---Welcome to our newest member!!

Congratulations Dale and Michelle Curtis! Fitness Quest 10 is very excited to welcome into the world Kaden Kenny Curtis! Born July 5, 2008 at 6lbs 12 oz. Congratulations Dale, Michelle, Brielle, & Danielle

 

ATHLETE CORNER: "WHAT DOES IT TAKE?"
By Brett Klika
With my job, I have the opportunity to meet many young athletes beginning their journey towards athletic excellence. This usually starts by sitting down in the office and listening to both the athlete and their parents talk about their needs for improvement. The discussion usually ends with the question "So how many times a week do they need to do this, and for how long before they improve?" While this question is completely justified, the answer is not that simple.

At Fitness Quest 10, we now refer to our youth program as “Athletic Development” instead of “Athletic Performance.” Our goal is develop young athletes into injury-free, high performing, mature athletes. This process is not a 6 week, 2x’s per week program. It is a lot softer on the ears and mind to hear “For X amount of hours and money, we can make your athlete X much better.” In the real world, it does not work that way. Our coaches teach athletes the skills of athleticism. Once these skills are perfected and can be done outside of the highly controlled practice environment, they are called “abilities”. Research suggests it takes about 10,000 repetitions of a skill for it to become an ability.

Consider any learned motor skill; talking, riding a bike, walking, tying your shoes, etc. How advanced would those skills be today if when you were learning them, you only practiced them 2 times per week, for one hour, for a couple of weeks? Imagine trying to learn a new language before going to a new country with those practice parameters, would you expect to converse fluently with the locals? What many do not realize is that the learning of athletic skill works much the same way. If you are not born with unmatched ability in a certain component of athleticism, it must be developed as a skill. If a youth is injury prone, uncoordinated, or lacks elite athletic skill, it is as if we are teaching them a new neuromuscular language. This takes frequent, intensive practice, over a great deal of time.

In reality, in order to improve, the number of days per week is every day, and the time frame is for the rest of their life. If we are being realistic, 99% of youngsters will not do an at-home program. Of the 1% who do, 1% of them will do it correctly. Youngsters need constant guidance. The absolute minimum amount of time a developing athlete should be with a professional is 2 times per week. In addition, all skills learned during that time must be practiced every day. Not just at home, but during practice, scrimmages, games, etc. The duration of a training program really is forever. I cannot with any degree of professional integrity give a time frame for athletic improvement. I mean, if I say “8 weeks” does that mean an athlete stops after 8 weeks is up? Can they realistically practice a skill correctly at least 10,000 times in 8 weeks? Most of my college-level-and-above athletes have been with me on-and-off for 5-6 years, some of them up to 8. During that time, they have been developing skills and improving their abilities. These usually come to a peak at about their junior to senior year in college. My most successful athletes adapt what they learn into their entire playing paradigm.

To answer the question, ““So how many times a week do they need to do this, and for how long before they improve?” my official answer is an absolute minimum of twice per week with a professional, assuming that the athlete is mature and physically capable enough to work on skills at home. After a realistic assessment, if the athlete is unable to effectively practice at home, I recommend 3-5 days per week with a professional. In regards to duration, I recommend the longest term commitment possible, even if it means decreasing the days per week to 2 times. The more committed the athlete and their support system (parents, coaches, etc.) is to a program, the less professional supervision is necessary.

Make a commitment to excellence today!

Coach Brett Klika is the Director of Athletic Performance at Todd Durkin's Fitness Quest 10 in San Diego, CA. He specializes in youth fitness and athletic performance, overseeing a staff of 8 strength coaches developing programs for over 300 youth per week, both athletes and non-athletes. He presents around the world to both trainers and corporations with Todd Durkin Enterprises on a variety of health, wellness, and athletic performance topics. Brett conributes monthly to the award-winning "TD Times" newsletter. If you would like to sign up, you can do so by visiting www.FitnessQuest10.com or www.ToddDurkin.com.

This article may be reproduced and distributed with inclusion of the above information.


