Training & Conditioning 13.9 by Momentummedia

TRAINING

December 2003 Vol. XIII, No. 9 $5.00

CONDITIONING

◆ Staff Diversity ◆ ◆ Nutrition News ◆

GAINING Another GEAR New ideas in speed and agility

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C ONTENTS

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Training & Conditioning • December 2003 • Vol. XIII, No. 9

F E AT U R E S ◆ Special Focus ◆

Adding Depth to the Field..........11 Sport coaches rely on their teams’ depth charts. Many ATCs believe the field of athletic training needs to strengthen its own depth chart by adding more diversity to its ranks. By Laura Smith ◆ Optimum Performance ◆

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Gaining Another Gear..........19 We know a lot about speed, motor learning, strength, and agility, but how do you put all four together to train for game speed? The keys are proper progression and drill choice. By Vern Gambetta ◆ Nutrition ◆

Does It Work?.........25 Put some science behind the nutrition advice you give athletes by taking in this very digestible synopsis of the latest research presented at this fall’s ADA symposium. By Christopher Mohr ◆ Tr e a t i n g T h e A t h l e t e ◆

Ready, Set, Refer..........32 “Accessibility, experience, and first-class communication skills.” If this doesn’t describe the physicians on your referral list, it could be time to rewrite that list. By David Hill

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D E PA R T M E N T S ◆ Sideline ◆

Supplement Contamination..........3 ◆ Student Corner ◆

Writing a Cover Letter..........4 ◆ Comeback Athlete Award ◆

This Issue’s Winner.........6 Nomination Form..........9 ◆ Competitive Edge ◆

A Strong Swing..........39 Michigan State shares how it reduces injuries and develops explosive power among its softball athletes. By Tim Wakeham Advertisers Directory.......... 56 State of the Industry..........46 Scouting Report: Electrotherapy..........54 Scouting Report: Plyometrics..........59 Scouting Report: Topical Analgesics..........62 Catalog Showcase..........53 More Products..........63 Web Connections..........62 Cover photo: Jeff Gross©, Getty Images

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Editorial Board Marjorie Albohm, MS, ATC/L Director of Sports Medicine and Orthopaedic Research, Orthopaedics Indianapolis Jon Almquist, ATC Specialist, Fairfax County (Va.) Pub. Schools Athletic Training Program Brian Awbrey, MD Dept. of Orthopaedic Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Instructor in Orthopaedics, Harvard Medical School Jim Berry, MEd, ATC, SCAT/EMT-B Director of Sports Medicine and Head Athletic Trainer, Myrtle Beach (S.C.) High School Leslie Bonci, MPH, RD Director, Sports Medicine Nutrition Program, University of Pittsburgh Medical Ctr. Health System Christine Bonci, MS, ATC Asst. A.D. for Sports Medicine, Women’s Athletics, University of Texas Cynthia “Sam” Booth, ATC, PhD Manager, Outpatient Therapy and Sportsmedicine, MeritCare Health System Debra Brooks, CNMT, LMT, PhD CEO, Iowa NeuroMuscular Therapy Center Cindy Chang, MD Head Team Physician, University of California-Berkeley Dan Cipriani, MEd, PT Assistant Professor, Dept. of Physical Therapy, Medical College of Ohio Gray Cook, MSPT, OCS, CSCS Clinic Director, Orthopedic & Sports Phys. Ther., Dunn, Cook, and Assoc. Bernie DePalma, MEd, PT, ATC Head Athl. Trainer/Phys. Therapist, Cornell University Lori Dewald, EdD, ATC, CHES Athletic Training Program Director and Associate Professor of Health Education, University of Minnesota-Duluth Jeff Dilts Director, Business Development & Marketing, National Academy of Sports Medicine David Ellis, RD, LMNT, CSCS Sports Alliance, Inc. Boyd Epley, MEd, CSCS Asst. A.D. & Dir. of Athletic Perf., University of Nebraska Peter Friesen, ATC, NSCA-CPT, CSCS, CAT, Head Ath. Trainer/ Cond. Coach, Carolina Hurricanes Lance Fujiwara, MEd, ATC, EMT Director of Sports Medicine, Virginia Military Institute Vern Gambetta, MA President, Gambetta Sports Training Systems Joe Gieck, EdD, ATC, PT Director of Sports Medicine and Prof., Clinical Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Virginia Brian Goodstein, MS, ATC, CSCS, Head Athletic Trainer, DC United

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Gary Gray, PT President, CEO, Functional Design Systems Maria Hutsick, MS, ATC/L, CSCS Head Athletic Trainer, Boston University Christopher Ingersoll, PhD, ATC, FACSM Director, Graduate Programs in Sports Medicine/Athletic Training University of Virginia Jeff Konin, MEd, ATC, MPT Assistant Professor of Athletic Training, James Madison University Tim McClellan, MS, CSCS Director of Perf. Enhancement, Makeplays.com Center for Human Performance Michael Merk, MEd, CSCS Director of Health & Fitness, YMCA of Greater Cleveland Jenny Moshak, MS, ATC, CSCS Asst. A.D. for Sports Medicine, University of Tennessee Steve Myrland, CSCS Owner, Manager, Perf. Coach, Myrland Sports Training, LLC Instructor and Consultant, University of Wisconsin Sports Medicine

Publisher Mark Goldberg Editor-in-Chief Eleanor Frankel Circulation Director Mark Shea Associate & Assistant Editors Dennis Read Kenny Berkowitz David Hill Laura Smith Guillermo Metz RJ Anderson Editorial Assistant Greg Scholand Art Director Leslie Carrère Production Manager Kristin Ayers Assistant Production Manager Kristi Kempf Production Assistants Jonni Campbell Hildi Gerhart Prepress Manager Adam Berenstain IT Manager Mark Nye Business Manager Pennie Small

Mike Nitka, MS, CSCS Director of Human Performance, Muskego (Wisc.) High School

Special Projects Dave Wohlhueter

Bruno Pauletto, MS, CSCS President, Power Systems, Inc.

Administrative Assistants Sharon Barbell Amy Walton Daniela Reis

Stephen Perle, DC, CCSP Associate Prof. of Clin. Sciences, University of Bridgeport College of Chiropractic Brian Roberts, MS, ATC Director, Sport Performance & Rehab. Ctr. Ellyn Robinson, DPE, CSCS, CPT Assistant Professor, Exercise Science Program, Bridgewater State College Kent Scriber, EdD, ATC, PT Professor/Supervisor of Athletic Training, Ithaca College

Advertising Materials Coordinator Mike Townsend Advertising Sales Associates Diedra Harkenrider (607) 257-6970, ext. 24 Sheryl Shaffer (607) 257-6970, ext. 21 T&C editorial/business offices: 2488 N. Triphammer Road Ithaca, NY 14850 (607) 257-6970 Fax: (607) 257-7328 info@MomentumMedia.com

Chip Sigmon, CSCS Strength and Conditioning Coach, Carolina Medical Center Bonnie J. Siple, MS, ATC Coordinator, Athletic Training Education Program & Services, Slippery Rock University Chad Starkey, PhD, ATC Associate Professor, Athletic Training Educ. Program, Northeastern University Ralph Stephens, LMT, NCTMB Sports Massage Therapist, Ralph Stephens Seminars Fred Tedeschi, ATC Head Athletic Trainer, Chicago Bulls Terrence Todd, PhD Co-Director, Todd-McLean Physical Culture Collection, Dept. of Kinesiology & Health Ed., University of Texas-Austin

Training & Conditioning (ISSN 10583548) is published monthly except in January and February, May and June, and July and August, which are bimonthly issues, for a total of nine times a year, by MAG, Inc., 2488 N. Triphammer Rd., Ithaca, NY 14850. T&C is distributed without charge to qualified professionals involved with competitive athletes. The subscription rate is $24 for one year and $48 for two years in the United States, and $30 for one year and $60 for two years in Canada. The single copy price is $5. Copyright© 2003 by MAG, Inc. All rights reserved. Text may not be reproduced in any manner, in whole or in part, without the permission of the publisher. Unsolicited materials will not be returned unless accompanied by a selfaddressed, stamped envelope. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Training & Conditioning, P.O. Box 4806, Ithaca, NY 14852-4806. Printed in the U.S.A.

Supplement Contamination: Is the Risk Real? By Ellen Coleman, RD, MA, MPH Athletes who use dietary supplements to improve their performance may be risking their health and eligibility to compete. That’s because supplement categories commonly promoted for use in sports may: • Contain contaminated or banned ingredients. • Have misleading labels that inaccurately name types and amounts of ingredients. Banned substances as dietary supplements Some dietary supplements may contain androstenedione or ephedrine, both of which can produce positive tests for banned substances. Unfortunately, athletes who take these products may not realize what they’re taking, since banned ingredients are not clearly listed or even listed at all.1 During the 2000 Olympics in Sidney Australia, for example, a few athletes thought to test positive for anabolic steroids innocently took a dietary supplement that, without their knowledge, contained nandrolone. Studies show there are no guarantees Even when ingredients on the label are recognizable, there’s still no guarantee of what’s inside the bottle. In 2000, researchers from the University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA) found: • Men who took either 100 or 300 mg of clearly labeled androstenedione for one week tested positive for 19-norandrosterone, a metabolic by-product of nandrolone. • Some brands of androstenedione were grossly mislabeled with respect to potency and purity and contained the illegal anabolic steroid testosterone.2 In studying the amount of ephedra alkaloids in 20 herbal dietary supplements, researchers at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock found a substantial lot-to-lot variation from the same manufacturers. They reported that label claims for ephedra alkaloids were not indicative of the amount present (which ranged from 10 to more than 150 percent of the amount listed).3 Researchers with the Institute of Sports Sciences in Magglingen, Switzerland evaluated 75 products for supplement contamination. They found: • Seven of 17 pro-hormone products contained substances other than those listed on the labels, including testosterone.

• Two had caffeine and ephedrine, which were not clearly declared on the labels. (One product contained a high enough concentration of ephedrine in one cap sule to cause an athlete to fail a doping test if consumed just before competition.) • None of the other products contained anabolic steroids or prohibited stimulants.4 In 2002, the Medical Commission of the International Olympic Committee found that of 634 non-hormonal nutritional supplements tested from 13 different countries, 94 contained substances not listed on any label and that would have led to a positive doping test. Out of these 94 samples: • Twenty three contain compounds that can be metabolized to either nandrolone or testosterone. • Sixty four contain substances that can be metabolized to testosterone. • Seven contain precursors of nandrolone alone.5 Conclusion Although sports medicine professionals should educate athletes on the potential risks of using supplements and support standards for high-quality, well-labeled supplements, the responsibility for supplement use ultimately lies with the athlete. Professionals should counsel athletes to research products carefully and buy them from reputable manufacturers. Ellen Coleman is a nutrition consultant for the Los Angeles Lakers and Anaheim Angels. For more information on supplements, please visit the Sports Science Center at www.gssiweb.com. References 1Baylis A, Cameron-Smith D, Burke LM. Inadvertent doping through supplement use by athletes: assessment and management of the risk in Australia. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 11:365-383, 2001 2Catlin DH, Leder BZ, Ahrens B et al. Trace contamination of over-the-counter androstenedione and positive urine test results for a nandrolone metabolite. JAMA. 284(20):2618-21, 2000. 3Gurley BJ, Gardner SF, Hubbard MA. Content versus label claims in ephedracontaining dietary supplements. Am J Health Syst Pharm. 57:963-9, 2000. 4Kamber M, Baume N, Saugy M, Rivier L. Nutritional supplements as a source for positive doping cases? Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2001; 11(2):258-63. 5IOC nutritional supplements study points to need for greater quality control.

For more information on supplements, please visit the Sports Science Center at www.gssiweb.com.

