Problem with Pictures

Hello Everyone, I am having problems copying pictures for my next article without them jumping around the page. If anyone knows why this may be happening let me know but until then I can not do the article because I have no pictures that are useable. I will try o figure out why this is happening.

thanks

Stretching for Athletes Series : Part 1:General guildlines

       This article series will focus on stretching and improving imbalances caused by weak or tight muscles. Everyone has imbalances and it is up to the coach and athlete to identify the imbalances and try to correct them. This series is based on my own opinions and should not be taken as the ONLY way to go about fixing imbalances. I will be focusing more on the stretching side rather then the muscle strengthening side however they both go hand in hand as you most likely already know.

      Let me start off by saying not enough people stretch in general and not enough people stretch  for long enough durations.  Yesterday in Open Gym Class, I asked everyone, “How long should you hold a stretch”. I got answers ranging from taking breaths, to 10 seconds, to 15 seconds.  The text book answer is 30 seconds per stretch , but the practical answer is, stretch until you are  achieving range of motion (ROM) that is required for your sport.  Recreational athletes need to stretch generally to keep the muscles from seizing up. Real athletes need to make sure they can move their body in ways that is relevant to their sport.  For the recreational aspect of stretching please read the “Warm up for Younger Kids: is there a right or wrong” article I posted a while back.  I will be concerned with real athletes in this article. 

      Stretching can be done alone or with a partner. I believe with a partner helps greater then alone due to the fact even when you want to stop that coach or stretcher will be pushing you down anyways and force you   to keep trying. We all know how easy it is to say " well I'll do it next time". With that said it is important that the athlete learns to push him or herself. Learn to give your self pain and understand that it is necessary. If the athlete does not have the ability to push themselves through pain then their sporting career will be very short or not very glorious.

 

      When I trained gymnastics we held each stretch for one minute and repeated this at least three times.  I did not notice a stretch until the second time and third set of stretching which goes to show holding the stretch once even for a minute is not enough. Counting breaths works as long as you are counting at least 20-30 breaths. Muscle Spindles are receptors in the belly of the muscle that sense change within muscle length and control how far you can stretch. Basically the spindles sense a stretch and say “hey what’s going on I’m going to rip the muscle, STOP!”  It sends this signal to the brain and the brain sends a signal back keeping the muscle tight. After about 30 seconds, give or take,  the muscle spindles decide that maybe in fact you are not going to get hurt.  It sends a signal to the brain saying “hey we are all good over here let the muscle relax” and the brain responds by letting the Actin and Myosin filaments separate slowly. If this is done to fast the signal to the brain remains “Keep it tight” so that the muscle does not tear. As we know it is not too hard to tear a muscle however and this is when mechanical loads are put on the athlete to quickly and the muscle does not have time to relax slowly so the muscle spindle just stays tight because it does not think it is safe to relax.  The mechanical load usually gets harder because the stretcher thinks he or she is simply not pushing hard enough and there you have it, a muscle tear.

     As long as the mechanical load is small and gradual the athlete can go as far as they want and the only barrier will be the structure of the joints. Some athletes have slightly tighter joints due to the anatomical structure that varies slightly in every person.  You cannot fix this. Well, you can but it requires surgery and may cause more problems than it solves.  I do not recommend it. 

This may be a little extreme

 

      There are a few different types of stretching and all of them are useful. The first one which most people know of is the slow and steady gradual push. You have to start out where there is a slight stretch but no pain. Every 20 seconds push slightly farther. The athlete will get tired and resist less and less. I tell you, the way i resisted stretching, that could have passed as conditioning.  Try to get the athlete to not push because it just tricks the muscle spindle. Tell them to relax and just count to 20, or any number you chose.  Do not push to quick or the spindles will be tight.  This is the simplest method and is used by most. AS long as the coach knows basic anatomy then he or she can create a stretch to relax any muscle. Map out where that muscle originates and inserts and then push or pull, gently. 

      Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF) is a newer form of stretching and has gained a lot of popularity. Simply you are deactivating the muscle spindle quicker by tiring out the muscle by pushing against the coach. The athlete will feel he or she can go farther quicker but the only drawback is that usually the athlete will find he or she gets tight quicker and the muscle goes back to resting length quicker. PNF should be accompanied by a slow progressive stretch before and after. DO NOT jump into PNF after 5 laps around the gym. Make sure the athlete is more than ready before you begin.

 

These honestly are your two basic types of stretching but everyone comes out with slightly different variations which they call “new stretches”. It is all the same, just in a different position. You as a coach need to find what works for your body type and the athlete’s body type. Ask the athlete if it hurts, what feel where they feel the pain and monitor them closely. I am currently teaching all my athletes how to stretch themselves because it is good to have the athletes understand what they are doing on their own without you babysitting all the time. 

        If the athlete cries don’t worry some will cry over nothing and just are being big babies. Enforce from the start that it will hurt and that that is not a bad thing. I always hear:

“when you stretch you should feel a pull but not a pain”

      Well great, have fun stretching for a year before you make 10 degrees of improvement.  It will take forever to get results if it does not hurt. Folks, pain means you are making the body do things it is not use to. It is not always a sign of permanent damage. If it is September and first competition is in January, the athlete will need to go through pain to be flexible in time. With that said you have to use your head. You as a coach can feel the tightness of a muscle. If the athlete is shaking and keeps trying to move do not push more because involuntary contraction is a sign of extreme tension. You most will not want to keep pushing until athlete relaxes a bit. If the athlete starts crying as soon as you touch them then too bad tell them to suck it up. NEVER do this to a new athlete!!!!!!! You do not know their body and perhaps in fact that really is their limit. Fine, work with it. Once you have worked with the athlete for a few months and they trust you, know you are not going to hurt them etc. then you can put them through a bit of pain. Pain tolerance can be trained as well, but that is an article for another day. 

      Before I run off to lunch I will quickly touch on the times to stretch during a training. I make my athletes stretch after a warm up, between their turns and at the end of training to relax the muscles before going to bed.  Stretching is not like muscle building, you do not need a rest. You can stretch all the time and get full splits within a month. It will hurt a lot but you can do it with out injury. Do not stretch before you warm up the muscle or else the muscle is cold and will tear much easier. If you do not stretch after training, like I sometimes forget :(, then you may be sore the next day. For athletes who are new to the sport is not going to kill them but it is good to get them into the proper training habits for later use. 

 

      The intention of this article is simply to have a small refresher for coaches and athletes of things to think about during stretching. I know that I get lazy sometimes and forget basic strength and conditioning principals, there are a lot so a reminder can’t hurt. Next in the series will be specifics of leg stretching, with references to specific muscles and stretching techniques.

:)

The Trick To Trampolining With The Best: Find The Slot

Hello Everyone,

I have come across a very important puzzle piece for trampolining success. Every day I think to myself, "Why can other countries get so much height and rotation all at the same time" , "What are they doing we are not". Well everyone I have finally figured it out. THE KEY.

I train with Mathew Turgeon, Ex Olympic Bronze Medalist, and he always stressed to me that I should stretch my shoulders. I knew I needed to have my arms up above my head but no one really showed me the difference. I was only told be " Keep the arms up". Anyone who knows me knows I am a visual learner so this means nothing to me. While I was in Portugal standing in amazement watching China train I remembered what Matt told me about the shoulders. I started looking closely at the shoulders. I started noticing something interesting. There shoulder flexibility is ridiculous, so flexible that the arm actually goes behind the head sometimes during the pre bounce. I know my arm can not do that, that's for sure.  I looked even closer and noticed that on every backwards take off the shoulders are so flexible that the hands were somewhere behind the head.

This I believe gives an advantage to rotation, not only height. Yes height will not be lost the same way it would if the shoulders are not flexible, this is a given. The interesting thing is that by putting the hands behind the center of gravity it creates a moment arm posteriorly. The force of the gravity acting on the body will cause the arms to fall behind the athlete causing them to rotate much as it would if the arms were horizontally pointing forwards. This I believe is how they seem to have so much height and rotation all at the same time.

Of course you may be thinking, "Well Greg your an idiot, the number one rule of trampoline is to put the arms up above the head and have good shoulder flexibility". Granted this is true but obviously we have to be missing something or not doing enough of something because there is a large gap in the standings.