GUEST ARTICLE: "THE TRUTH ABOUT THE VERTICAL JUMP"
By Jeff KingAs a strength and conditioning coach, I work with many young basketball players and one common question that parents and coaches frequently ask me is what can be done to improve their son's, daughter's or athlete's vertical jump? Every time this question is raised, two thoughts come to my mind. First: I want to show the coaches or parent some basic drills to help establish a foundation for their child or athlete. Second: I contemplate the pragmatism of the expectations for the child or athlete. Many adults want their child or athlete to have an unrealistic, "out of this world" 40 inch vertical jump. So before addressing the issue of ways to improve a vertical jump, I will first take the time to address all who feel their child or athlete can attain this "out of this world" jump.

There are many uncontrollable factors that contribute to a person’s ability to being explosive vertically. Genetic factors such as muscle fiber type, muscle attachment, and lever arm length, all play a role and contribute to explosive power. Lets face it parents, no matter how hard your child works or how much you want them to jump high, if they do not have the right muscle fiber type, optimum muscle attachment, and lever arm length, they are not going to attain eye-popping vertical jump numbers. The sooner coaches and parents grasp this concept, the more realistic their expectations for their child or athlete will be. If you did a poll on the most vertically explosive NBA players and asked them when they were first able to dunk, you would find many of the players were able to sometime during their junior high years. Is there any type of special training these athletes participated in order for them to be able to dunk at such an early age? Other than playing basketball, you would find the answer to be “NO.” They most likely had minimal if no type of strength training at this point of their lives. These athletes simply struck gold and have the right combination or physiological and neural factors. I like to call these athletes “genetically blessed.”

However, every athlete may not be graced with a natural 40 inch vertical jump and there are ways to improve and become more vertically explosive. In terms of young high school athletes, I always say to them, “the best way to improve your vertical jump is to establish a strong foundation.” A basic exercise to achieve this improvement is by practicing and being efficient at a two-footed box jump. In performing a box jump, an athlete’s main focus should be to jump with a control countermovement with both arms and legs, and land with proper mechanics (an athletic stance with a soft landing). Repeating this drill along with a general strength training program allows for an athlete to become neuromuscular efficient, thus recruit more muscle fibers (recruiting more muscle fibers increases the ability to generate power). Once the athlete is proficient at this particular plyometric exercise, he/she can then progress to more challenging plyometrics such as single leg jumps, depth jumping and bounding. For young athletes, progressing basic strength and jumping mechanics as well becoming more neuromuscular efficient allows them to maximize their jumping potential while minimizing the risk of injury. All coaches should incorporate these basic fundamental principles when dealing with young athletes in regards to improving vertical explosiveness.

Jeff King is a certified strength and conditioning specialist and personal trainer at Fitness Quest 10 in San Diego, CA. Jeff has worked with many young athletes ranging from ages 8-18 and has experience working with athletes from a variety of sports. Jeff’s main goal in working with young athletes is to teach them the basic principles of strength and conditioning which will allow them to develop a multitude of skills while minimizing their risk of injury.


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The ABC's of a Great Workout
By Andrea Krakower, MS, CSCS
The definition of a great workout depends on who you ask, but there are a few things that create the kind of session that leaves both the client and the trainer feeling energized and motivated. Often times, a memorable session is determined not by how much you sweat, how fantastic your trainer is or how many hours you spend exercising, but other, seemingly insignificant factors. It is these 'little' things that make the difference between taking your workouts to the next level versus skipping the gym when you are 'just not feeling it.' The following tips will help you achieve a great workout, and are as easy to incorporate into your time at the gym as learning your ABCs:

A is for Awareness. If you are a client, are you aware of what you are doing when you exercise, or are you focused on other things? Are you doing every repetition with intention, or are you going through the motions for the sake of being able to say that you 'worked out?' If you are a fitness professional, are you not only aware of WHAT your client is doing during his or her session, but more importantly, WHY? Awareness is often time the difference between a good workout, and a great workout. It is inevitable that everyone, both trainers and clients are going to have an off day. However, it is absolutely amazing what happens when we pay attention to what we are doing, as opposed to allowing outside things consume our thoughts and compromise the effectiveness of our exercise. The next time you are in the gym, give each moment your undivided attention, just as you would a challenging project or other important task.

Cooking Corner: BBQ Shrimp Tacos by Julie Wilcox, General Manager of Fitness Quest 10