A Bigger Glass: What Your Teenage Athlete Needs This Summer!

What is the most important part of athletic performance?  Speed? Agility? Power?  I’m going to
confidently argue that in order to be faster, more agile, and more powerful, an athlete must first be
stronger!

Imagine a glass of water. Think of strength as the glass itself. The water in the glass is your agility,
power, speed and speed endurance.   Since most young athletes have not developed strength, their
“glass size” limits their speed development. In order to be a faster, stronger, more agile athlete, the
athlete needs a bigger glass (increasing strength), so it can hold more water!  Increasing the size of the
glass increases the athlete’s potential.

Let’s take a look at one component of a great athlete, the element of Speed.  Speed on the field is
determined by the ability of an athlete to produce force from the ground. The only way to generate
more force is to get stronger, which happens through strength training (building a bigger glass!).  The
stronger an athlete is, the more force they will be able to produce- and for longer- allowing them to
outperform everyone else on the field.  Not only does this new strength (force development) increase
the athlete’s speed (the amount of water in their glass), but it also helps an athlete hit better, throw
faster and jump higher.

Speed and Agility Camps/programs have become popular for youth, but their focus  is on getting more  
“water” without increasing the “size of the glass”!  These programs are not developing base strength to
develop an overall well rounded athlete.

Another invaluable benefit of strength training is injury reduction. Research pertaining to non contact
sports demonstrates that injuries are either a result of a muscular weakness, or a lack of proper
positioning required for force production. These injuries can be avoided if an athlete has the proper
strength to control movements such as throwing a pitch, decelerating and/or cutting on the field, etc.

There is a time and a place in  athletic programs for agility and speed drills, but an excellent Athlete
Development Program begins with strength development.  

emPower is excited to provide an Athlete Development Program that is like no other in our area.   The
program will last 10 weeks, which ensures sufficient time for growth and progression.   Athletes will be
assessed individually to determine their specific mobility, strength, and core functions.  They will have a
program written for them, which will develop strength, power, agility, and speed over the summer.

Details:

-$400 for the program ($300 if you sign up with a friend/teammate/sibling)

-Minimum Age 12 years old (junior high)

-9 weeks of training, 2 sessions/week (total of 18, can accommodate for vacations)

-Training sessions are Mon/ Wed/ Friday 11am (includes Open Gym 11-1 on these days as well)

-Program runs June 15-August 14

-Contact Patrick Hagen to register:  hagen_patrick1@yahoo.com

By Patrick Hagen, Strength and Conditioning Coach

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