
Monday, December 31, 2007
Quote of the Day 12/31/07

"To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift."
-One of the most accomplished Distance Runners in American history
Labels:
12/31,
Daily Quote,
doing your best,
Effort,
Running,
Steve Prefontaine
Ullucci Sports Med Minute to Air on TV

Exciting news from Ullucci Sports Medicine & Physical Therapy. We are going to be a sponsor of a 1 minute spot during the show Varsity Life. Our Ullucci Sports Med Minute will have different topics relating to injury rehab, prevention and Strength Training. The first spot will air on January 7th during the show. Varsity Life can be seen on Mondays at 7:30pm on Cox Channel Three. Varsity Life is a show that spotlights Rhode Island High School Sports. The show is available On Demand after it airs.
Labels:
Sports Medicine Minute,
TV,
Ullucci,
Varsity Life
Friday, December 28, 2007
Quote of the Day 12/28/07

"Pressure is something you feel when you don't know what the hell you're doing."
-Super Bowl Champion, 7x Pro Bowler & 2x NFL MVP
Labels:
12/28,
Daily Quote,
Football,
Peyton Manning,
Pressure,
Success
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Friday, December 21, 2007
Quote of the Day 12/21/07

"Yes, risk taking is inherently failure-prone. Ortherwise, it would be called sure-thing-taking."
-Jim McMahon
-2x Super Bowl Champion & College Football Hall of Famer
Labels:
12/21,
Daily Quote,
Failure,
Football,
Jim McMahon,
Life,
Risk
Thursday, December 20, 2007
More on the Mitchell Report
As a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist (CSCS), I belong to the national Strength & Conditioning Association. This association has the mission to be the worldwide athority on Strength & Conditioning by bridging research to it practical application. A week ago Major League Baseball released the Mitchell report. If you are not familiar with it you can down load a copy of it here. The NSCA sent an email statement out to all of its members. I thought that I would post it on my blog so that all could read it and get the message that this reputable organization has to say.
National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) issues position on the Mitchell Report into the illegal use of steroids and other performance enhancing substances by major league baseball players
The National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) - the worldwide authority on strength and conditioning - has issued the following statement in response to the release of George Mitchell's report to the Commissioner of Baseball on the illegal use of steroids and other performance enhancing substances by major league baseball players:
"The NSCA is unequivocally against the illegal use of steroids and other performance enhancing substances. We believe their use is unethical and contrary to the goals of competitive sports. The NSCA believes in and supports the premise that participation in an athletic event should always be based on the highest moral and ethical standards and promote, in every way, the concept of fair play. The NSCA will investigate and take appropriate action against any NSCA member or NSCA certified individual who engages in or facilitates the illegal use of steroids or other performance enhancing substances." - Dr. Lee E. Brown, NSCA President
Says Professor at the University of Connecticut and Editor-In-Chief of the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research Dr. Bill Kraemer, "We need to re-affirm the message to athletes and parents that certified strength and conditioning coaches are competent professionals who have the education and background to optimize a workout, which is effective at diffusing the temptation to use anabolic drugs." He adds that a top strength and conditioning coach will typically have a masters degree in a related field, be NSCA-certified, and have the necessary background to work with athletes.
"Players need to be educated that steroids are not the answer," agrees Dr. Jay Hoffman, Department Chair at The College of New Jersey and former professional athlete. "Major League Baseball now requires that its strength and conditioning coaches be certified by the NSCA, and that needs to be enforced. Certification helps to ensure that those coaches on the front line have the greatest depth of knowledge on strength and conditioning training, nutrition and the proper use of supplementation."
Those seeking additional information should begin with the NSCA's website: www.nsca-lift.org. NSCA Vice President and Board Member Jose Antonio, Ph.D. explains that, "The NSCA provides resources and training on natural and effective ways to enhance performance. That includes a comprehensive library of information on the subject, which the Association began compiling in the early 1990s."
The following links will take you to additional information and educational materials on anabolic-androgenic steroid use by athletes:
Special Report: Steroids - September 2006 Issue of Performance Training Journal
Nutrition - December 2007 Issue of Performance Training Journal
Podcast - Dr. Hoffman discusses illegal substance abuse in professional, collegiate, and High School sports