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T&C’s Comeback Athlete December 2003 Winner

A New Handle Basketball players need two hands, and Noah Brown rehabbed for over a year to regain one of his.

fter viewing Noah Brown’s mangled left hand, doctors told him there was nothing they could do—it would have to be amputated. Brown had been involved in a two-car accident in his hometown of Keene, Texas, on May 31, 2002, and his hand had been crushed. A 2001 Southern Conference All-Freshman Team selection and sophomore starter for the Appalachian State University men’s basketball team, Brown immediately thought his basketball career was finished. He begged the doctors not to let that happen. Four hours later, another doctor came in to assess the damage. Carl Hubbell, MD, a hand specialist in Keene, told the 20-year-old that he could save the hand, but that Brown wouldn’t be able to pick up a basketball for at least a year. After inserting pins and over 100 stitches, the surgery was complete and Brown’s hand was wrapped in a soft cast. He was told the road to recovery would be long and challenging. The accident that changed Brown’s life happened when his Ford Explorer was run off the road by another vehicle and tipped over, landing on the driver’s side. Attempting to brace himself, Brown instinctively reached his left hand up to keep the roof from caving in over his head. He missed the safety handle located near the edge of the roof, and his hand went out the open window. When the SUV flipped over on its side, Brown’s hand was trapped underneath the wreckage and dragged along the asphalt at 50 miles per hour. Brown was wearing his seatbelt, which protected him from further injury (his only other injury required a single stitch on his right hand), but his left hand was shattered. His pinkie was barely attached, his middle finger was twisted 180 degrees, and the skin on his ring finger was peeled almost completely from the bone. Only his thumb survived the accident unscathed. “I could sit here and tell you over and over what my hand looked like,” says Brown, a right-handed shooting guard, “but there is no way you can possibly visualize just how bad it was. It kind of looked like ground beef.

By RJ Anderson RJ Anderson is an Assistant Editor at Training & Conditioning. 6 ◆ T&C D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 3 ◆

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Although he redshirted last year, Noah Brown is a projected starter at guard for this year’s Appalachian State men’s team.

“After the surgery, the doctors told me I was going to need skin grafts and they kept telling me I wouldn’t have feeling in my hand for six months,” says Brown. “They weren’t being positive about anything. It was all negative.” Luckily for Brown, it didn’t turn out that way. His skin grew back quickly, making grafts unnecessary, and feeling returned to his hand after just two months. When the pins were removed, seven weeks after surgery, it was time for Brown to go to work. At the beginning of his rehabilitation, Brown could not move his fingers, so he spent a lot of time massaging the feeling back into them. “I couldn’t remember how to separate my fingers,” he says. “So the first couple of weeks I just concentrated on separating my fingers and trying to get them to bend. I played with a lot of Silly Putty and did sand grabs—anything to work on bending my fingers.” Brown estimates that during the initial stages of his rehab, he spent between six and eight hours every day working to regain dexterity in his fingers. He also spent hours in his

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Comeback Athlete driveway working on form shooting with his right hand while his brother and sister rebounded for him. In August 2002, Brown returned to Appalachian State to begin the fall semester, intent on continuing his rehab and ready to ratchet up its intensity. It was then that he met with one of the athletic department’s orthopedic surgeons, hand specialist Stephen Fleming, MD, who was assigned to monitor Brown’s progress and decide if any further surgery was necessary. After this meeting, Brown was allowed to begin dribbling a basketball again. Despite the rapid skin re-growth and what seemed like a very speedy recovery, Fleming and the rest of the sports medicine staff at Appalachian State noticed some problems with the way Brown’s fingers were healing. “His fingers were very angulated,” says Jamie Moul, PhD, ATC, Assistant Athletic Trainer and Athletic Training Curriculum Director at Appalachian State. “I wasn’t sure if we could get him all the way back because he didn’t have good range of motion and his grip was very weak.” By October the guard’s hand was functional for his day-to-day life, but it was not ready for athletics. The tendons in three of his fingers had healed awkwardly and resembled crooked J’s, making it impossible for him to make a fist. Fleming eventually made the decision that the hand was not making enough progress and recommended additional surgery to insert plates in the middle phalanx portions of the fingers in order to straighten them. On Nov. 1, Fleming performed the surgery to rebreak Brown’s fingers, effectively ending his comeback for that season and forcing him to redshirt. The setback was devastating to Brown. “I can’t even put into words how bad it felt,” says Brown. “All the stuff I had done to get better, I was going to have to do all over again.” “Deciding to have the second surgery was really difficult for him,” says Moul. “But once he realized that this was what he would have to do to achieve his goals in basketball, he 8 ◆ T&C D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 3 ◆

Award Winner

Noah Brown Appalachian State University ◆ Sport: Basketball ◆ Injury: Crushed left hand ◆ Comeback Team: Jamie Moul, PhD, ATC; Stephen Fleming, MD; Tommy Hoke, MS, CSCS. worked exceptionally hard to get there.” After the plates were inserted and the fingers straightened, Moul says they were able to extend the range of motion and work on rebuilding Brown’s strength. Along with constantly massaging the hand to break up scar tissue, they began doing a lot of different grasping and bending exercises. “We did some things with fishing weights where we would isolate individual joint movement,” says Moul. “I put a fishing line through the weight, hung it off of his finger and had him lift it, just like he would do with a leg-extension exercise.” Moul says they also did a lot of work with medicine-ball tosses. Brown concentrated on using his fingertips to catch the ball—like he would eventually have to do with a basketball—gradually increasing the weight of the ball as his fingers grew stronger.

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Working with Brown on a daily basis for seven months, Moul was careful to avoid some of the psychological pitfalls typically encountered during long-term rehab by varying the exercises. “Sometimes we would do fishing weights, sometimes we would do marble pick-ups, sometimes small-ball pick-ups,” she says. “But whatever the exercise, Noah knew what he had to do. He had a goal in mind, and he worked very hard to achieve that goal. “I felt very fortunate to be able to work with him during those seven months,” she adds. “Not just from a professional standpoint, but from a personal standpoint as well. He’s really a fine young man and was great to work with.” Brown also worked hard in the weight room. Even before he could grip a weight, Tommy Hoke, MS, CSCS, Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at Appalachian State, worked with him to strengthen his legs and abdominal muscles. “We did squats and lunges, plyometrics, all lower-body work until he got to where he could start gripping,” says Hoke. “Once we got the okay that he could grip a weight, we started using dumbbells and free weights,” he continues. “With the aid of a strap on his left wrist, we could do wrist curls, that kind of stuff.” Brown made the commitment to stay and train at Appalachian State during the summer of 2003 and the results were impressive. By the end of August, he was able to complete all of the exercises in the basketball team’s regimen, including snatches and jerks, without using the strap. During a recent test, he set personal bests in every lifting category and nearly won the basketball team’s maximum strength award, given to the squad’s strongest athlete. “He was in the weight room extra days and always doing extra stuff—big and small,” says Hoke. “I give all the credit to Noah and the desire he had. You never know what you’ll miss until you can’t do it anymore. Having to sit on the sidelines and watch his teammates compete without him last year really tore him up.”

Comeback Athlete Waiting and watching apparently won’t be a problem for Brown this season as he is expected to regain his position as the team’s starting shooting guard. “I actually think I’m a better player now,” says Brown. “Before I got hurt I relied on out-muscling guards and getting to the hole. But you can’t outmuscle people when your hand is all messed up.”

“We did some things with fishing weights where we would isolate individual joint movement … I put a fishing line through the weight, hung it off of his finger and had him lift it, just like he would do with a leg-extension exercise.” After he was released to play pickup games, Brown says that he was initially hesitant about driving to the basket, out of fear of falling and landing on his hand. To combat this he began working on a one-dribble, pull-up jump shot. Developing the new move, along with regaining his confidence to drive to the basket, has made his offensive repertoire more multi-dimensional. These days, Brown’s work with Moul is complete and his workouts with the strength and conditioning staff are no longer any different than those of other players on the team. “There’s no doubt that I’m back—not just physically, but mentally,” he says. “In fact, I don’t think you can tell by looking at it that my hand was injured in the first place.” Some of the knuckles at the ends of his fingers remain stiff and inflexible and his middle finger is classified as a mallet finger—slightly bent at the last knuckle—but otherwise, Brown has almost full dexterity in his left hand. Brown says his goals for the season include leading the Mountaineers to the NCAA Tournament. “I want to show people that sometimes there are obstacles in life that you just have to conquer,” he adds. “If you make the best of it, they can be a blessing in disguise.” ◆

Nomination Criteria and Procedures

he Comeback Athlete Award Program serves to honor those outstanding athletes who have successfully returned to competition in their sport following a serious injury. It also serves to recognize those people who worked with the athlete behind the scenes: the physician who set up the treatment plan, the physical therapists and athletic trainers who oversaw the rehabilitation process, and the strength coach and sport coach who helped the athlete regain his or her competitive form. CRITERIA FOR NOMINATIONS: Starting with our fall 2003 issues, we will no longer judge comeback athletes within a specific category (e.g., High School Male, College Female). Rather, we will honor a comeback athlete every other issue, regardless of level of play or gender. So send in your nominations as soon as you have a candidate you feel fits the bill!

TO NOMINATE AN ATHLETE: Please fill in the form below, attaching a 500- to 1,000-word description of the athlete’s rehab program, which includes the following points: • The athlete’s injury, including cause and severity. • The physician’s initial medical assessment and treatment protocol. • The details of the rehabilitation program. • The details of the athlete’s conditioning program prior to returning to competition. • The degree of success the athlete achieved upon returning to competition. • Dates of when the above occurred. • Names, titles, and phone numbers of those physicians, athletic trainers, other sports medicine professionals, and coaches who played a major role in the athlete’s comeback.

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Comeback Athlete Award NOMINATION FORM

Name of Athlete_______________________________________________ Your Name____________________________________________________ Your Affiliation________________________________________________ Your Phone No.____________________ Your Address__________________________________________________ Send nominations to: Comeback Athlete Award, Training & Conditioning 2488 N. Triphammer Rd. Ithaca, NY 14850 If you have any questions, feel free to call us at (607) 257-6970, ext. 18

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SPECIAL FOCUS

BY LAURA SMITH

Adding DEPTH tothe Field

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Photo: © Darin Cook

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Sport coaches rely on their teams’ depth charts. Many ATCs believe

the field of athletic training needs to strengthen its own depth chart

n 1972, when East Stroudsburg University Athletic Trainer Lois Wagner handed a freshman a roll of tape, she didn’t think she was making history. She simply saw a student-athlete who displayed an uncanny ability to tape ankles. Freshman Marsha Grant-Ford didn’t think they were breaking down barriers, either. But several years later, she became the first African American

by adding more diversity to its ranks.

woman to become certified as an athletic trainer. “I was an athlete and I had gotten hurt, and I ended up hanging around the athletic training room. I thought it was pretty neat,” says Grant-Ford, ATC, PhD, now an Assistant Professor of Athletic Training at Montclair State University. “With Lois, East Stroudsburg had a woman athletic trainer on staff at the time, and while I was there,

they hired a black male athletic trainer. So I thought, women do this, black people do this—I’m in the right place. Little did I know how unusual that situation was. Elsewhere, there were very few women, and there were even fewer black people.” Times have changed when it comes to the presence of females in athletic training: Women now make up roughly half of the NATA’s member-

At H.D. Woodson High School in Washington, D.C., student Rashida Thornton watches Athletic Trainer Jennifer Rheeling treat an athlete, while District Director Frank Walters looks on.

Laura Smith is an Assistant Editor at Training & Conditioning.

