One Sport Specialization May Increase Your Risk of a Knee Injury

Got this great email from one of my parents who happens to be a Physical Therapist. I wanted to pass it on. I agree with her and the article whole-heartedly.

Good morning —

I thought I would forward this article along which was written by a fellow PT colleague. It is just a good reminder of the importance of muscle balance in sport. For those athletes who cannot back off of a given sport a bit during the year for whatever reason, outside training with a knowledgeable professional which addresses stability, balance, core and opposing muscle group strengthening is critical. We PTs are seeing a big increase in the number of injuries due to overuse and muscular imbalance, and it isn’t just about knees. My preach for the day: “IT’S ALL ABOUT BALANCE !! This is NOT a marketing gimmick on my part — I am plenty busy! I feel it my duty to do what I can for our community and our kids. Let’s help them to learn to stay balanced in all that they do …

Enjoy your day —

Trish Brown, PT

One Sport Specialization May Increase Your Risk of a Knee Injury

January 15, […]

One Sport Specialization May Increase Your Risk of a Knee InjuryGame2016-12-09T00:03:06-08:00

Gamespeed Tracksters Off to a Good Start

Well its the All Comers season. A great way to see “what’s doin” with the body after some off season training. We had a couple of athletes compete Saturday Jan 11th at the Skyline High School series in Oakland. The results were encouraging. Alex Huggins posted a time that was just .30 tenths off his personal best from last season. Ryan Jones bettered both of his opening marks in the 100m and 200m from this time last year by .10 and .40 respectively. Ben Lee opened up in the 400m three seconds faster than last year at this point and set a personal record in the 200m.

Eight grader Enzo Villadolid was also off to a fast start as he competed in the Los Gatos All Comers running 12.28 seconds for 100m. Just .30 off his personal best of last year and well ahead of his 2013 opener .

All of these athletes have put in a reasonable amount of off season training working on their strength and technique. Looks like it was time well spent.

Gamespeed Tracksters Off to a Good StartGame2016-12-09T00:03:06-08:00

5 Strategies for Treating Knee and Elbow Tendonitis by Doug Fioranelli

Appears on STACK.com

Very good article and video about how to handle a very common problem for all athletes. Covers all the important points on handling the condition. We go through the same protocol at Gamespeed. Athletes should watch the video and bookmark it for future reference.

If you are a competitive athlete, chances are you have experienced a constant burning pain close to one of your knee or elbow joints. Initially it may have seemed like a minor inconvenience, but it stuck around, slowly turning up the burning heat until you were unable to perform routine activities. You may have had tendonitis, and the need to initiate treatment to alleviate this painful sensation.

Tendonitis is an inflammation of the muscle tendons that brings a light, burning pain. Two of the most common sites are the inside or outside of the elbow joint, commonly referred to as golfer’s (inside) or tennis (outside) elbow; and around the knee where the kneecap sits, known as patellar tendonitis.

Tendonitis has a variety of causes, but it usually manifests itself slowly through a repeated activity. Running 30 miles a week, hitting hundreds […]

5 Strategies for Treating Knee and Elbow Tendonitis by Doug FioranelliGame2016-12-09T00:03:06-08:00

Alex Barden – Second of three GS athletes to commit to UC Santa Clara

Congratulations to the second Gamespeed athlete to commit to UC Santa Clara. Late summer we began a program to get Alex ready for his college showings. Six weeks later at five days a week training and he increased his pitching velocity 4 mph! That was enough to entice the scouts and get an offer. Well done.

Cameron Schott
NorCalPreps.com Analyst



The lefty locates well and mixes in his offspeed stuff effectively

San Ramon Valley pitcher Alex Barden impressed at the Bay Area World Series this summer and eventually landed an offer from the hosting Santa Clara Broncos. He turned his performance into a Division I commitment.

“The Bay Area World Series was where I first had the chance to throw in front of the Santa Clara coaching staff,” said Barden. “While out there, I got ahead of hitters and made use of all of my pitches while on the mound at the showcase. Blaine Clemmens did an excellent job of running the event and […]

Alex Barden – Second of three GS athletes to commit to UC Santa ClaraGame2016-12-09T00:03:07-08:00

Fisher – First of three GS athletes to commit to UC Santa Clara

Congratulations to Austin Fisher of Acalanes High. The versatile infielder made the most of his summer showing with a verbal commit to UC Santa Clara. A diligent and productive worker at Gamespeed since 2010 made the investment in himself and its now paid off. He was the first of three Gamespeed athletes (Alex Barden & Matt Smithwick of SRV) to commit to Santa Clara in the past couple months.

Cameron Schott
NorCalPreps.com Analyst



Fisher performed well at the RNWS and BAWS this summer

Acalanes shortstop Austin Fishercapped a successful summer with a verbal commitment. The senior-to-be decided to stay local and become a Bronco at Santa Clara University.

On his decision, Fisher said, “My three biggest factors for choosing Santa Clara were the coaching staff, the facilities, and the academics.”

Although Santa Clara was Fisher’s only offer at the time of his commitment, he also had interest from Boston College, Cal, Columbia, San Jose State, Utah, UC Davis, UC Riverside, UC San Diego, and the University of Pennsylvania. He took unofficial visits to San […]

Fisher – First of three GS athletes to commit to UC Santa ClaraGame2016-12-09T00:03:07-08:00

Athletic Infielder: Series Starts Monday November 2nd

***NEW START DATES***

Series Starts Monday November 2nd

**Space is limited, reserve your spot**

Baseball & Softball Athletes

The only program of its kind in the Bay Area.