The National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) - the worldwide authority on strength and conditioning - has issued the following statement in response to the release of George Mitchell's report to the Commissioner of Baseball on the illegal use of steroids and other performance enhancing substances by major league baseball players:
"The NSCA is unequivocally against the illegal use of steroids and other performance enhancing substances. We believe their use is unethical and contrary to the goals of competitive sports. The NSCA believes in and supports the premise that participation in an athletic event should always be based on the highest moral and ethical standards and promote, in every way, the concept of fair play. The NSCA will investigate and take appropriate action against any NSCA member or NSCA certified individual who engages in or facilitates the illegal use of steroids or other performance enhancing substances." - Dr. Lee E. Brown, NSCA President
Says Professor at the University of Connecticut and Editor-In-Chief of the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research Dr. Bill Kraemer, "We need to re-affirm the message to athletes and parents that certified strength and conditioning coaches are competent professionals who have the education and background to optimize a workout, which is effective at diffusing the temptation to use anabolic drugs." He adds that a top strength and conditioning coach will typically have a masters degree in a related field, be NSCA-certified, and have the necessary background to work with athletes.
"Players need to be educated that steroids are not the answer," agrees Dr. Jay Hoffman, Department Chair at The College of New Jersey and former professional athlete. "Major League Baseball now requires that its strength and conditioning coaches be certified by the NSCA, and that needs to be enforced. Certification helps to ensure that those coaches on the front line have the greatest depth of knowledge on strength and conditioning training, nutrition and the proper use of supplementation."
Those seeking additional information should begin with the NSCA's website: www.nsca-lift.org. NSCA Vice President and Board Member Jose Antonio, Ph.D. explains that, "The NSCA provides resources and training on natural and effective ways to enhance performance. That includes a comprehensive library of information on the subject, which the Association began compiling in the early 1990s."
The following links will take you to additional information and educational materials on anabolic-androgenic steroid use by athletes:
Special Report: Steroids - September 2006 Issue of Performance Training Journal
Nutrition - December 2007 Issue of Performance Training Journal
Podcast - Dr. Hoffman discusses illegal substance abuse in professional, collegiate, and High School sports
Quote of the Day 11/20/07

"Every great player has learned the two Cs: how to concentrate and how to maintain composure."
-Byron Nelson
-Golf Great
Labels:
12/20,
Byron Nelson,
Composure,
Concentration,
Daily Quote,
Golf,
Lessons
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Great Free Publication


This publication goes through the history of the machine and has some excellent abdominal and posterior hip exercises. I advise everyone how is serious on athletic performance enhancement to check this publication out. here is the link.
Quote of the Day 12/19/07
-Golf Great
-18 Major Championships
-113 Tournament Championships
Labels:
12/19,
Daily Quote,
Golf,
Jack Nicklaus,
Lessons,
Pride
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Ullucci Strength & Conditioning School