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Especially For Educators

thinking on some of the factors involved, and how athletic trainers at every level can become part of the solution.

ship. However, the years have done little to change the fact that there are very few ethnic minorities entering the profession. Of the NATA’s certified members, 85 percent are Caucasian, three percent are Asian or Pacific Islander, three percent are Hispanic, and two percent are black. (The remaining seven percent haven’t specified their ethnic backgrounds.) “The lack of diversity in our profession has been there for as long as

One of the most compelling reasons for adding more minorities to athletic training’s professional ranks is the huge ethnic diversity among studentathletes. Across all three NCAA divisions, 35 percent of student-athletes are non-white. At the Division I level, non-white athletes make up 50 percent of the football and men’s and women’s basketball rosters. “The percentages of ethnic minorities within athletic training aren’t that much different than those in health care fields that serve the general population,” says David Perrin, PhD, ATC, Dean of the School of Health and Human Performance at the University of North Carolina-Greens-boro. “But the numbers within the student-athlete population don’t reflect the general population. Given the population we serve, we should be doing much better. “Being a more diverse profession would allow us to better understand the needs of the athletes we deal with,” Perrin continues. “For the same reasons a female student-athlete might be more comfortable discussing certain concerns with a female athletic trainer, a minority student-athlete might feel more comfortable sharing information with a minority athletic trainer. The more diverse the profession becomes, the greater the chances are that an individual department will have a diverse staff and be able to meet that need.” Failure to understand and connect with student-athletes from underrepresented groups can have a detrimental effect on treatment outcomes, according to Grant-Ford. “When you’re trying to serve a diverse population, failing to understand and appreciate their differences leads to patient noncompliance,” she says. “A student-athlete who is not comfortable in your athletic training room is not going to fully listen to what you’re telling him or her, and may not even come back. And that

irectors of athletic training education programs are in a great position to help make athletic training a more diverse profession. Here are some suggestions on how to get started. Recruit on your own campus. Kimberly Peer, EdD, LATC, ATC, Athletic Training Education Program Coordinator at Kent State University, makes contact with on-campus groups for ethnic minority students and informs them about the major, learns which academic advisors work with minority students and provides them with materials, and asks to make presentations on the athletic training major to freshman survey or careers classes. “When we catch kids early on in their first semester, even those who didn’t know anything about the major coming in can get in their first year rotation,” Peer says. “Since we’ve been making this effort, we’ve noticed an increase in minority Kent students coming into our program.” Make diversity a curriculum staple. “Addressing diversity across the board in athletic training classes will draw more minority students to the profession, because they’ll see that we’re a field that values diversity,” says David Perrin, PhD, ATC, Dean of the School of Health and Human Performance at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro. “It will also produce athletic trainers who are more educated and more appreciative of diversity, and they will be our ambassadors and mentors to diverse youngsters who will be drawn to the field.” It’s important to make diversity an ongoing curriculum component, however, not just a one-time class. “We cover it in a lot of areas—basic competency classes, professional development classes, practicum,” says Peers. “It needs to be built into the fabric of the curriculum, not a token lecture.” Recruit a diverse faculty. “Students of color are drawn to programs where they see people of color teaching,” says Dan Hibbler, PhD, Research Associate and Assistant Professor at Florida International University, who studies sports and ethnic diversity. “If they don’t see that, they may decide that’s not the institution for them. And it may turn them off to the field altogether.” Make your students ambassadors. “Talk with your students about the need for more diversity in athletic training, and urge them to invite a friend to sit in on a class or visit the athletic training clinic,” says Perrin. Small increases can add up. “If each of the 200-plus accredited programs, which typically graduate classes of about 10 students a year, had one more minority student in its freshman class, four years from now, we’d have 200 new minority athletic trainers in the field,” says Perrin. “If every curriculum director would make an effort to become engaged in this, we could very quickly make a significant impact.”

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we’ve been collecting data,” says Frank Walters, PhD, ATC, Director of Athletic Training for the District of Columbia Public School System. “The million dollar questions are why, and what can we do to change it?” In recent years, the NATA and others within athletic training have stepped up efforts to answer those questions. We’ll discuss how the lack of diversity inhibits athletic training’s ability to serve athletes, the latest

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WHY DIVERSIFY?

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means an outcome that is less than optimal.” “Without enough people in the profession to reflect the population you’re serving, you’re going to have blind spots in terms of how to best work with different athletes,” says Karen Stinson, founder and CEO of Professional Development Group, Inc., a Minneapolis-based consulting firm that addresses diversity in the workplace. “Professions that lack diversity often have a narrow perspective to work with, and that can really hurt them. The worst part is, you won’t know what you don’t know—an athlete may not respond well to your care, and you won’t realize what you’re missing. “This doesn’t mean each studentathlete must be treated by an athletic trainer of his or her own ethnicity, obviously,” she continues. “But the benefit comes when there is enough diversity that someone else on your staff can tell you, ‘I think you may get better results with this other approach.’”

Student-athletes aren’t the only ones who are affected by athletic training’s lack of diversity. “There is a sense of enrichment that comes from the cooperation of a diverse group of people all working toward a common goal,” says Daniel Nevarez, MS, ATC, Assistant Athletic Trainer at California State University-Northridge. “It benefits not only the majority members who interact with minorities, but the minorities themselves. It makes everyone’s lives richer. In athletic training, we’re missing out on that.” HIGH SCHOOL OUTREACH

In attempting to crack the tough question of why there isn’t more diversity, many have suggested that the profession is failing to attract ethnic minorities at the high school level. One reason is that urban schools with relatively large numbers of students in ethnic minority groups are chronically underserved when it comes to athletic training. These students are less likely than their peers in suburban schools to see

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an athletic trainer at work, so athletic training doesn’t even make their list of career possibilities. And if they do encounter an athletic trainer, they may not see that person as a role model. “Whether or not anyone says it out loud, when ethnic minority high school students consider careers, they look at who’s already there,” says Carlton Anderson, ATC, Head Athletic Trainer at the University of North CarolinaCharlotte. “And if they see people they can relate to, they’re more apt to strike up a conversation, ask some initial questions, and get started down a particular career path.” “It’s a self-perpetuating cycle,” Walters adds. “The lack of ethnic minority athletic trainers means students don’t get to see them, and because they don’t see them, they don’t know the field exists or they aren’t attracted to it. And so the current demographics will persist unless we can break that cycle.” To start breaking the cycle, many athletic training educators are rethink-

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Workplace Mentors ucceeding on the job often means being taken under the wing of someone more experienced. One of the best ways a head athletic trainer can support a minority staff member is by making sure that this takes place. “Mentors have many roles,” says Marsha Grant-Ford, ATC, PhD, Assistant Professor at Montclair State University. “They support you, teach you coping mechanisms, help you build your resume, tell you about opportunities, vouch for you. Without our mentors, most of us wouldn’t be where we are today.” “We’ve found that one of the greatest predictors of job satisfaction is whether a person is being mentored,” says Karen Stinson, founder and CEO of Professional Development Group, Inc., a Minneapolis-based consulting firm that addresses diversity in the workplace. “Many times, mentoring happens naturally and informally for some groups, but not for others. Minority staff members can be left out of that loop, because people tend to mentor someone who they feel is similar to them. That can really place minorities at a disadvantage, because when it comes time to tap someone for a new project or a promotion, people look for the staff members they’ve been mentoring. Minorities end up getting passed over and they no longer feel like they’re being given the chance to grow and advance.” Making sure minority staff members have the same access to mentoring as others often means making the system more formal for everyone on staff. “Don’t say, ‘We’re going to provide you with a mentor because you’re a minority and you need special help,’” Stinson offers. “Instead, work out a system whereby everyone has a mentor, and coach them on what that role means.” Pointing a minority staff member to a mentoring program recently launched by the NATA’s Ethnic Diversity Advisory Committee (EDAC) can provide another resource. The program matches minority athletic training students or athletic trainers who have been certified for less than three years with minority athletic trainers who have been certified for more than three years. People interested in finding a mentor can visit the EDAC Web site (www.edacweb.org) to locate mentors near them. “I don’t think every minority athletic trainer necessarily needs to have a minority mentor,” says Grant-Ford, who serves as an EDAC mentor. “But for some people, it’s important. “Sometimes someone will call and express frustration about issues they’re facing as a minority, and having been through that, I can give them some help,” she says. “I help them think through the situation and say, ‘Here are some suggestions you could try.’ Since there aren’t a lot of us, it’s not likely that they’re going to have a minority mentor present when they need one. This is a way they can get some guidance without having the mentor present.”

ing their recruiting. For example, Jolene Henning, EdD, LATC, ATC, who directs the Athletic Training Education Program at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte, is using a grant from the NATA’s Ethnic Diversity Advisory Committee (EDAC) to develop a new recruiting

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brochure for distribution in Charlottearea high schools and to hold an exploration day when students can visit her campus to see athletic training closeup. The effort doesn’t specifically target minorities, but “we’re making sure the brochure will appeal to minorities, and the exploration day will provide

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them with a chance to see the diversity we have among our current students and instructors,” Henning says. A similar effort is taking place at Kent State University, under the direction of Kimberly Peer, EdD, LATC, ATC, Athletic Training Education Program Coordinator. With an EDAC grant and university funding, Peer is targeting 10 Akron- and Clevelandarea high schools with an athletic training presentation at each site, followed by a camp for juniors and seniors. The camp will be held in Gund Arena, and students will have a hands-on opportunity to learn taping skills and talk with Kent students about applying to college. Students who express an interest in the field will be matched with an athletic training student at Kent. “We’ll bring them to campus to sit on the sidelines with their mentors during contests so they’ll get to feel what the job is actually like,” Peer says. “High school athletic trainers in other areas of the country could initiate something similar,” Peer continues, “by contacting the nearest accredited program, inviting them in, and organizing a time for them to meet with interested students.” High school athletic trainers can also get involved in less formal ways. Veronica Ampey, MS, ATC, Coordinator for High School Health Care at Georgetown Day High School, in Washington, D.C., and Chair of the EDAC, takes National Athletic Training Month in March as an opportunity to educate high school students about the field. “We’ve held blood pressure screenings, injury evaluations for non-athletes—a variety of activities to get them to stop by the athletic training room,” she says. Another idea is to consciously seek out minority students. “Go beyond the student-athletes you see every day,” says Walters. “Find out what pre-professional groups or clubs your school has. Ask the biology teacher or the guidance counselor to recommend some students.” Athletic trainers who are minorities themselves can be great mentors

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for minority students, but those who are not ethnic minorities can also be successful mentors. “I got interested in athletic training in high school because an athletic trainer took an interest in me when I was an injured athlete and took me under his wing,” says Anderson. “I’m black and he’s white, but that wasn’t what mattered. What mattered was that he cared about me, he had confidence in me, and he told me that I could do this job.” “Cross-cultural mentoring doesn’t have to be complicated,” agrees Walters. “It just requires a genuine desire to get to know this individual student and an understanding that you might find some differences in this student’s experience from your own.” Cross-cultural mentoring can break down, however, when mentors feel the student must do things exactly as they did them, or when they fail to understand the special needs that a student of color from a lower economic profile might bring with them. “The

“Cross-cultural mentoring doesn’t have to be complicated. It just requires a genuine desire to get to know this individual student and an understanding that you might find some differences in this student’s experience from your own.” student might not be able to be in the athletic training room every day—they might only be able to be there one day a week,” Walters says. “When they do come in, they might have their little brother or sister with them, because they are the one responsible for him or her after school. Ask yourself if you are willing to have a broader perspective and get creative. What can you do with this little kid they bring in? Show them how to do something, make them

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a water boy. When you’re mentoring a student of a different ethnic background, the color of your skin isn’t what’s going to matter, as long as you can understand and accept things that might be different from what your own experience has been.” Another way certified athletic trainers can help is to consider serving in different settings, including innercity schools. “Putting yourself in an unfamiliar environment can be scary, but athletic trainers who can put aside their concerns and misconceptions find that serving in an inner-city school is no different than serving anywhere else, and you can have a great impact,” Walters says. “There’s at least one minority individual, and possibly several more, who have pursued athletic training careers because they were exposed to it here. It’s a long process, but it does work.” RECRUITING & HIRING

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to the field is an important first step, the second step is for college head athletic trainers to rethink their hiring strategies. This starts with successfully recruiting minority applicants. Scott McGonagle, MS, ATC, Head Athletic Trainer and Athletic Training Education Program Director at the University of Miami, does this by networking. When travelling, he tries to

the pot for a period of time to attract someone to your university to give it a try,” she says. McGonagle also keeps an open mind when looking at resumes and references. “A lot of people want to see a name they recognize on someone’s resume, or a big-time name, and if they don’t, they write the candidate off,” he says. “If I find a candidate