This dynamic program offers a two-pronged approach to developing the ultimate play maker. Participants will sharpen their fielding skills and techniques with former SF Giants player Erik Johnson of EJ Sports and strengthen their athletic skill development with Gamespeed’s Aaron Thigpen. It promises to be the most effective 75 minutes of training a baseball athlete can undergo.

Participants can expect to see improvement in:

Soft- Quick Hands

Footwork

Range

Instincts

Reaction Vision

*****First Come First Serve Limited slots available*****

Cost: $280

Dates: November 2nd, 9th, 16th, 30th, Dec 7th

Time: Mondays 7:00-8:30pm

Ages: 11 and Up (athletes will be grouped by ability).

For athletes under 11. We will take an interest list. If enough participants, we will open it up to these athletes to form their own grouping. Be sure to call ASAP to express your interest.

For more information or to sign up, call Gamespeed at (925) 513-8676.

[Form id=”11″]

Athletic Infielder Payment

[wp_cart_button name=”Athletic Infielder” price=”295.00″][show_wp_shopping_cart]

Athletic Infielder: Series Starts Monday November 2ndGame2016-12-09T00:03:07-08:00

Now Enrollling: Flight School Jump Training For Basketball Athletes

Flight School
Gamespeed Jump Training For Basketball Athletes

Want To Play Above The Rim?

This five session course is specifically designed to address the jump demands for basketball athletes:

Vertical Height
Jump Quickness
Jump Balance
Two Footed, One Footed
Proper take off and landing to prevent injury.
Foot, Ankle, Knee, Core strengthening.

Classes Begin October 15th

■ Class size Six athletes “ONLY”!
■ $175 for 5 sessions.
■ Tuesdays 7:00- 8:00 pm. Oct 15th, 22nd, 29th, Nov 2nd, Nov 9th.

Ages 13 and up.

Call to claim your spot.
(925) 513-8676

Proven results. A program used by Merritt College. In 2013 the T-Birds made a storybook run all the way to the state final four.

Now Enrollling: Flight School Jump Training For Basketball AthletesGame2016-12-09T00:03:07-08:00

Tale of two pitchers, Big improvements in weeks!

Man its early for this kind of story but it great all the same. Some of you know that at Gamespeed I do a lot of work with pitchers. This time of year I like to see them shut down from pitching and focus on building for the upcoming season. However, for many reasons (Showcases, Fall Teams etc) that’s not always possible. Two of my charges have had some nice results recently. The first vying for a college scholarship and the second moving into his first year of college.

Congratulations to Alex Barden. Alex was in a pressure situation to give the scouts what they wanted. He had eight weeks to get ready for his outing to prospective colleges. In FIVE weeks, doing an in house program of 2-3 days per week with a homework program for another 2 days per week he improved velocity 4 mph! going from 82-86 mph. The result was an impressive outing and an offer from UC Santa Clara. He will join utility player Austin Fisher of Acalanes who also accepted an offer from the same school earlier this summer.

Tale of two pitchers, Big improvements in weeks!Game2016-12-09T00:03:07-08:00

Gamespeed’s More Meaningful Reach Beyond the Playing Field

As coaches on a daily basis we concern ourselves with the goals of our athletes, to get bigger, faster and stronger. Its easy to forget the other ways we influence those we teach and how we effect them off the playing field. We seldom think of the ripple effect of our interactions both positive and negative.

I got a very nice message from an former athlete and assistant of mine. Matt Candau has been involved with Gamespeed since 2009. He has studied abroad at Roehampton University in England and at the University Queensland in Australia. He is back in southern California completing his practical hours.

His message reminds me that there are things more meaningful than throwing a 90 mph fastball or running a 4.4, 40 yard dash.

Matt wrote:

“Hey Arron, I hope all is well. I am writing to you to thank you for everything you have taught me over the years. I never quite knew how valuable the skills you were teaching me were until right about now. Never in a million years would I have thought I would be using your performance techniques with my current patients, but here I […]

Gamespeed’s More Meaningful Reach Beyond the Playing FieldGame2016-12-09T00:03:08-08:00

Pitchers: “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail” Time for your Off Season Pitchers Conditioning!

Calling all hurlers, Baseball and Softball. Its time to think about the the upcoming season. Well, you don’t just need a class, you need a plan.

Is your plan to “workout” or “train.” Working out only gets you in shape, having a training plan gets you ready to perform.

For the past eighteen years Gamespeed has helped some of the areas best pitchers plan out successful seasons.

The 2013 season saw Johanna Grauer of Amador Valley the California Gatorade Player of the Year and Trent Shelton of Campolindo the Eastbay Player of the Year dominate on the mound. Read more about them and others here….

Gamespeed plans include properly managed:

Velocity Improvement

Body Control

Durability

Endurance

Arm care

Recovery

Come to Gamespeed, not to workout but to “work a plan”, one devised for you to be in a “class of your […]

Pitchers: “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail” Time for your Off Season Pitchers Conditioning!Game2016-12-09T00:03:08-08:00