The School Director Jason Price is the Director of Strength and Conditioning at Ullucci Sports Medicine. He is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist, Athletic Trainer, and Personal Trainer. He also holds a certificate as a Club Coach from the United States Weightlifting Federation. Jason has worked with athletes from all levels of sports from Youth Sports to Athletes that have competed professionally.
Tuition for the Ullucci Strength & Conditioning School is $250.00 for the five day session. This tuition includes lunch daily, a t-shirt, and instruction manual that has all the information from the course.
The Ullucci Strength & Conditioning Facility located at the clinic is filled with thousands of pounds of some of the most elite equipment in the Strength & Conditioning Field.
To recieve a brochure on the school email Coach Price at jprice@risportsmed.com
Labels:
Conditioning,
High School Athletes,
Strength
The New Athletic Supporters
If you go to google and type in Athletic Supporter you will most likely be referred to a website offering you the best in Jock Strap Technology. But, the term Athletic Supporter means so much more today than it did many years ago.
Today the term Athletic Supporter refers to the many different professions and people who are out there to support Athletes in the quest to improve performance, prevent injury, recover, be health, and etc. It is not uncommon for some of the youth athletes I work with to have in their arsenal of support a Physical Therapist, Orthopedic Surgeon, Primary Care Physician, Sport Coach, Skill Coach, and myself as a Strength Coach. I think back to myself as an athlete and When I was Thirteen or Fourteen I had my Pediatrician and Coach. If I got hurt I sat out. Lifting weights didn't happen because back then "kids don't lift weights, it will stunt their growth."
Now a days it is difficult for Athletes and Parents of Athletes to sift through all of the information out there for performance enhancement, rehabilitation, recovery, health care, etc. Between Athletic Trainers, Physical Therapists, Chiropractors, Massage Therapists, Orthopedics, Osteopaths, Strength & Conditioning Specialists, Personal Trainers, and then all of the different coaches out there selling their clubs, teams, programs it gets confusing quick.
What is important for Athletes and Parents of Athletes to know is that it important to build your Athletic Support Team with people who are credible and are willing to work with you and other members of your Athletic Support Team. It can be very counter productive if you have one person telling you one thing and another telling you that is wrong do it this way. Many of the professions I outlined overlap each other with the skills and expertise they have. What you the consumer need to know is what each professional is capable of doing and how that can benefit your athletic performance.
First step to establishing a credible and well rounded Athletic Support Team is to have a Primary Care Physician that understands that you are an Athlete. This person should be more than just the person you go to when you have the sniffles and need a physical. What you are looking for is a Physician that is willing to refer you when you need to be referred. I can't tell you how many times during my Career as an Athletic Trainer I had trouble getting an athlete in to see an orthopedic because their Primary Care Physician would not refer them because they wanted to see them and then treated them. Unless your primary care physician has a specialty in Sports Medicine or Orthopedics then they should not handle an orthopedic injury. Having a PCP that will refer you when referral is needed is important. No how the PCP can help you is to have annual Physicals and be able to see you quickly when you are ill or need referral to a specialist. With injuries and illnesses and athletics time is crucial. If you sprain your ankle you want to begin the process of treatment ASAP not waiting a week to see the PCP to then get a referral and then wait another week to get in to see the Orthopedic. Having a PCP who has relationships with other physicians in other specialties is invaluable and the foundation of the Athletic Support team.
Then next person on your Athletic Support Team should be an individual who will help your when you are injured. This will be your Athletic Trainer or Physical Therapist. If you are lucky and have an Athletic Trainer that works with your team you are fortunate. If you don't know what an Athletic Trainer is go to http://www.nata.org/ to find out. Athletic Trainers are allied health professionals who are trained to work with the physically active population to Prevent, Evaluate, and Rehabilitate injuries. Athletic Trainers are found in many different settings from the Professional Sports level down to youth sports. These individuals are trained in how to handle situations that occur in athletics from something as simple as a nose bleed or sprained ankle to the emergency situations such as a Severe Head or Neck injury or joint dislocation. If you are an athlete at a setting which has an Athletic Trainer or a Parent of an Athlete in this setting you should get to know your Athletic Trainer before you are injured and need them. Developing a relationship prior to injury is a good way to get better care when you are injured. Not all Physical Therapists are created equal. It is important that your PT has background in Athletics. Treating a patient who is a physically athletic individual is much different from treating the sedentary patient. If you are going to be seen by a PT make sure that they treat athletes and not just say they do. If you are being treated and you are the only person there who appears to be an athlete there is a good chance you are. There are plenty of quality PTs out there who work with Athletes. Don't just go to the PT around the corner, find the PT who is going to serve your needs.
Once you have your Physician Network and ATC or PT in your Athletic Support Team you should discuss with them your options of professionals to aid in recovery. Massage Therapy, Chiropractic Medicine and other forms of manual therapy are great ways to aid in recovery and treat some of the more nagging injuries or correct imbalances. Having a Massage Therapist or Chiropractor who knows how to manipulate your body back into shape is a great tool. As an athlete from time to time you are going to feel a knot or ache and pain that are hampering your performance. Being able to have someone who knows your body and what you do to it will help you keep your body in alignment and in good working order.
Lastly, Strength Training and athletes has increase so much over the last twenty years. Especially in the Youth age group population. But, there are lots of options out there. It is very important to know who you are training with. All Personal Trainers are not created equal. There are many certifications out there. Many of them are NOT credible. Who would you rather train you? Someone who took a weekend course and passed the exam and became a Personal Trainer or someone who graduated from an accredited college and passed a national certification exam. There are several credentials you should be on the lookout for when searching for a Personal Trainer or Strength Coach. First, the gold standard for Strength and Conditioning is the CSCS credential. CSCS stands for Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and is the Gold standard for Strength Coaches. These people have been trained in the art and science behind performance enhancement. CSCSs are certified by the National Strength & Conditioning Association. To find out more on CSCS and the NCSA go to http://www.nsca.com/. There are also several Personal Training Certifications out there. But, the best ones are Certified Personal Trainers by the NSCA and also the National Council on Strength & Fitness. CPTs are certainly qualified to work with you and are college educated and have passed a national certification exam.
Now that you know more about your Athletic Support Team you are one step closer to reaching your goals.
Here at Ullucci Sports Medicine you can complete your Athletic Support Team by utilizing our Staff of Physical Therapists, Athletic Trainers, Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialists, Personal Trainers, Massage Therapists and much more. From Standard Physical Therapy to Performance Enhancement we have it all.