“Commend people who are following your expectations, and call people on it when they don’t. You have to be consistent, and committed, and even courageous to have those conversations, but it’s part of your job.” meet as many athletic trainers as possible, including those who are in minority groups or know people who are. “I introduce myself and get to know them,” McGonagle says, “so that if I need someone, I can pick up the phone and call people who are in touch with the minority athletic training community and say, ‘I have an opening, do you know anyone?’” McGonagle uses his existing staff to expand his network as well. “Whenever we’re hiring, I turn to my staff and say, ‘Who do you know?’” he says. “All of them understand our mission: to get the biggest mix of people possible into the candidate pool, and then hire the best person from that mix. So they take the time to think about a wide variety of people they can call to make that happen.” Having a reputation for valuing diversity can make word of mouth your biggest recruiting asset. “If there truly is a value placed on diversity at a particular school, minorities will hear that these are good places to work,” Nevarez says. “You’ll start getting more diverse applicants because the word will get out. “ Building such a reputation takes creativity. Grant-Ford suggests, for example, not insisting on a Master’s degree, but telling someone with only a BS that the department will help them earn the advanced degree. “If you value diversity and you haven’t had diversity, you might need to sweeten 16 ◆ T & C D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 3 ◆

who doesn’t have a big name on their resume, but who fits our bill, I will always talk to them.” Once you’ve managed to expand your pool of minority candidates, there are some nuances to be aware of during interviewing. First, according to GrantFord, be aware of the messages the candidate may be getting from other members of your staff, or even administrators or receptionists they encounter during their interview. “Even if you’re committed to diversity, negative messages they get from others can make the environment less than welcoming, and make them think twice about your program,” she says. “You need to address anyone who’s sending those messages and make sure that everyone is on the same page with regard to diversity.” It’s also important to put some thought into how you’re going to address the issue of ethnic diversity during an interview. “Don’t shy away from bringing it up,” Grant-Ford advises, “but choose your approach carefully. It’s very easy to make someone feel like a token or a quota by stressing the fact that you’re looking for ethnic diversity.” Nevarez agrees. “No one wants to feel as if they’re being considered for a job because of the color of their skin,” he says. “It’s important to communicate to your staff and to the candidate that you’re interviewing this person because of their skills, because they

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have great experience, because you liked their references.” However, you can tell the candidate, “‘You probably noticed that there isn’t a lot of diversity here right now,’” Stinson says. “‘We have a plan to create a more respectful and inclusive environment for everybody. Here are some things that we’re doing.’ “It may be that you have a diversity council to work on the issue, or you’re looking at your policies and procedures to make sure they’re fair for everybody. And then tell them, ‘We’re not putting the pressure on you to make these changes. We want you to know we’re committed to doing it, and you could help us.’ “But you really have to be committed and have a plan in place,” she cautions. “If it’s just words, you may hire someone, but you won’t retain them.” CLIMATE CONTROL

Having a “plan in place” starts with a commitment from the head athletic trainer. “A head athletic trainer is in a power position,” Stinson says. “The attitudes of the rest of the staff are going to flow directly from the tone that person sets.” “As a head athletic trainer, you need to take an honest look at yourself and make sure you aren’t operating from any preconceived ideas about what people from other ethnic backgrounds are like,” Anderson adds. If you’re not sure how to analyze your own and others’ actions, you may want to consider diversity training. However, Stinson warns that these are effective only if you start by setting clear goals for what you want to accomplish, and follow up after the training is done. “The next step is to get everyone on your staff together and lay out your expectations. This is especially important if it hasn’t been done before in your department,” Stinson says. “Call a meeting and say, ‘We’re going to be focusing on having an environment where everyone is respected and can function to their full potential, and here is what I expect from you.’”

Putting expectations in writing can help as well. “We suggest that departments develop a set of core values or operating principles regarding diversity,” Stinson says. “They should be as simple and as clear as possible. For example, at ProGroup, one of ours is, ‘We recognize the diversity of our organization as a strength to be accepted and appreciated.’ Others are, ‘We will listen with respect to each other and clients and will be clear and honest in all communications,’ and ‘Good intent is assumed and we act in ways that build trust.” Stinson teaches clients about a concept she calls the “appreciation scale,” which is an essential part of setting expectations. “When we meet someone who is different from us, we respond to them in one of five basic ways,” she explains. “At one end of the scale is appreciation. Next is acceptance, then tolerance, then avoidance, and last is repulsion. The key to setting expectations is understanding how we behave toward someone we appreciate. It’s a host of little behaviors that add up: Do you greet them when they walk into the room? If you appreciate them, you do. If you tolerate them, you might not. What if the person makes a mistake? What do you assume about their intentions? Appreciation says you assume good intent. Tolerance or avoidance says, ‘I don’t think they’re really trying.’ “The key is to realize that you are responding on the basis of one of these values to everyone you deal with,” she continues. “In the workplace, it’s essential to set the bar at appreciation. Once you understand what that behavior looks like, you communicate to your staff that the norm in your environment is that everyone will be treated that way.” The way you interact with diverse student-athletes will also send a clear message to your staff about expectations. “Do you treat them with respect, or do you speak down to them?” Anderson says. “Do you act comfortable around them, or minimize your time with them?” “Take the time to learn about dif-

ferent populations’ needs,” adds GrantFord. “For example, by educating yourself about the alternative medical treatment a Native American athlete gets at home, you demonstrate respect, intelligence, and commitment. It tells your staff that diversity is something that’s important to you.” Lastly, setting the tone requires providing ongoing feedback. “Commend people who are following your expectations, and call people on it when they don’t,” Stinson says. “You have to be consistent, and committed, and even courageous to have those conversations, but it’s part of your job.” The physical environment of your athletic training room can foster a positive climate. “If you have posters on the walls, make sure there are all kinds of people pictured on them,” says Grant-Ford. “If you work in an area where many people speak a language other than English, have copies of literature in their language. All of these things may seem small, but they add up to the overall environment, and they do matter.” Making your athletic training program inclusive also means not putting the burden of change on a minority staff member. And this last piece of advice may be the most important for long-term change. “We call it the ‘double whammy,’” Grant-Ford says. “All of a sudden, because you’re the only one there, you’re expected to sit on every committee, speak at every function, and serve as the minority representation on every issue. Employers need to remember that the responsibility for change is still theirs, not the employee’s.” ◆ For more information on programs offered through the NATA’s Ethnic Diversity Advisory Council, including grants and mentoring, visit www.edacweb.org. To read more about how athletic trainers can effectively serve an ethnically diverse student-athlete population,visit www.momentummedia.com/articles/tc/ tc1106/sensitivity.htm Circle No. 8 A T H L E T I C B I D . C O M ◆ T & C D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 3 ◆ 17

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GAINING

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GEAR BY VERN GAMBETTA

hroughout my career I have had a fascination with agility. As a young athlete, it was painfully obvious to me that the best players were not the ones who won wind sprints during practice, but those who were fastest during the game. Yet

We know a lot about speed, motor learning, strength, and agility as separate entities, but how do you put all four together to train for game speed? The keys are proper progression and drill choice. my football coach was training us for straight-ahead speed. In the 30 years since, we’ve come a long way in training for game speed. We’ve learned that agility and quickness are usually more important than straight-ahead speed, and that the mechanics of straight-ahead speed dif-

fer from those used for game speed. However, there are still many misconceptions about the most effective ways to train for speed and agility—misconceptions that keep many athletes from reaching their full potential. The most harmful misconception is that agility training is not necessary outside of actual sport-skills practices. The argument here is that practicing the movements outside the sport is contrived and entails only non-specific work that will not transfer to the game. The same naysayers also believe that it is impossible for a training session to duplicate the intensity of an actual practice or game. I do not share that viewpoint. I believe that if you carefully design agility drills, you will progress the athlete more efficiently, and with less chance of injury, than you will by working on agility only in practices. If you tap into the exact repertoire of coordinative abilities that make up the movement components of the specific sport, make the overload progressive, follow sound motor learning principles, and adapt drills to each individual athlete, you are doing much more for the athlete than he or she experiences when practicing game-like situations. Vern Gambetta, MA, is the President of Gambetta Sports Training Systems in Sarasota, Fla., and the former Director of Conditioning for the Chicago White Sox. He is a frequent contributor to Training & Conditioning and can be reached at www.gambetta.com.

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Areas of Agility here are five main areas of agility training to keep in mind when developing a program: Body Control & Awareness: This is the ability to control the body and its parts while maintaining a high level of awareness of those parts in relation to the goal of the movement. A simple drill would be to have athletes scramble from a prone position to an athletic position. Starting: The ability to overcome inertia is the definition of starting. In multi-direction sports, starts can be stationary or moving, or even a combination of both depending on the sport. Try using the wheel drill: The athlete rehearses first-step mechanics in eight different directions (like the spoke of a wagon wheel). Footwork: Conceptually, agility is built from the ground up, therefore footwork is the unifying thread in all agility work. The foot to hip relationship is key. Using ABC ladders develops footwork well. Change of Direction: This component involves stopping, and often restarting, regardless of the position of the body. It is initiated when the center of gravity is outside the base of support and the athlete must regain control and move in the intended direction. Here, I use the star drill: The athlete runs back and forth between one cone set up in the center of a circle and eight other cones that are three meters from the center. The athlete must plant and touch at each cone. Another good drill is a slalom run in which the athlete runs through a series of flags and cones. Recognition & Reaction: Recognition is the domain of actual sport skills. Recognition of patterns and cues keys reaction. Reaction is the ability to respond quickly to the stimulus. A good drill here is the ball drop, where the coach drops a ball and the athlete has to get to the ball and catch it before its second bounce.

During a typical sport practice, drills do not allow for learning a progression of movement skills. Nor do they allow for the kind of biomechanical analysis that can be made during a strength and conditioning session. Other misconceptions center on the components of agility, proper progressions, and how and when to train agility. I will go into detail on these areas in the following sections. COORDINATION & STRENGTH

While page after page has been published about speed training, motor learning, strength, and agility, very little has been written about how to integrate them. The principles of speed development are well known, but have not been systematically applied with the improvement of agility in mind. The principles of motor learning have been clearly defined, but they have not been joined with speed training. The principles of leg strength are clear, but it is not clear how to harness that 20 ◆ T & C D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 3 ◆

strength for agility. Without a lot of guidance on this topic, many strength coaches train agility in isolation. However, in my experience, this is not effective. Perhaps we put the cart before the horse by training agility in isolation. Instead, we need to train two areas before adding in more sophisticated agility drills: the underlying coordinative abilities and strength. Fully developed coordinative abilities provide a repertoire of motor skills that can be adapted to deal with the demands of sport-specific movements. What are those coordinative abilities? According to Jo’zef Drabik, PhD, author of Children & Sport Training, they are: Balance: maintenance of the center of gravity over the base of support, which is both a static and a dynamic quality. Kinesthetic differentiation: ability to feel tension in movement to achieve the desired movement.

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Spatial orientation: control of the body in space. Reaction to signals: ability to respond quickly to auditory, visual, and kinesthetic cues. Sense of rhythm: ability to match movement to time. Synchronization of movements: unrelated limb movements done in a synchronized manner. Movement adequacy: ability to choose movements appropriate to the task. Strength is the partner of coordination in building agility. Here is a look at the different types of strength needed: Basic strength is needed for balance, body control, and awareness. It is also a prerequisite for developing concentric and eccentric strength. Starting effectively from a standing position demands a high level of concentric strength to overcome inertia. It is the extension of ankle/knee/hip pushing against the ground that propels the body in the intended direction. Reducing force, which is needed to change direction, demands a high level of eccentric strength and requires tremendous joint stability and control. In both eccentric and concentric strength, force must be produced and reduced in extremely short time frames, often 10ths of a second. Therefore the premium is on the rate of force development. But load cannot be forgotten, since in an eccentric mode athletes must have the ability to handle forces up to 12 times their body weight to efficiently overcome those forces and change direction. Basic strength can be assisted through speed strength and plyometric work. This aids in starting, acceleration, and overcoming difficult angles and vectors. It has the added benefits of teaching the athlete how to better use the ground as an acceleration tool and to be explosive. Power endurance helps the athlete with complex footwork. It also helps the athlete prepare for the fatigue that results from repeated explosive movements. Training should entail 10 to 20 reps.

