Sometimes my frustration level reaches such a high I do a poor job of communicating my feelings regarding poor training methods with young athletes.
There is a youth volleyball coach that coaches at a local club. She is currently working with 12- and 13-year-old girls. Her practices are absolutely brutal. An extreme volume of suicide runs, shuffles, holds in a defensive stance and more. Yet, none of that has to do with making the young kids better volleyball players.
At a young age it is all about skill development and motor programming. …

Do you ever read something by a fitness coach and wonder why they have taken the road they have? You might hear someone proclaim they only train with “tough man” training methods by lifting tires and swinging sledge hammers. You might also hear the trainer that only teaches Yoga and Pilates to gain the best results. This is a topic I have shared before and it still amazes me on how one individual can be so undeviating with one approach to training. I am not going to go into all …

Thanks to those of you who supported my message on the welfare of our youth. There are so many people who have done much more than I will ever do to help kids lead better lives. My frustration comes from the lack of respect fitness receives from parents, school systems and other youth organizations. Please don’t get the impression I don’t think education is important. I agree it is so important. I just want people to realize how good health trumps good academics every time. If you don’t think so, …

I recently had the privilege of viewing a new DVD set, Assess and Correct, by Bill Hartman, Eric Cressey, and Mike Robertson. The mentioning of those three names says it all!

This video is not only full of top quality information on how to assess and correct what you have just assessed, but it is so easy to understand and apply. I knew it was a good product when I find myself on the floor performing the exercises as I am watching it. I was totally amazed at how they hit …

As coaches, we need to be aware of our athletes’ current abilities. This is why we should perform at least a visual assessment of how they move. When first assessing athletes, I always allow them move freely in many different directions in the beginning. I often also use the FMS or other three dimensional movements to see how their body handles itself in space. However, the strategies I devise from that point on are based on what I know the body should be able to accomplish.
The important aspect of coaching …

Most often, coaches and trainers do not use assessments at all during any stage of their programs. To be honest with you, I can understand why. It can be very confusing and most people don’t know what they are looking for and if they do they don’t know what to do with the information once gathered. Here are my thoughts…
An assessment, evaluation, or screen is a tool to gather information on individuals, teams, and even programs. Don’t just think of an assessment for individuals. It is for programs as well. …

Lee Burton has presented on numerous sports medicine topics at the local and national level at various sports medicine symposiums. He has also published articles in a variety of sports medicine journals and magazines concerning functional applications for treatment of athletic injuries. Lee, along with his colleagues, is currently working on several research projects dealing with functional evaluation and exercise prescription.
Lee is the co-developer of The Functional Movement Screen, a ranking and grading system created to document movement patterns that are key to normal function.
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