provide some close up, visual evidence of my stance (no pun intended).

Here is a video of an adolescent female tennis player and male baseball/basketball player. Both athletes compete or practice with their team or private instructor six, if not seven days a week (not including a training session at Empower). Both athletes’ tendency is to shift…

To a young or novice athlete, the warm up can be, well, everything. It can take on both corrective, strength, and even conditioning purposes for untrained athletes. However, once an athlete becomes acclimated to their warm-up routine, it is time to move on. A simple way to progress a warm up is to combine exercises. Physiologically, this isn’t rocket science; however, combining exercises will make a warm-up more efficient, saving time for power, strength, and conditioning as the program…

If you played a variety of sports growing up, you undoubtedly can remember being told by a coach to "be ready on your toes". It was the universal stance whether you were a little league shortstop, point guard or aspiring tennis star. Although I believe most coaches have good intentions, getting athletes up on their toes might do more to slow them down than speed them up.

When most young athletes assume an "athletic stance", their first reaction is to shift too…

Having limited space or time can be a training advantage. Fewer resources can direct a coach to dial in on the essential components of preparation, while eliminating the fluff. Unfortunately, the question remains, "How do you train for speed and agility in a small space, without track lanes or turf?"

In a presentation that I contributed to www.SCWebinars.com I covered the topic,…