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An athlete can create more force and speed in stopping and changing direction through maximum strength work. This work should be done at maximum weights with just one or two reps. It is also the last step in the progression of strength training. It should not be introduced until the athlete has developed basic strength and become proficient at plyometrics and power endurance. Within all the different types of strength work, developing leg strength is important. Without adequate leg strength there is a limit to the quality of the movement. The forces involved in multiple plane movements also demand that we take a less traditional approach to the development of leg strength that will transfer to the movement skills. This means sequencing the weight training properly and emphasizing eccentric work. It also requires working on unilateral and reciprocal leg strength. In all areas of training for agility, the unifying component is footwork.

The traditional approach has been to develop strength through repetition of movement. Theoretically, as the athlete drills with more and more repetitions, he or she gets stronger and movements get better. But, in reality, this does not happen. The idea is to build strength from the ground up. Strength from the feet translates into body control, acceleration, complex footwork, and explosive changes of direction—all of which lead to great agility. PROPER PROGRESSION

Although I’ve defined coordination skills and strength skills separately, they must be developed in a parallel manner. There is great overlap and interdependency between basic coordi-

native abilities and body strength, which never work in isolation. As coordination is gained, more strength work can be done. As more strength is gained, coordination drills can get more complex. The traditional approach has been to develop strength through repetition of movement. Theoretically, as the athlete drills with more and more repetitions, he or she gets stronger and movements get better. But, in reality, this does not happen. If strength is not sufficient, poor movement mechanics develop. Faulty movement patterns then impede the formation of correct skills. So even though the athlete does the drills, the transfer is negative. A more effective approach demands mastery of prerequisite fundamental movement skills that are within the strength capabilities of the athlete. As the athlete’s strength increases through a systematic strength development program, the complexity of movements can increase. Given the large window of adaptation open to

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developing athletes, this can occur quite rapidly. Once athletes have mastered this initial developmental phase, the training can include reaction and game-situation drills. These teach the athlete to respond quickly to stimuli in the game. However, reaction elements should not be added until the athlete has developed sufficient basic strength and built it progressively into sport skills. Reaction is the response to a stimulus and initiates movement—a conscious act that can be improved through training. It should not be confused with reflex, which occurs at the sub-cortical level and cannot be trained. Perhaps the biggest shortcoming in most agility work is the lack of a reaction component. Research out of Australia has shown significantly different patterns of activation on simple cutting drills when done with reaction compared to the same tasks done without reaction. Reaction should be practiced to the dominant cue demanded by the game. Consider using the following stimuli: Visual: tracking ability, narrow versus wide focus, peripheral vision. Auditory: different cadences and tones. Kinesthetic: pressure, pushes, bumps, and surfaces. The final progression is incorporating fatigue. Agility in game situations takes place in a time span of two to five seconds. This is high neural demand work that must be consistently reproduced in a climate of fatigue. However, we do not start agility training in a climate of fatigue, we work up to it. Agility work is not conditioning, it is speed development work. There is no question that athletes must be able to do the plants, cuts, starts, and stops in a fatigued state. But that is not where you start. Movements must be mastered before any element of fatigue is brought into the picture. Otherwise, incorrect movement patterns are learned and grooved. Add reaction, add game situations, and then add fatigue when the movements are mastered.

DEVELOPING YOUR PROGRAM

Following the above progression will ensure that your athletes learn agility in the most efficient way. The next step in developing your program is making it sport specific. To do this, carefully examine the movement patterns of the sport and each position within the sport. Look for those commonalities in movements between sports. Also find what movements are unique to that sport, understand those movements, and prepare for them.

OPTIMUM PERFORMANCE

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It is best to use game analysis to determine needed movements and the role of game speed in the particular sport (see T&C Vol. XII, No. 7 for an article on game analysis). Game analysis will also determine the volume of work in the actual sport, which will in turn determine training volumes and intensities. Take as much guesswork and opinion out of the process as possible. That way you can be precise in the selection of exercises to produce an adaptive response that

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will transfer to the game. Like many strength coaches, I have spent too much time drilling for drill’s sake. Agility drills with a million cones and sticks look good, but they often do not transfer to the playing field. The athlete may get proficient at the drill, but their game performance stays the same. Drills should not be an end in themselves, they should be a means to an end. The goal should be efficient, effortless, flowing movement that transfers directly to the sport. The best approach for improving agility is to design a hierarchy of exercises that lead seamlessly into the sport skill. This requires understanding the breakdown of the movements in the respective sport. The hierarchy is: First Derivative: the actual movement done at game speed. Second Derivative: the movement broken into its component parts. Third Derivative: basic movements (coordinative abilities) that comprise the component parts. Design your program by starting

Equipment will often dictate movement patterns and positions … so make sure you incorporate game equipment into agility training. with the third derivative and advancing to the first derivative. Test the athlete to determine when and how quickly to advance. Equipment will often dictate movement patterns and positions—for example, the glove in baseball, the stick in field hockey and ice hockey, the ball in football. Since movements will differ when an athlete wears certain equipment, make sure you incorporate game equipment into agility training. One last note on developing your program involves the proper sequencing of drills. Do not mass the agility drills together. Massed practice has proven to

be ineffective for optimal learning. Instead, conduct a distributed practice where a skill is practiced and recovery is allowed. Then another skill is practiced at another point in the workout. Finally, remember to provide feedback to the athletes. In the early stages, demonstrate correct movements, fix poor movements, and praise proper movements. In more advanced stages, time drills when possible. Listen to your athletes’ questions, watch their movements carefully, and examine how their progress correlates to their performance on the court or field. Agility is the key to game speed. It not only has a performance enhancement component, but it can make a huge contribution to injury prevention. An athlete who is more agile will be able to safely get into and out of positions that would otherwise be problematic. This can only be developed through a systematic approach that has a foundation in sound motor learning principles. ◆

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DOES IT WORK?

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Put some science behind the nutrition advice you give athletes by taking in this very digestible synopsis of the latest research presented at this fall’s ADA symposium.

hether you are an athletic trainer or a strength and conditioning coach, your athletes are no doubt asking you about the latest supplements on the market. The research claims by manufacturers often sound good, but it’s hard to immediately know whether that research has any merit. It’s important that those of us advising athletes follow the latest developments in the field. If we shrug our shoulders when asked about a supplement, that may be translated into a “sure, why not” by the athlete. And if we aren’t a good source of knowledge on this topic, athletes may ask those less informed about health and safety for advice. Granted, it’s not easy to keep up with the latest research in this area—it’s even tough for us nutritionists! That’s why, when the Sports, Cardiovascular, and Wellness Nutritionists (SCAN), a practice group of the American Dietetic Association, put on a symposium in late October, with leaders in the field presenting, I was there. Three of the workshops given related to competitive athletes, and the most important points from these are summarized below.

FUEL USAGE

A common question asked by athletes is, “What is the ideal meal to eat prior to a game or competition?” Ed Coyle, PhD, Professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Health Education at the University of Texas has done extensive research in the area of carbohydrate metabolism and fuel usage during exercise. In his presentation, he updated us on the latest research and recommendations. To provide some background,

BY CHRISTOPHER MOHR

Coyle started by covering some basic, but important, information. Glycogen is the form carbohydrates take when stored in our bodies. It is stored in two organs: skeletal muscles and the liver. There are approximately 1,000 to 3,000 kcals of stored glycogen in muscle and 200 to 400 in the liver. Glycogen is broken down into glucose Christopher Mohr, MS, RD, LDN, is currently a doctoral student majoring in exercise physiology at the University of Pittsburgh. He was previously a Sports Nutritionist for the University of Massachusetts athletic department.

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and becomes the primary fuel source used by the body. Glycogen can fuel our bodies during activity for approximately four hours. After glycogen is used up, our bodies tap into free fatty acid stores for energy. Muscle has about 2,000 to 3,000 kcals of intramuscular triglyceride (IMTG). There are also another 50,000 to 100,000 kcals of stored triglyceride in the body, which is

takes approximately four hours after consumption for fat to be available to the muscles as free fatty acids. Pregame, it is also best to eat more easily digested foods, such as fruit, rather than non-refined foods such as beans, oatmeal, and whole-grain products. It is also recommended that the stomach be fairly empty during competition so blood can be shuttled to the working muscles instead of being

There is a lot of talk, and some recent research, about the effect of high-fat diets on performance. Increasing fat intake does in fact spare glycogen usage … but the only effect highfat diets actually seem to have on performance is that they change the fuel mixture used during activity. Increasing fat doesn’t appear to positively or negatively affect performance.

performance. Increasing fat intake does in fact spare glycogen usage. While this may seem like a good thing, the only effect high-fat diets actually seem to have on performance is that they change the fuel mixture used during activity. Increasing fat doesn’t appear to positively or negatively affect performance. Key points from this lecture: • Carbohydrates are the primary fuel source during exercise. • The pre-competition meal should focus mainly on easily digested carbohydrates and be low in fat. • High-fat, low-carbohydrate diets do not enhance performance. • The meals leading up to competition will do more for performance than one single pregame meal. SUPPLEMENT UPDATE

essentially an unlimited supply of energy. Fatty acids are more difficult for the body to break down and utilize for energy, but are still used during exercise. (Protein is used only as a last resort.) The above covers the basics, but what researchers have been trying to uncover more recently is exactly why and how one fuel source is used over another. Although carbohydrate is used most during exercise, there is never a time that only one fuel source is used. By better understanding how fuel sources are used, the idea is that we can give athletes better advice on what constitutes optimal pregame nutritional intake. According to Coyle, research still backs up what we’ve been telling our athletes for over a decade: Optimizing glycogen storage is paramount for peak performance. Carbohydrate intake causes an increase in the hormone insulin, which allows the body to take up more glucose and less fat. Therefore, eating a meal that is comprised primarily of carbohydrate to make the glucose more readily available for the working muscles is ideal. This meal should provide just a moderate amount of protein and be low in fat. While fat itself can be utilized during exercise, Coyle stated that it 26 ◆ T & C D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 3 ◆

needed in the stomach for digestion to occur. The best time to figure out what foods work for individuals is prior to practices, not prior to the game itself. Aside from fruit, other foods that work well for many athletes are yogurt, sports bars, the new yogurt drinks, or milk (chocolate milk provides more carbohydrates so it may be useful). But experimenting on the day of a big competition is not the best idea. Athletes should use the guidelines outlined above and then some trial and error. However, focusing on the pregame meal alone is not sufficient. Optimizing glycogen stores can’t be accomplished immediately prior to competing, and it should be taken care of throughout the days leading up to competition. It takes approximately 20 hours to fill glycogen stores, without interruption from another practice or event, so in addition to the pregame meal, food choices in the days prior to competition are crucial. Again, they should consist of mainly carbohydrates with some fat and protein. Off the topic of pregame meals, Coyle also discussed the hot topic of tinkering with macronutrient combinations to enhance performance. There is a lot of talk, and some recent research, about the effect of high-fat diets on

