Performance Killers: Not Managing Athletes' Arousal Levels

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Performance Killers: Not Managing Athletes' Arousal Levels

Ever wondered why your athletes play great one half, and poorly the next? Or why they score 10 points one game, and 30 points the next? Consistency has a lot to do with your athletes' "arousal level," a measure of their internal energy level (or butterflies). Guest author Lindsey Wilson of Positive Performance explains how to quantify arousal level and use it to help your athletes perform better, and more consistently.

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3 Quick Tips for Rest and Recovery After Your Season

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3 Quick Tips for Rest and Recovery After Your Season

If your sport season is coming to a close, it can be tempting to attack the weight room with new enthusiasm. As the volume of practices and games dwindles, many athletes feel the need to start lifting heavy right right away, to counteract the slowing momentum of the competitive season. But while you may be itching to hit the ground sprinting, it’s important to take some time for rest and recovery before you begin your post-season championship run or look toward next season. Here are three quick tips to help you maximize your rest and recovery before you start training again in earnest.

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3 Techniques to Help Teams and Athletes Get Ready to Compete

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3 Techniques to Help Teams and Athletes Get Ready to Compete

Sometimes, mental preparation can be just as important for your athletes' success as their physical preparation. Guest author Lindsey Wilson of Positive Performance shares 3 easy techniques coaches can use to help their athletes get ready to compete at their highest level.

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The Vital Importance of In-Season Training

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The Vital Importance of In-Season Training

Stopping your training in-season is kind of like playing Super Mario Bros., getting to the final boss, then shutting off your Super Nintendo: you lose your progress! There's a lot more to it than that, but the importance of in-season strength and conditioning cannot be understated. Guest author and strength coach Doug Berninger tells us why in-season training helps athletes prevent injuries and perform at their best—and why coaches MUST make it a priority.

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Understanding Your Athletes: 10 Must-Read Sociology Articles for Coaches

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Understanding Your Athletes: 10 Must-Read Sociology Articles for Coaches

Effective coaching is about much more than just physical training. Motivation, encouragement, discipline: it's all part of the complex coach-athlete relationship. Brian Gearity, Ph.D., directs the Sport Coaching Master's Program at the University of Denver and today shares his top 10 must-read sociology articles for coaches - because to help our athletes perform better, we must first better understand our athletes.

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3 BIG Tips to Improve Your Hang Clean

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3 BIG Tips to Improve Your Hang Clean

Athletes from almost every sport need strength and explosiveness to be competitive. Not only do these traits improve athletic performance, they also help reduce an athlete’s risk of injury—which makes the weight room, where strength and power are developed and honed, a critical component of athletic success. The hang clean is an effective movement at developing strength and explosiveness, but it's also a difficult lift to master. Here are our 3 BIG tips to help improve your hang clean!

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Avoid Injuries By Correcting These 3 Mistakes

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Avoid Injuries By Correcting These 3 Mistakes

Injuries are part of the game in any sport, but especially in sports where physicality is necessary to compete, like football, lacrosse, or hockey. While some elements of contact sports are unavoidable, what can make the difference in keeping you healthy and safe for competition is to focus on reducing non-contact injuries. Avoid injuries by correcting these 3 mistakes. 

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Sets, Reps, and Negligence: How to Be a Safe and Effective High School Strength Coach, Part 1

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Sets, Reps, and Negligence: How to Be a Safe and Effective High School Strength Coach, Part 1

Mike Nitka is the kind of coach every parent dreams their kid will have. After spending 35 years at Muskego High School, Coach Nitka now spends his "retirement" consulting on the Volt Advisory Board and educating young strength coaches on how to run safe and effective high school weight rooms. We're thrilled to feature his exclusive series on safety in the weight room - and what coaches can do to protect themselves (and their athletes) from potential harm.

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