Now a days it is difficult for Athletes and Parents of Athletes to sift through all of the information out there for performance enhancement, rehabilitation, recovery, health care, etc. Between Athletic Trainers, Physical Therapists, Chiropractors, Massage Therapists, Orthopedics, Osteopaths, Strength & Conditioning Specialists, Personal Trainers, and then all of the different coaches out there selling their clubs, teams, programs it gets confusing quick.
What is important for Athletes and Parents of Athletes to know is that it important to build your Athletic Support Team with people who are credible and are willing to work with you and other members of your Athletic Support Team. It can be very counter productive if you have one person telling you one thing and another telling you that is wrong do it this way. Many of the professions I outlined overlap each other with the skills and expertise they have. What you the consumer need to know is what each professional is capable of doing and how that can benefit your athletic performance.
First step to establishing a credible and well rounded Athletic Support Team is to have a Primary Care Physician that understands that you are an Athlete. This person should be more than just the person you go to when you have the sniffles and need a physical. What you are looking for is a Physician that is willing to refer you when you need to be referred. I can't tell you how many times during my Career as an Athletic Trainer I had trouble getting an athlete in to see an orthopedic because their Primary Care Physician would not refer them because they wanted to see them and then treated them. Unless your primary care physician has a specialty in Sports Medicine or Orthopedics then they should not handle an orthopedic injury. Having a PCP that will refer you when referral is needed is important. No how the PCP can help you is to have annual Physicals and be able to see you quickly when you are ill or need referral to a specialist. With injuries and illnesses and athletics time is crucial. If you sprain your ankle you want to begin the process of treatment ASAP not waiting a week to see the PCP to then get a referral and then wait another week to get in to see the Orthopedic. Having a PCP who has relationships with other physicians in other specialties is invaluable and the foundation of the Athletic Support team.
Then next person on your Athletic Support Team should be an individual who will help your when you are injured. This will be your Athletic Trainer or Physical Therapist. If you are lucky and have an Athletic Trainer that works with your team you are fortunate. If you don't know what an Athletic Trainer is go to http://www.nata.org/ to find out. Athletic Trainers are allied health professionals who are trained to work with the physically active population to Prevent, Evaluate, and Rehabilitate injuries. Athletic Trainers are found in many different settings from the Professional Sports level down to youth sports. These individuals are trained in how to handle situations that occur in athletics from something as simple as a nose bleed or sprained ankle to the emergency situations such as a Severe Head or Neck injury or joint dislocation. If you are an athlete at a setting which has an Athletic Trainer or a Parent of an Athlete in this setting you should get to know your Athletic Trainer before you are injured and need them. Developing a relationship prior to injury is a good way to get better care when you are injured. Not all Physical Therapists are created equal. It is important that your PT has background in Athletics. Treating a patient who is a physically athletic individual is much different from treating the sedentary patient. If you are going to be seen by a PT make sure that they treat athletes and not just say they do. If you are being treated and you are the only person there who appears to be an athlete there is a good chance you are. There are plenty of quality PTs out there who work with Athletes. Don't just go to the PT around the corner, find the PT who is going to serve your needs.
Once you have your Physician Network and ATC or PT in your Athletic Support Team you should discuss with them your options of professionals to aid in recovery. Massage Therapy, Chiropractic Medicine and other forms of manual therapy are great ways to aid in recovery and treat some of the more nagging injuries or correct imbalances. Having a Massage Therapist or Chiropractor who knows how to manipulate your body back into shape is a great tool. As an athlete from time to time you are going to feel a knot or ache and pain that are hampering your performance. Being able to have someone who knows your body and what you do to it will help you keep your body in alignment and in good working order.
Lastly, Strength Training and athletes has increase so much over the last twenty years. Especially in the Youth age group population. But, there are lots of options out there. It is very important to know who you are training with. All Personal Trainers are not created equal. There are many certifications out there. Many of them are NOT credible. Who would you rather train you? Someone who took a weekend course and passed the exam and became a Personal Trainer or someone who graduated from an accredited college and passed a national certification exam. There are several credentials you should be on the lookout for when searching for a Personal Trainer or Strength Coach. First, the gold standard for Strength and Conditioning is the CSCS credential. CSCS stands for Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and is the Gold standard for Strength Coaches. These people have been trained in the art and science behind performance enhancement. CSCSs are certified by the National Strength & Conditioning Association. To find out more on CSCS and the NCSA go to http://www.nsca.com/. There are also several Personal Training Certifications out there. But, the best ones are Certified Personal Trainers by the NSCA and also the National Council on Strength & Fitness. CPTs are certainly qualified to work with you and are college educated and have passed a national certification exam.
Now that you know more about your Athletic Support Team you are one step closer to reaching your goals.
Here at Ullucci Sports Medicine you can complete your Athletic Support Team by utilizing our Staff of Physical Therapists, Athletic Trainers, Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialists, Personal Trainers, Massage Therapists and much more. From Standard Physical Therapy to Performance Enhancement we have it all.
About the Ullucci Strength & Conditioning Facility