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Today’s athletes often look to the shelves of their local GNC for a competitive edge. Unfortunately, the research does not happen as fast as manufacturers issue new claims, so we need to stay on the forefront in giving our athletes the most up-to-date advice. In the next seminar, Douglas Kalman, MS, RD, FACN, the Director of Nutrition at Miami Research Associates, discussed a variety of popular dietary supplements on the market. Creatine: Consumers in the U.S. currently spend more than $200 million on creatine per year. Creatine is produced endogenously and stored in the muscles as phosphocreatine. During the early stages of high-intensity activity, phosphocreatine is dephosphorylated (loses a phosphate) and donates this phosphate to adenosine diphosphate to produce adenosine triphosphate (ATP, the energy currency of the body). Therefore, it is thought that increasing the intramuscular stores of phosphocreatine, via exogenous supplementation, will allow the body to continue this cycle and increase the available ATP. Creatine is one of the most widely researched dietary supplements, and studies have shown its consumption to benefit approximately 75 percent of the users. Benefits to athletes include

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getting stronger, recovering more quickly, and potentially decreasing sprint times. Kalman quickly reviewed many of the activities creatine has been tested in, and offered the following synopsis: • Creatine has been shown to be effective in short-duration, high-intensity sports (weight lifting, sprinting, etc.). • Creatine has shown no positive effect on endurance. • Creatine has shown no positive

effect on swimming performance. It also appears that creatine is safe. While there are many reports of increased rates of cramping, dehydration, and strains/pulls, these anecdotal claims have not been duplicated in research settings. One side effect of creatine is weight gain, which is often what people hope to accomplish via supplementation. At this time, it is unclear whether this weight gain is solely from increased water retention or increased

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protein synthesis within muscle. Glutamine: Next up was glutamine, an amino acid that constitutes about 60 percent, and sometimes more, of the intramuscular amino acid pool. Glutamine is used often in patients with muscle wasting diseases, such as HIV and cancer. As little as two grams of glutamine per day has been shown to improve nitrogen retention, a marker of muscle breakdown, in muscle wasting diseases. Because of the research in diseased patients, companies promote this dietary supplement as an anti-catabolic agent, meaning it will prevent, or at least reduce, muscle breakdown. However, like many other dietary supplements introduced with a lot of promise, glutamine has not panned out with athletes. The few studies that have been conducted on glutamine use with athletes have shown no effect on muscle recovery. HMB: Beta-hydroxy beta-methylbutyrate, better known as HMB, has been shown to improve nitrogen balance in lab rats, indicating it may more quickly reverse muscle damage. Similarly, supplementing horses with HMB has been shown to improve their performance. However, horses and rats don’t have the same exact metabolic mechanisms as humans, and the few small studies of HMB conducted on humans have shown no benefits. The two studies Kalman discussed were six days and eight weeks long, respectively. In both, when individuals were supplemented with HMB, there was no positive (or negative) effect on muscle damage. Protein: Although there are several different protein supplements on the market, Kalman concentrated specifically on amino acid (AA) supplementation. Amino acids are the building blocks of protein. There are 20 different amino acids, and nine of them are essential, meaning they cannot be produced by the body. Some of the most recent studies suggest that supplementing the body with essential amino acids can help muscles recover more quickly.

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It is understood that weight lifting is a critical part of most athletes’ training, but weight lifting itself is really a double-edged sword. It is necessary to gain muscle strength and size, but the act of weight lifting actually promotes muscle breakdown, making it necessary to consume adequate calories, including protein, to provide muscles with the necessary nutrients to recover and grow. With this basic physiology in mind, researchers have begun to assess whether providing essential AA before, during, and after a workout would help restore muscles more quickly. Previous studies have shown that consuming protein in a one-to-three or one-to-four ratio to carbohydrate immediately after a workout is beneficial. In this seminar, Kalman updated us on research conducted on supplementation prior to and during the workout. Several recent studies on humans have demonstrated that approximately six grams of the essential amino acids taken before and during the workout

help enhance protein utilization. This small amount of AA provides the body with the necessary fuel to enhance muscle protein synthesis and decrease the breakdown of muscles. Researchers are still determining the proper dose, and some claim that the actual dose should be six grams AA for every 70 kg of body weight (approximately 150 lbs). Research is underway to determine if in fact AA intake is dose dependent. While the focus of these studies was on taking a supplement, consuming food with similar amounts of protein should have the same positive effect. Taking in approximately 10 grams of a complete protein provides approximately six grams of essential amino acids so, theoretically, this should be just as effective. Ideally, the food should also have some carbohydrate in it, for the reasons mentioned in Coyle’s seminar. One cup of low-fat or fat-free chocolate milk before, during and after exercise may go a long way

NUTRITION

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in preventing or slowing muscle breakdown and enhancing recovery. Green Tea: Researchers have long known about the antioxidant properties of green tea. Recently, some have begun to measure its role in weight loss as well, and athletes looking to lose weight have become interested in its effects. Green tea is high in certain compounds called catechins. The specific catechin of interest is known as epigallocatechin (EGCG), which is found in very high doses in green tea. A few studies, mainly in rats, have shown high doses of this compound may inhibit the enzyme lipase, which is necessary in fat metabolism. This, in turn, may reduce fat digestion. Research in humans is in its infancy and studies that have been conducted have not shown EGCG to have a positive effect on weight loss itself. One study did demonstrate that those taking EGCG increased their resting metabolic rate by four percent, but this

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did not correlate to any significant changes in bodyweight and body fat. More research is definitely needed in this area, as it does show some promise. However, it’s too early to recommend EGCG as a weight loss supplement. Companies have begun to include EGCG in their products, but there is not enough research at this time to support its inclusion. AFTER ANDRO

Ever since home run slugger Mark McGuire admitted he used androstenedione (andro), the interest in prohormones, also called prosteroids, has increased. Andro was one of the first supplements of its kind in this category, and after andro proved to be ineffective and have some negative side effects, supplement makers began producing other prohormones. Although these types of supplements are banned by the NCAA and many professional sports leagues, athletes may still be interested in them.

Whether banned in your level of play or not, understanding the mechanisms, science, and safety behind these products is warranted. In this seminar, Tim Ziegenfuss, PhD, CSCS, Chief Scientific Officer for Phoenix Laboratories, discussed his research in this category of supplements. The basic premise is that supplementing with prohormones will increase testosterone levels, subsequently increasing lean body mass. Ziegenfuss first discussed the difficulty in measuring hormone levels in subjects because of the inter- and intra-subject variability with regard to hormone levels. For example, the time of day, previous exercise, sleep patterns, and meals all affect these levels. Therefore, careful consideration must be taken when attempting to assess and scientifically measure hormone levels. With that said, some of the newer prohormones do in fact show promise in transiently increasing testosterone

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levels. But the most important consideration is still whether this transient increase correlates to lean body mass gains or any positive effects. This research has not yet been performed. The bad news here is in the supplements’ side effects. Studies have revealed several negative side effects, such as decreases in HDL (the good cholesterol), increased estrogen levels, and potential increases in fatty tissue. It’s best to urge athletes to leave these products on the store shelves, no matter how promising they sound. CONCLUSION

There are a myriad of dietary supplements available. In fact, there are more than 29,000 products available to date. With this in mind, it’s always best to educate athletes so that they can make informed decisions as to what they are considering putting into their bodies. This works better than solely trying to steer them away from all products. ◆

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Ready, Set, Refer As health care systems become more political and sports medicine more sophisticated, the path to the best referral is gaining some new twists and turns. Here’s how to navigate the network.

hen Augsburg College student-athletes need emergency medical care, they don’t have to go far, because a hospital emergency room is located across the street. That doesn’t mean, however, that Athletic Trainer Missy Strauch, MS, ATR, ATC, automatically uses the hospital’s staff for her referrals. “We’ve told the emergency room staff that any Augsburg athletes who come in here need to be referred to our specific orthopedic surgeon,” says Strauch. “If they send them off to the hospital’s orthopedic group, we aren’t always able to get enough feedback. So we make sure our athletes stay within the network of the physicians we usually work with.” As Strauch has learned, making referrals can be tricky, cumbersome, and time-consuming. There are an infinite number of decisions to be David Hill is an Assistant Editor at Training & Conditioning.

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made, and while some are simple or obvious, others require careful, measured consideration. A wrong step can leave an athlete in less-thancompetent hands

or facing a practitioner with the bedside manner of a medieval blood letter. Certain athletes may need special attention, insurance may limit options, and you have to be on the lookout for doctors with poor communication skills. “The athletic trainer is a gatekeeper, and a big part of the profession is recognizing who to get the patient to,” says Denny Miller, ATC, PT, Director of Sports Medicine at Purdue University. “It’s important that you take some pride in doing that, and you need to be willing to branch out for specific needs and situations.” But how do you know which

BY DAVID HILL

ATHLETICBID.COM

physician is best for your athletes? How do you navigate the touchy politics of a local medical community? What happens if the specialist your school has been using for years shows signs of losing his or her touch? And how do you assess new practitioners? How do you know if your referral list is up to date? MAKING A LIST

Whether new to a job or updating a referral list, the first place to start your referral review is by assessing the care the physician is providing. “The best way is to assess your athletes, especially operative ones— examine how the surgery

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appeared to turn out and how smoothly the rehabilitation went,” says Chuck Whedon, MS, ATR, ATC, Coordinator of Athletic Training at Rowan University. “Look at what kind of rehabilitation the physician orders and how aggressive it is, which, of course, is important for athletes.” Along with assessing their surgical and rehab abilities, many athletic trainers want to see good communication skills and an efficiency on the physician’s part. Maureen Mahoney, LAT, ATC, Head Athletic Trainer at Wellesley College, cites a few warning signs of a bad referral: the professional is not answering your direct questions, provides vague diagnoses, or doesn’t get athletes into the office quickly. Also be wary if athletes do not understand their return-toplay plan.

told me anything that I didn’t already know and is not helping. That can happen even if I send a note with the athlete. Then I have to track that MD down for more information, and what athletic trainer has time for that?” “I don’t see too many doctors misdiagnose someone,” says Strauch. “But if there’s no follow-up or there’s no urgency to do what’s best for the athlete and consider that the athlete still wants to participate in athletics, that’s a warning sign.” Whedon also assesses the doctor’s bedside manner. If he is not with the athlete during the visit, he asks the athlete for feedback on this issue. “I’m very comfortable with asking my athletes, ‘Hey, what did you think of that physician?’” he says. “It’s too important to me to beat around the bush. So I simply ask them, ‘Did you like the doctor? Did he or she treat you with respect?’” However, if the athlete does have complaints, it’s important not to take his or her word as the final judgement. Jim Murdock, MEd, ATC, Assistant Athletic Trainer at the University of Vermont, often doublechecks directly with the physician before deciding how a referral went. “An athlete can come back really

“My nightmare of dealing with an injury is that there is an athlete whom you have been working with and you have come to the point where you need more information or further testing,” Mahoney says. “They have just seen a physician and come back to you with a vague generalized diagnosis and no recommendations for care or treatment. The MD has not

upset and all ticked off,” he says, “but were they really paying attention, were they really listening? If the athlete comes back and you ask, ‘What did the doctor say,’ and the athlete says, ‘Nothing. I can play tomorrow,’ but they have a torn ACL, that’s obviously a warning sign.”