I think shoulder flexibility should be focused on heavily. I have started working on my shoulder flexibility and trying to take off with my arms behind my head and believe I have found what Olympic Weight Lifters call "The Slot". This is the point during a Full Snatch that the athlete "locks" the shoulders above the head as they catch the bar over their head.



You can see the "Slot" here. Now for trampoline the slot needs to be narrower and therefore even more flexible shoulders are required.

If the athlete can find the slot then when they take off it will not even feel like you have to try to keep the arms straight. It really is that easy. I have tried it and after a few hours I have found my slot for front tricks. When I feel the slot on a take off I feel like I'm flying ten times higher. I find it is also easy to get into positions such as pike and tuck. It really does feel like it naturally happens if you can find the slot. Its almost like a cake walk on trampoline.

I have only done it for singles so far and still need to work on the technique but I feel the difference after just a few days and can feel where it will take me if I keep applying myself. I stretch in between every turn to the point my arms go tingly from loss of sensation. I started off by doing jumps with my arms down and then do one big "Slot Bounce". At first you will find it hard and your arms will pull down and forward but keep stretching and eventually you will find the slot. Then progress into back tuck, slot bounce. Get use to getting the arms into the slot at first. Holding lines will come later. 

Do crash dives to feet ( no twist) in a row as well and feel the slot every time your feet land.  I find I feel like I do not get much weight on my feet so it seems to be a great drill to get use to coming out of a skill and finding the slot on every front take off. Then you can progress into birani (s) at a low level for now. Most likely your core strength will not be up to par with the mechanics of the slot so start doing lots of core stability exercises. You will feel very wobbly but it will get better even throughout the training. Do not progress into the doubles until you can do the slot in a birani, back drill all the time. If you rush to early you will start to forget about the slot, or you will jump ahead and the core will not be strong enough to counteract the flexibility so you will be under the impression that it is not working.

When you stretch the shoulders keep the back  hollow!!!!!!  I started stretching and thought I was getting more flexible but no, I was only stretching my lumbar spine. You will not be hollow on the trampoline but it will help you visualize a "stiff board-like" take off with the arms in the slot.

I have only progressed to biranis at this point so i will keep you all informed of the progress. Stretch the shoulders 10 times a day if you can and if it does not hurt then it probably is not working.

You will find that everything just floats perfectly  and you don't even have to try on the take off. You find the slot and flick the toes upon leaving the bed. That's all there is to it ladies and gentlemen.

I want to say a special thank you to Matt Turgeon for the constant nagging. If you hadn't said it so many times I would never have thought to look for it. :) Thanks



:) 

VIDEO: Portugal World Cup Canadian Routines

Hello Everyone, I have finally gotten my act together and posted all the videos of the routines and trainings of the world cup in Loule Portugal.

Here is the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1PHU2OPayk&feature=youtu.be 





Check it out and comment:) Congrats again to all the Canadian athletes and thank you to all the coaches and management who made this trip possible.

:)

A Video Of An Amazing Trampolinist From Germany: JAN ADEN

Hello everyone,

I have made a video with my good German friend Jan Aden. He shows off a lot of his cool tricks in this video and I think everyone should check it out. He is like me and has high hopes of becoming very good one day. I can see he has the talent and the drive so please show him your support and check out the video. Please leave comments and "likes" :) We will be making more videos in the future:)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=o1T1Xzc09Eg

Thanks:)

Core Strength and Flexibility DO's and DON'TS For Trampolinists

Core training for trampoline:

Hello I have been asked some questions about core “Do’s and Don'ts” so I thought I would write up a small article stating what I feel is necessary based on my education and practical experience.  These again, are MY OPINION and are to be taken as nothing more. 

Core is easily the most important muscle group in trampoline. It consists of many different muscles depending who you ask. These muscles have to be isometrically contracted in the bottom of the bed to ensure that the athlete is “tight as a board”. Isometric contraction is the ability to maintain a desired muscle fiber length for a determined amount of time.  If these muscles which I will list are not tight the athlete will wabble on the trampoline causing them to travel or even accidentally rotate or twist.  