- Thousands of pounds of International Powerlifting Federation competition grade Eleiko free weights.
- International Weightlifting Federation approved competition Weightlifting plates and bars
- Plyometric Boxes
- Two 8x8 Weightlifting Platforms
- Agility ladders, cones, hurdles
- Vertec jump training and testing system
- Glute Hamstring machine
- Lat Pulldown
- Pull up and Dip station
- Cardio Equipment
We offer a wide variety of programs for people who want to utilize our facilities. For more information please refer to our website http://www.risportsmed.com/ on all of the services we provide.
Labels:
Conditioning,
Gym,
Rhode Island,
Strength
Quote of the Day 12/18/07

"Take pride in exactly it is you do and remember it's okay to fail as long as you don't give up."
-1996 Olympic Gold Medalist in the Decathlon
Labels:
12/18,
Daily Quote,
Dan O'Brien,
Failure,
Olympic Gold Medalist,
Persitance,
Pride,
Track
Monday, December 17, 2007
Hot Topic: The Mitchell Report Part I

The Mitchell Report was released last Thursday at 2pm. It is 409 pages long and I will break it down over a series of posts. At first glance my opinion of the Mitchell Report is that it is a very flawed document. For what is supposed to be an independent investigation in to Performance Enhancing Drugs or PEDs by Baseball Players how can it be independent when the guy running it is on the Board of Directors of one of the teams in MLB. Senator Mitchell is a Board member for the Boston Red Sox. So I ask how can something be independent when this is the case. Also, I am not very happy with the fact that players names were released. I don't see how this is going to help solve the problem. If anything I think it glorifies the use of PEDs because kids look up to these Athletes. I just hope that because Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds are linked to PEDs that young athletes view PEDs as the way to the Majors.
In beginning the document the first section goes over the purpose of the document. Again, I don't see how it is an independent investigation because of my explanation above. Also, it is only an investigation between 2002 and 2006. The 2002 Agreement between the MLB owners and the Players association initiated the MLB Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. Basically this was the first time that PEDs were tested for and banned by MLB. But, everyone knows that the game of Baseball was infiltrated by PEDs way before 2002. Bud Selig the Commissioner of Baseball did give Senator Mitchell the freedom to investigate out side the 2002 to 2006 time period. But, it was only if it was deemed necessary.
To sum up the opening to section II PEDs are dangerous to ones health, Pro Athletes who use PEDs are a bad role model for youths, MLB Players who use PEDs and it is rumored is a blackeye for MLB, and finally it is unfair for those who don't use PEDs.
Mitchell Breaks down the the effects and side effects of Anabolic Steroids very nicely from page 5 to of page 17. I think that every coach, athlete, and parent should read his synopsis of the effects of steroids and Human Growth Hormone. It is laid out simply and it is very easy to understand. He describes how Steroids aid in Muscle Growth and Recovery from workouts and why this would benefit an athlete. Then he breaks down the side effects. Basically Steroids effect every system of the human body. lets just say increase risk of psychiatric problems, Cardiovascular problems, Liver Damage, Stunted growth in youths, risk of tendon tears, and last but not least it can damage the reproductive organs. When he describes HGH he indicates how it is not that much of a performance enhancer. But, that it aids in recovery. Also, the side effects of HGH use is laid out again in very plain and easy to understand english. Mitchell explains the main attraction to HGH for athletes is that it is relatively undetectable by conventional methods of testing and that it aids in recovery and repair from injury. Like steroids there are severe side effects. Some of them are as follows: gigantism, cancer, impotence in men, cardiomyopothy, arthritis, and hypothyroidism.
In closing section II the Mitchell Report discusses in detail how the use of PEDs is considered by the office of the commissioner for MLB as Cheating. It also talks about how the impact of the use of PEDs by MLB players effects the use of PEDs by youths. An example of Mark McGwire using Androstenedione in 1998 when he was trying to break Roger Marris' Home Run record for a season. Sales of that supplement sky rocketed by 1000% after it was proven that McGwire had used it. The sales increased even though it was well documented that there were health risks associated with its use.
There will certainly be more on this topic from me. Stay tuned for more.
Quote of the Day 12/17/07

"The Efforts you make will surely be rewarded. If not, then you are simply not ready to call them efforts."
-Sadaharu Oh
-Professional Baseball Homerun King with 868 in the Japanese League
Labels:
12/17,
Baseball,
Daily Quote,
Effort,
Sadaharu Oh,
Success
Friday, December 14, 2007
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Quote of the Day 12/13/07

"It's not that Difficult to win. It's more difficult to win consistently and stay on top."
-Pro Football Hall of Famer
Labels:
12/13,
Daily Quote,
Football,
Jim Otto,
Winning
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Quote of the Day 12/12/07

"Age is a case of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it don't matter."
-Baseball Hall of Famer & Pitched from 1926 in the Negro Leagues to 1953 in the Major League with and pitched one last Major League game at age 59 in 1965
Labels:
12/12,
Baseball,
Daily Quote,
Motivation,
Satchel Paige
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Quote of the Day 12/11/07

"The intelligent man is one who has successfully fulfilled many accomplishments, and is yet willing to learn more."
-Kenpo Karate Master
Labels:
12/11,
Daily Quote,
Ed Parker,
Karate,
Martial Arts,
Success
Monday, December 10, 2007
Friday, December 7, 2007
Thursday, December 6, 2007
New Ullucci Sports Medicine Commercial
This new Commercial for Ullucci Sports Medicine & Physical Therapy focuses on our Strength & Conditioning Program.
Labels:
Conditioning,
Push Press,
Rhode Island,
Strength
Quote of the Day 12/6/07

"Be more interested in finding the best way, not just in having it your way."
-John Wooden
-Hall of Fame Basketball Coach and Player
Labels:
12/6,
Basketball,
Coaching,
Daily Quote,
John Wooden,
Success
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Quote of the Day 12/4/07
"How Strange to use "you only live once" as an excuse to throw it away."
-Bill Copeland
-Australlian Cricket Umpire
-Bill Copeland
-Australlian Cricket Umpire
Labels:
12/4,
Cricket,
Daily Quote,
Life
Monday, December 3, 2007
Friday, November 30, 2007
Quote of the Day 11/30/07