TREATING THE ATHLETE

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Murdock then knows he needs to get more information because the athlete may have misunderstood what the physician was saying. Athletes may also have their own ideas about who to see. Miller recounts two Purdue athletes who had been treated by one of the top specialists in his field while they were in high school—one from a wealthy suburb whose parents knew of the doctor, and the other from a low-income background who was steered to the physician by a coach. But both expected to play beyond college and wanted only the best. “It’s not infrequent that a high school athlete you recruit has already seen that level of physician prior to the recruitment, and you owe it to that athlete to continue to provide that level of care,” Miller says. But expectations can go the other direction, too, especially at the high school level. “There are some parents who won’t drive 15 extra miles or won’t go to the next town to see someone

who’s great with knees,” says Janet Kennedy, MEd, LAT, ATC, Head Athletic Trainer at Framingham (Mass.) High School. “Sometimes you have to convince parents of your knowledge and the need to follow up on something, by asking, ‘Did the doctor rule this out?’ I tell them I see this kind of injury all the time, but their family-practice doctor may not.” Illustration: Rob Barber

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Athlete Prep eeking the right professionals is only part of getting good results with referrals. The other part is making sure referral appointments go as well as possible. And part of that is preparing athletes for the visit. First, recognize the trauma facing a young studentathlete who is probably upset about the injury and might be worried about not being able to return to the sport at all. Some may even be entering the medical system for the first time. While talking with a physician may be routine for you, it’s not for them. Take some extra time to explain what’s going to happen, try to build their sense of control, and let them know they not only can but should ask lots of questions. “They’re going through a grief response,” says Chuck Whedon, MS, ATR, ATC, Coordinator of Athletic Training at Rowan University. “You have to explain, ‘Look, you can’t do anything about it now. It happened. You’re not going to change that, but now what we can do is get you to the best person we know. “Tell them,” continues Whedon, “‘You have to pay attention to what the physician says, and write down your questions, because no one remembers all their questions when they go in there. And write down the doctor’s responses. Make sure you understand what is being done to you.’” “Explain to them why this referral is necessary, and what you hope to get from this visit,” says Maureen Mahoney, LAT, ATC, Head Athletic Trainer at Wellesley College. “Also, athletes need to understand their medical insurance and how it works, such as what co-pays are, as well as the need for office visits and possibly physical therapy or treatment visits.” One thing many athletes may need help with is understanding the inconvenient, often intimidating, atmosphere of a medical specialist’s office. Jim Murdock, MEd, ATC, Assistant Athletic Trainer at the University of Vermont, says if an athletic trainer can’t go with the athlete, he and his colleagues like to send an upper-level student in UVM’s athletic-training academic program. “It’s a great educational component

NETWORK CONNECTIONS

Once you’ve got a handle on your current referrals, the next step is expanding your list. The key to this process is networking. “It’s word of mouth,” Whedon says. “Talk to other athletic trainers, to other health-care professionals, and ask, ‘If you were going to send your dad or son for shoulder surgery, who 34 ◆ T & C D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 3 ◆

for our athletic training students, and it helps improve communication,” Murdock says. Kai Etheridge, LAT, ATC, Athletic Trainer at South Mountain Community College in Phoenix, Ariz., tries to warn athletes that a specialist spending only a few minutes in the examining room doesn’t mean they’re getting short-changed. “Athletics is such an important part of their lives, and if the doctor spends only two minutes with them and doesn’t stay to discuss their case, it can be a shocking thing,” Etheridge says. “I try to explain to the athletes that the physician’s not trying to be short with them and isn’t just seeing dollar signs. He or she probably has a waiting room full of people who have been sitting there for 45 minutes because he or she was late getting out of surgery.” Any tips you can offer athletes for opening dialogue with the physician can be helpful. An orthopedist in Phoenix earned a World Series ring for working with the Arizona Diamondbacks, and Etheridge advises athletes to break the ice by asking about it. Many athletic trainers send forms along with athletes to help facilitate communication with the doctor, physical therapist, or other practitioner. In part because he works with a huge array of doctors, relatively few of which are sports-medicine specialists, Etheridge uses a form that’s only a page long but highly detailed. It’s a modified version of what he used at the State University of New York College at Cortland and includes his impression of the injury, a section for the physician’s findings, an X-ray report if needed, scheduling follow-up, and check boxes for unrestricted play, limited participation, or complete rest. “This makes it easy for the doctor to communicate,” Etheridge says. “Sometimes it’s hard for the doctor to make a phone call or take my call.” He’s also found athletes are quite conscientious about returning the form because they can’t play without it. “I just say, ‘Hey, I need this back. This is clearance to play,’” says Etheridge. “The athletes get it back because they realize it minimizes the time they’re out.”

would you send him to?’ Call people who have been around for five to 10 years and have a good handle on the health-care practitioners in the area. Pick their brains, write down their suggestions, and start making some contacts.” Sometimes nearby medical schools can help, as their faculty members are usually well-respected in their fields.

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Whedon also suggests contacting members of the local or state athletic trainers’ professional society for recommendations, as he does for athletes who need referrals in their hometowns due to insurance requirements. “I have other athletic trainers call me on a weekly basis to ask for a good knee surgeon or a good back surgeon in our area,” he says.

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When evaluating new physicians on your list, the first criteria are ability and expertise. Ask how often the physician has dealt with the injury or condition in question, and what the outcomes were. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re talking about a knee injury,â&#x20AC;? says Miller, â&#x20AC;&#x153;we want the referral person to be someone with a proven record of patients who have returned to Division I or professional competition. We want someone who has done many, many of theseâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;as many as possible. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I had an athlete with a tibia fracture,â&#x20AC;? Miller continues, â&#x20AC;&#x153;and our consulting orthopedist whose specialty is knees, said, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;I can treat the athlete. However, hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s what I suggest: Take him to this other doctor who handles all the trauma cases that come out of the Indianapolis 500. He sees these injuries by the dozens, and I see only a few. He has had a track record of getting competitors back into NASCAR, CART, and the IRL. Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s have him

Kennedy likes to meet potential referral practitioners before theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re needed. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a new doctor in the area, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll set up an appointment and learn the new doctorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s background.â&#x20AC;? work with that tibia fracture for us.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; So thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s what we did.â&#x20AC;? Kennedy likes to meet potential referral practitioners before theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re needed. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a new doctor in the area, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll set up an appointment and learn the new doctorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s background,â&#x20AC;? she says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll ask about some common injuries and their philosophy, such as how theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d manage the injury. I do it whenever a new person joins the clinic where most of my athletes end up.â&#x20AC;? Murdock takes it a step further and

TREATING THE ATHLETE

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accompanies the athlete the first time he uses a new clinician. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s partly to assist the athlete,â&#x20AC;? he says, â&#x20AC;&#x153;but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also for me to evaluate the clinicianâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; his or her bedside manner, knowledge, the rapport with the athlete and with me. And I look at the whole picture, including the office, the setup, and accessibility.â&#x20AC;? Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also good to get to know nonmedical personnel. Kai Etheridge, LAT, ATC, Athletic Trainer at South Mountain Community College in Phoenix, Ariz., makes it a point to meet the key people in the medical practices he most frequently refers his athletes to. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve found sending a card or introducing yourself to the staff, especially the receptionist, will get your foot in the door,â&#x20AC;? he says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They like to do favors for people sometimes, and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve found a little personal contact is a good way to speed the process along. If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve met them, theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re going to attach a name with a face, and then youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not Joe Patient on the phone.â&#x20AC;?

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SEEKING SPORTS MEDICINE

One way to increase the odds of a good referral is to screen out practitioners who aren’t familiar with sports medicine. A sports-medicine specialist will more likely understand the athletic trainer’s role and abilities. Murdock says being a sports-medicine specialist isn’t a requirement to see Vermont student-athletes, but some understanding of their special needs is. “Does the physician understand the pressures and lifestyle of a college student-athlete, which, as we affectionately say, aren’t normal?” Murdock says. “There are some general practitioners who’ll say, ‘Oh, you don’t feel good? Take the day off.’ For some athletes, that’s not a viable choice, internally or externally. Or if we send an athlete to a clinician and they say, ‘So, what sport do you play? Oh, field hockey. But there’s no ice this time of the year!’ that kid’s turned right off. They won’t hear anything else, even though, medically, this person could be tremendous.”

“There are some general practitioners who’ll say, ‘Oh, you don’t feel good. Take the day off.’ For many athletes, that’s not a viable choice, internally or externally … They won’t hear anything else, even though, medically, this person could be tremendous.” Physicians with a sports-medicine bent are more likely to understand the need to act quickly and aggressively. “Sometimes in athletics, you play through things,” says Russ Hoff, MS, ATC, Assistant Professor and Director of Sports Medicine at Valdosta State University. “A broken hand takes four to six weeks, so the protocol says, but is that person really out four to six weeks? Maybe not, if you cast it and protect it so it doesn’t move and it can

heal. And in college athletics, there are other considerations. They want to play, and the coach’s livelihood depends on some of those guys playing. You don’t go to the extreme as in professional athletics, but it’s an art, not a cookbook.” The physician’s availability is also key. “We’ve had people say, ‘We can’t get you in to see the doctor for two weeks,’ and that’s an unacceptable answer for an athlete eager to get back on the field,” Strauch says. “We have a sports-medicine center that different orthopods and general practitioners belong to, but to belong, they have to see athletes on an urgency basis—a day or two, max. Waiting two weeks to see a specialist is unacceptable in the world of athletics.” POLITICS & DIPLOMACY

Perhaps the most delicate part of referrals is navigating the sometimesmurky world of connections from practitioner to practitioner. In an era of consolidated medical practices, where

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professionals in many specialties may be part of the same health-care system or corporation, and where long-established team-physician arrangements are in place, it’s especially important for athletic trainers to try to understand these relationships. Toes stepped on today may lead to closed doors later on. “It’s about money, no doubt,” says Whedon. “In our area, we have six or seven very good sports medicine groups. There are probably two that are the cream of the crop, and they battle it out. That’s just the nature of our society.” Politics can be especially tricky for high school athletic trainers in a small community. “If there are two orthopedic surgeons in town and you keep referring only to one, that can be a problem,” Hoff says. “That other doctor may have kids who go to the high school.” When he moved to Phoenix from a small town in upstate New York, Etheridge learned to find people he

could get to know and trust to offer honest opinions regardless of the politics. “Be aware of all that, and analyze the recommendations with that in mind,” he says. Diplomacy and tact will often go a long way, especially when faced with a most difficult situation: having suspicions about a doctor’s performance. If Kennedy gets a bad feeling about how a doctor has handled a case, she’ll ask questions and discuss it with the athlete and parents, but she is reluctant to come out and criticize the physician. “I’ll say, ‘I’m not sure the doctor noticed something,’” Kennedy says. “I’ll tell them an orthopedist specializes in bones and joints and sees many more of these injuries. Then it’s up to the parent to move to the next level of care.” Murdock also suggests avoiding direct questioning of a physician’s judgement. “I might ask a doctor, ‘Can you explain to me why you’re doing it this way?’” he says. “‘I’m not understanding what you’re trying to get at.’ If he or she is doing something that in

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my estimation is simply not right, I would talk with another doctor, such as our team physician, and say, ‘Hey, what’s going on here?’ I do not question a physician’s medical practices, but explain I just want to make sure what’s being done is for the best. Our role as athletic trainers is not only to provide care, but also to be an advocate for, and protect, student-athletes.” As difficult as it may be to question a doctor, Murdock stresses not shying away from raising issues if they’re serious. “A lot of times people don’t address situations with physicians because we’ve put them on a pedestal,” he says. “But we sometimes need to remind them that they’re human, and they’re providing a service. “You don’t want to come off as a pompous person trying to question a physician whose medical knowledge is light-years ahead of yours, but it comes back to more than just medical knowledge,” Murdock says. “Good care is all about people skills, professionalism, and follow-up.” ◆

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A STRONG Swing Michigan State shares how it reduces injuries and develops explosive power among its softball athletes. The Spartans advanced to the NCAA Division I Regional Finals last season.

t is a beautiful day in East Lansing, Mich., and softball is finishing up a weightroom workout. Jessica Beech, our All-America pitcher, is beginning to grimace from the burning in her shoulders as she works through her seventh rotation of the upper-body dumbbell shoulder matrix. “Do you have desire or determination?” I ask. “Determination!” she replies. “If you bring it every day, that shoulder will stay healthy,” I proclaim before moving on to Brittney Green. Brittney plays third base and is about to start her last pull of the weighted pulley shuffle. “Jump from the line and be explosive!” I challenge. The 130-pound weight stack accelerates with each of her steps. “Welcome to greatness—you’re going to surprise people,” I say with a wink. I’m proud of our softball team because they are training with the confidence and courage needed to accom-

plish our goals of injury prevention and enhanced explosiveness. We achieve both of these goals through a purposeful strength and conditioning program. START IN WEIGHT ROOM

At Michigan State, we start our softball programming with a focus on increasing strength via weight training. We prescribe a full-body strengthening program addressing the top injury sites for softball players, which are the shoulder, knee, and ankle. The underpinnings of our weight room program include multi-directional, single- and multi-joint exercises using multiple modes (body weight, medicine balls, Swiss balls, bands, dumbbells, barbells, balance equipment, and machines). Table One (on page 40) shows our most commonly prescribed exercises. We’re confident these exer-

BY TIM WAKEHAM

cises decrease injuries and enhance explosiveness. The specific exercises we use to target the power zone (torso and legs) include the front lunge, weighted pulley circuit, and ground-based torso (band) rotation. Exercises we use for shoulder strengthening focus on the anterior, posterior, medial, and intrinsic rotator cuff musculature. This is accomplished with a variety of forward, lateral, and posterior arm raises, along with external cuff rotations. Seated and sometimes standing shoulder presses are also performed, unless the athlete has joint pain. We prevent major knee and ankle injury through balance training. Our softball athletes perform an assortment of single-leg balancing drills that last between 15 and 60 seconds per exerTim Wakeham, MS, CSCC, is an Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach at Michigan State University.

