Speed Training Insights
Live from the NSCA Euro Con, Day 2
…I was wrong. Well, somewhat wrong. Paul Comfort and I are on still the same page regarding maximal strength, but his talk centred around jumps and how to use (and…
Live from the NSCA Euro Con 2025, Day 1
Here I am at the National Strength and Conditioning Associations European Conference 2025! I was looking forward to Boyd Epley making the opening address, and he delivered. One of the…
Bench Press for Speed Part 2
Part 1 outlined the benefits of using a chest-width grip the bench press. Namely, the potential for higher bar speeds thanks to the biomechanical advantage of strong muscles coordinating long…
The Problem With Optical Timing Gates
Optical timing gates are precise, accurate instruments. The design and manufacture of the technology is wonderful. They are simple, portable and reliable. They display results immediately. Researchers use them. Coaches…
Bench Press for Speed Part 1
What is the best grip width for the bench press? The quick answer is chest-width. The long answer is it depends on your goals and anatomy… but will still probably…
Why Do You Even Lift, Bro?
If you answered to increase strength, that is a very good reason. Resistance training is the most effective way to increase strength. Strength improves performance1 and decreases injury risk.2 If…
Some Rules are Made to be Broken
Anders Ericsson (not pictured above… it’s some other guy) was a pioneer in the field of motor learning and produced some excellent research on the topic. In a study of…
Overtraining and Mental Health in Tennis
Nik Krygios recently revealed that he had contemplated suicide in 2019. Naomi Osaka has taken extended breaks from competition citing her mental health. Mardy Fish twice withdrew from the US…
In Memory of Joe Glenn: The Importance of Functional Anatomy
One of my earliest mentors passed away recently. Joe Glenn was a professor in the Kinesiology Faculty at the University of New Brunswick. He also served as the Athletic Therapist…
Is This an April Fools’ Joke?
I read an article1 in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research today that shocked me. The first surprise was with the abstract, which implies play in the lower soccer…
Redirection vs. Change of Direction
The athletic component of agility is, both figuratively and literally, multi-dimensional. The uneducated coach spreads out a bunch of cones, hurdles or ladders and gets their players to move around/through/between/over…
FIFA 2022 Upsets, or Why European Teams Underperform Against Non-UEFA Nations
Considering the disparity in rankings, roster value1, international experience, and historical success, Belgium should have dominated Canada. Instead they considered themselves lucky to come out one point victors after being outplayed…
Reactive Agility
In competition players don’t run 10 metres straight ahead, make a 90 degree cut and run exactly 5 metres before reversing direction back to the starting point. Instead, they must…
Flexibility – Not All It’s Cracked Up To Be
Thank you Dr. James L. Nuzzo for writing The Case for Retiring Flexibility as a Major Component of Physical Fitness 1. Some of you may be surprised by the title…