"Very often athletes or other really driven young people don't take the opportunity to enjoy the broader perspective."
-Roger Bannister
-Olympic Gold Medalist
Labels:
11/30,
Daily Quote,
Drive,
Roger Bannister,
Running,
Track
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Quote of the day 11/27/07

"it isn't the mountains ahead to climb that wear you out; it's the pebble in your shoe."
-Muhammad Ali
-Boxing Champion and Olympic Gold Medalist
Labels:
11/27,
Boxing,
Daily Quote,
Muhammad Ali
Monday, November 26, 2007
Quote of the day 11/26/07

"Great players are willing to give up their own personal achievement for the achievements of the group. It enhances everyone."
-NBA Hall of Famer
Labels:
11/26,
Basketball,
Daily Quote,
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar,
Success,
Teamwork
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Quote of the Day 11/21/07
"Another way to lose control is to ingnore something when you should address it."
-Jim Evans
-Jim Evans
Labels:
11/21,
Daily Quote,
Jim Evans
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Monday, November 19, 2007
Quote of the Day 11/19/07

"The high road is always respected. Honesty and integrity are always rewarded."
-Scott Hamilton
-1984 Olympic Gold Medalist in Figure Skating
Labels:
11/19,
Daily Quote,
Integrity,
Respect,
Scott Hamilton,
Skating
Friday, November 16, 2007
Quote of the Day 11/16/07