While In the bed the athlete has to stay tight by focusing on squeezing/ contracting these muscles:

 Core Related Muscles:

-Transverse Abdominus

-Internal/External Obliques

-Rectus Abdominus

- Erector Spinea Muscles

Non-Core Related Muscles:

-Anterior Deltoids              

-Upper and middle Trapezius

-Triceps

                               

Transverse Abdominus: 

This is the deepest of all muscles that are considered core muscles. In basic terms this is known as the natural weight lifting belt. It keeps all your vital organs together and in one place. To activate this muscle you do not have to think about it normally. I will explain about the Valsalva Maneuver later in the article which will help activate this muscle. Naturally it activates whenever there is stress on the core region of the body. Sucking the belly button into the spine will also help activate it while simultaneously keeping the ribcage from moving while you breath. Try it, it actually is kind of hard. Best trained by lying down at first and then taking it to simple exercises such as crunches.

Internal/External Obliques: 

These are the four “side” muscles that cause lateral bending and trunk rotation. Obviously a trampolinist does not need lateral bending but the rotation can be worked on by many different exercises. If this muscle is weak the athlete will find that they start traveling sideways because they end up leaning to one side when they bounce due to having the muscle relax because it cannot maintain isometric stability. Side planks, side crunches and circles on Pommels will help. 

Rectus Abdominus:

This is your “six pack” muscle. It needs to be very strong because if not then you will constantly lean backwards. Normally this is not a problem for athletes in the “stability” standpoint but to initiate rotation it is a big factor. It can cause about 50% of your rotation. The other 50% come from perfect timing with pushing the toes just as the athlete leaves the bed with their chest up.  This muscle still needs isometric conditioning but generally if you are finding problems with stability in the bed it probably is not the issue. Looks elsewhere first then look at it last if everything else fails. V snaps and crunches and any variation will help.

Erector Spinea (Back Extensors)

These are the long thick muscles in the back that run from the low back and pelvis to the upper back . This is a big muscle that will help athletes keep their chest up on take offs. If the athlete forgets about this muscle then they will find that when they land in the bed they slouch forward upon the 18x gravitational force being placed on the body.  Leg lifts and back arches will suffice normally.

NON-CORE MUSCLES:

Anterior Deltoids:  this is the front of your shoulder. If you lift your arms up above your head you will feel this muscle flex. This is important for having the arms above the head for every take off. If you are too weak to hold the arms up then you will find they drop forward on your take offs and cause you to travel forward.  Front shoulder raises, handstands etc will help. 

Triceps: 

Obviously if you can’t keep your arms straight then there is a problem. Normally the strength of the Triceps is not the issue however. Normally it is the flexibility of the shoulders that hinders performance in this area. Even very strong athletes normally cannot do a pre-bounce with their arms out at 90 degrees horizontally due to the gravitational force. If the line of the arm is directly over the shoulder joint (covering the ears) then it does not take much muscle at all to actually keep them there. This is one of my problems. Because of gymnastics I have tight shoulders and need to stretch them out.  Even so some may find it hard to keep the arms straight so do some push ups and over head presses or handstand push ups and it will help.

Upper and Middle Trapezius: 

I am not sure what category this muscle falls into so I just put it at the end of the list. The upper traps help to keep the arms up over the head during takeoff.  This muscle works in synergy with the Anterior Deltoids.  Athletes with a rounded back tend to have a weak trap and rhomboids which is a smaller muscle underneath that does the same action. (Pulls the shoulder blades together) This gives the “popping out the chest” appearance. This is not just important for tightness in the bed it is important in the air when you kick out to show a body line where you are not hollow .Seated Rows will help  this muscle. 

All these muscles need to be worked on as a whole. If you want you can work each individually at first then combine them afterwards. If you work them solely individually then the body will be out of synch and you will waste your time. The body has to be “tight like a board” . Everything needs to contract all at once. Start by practicing just squeezing the muscles while you stand and mentally go through your routine.  Start by doing light loads but with the Valsalva Maneuver. 