"There is no shortcut to improvement, only shortcuts to injury."
-World Renowned Strength & Conditioning Coach
Labels:
11/16,
Conditioning,
Daily Quote,
Improvement,
Injury,
Mike Boyle,
Strength
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Great Read
Up around 4:30am for a short run. Then onto the airport where I met up with Paul Lessard (Head Trainer) Mike Reinold (Asst. Trainer) and Dave Page (Strength and Conditioning Coach). Quick 1 hour 20 minute flight down to Delaware for a check under the hood and a fix it lesson.
The trio in Delaware are pretty much solely responsible for saving my career in 1995. Dr Craig Morgan (Arguably the smartest man on the planet when it comes to throwing shoulders and ’sick shoulders’), Jeff Cooper (Over 3 decades as head trainer for the Philadelphia Phillies) and Phil Donnelly (NATA Hall of Fame and member of the 1980 US Olympic Training Staff). After being misdiagnosed with a rotator cuff tear, Coop led me to Dr Morgan. Doc took about 2 minutes of testing before telling me I did NOT have a rotator cuff tear, but instead I had a “SLAP Lesion”. I believe it’s Superior Laberal, Anterior, Posterior Tear. What it isn’t, is a rotator cuff tear. I went from “Career ending” to “I can make you better than you’ve ever been if you follow the protocol for rehab” in a span of about 24 hours.
Doc fixed me, Phil rehabbed me, with Coop, and Coop kept me healthy over the next 5+ years. I came out of surgery throwing about 5-7 mph harder on a pretty consistent basis. Doc told me that he’d make my shoulder perfect, and he did, but also said that if I didn’t follow the protocol religiously none of it would matter.
Phil oversaw an intense rehab that was as much an education for me on my shoulder as it was rehab for the shoulder itself. I learned about the Kinetic Chain long before it was ‘en vogue’. The transfer of power from the point of your plant foot, to the tip of your throwing hand is a process that relies on strength, flexibility and range of motion in your foot, ankle, knee, thigh, hip, core, chest, shoulder, elbow, forearm, hand. Have a snag in any one spot and the transfer of power is diminished. Go too far astray and the entire chain becomes tangled.
Someone with easy repeatable mechanics is apt to hide the symptoms or problems much longer than others. This is basically what’s happened to me over the past year. You do not just lose 5 mph in a week or two span, barring an injury. I was concerned the entire season I had a labral tear. I don’t. I basically have major clogs in the kinetic chain that are a direct result of limited, to almost non existent flexibility in my right ankle.
The major indicators are my left hip, which is tight, and my thoracic spine. Bottom line is I’ve lost flexibility in areas I cannot afford to. At 35 I could overcome them, or didn’t have them. I can’t now.
One of the major problems with not feeling well and trying to spend days between starts just being able to get back on the rubber is that you lose time and ability to stay focused on the little things you pour yourself into when things are running smoothly.
Dave and Paul worked to get me right, and Mike instituted a cutting edge program that, were it not for them, My season ends in July.
It was more of a program designed to get me out there, than it was to progress. During the season it’s close to impossible to progress some of this stuff due to the exercises and other things involved.
That’s now fixed. What these 6 guys did, under the eyes of Doc and Phil, was design the program that will allow me to regain the hip flexibility I must have, along with fixing my scapula. The serratus, and deltoid, and lat, have gotten to a point where my right shoulder blade is beginning to ‘wing’. That’s bad. The right shoulder blade MUST remain ‘pinned’ or tucked close to the back as it rotates through the delivery. “Sick shoulders” will see the scapula ‘wing out’ or ’sag’ to a point where they put undue force on the shoulder joint. Compressing areas that cannot remain compressed, causing inflammation. Unchecked this inflammation leads to discomfort, pain and pretty soon a shut down of the core muscles that are required to throw. If you keep throwing your arm and body will find a way, but it will do so with muscles not trained to do it, and often times this results in the dreaded TJ, or Tommy John surgery. I was stunned to find out that Tommy John is RARELY caused by the elbow itself, but more often than not it’s the major stress put on the elbow from a sick shoulder no longer working that causes the ligament to blow.
One of the other by products that you will often see is just how many guys have TJ surgery, come back feeling fantastic, only to have follow up shoulder surgery. The confusion is now much easier to clear up when people realize that the elbow surgery never fixed the factors that caused the injury. Having elbow surgery and spending 18 months rehabbing the new ligament, under the eyes of someone not up to speed, results in the true cause of the injury, the sick and weakened shoulder, to never be addressed.
Horribly boring for anyone not REALLY interested in this kind of stuff.
Bottom line is Dr Morgan told me, pretty much with the same passion and honesty he did 12 years ago, that I would regain 4-5 mph if I stuck to the lengthy program and routine they have now laid out for me.
I don’t really see any options at this point.
Originally posted on 38pitches.com on 11/13/2007 by Curt Schilling
Labels:
Conditioning,
Curt Schilling,
Injury,
Kinetic Chain,
Pitching,
Prevention,
Rotator Cuff,
Strength
Quote of the Day 11/14/07

"It's not what you achieve, it's what you overcome. That's what defines your career."
-MLB Hall of Famer
Labels:
11/14,
Achivement,
Adversity,
Baseball,
Carlton Fisk,
Daily Quote
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Quote of the Day 11/13/07
Labels:
11/13,
Age,
Brett Farve,
Daily Quote,
Football
Monday, November 12, 2007
Friday, November 9, 2007
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Quote of the Day 11/8/07
Labels:
11/8,
Basketball,
Coaching,
Daily Quote,
doing your best,
Effort,
John Wooden
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Quote of the Day 11/7/07

"Do your best when no one is looking. If you do that, then you can be successful in anything that you put your mind to."
- Hall of Fame Basketball Player
Labels:
11/7,
Basketball,
Bob Cousy,
Daily Quote,
doing your best,
Success
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Monday, November 5, 2007
Friday, November 2, 2007
Quote of the Day 11/2/07

"I believe that everything in life happens for a reason."
-Boris Becker
-Tennis Champion & Olympic Gold Medalist (1992)
Labels:
11/2,
Boris Becker,
Daily Quote,
Life,
Tennis
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Exercise of the Month
Thrusters
Muscles Targeted:Full Body
Setup & Execution: Begin standing with feet shoulder width apart, back in a neutral set,

This exercise can be done with just bodyweight or a variety of objects like sand bags, medicine balls, dumbbells, plates, etc.
Benefits: Great for warm-up and conditioning applications
Thank you to Elite FTS for photos and introducing me to this exercise.
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