Valsalva Maneuver: 

Increasing abdominal pressure by blowing out against a closed airway, ie. mouth closed. You will feel the pressure in the back of your throat at first and if you push harder then you will activate the core muscles as an entire unite. Transverse,Rectus,Obliques and Erector Spinea. Along with these main muscles there are tons of smaller ones that get activated subconsciously to help balance the body.  Some of these include the Multifidus muscles that connect each Spinous Process and Serratus Posterior/Anterior etc.  Do not worry about all these muscles individually unless you want to do nothing else with your life. The core gets activated as a whole so just do your exercises with the Valsalva maneuver and you will notice a difference. I only just started doing the Valsalva maneuver in the bed and have found it helps so much.

Flexibility: 

This is a simple answer. Be flexible enough to keep your muscles working properly but do not go over the limit because it will make your muscles weaker and you will not be able to generate as much force. As long as you are not getting muscle cramps in your stomach it most likely is not an issue and does not need much attention.   The back does have to be flexible to get into a tight tuck and pike or you will have a triangular looking Flifus and Triffus, instead of face on the knees. 

Good Pike: 

Not as Good:

I already spoke about the shoulders but I will recap. The shoulders need to be flexible. If you look at the best in the world their shoulders are really flexible and almost seem to be dislocated behind their heads. This makes all take off very easy and simple.  Again, I have to work on this A LOT!!!!!. 

As you can see in the image to the left, this is a bad take off and is what I do, and many other trampolinists. My shoulders are not flexible enough to keep my back straight and have them covering my ears. The image to the right is a better take off position.  The right image will mean that you get more height and less travel because there is no bend in the back. Look at yourself in the mirror or have a friend take a picture. See what your take off may look like. 

I hope this clears some things up and if there are any questions please let me know. 

As well, None of these pictures are mine and can all be found on google. I am only using these pictures to give a visual of the points I try to make. 

Thank you:)

CONCLUSIONS FROM PORTUGAL

Hello Everyone,

I have bad and great news from Portugal:) As the competition goes, I am not competing that well form wise but this is because I have been pushing height as I am in my "Height Phase" of training. I find I am still out for control but long term it is better to go big and keep trying rather then simplify and just do a boring low easy routine that will get me nowhere in the long run.  Like anything If I keep pushing height I will get use to it. I have gone from competing a 18.9 to a 20.2 Time of Flight. I am happy with those results. I preformed an optional in training at 19.4 seconds which is a huge improvement considering I normally complete 18.7 second optionals. My compulsory today was not a good one because I was all over the trampoline. I could easily say it is because my foot cramped but in the end that is my fault because my ankles are not strong enough to handle the loads of the higher bouncing quite yet. I will work hard to condition my ankles so this is not a problem next time. As for my optional I just could not find my bounce. Then I started slipping in new shoes I bought in haste and am now regretting it. I have spoken with a good friend and judge from Canada who has given me great advice and I will be trying her method of gripping the trampoline when I get home. I will update you when i get the chance. 

As for synchro that has never been my strong point because I find it hard to hang on the trampoline even in individual. Having a person bouncing beside me does not help matters. Right now synchro is being used as an extra training time and extra competition experience. As anyone who knows me knows I have not had much luck with competitions generally because I am still new to the sport. I Have the guts but the technique is lacking.

I have decided to start jumping on super trampoline more often to increase my steadiness at full height. I have also looked into better trampoline shoes and alternatives. I am going to keep working height and hopefully compete a 20.0 optional by the end of this year at some time. I hope to also compete a 21 second compulsory some time this year.

I am going to bump up my routine to 4 triples as well because I have done three triples for 3 years now and am getting very bored of the same routine.  I have a lot in store and cant wait to show everyone what I can do. 

An interesting thing happened after I competed today. Portuguese Athlete, Nuno and Great Britain Coach, Paul, asked me specially to do an interview based on the videos I have posted on youtube. I was more then happy to talk to them and answer their questions. The general take home message is that olympic caliber athletes are not made over night. I have only bounced for 5 years  and plan on being here for a very long time. I have at least 3 more olympic cycles left in me I think, as long as my body holds up and if I am given the time I will be playing with the big boys in finals soon enough.

Well that is just an update and some take home messages that I will be working on. :)