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Figure One: During tri-planar balancing, we ask athletes to suspend the non-weighted leg in front of the body, laterally, and rotated to the side.

Table One: The Basics he following are the exercises we prescribe most often for our softball athletes:

SHOULDERS Upper Body Dumbbell Matrix (a series of tri-planar presses, raises, and rotations) PNF Pattern Posterior Shoulder Raises Pulley Horizontal Shoulder Abductions Shoulder Presses (in front of body and only down to 90 degrees at elbows) Lateral Raises

Forward and Lateral Step-Up Leg Curl Swiss Ball Bridge Straight Leg Deadlift Weighted Pulley Circuit (movements include lateral shuffle, forward and backward sprints, and slower marches) ANKLES Straight-Leg Toe Raises Bent-Knee Toe Raises Single-Leg Balancing Band Skaters Sport-Specific Agility Conditioning

GLUTEALS, QUADRICEPS, HAMSTRINGS, INNER/OUTER THIGHS Barbell Squat Leg Press Lateral Lunge

TORSO Band Figure Eights Prone ‘J’ Strokes Ground-Based Band Rotations Sky Touches Lying Side Crunch w/Rotation Lying Alternating Hip Flexions

cise. As an example, we perform an exercise called tri-planar balancing. In this exercise the weighted leg is stationary while the other leg is suspended for 15 seconds in front of the body, laterally, then with the hip rotated (open like a swinging gate) to the side. Difficulty is progressively increased

by changing to a more unstable surface (such as a wobble board), adding work time, closing one or both eyes, and turning the head to the right or left. (See Figure One, above.) Our general preseason strength training framework consists of an average of three sets each for the hips and

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upper back, two sets each for the chest, shoulders, and hamstrings, four sets for the torso and one set for the forearms and calves each workout. Athletes lift two to three non-consecutive days per week, depending on their ability to recover and continue progressing. All athletes are inspired to systematically work their muscles harder over time. Specifically, Spartan softball players are instructed to increase their weight load as much as possible every time they accomplish the assigned repetition target for a set or exercise. If the repetition target isn’t achieved, softball players are asked to gradually add repetitions until they reach the target. During our 12-week preseason phase, our repetition targets for most areas start at an average of 13 and decrease by four repetitions every four weeks down to five. The exception is the torso, where most exercises start and stay at a 20 rep target. To ensure purposeful training, athletes chart their progress on workout cards every time they lift. PRECISION AGILITY

Based on our thorough review of the literature, we do not believe there are any magical weight room exercises that create optimal explosiveness in softball athletes. Simply put, there are too many differences between all

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▼ weightroom exercises and softball performance. Instead, our primary focus is on specific action training— exact sport movements performed at sport speeds under sport conditions. Most of this training is done as part of our agility work. Prior to our agility training, athletes perform a dynamic warm up. It is during this time that we teach body conrol and awareness in order to prevent major knee injury. Specifically, we instruct our athletes to: • Initiate movement from the gluteals and hamstrings. • Keep their knees between their first and second toes when bending during cutting and decelerating. • Use several small steps when decelerating from sprinting. We also warn them about high-risk sport-specific positions, postures, and movements and suggest safe reactionary countermeasures. Some of these

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Figure Two: Our weighted pulley circuit consists of a lateral shuffle, forward and backward sprints, and forward and backward marches. The forward sprint is shown on the left, the backward march is on the right.

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high-risk positions include playing with straight legs and twisting the body with the knee aligned inside the big toe. Our explosive agility work consists of sport movements such as multidirectional starts, sprints, and cuts performed at maximum speed and with precise technique. Specifically, our softball players perform interval base running, shuffle and sprint, turn and sprint, and multi-directional bursts. We emphasize precise and coordinated acceleration, deceleration, and stabilization. In addition, we vary the starting positions and first steps. Michigan State softball players perform starts from their abdominals, backs, knees, and feet. You never know when your players will have to be explosive off the ground. Furthermore, we vary the first steps taken between an open, crossover, and pivot foot position. After athletes demonstrate competent movement efficiency, we stress skillful explosiveness—agility at game speeds. Eventually, our objective is to have the athletes perform the movement patterns as purposeful, conditioned explosive reflexes rather than skills that must be thought about before execution. Most drills have a three- to 10second duration and long recovery periods (5:1 rest-to-work ratio). To see optimal gains in movement efficiency and absolute explosiveness, athletes need to train in a non-fatigued state. This teaches the athletes to con42 ◆ T & C D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 3 ◆

Figure Three: Three exercises we use to work torso muscles include prone “j” strokes (left), band rotations (below), and lying alternating hip flexions (right).

sistently demonstrate maximal efforts and coordinate their movements efficiently at high speeds. During these workouts, we take as much time as needed to identify and correct biomechanical errors as well as teach efficient sport-specific movements. Even though most practitioners share a general consensus regarding what constitutes efficient sprinting and agility movement mechanics, technique may be different from athlete to athlete in small but significant ways depending on their physiological characteristics. This being said, all technical refinements should be instituted on

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a trial-and-error basis to see how the athlete responds. NUTRITION NOTES

We have put together a 15-page nutrition packet for all of our softball players. The objectives of the packet are to assist in the development of favorable body compositions for optimal explosiveness and to ensure optimal recovery so players have the energy needed for consistent explosive performance. Some of our players want to reduce body fat, some want to increase muscle mass, and others simply want to stay energized for each practice. The booklet provides general information regarding what to eat, when to eat, and how much to eat each day in order to accomplish the player’s specific performance goals. It also covers hydration, eating on the road, supplements, stress fractures, alcohol consumption, and the rest needs of elite athletes. If a player’s needs are more complex, we have her consult with a registered dietician who can provide a body composition analysis, evaluation of current diet, determination of optimal and realistic body composition expectations, and diet modification strategies. INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES

The best strength and conditioning programs take each athlete’s individual qualities into account—something we try to do as much as our resources allow. Some of our general strength

Satisfy Your Need for Speed The small changes that are made to our pitchers’ workouts include the addition of exercises for the serratus anterior, which plays a role in the windmill softball pitch, and reductions to the frequency, volume, and/or resistance used by the pitching arm. training prescriptions for softball are adapted based on position needs and physical training status. For example, if an athlete has adequate strength but a poor body composition profile, we decrease the volume of the weighttraining workout and increase her number of explosive agility and conditioning exercises. Pitchers are a unique group on every team, but they are not treated much differently than our position players at Michigan State. The small changes that are made to our pitchers’ workouts include the addition of exercises for the serratus anterior, which plays a role in the windmill softball pitch (along with the shoulder exercises mentioned previously). An example exercise is the walk-out position while on a Swiss ball (legs on ball, hands on floor) with the shoulder blades protracted and body straight. Other changes made for pitchers include reductions to the frequency, volume, and/or resistance used by the pitching arm. These reductions are made because of the high volume of throwing performed during the preseason. Recovery may be the most significant way to keep pitchers healthy.

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▼ Table Two: Warmup n our warmup drills we focus on body-control and awareness. Softball players run 40 yards total, while performing the below-listed movements. If the movement has an asterisk after it, players run 20 yards forward and 20 yards backward.

Lower body matrix hop x 2 rotations Skipping* Shuffles with 180-degree turns Backwards run (with high foot lift and long strides) Crossovers (feet cross over the midline of the body)* High knee carioca Straight-leg kick/toe touch 360-degree skip/run High knee skipping Diagonal bounding* One leg lateral hop* Quickstep carioca (short/choppy steps with a lot of hip rotation) Acceleration build-ups in an attempt to reduce the chance of exacerbating or causing tendonitis, impingement, and lesions.

elbows during upper body pressing movements or allow players’ elbows behind their body. Specifically, we do not prescribe behind the neck shoulder presses, behind the neck pull-downs, dips, upright rows, deep (large range of motion) dumbbell flyes, and wide-grip bench presses. We’ve made these changes based not on specific scientific evidence, but on our experience working with our players. THE BIG FINISH

We have listed our general philosophy and methods for training our athletes from the neck down. To achieve championship success, you must also coach your players from the neck up. Instruct, inspire, and listen to your athletes day in and day out. Engage and respond to them and they will do what is hard and achieve what is great. ◆

For example, we do not allow our softball players to go through more than 90 degrees of flexion at the

References for this article can be found at: www.athleticsearch.com/msusoftball.

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State of the Industry Leading companies discuss trends, new product technologies, and more.

3-Point Products’ Reflex® Putty is the only putty that increases resistance the more it is pulled. Only Reflex® Putty, with Memoryflex™ technology, can be used for a full program of upper extremity strengthening. Reflex® Putty can be stretched like exercise bands but, unlike bands, it provides consistent resistance throughout the range of stretch. Muscles receive the same degree of resistance throughout the range of muscle contraction for a more effective strengthening regime. Available in three resistance levels and in the NEW Pro Series for athletes who require higher resistance for a targeted hand and upper extremity strengthening program. Reflex® Putty is ideal strength training for golfers, baseball players, rock climbers, and anyone requiring improved hand and upper extremity strength.

3-Point Products 888-378-7763, www.3pointproducts.com

Electrotherapy treatments are gaining in popularity with many professional athletic organizations. Neuromuscular stimulation is used to increase range of motion and local blood circulation. The portable size of the unit allows for on-the-spot training on the sidelines, and preset therapies allow ease of programming for quick reaction time. The four independent channels allow up to eight electrodes to be used to treat large or multiple sites. The stimulation helps keep the muscles limber, thus aiding in avoiding injuries to keep players in the game.

BioMedical Life Systems 800-726-8367, www.bmls.com

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Cho-Pat’s patented Dual Action Knee Strap provides an extra dimension of relief for painful and weakened knees. First, it applies pressure upon the tendon below the knee to reduce patellar subluxation, and improve tracking and elevation. Then, it adds pressure on the tendon above the knee to further strengthen, and provide an additional level of support and stability to the joint. It also allows for full mobility.

NEW TECHNOLOGY/ LIGHT THERAPY Light Therapy has become cutting edge technology for use by professional trainers and Dynatronics is breaking new ground with the introduction of the new Solaris D880 Infrared Light Therapy Probe. The D880 generates 500 mW of power at multiple wavelengths. With five times the power of competing devices, it reduces average treatment times by 80% - at a fraction of the cost of other Light Therapy devices. The D880 is available with four different Solaris models which combine Light Therapy with Ultrasound and seven stim waveforms, making Solaris the most powerful and versatile device in the industry. What’s more, Solaris’ durable construction and portable size mean Solaris can travel anywhere.

Cho-Pat 800-221-1601, www.cho-pat.com Circle No. 48 on Reader Inquiry Card

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DYNATRONICS 800-568-7711, www.dynatronics.com Circle No. 49 on Reader Inquiry Card

State of the Industry New Research on Anti-Glare Products Studies Studies show they work best when applied in an area of the cheek or nose that the eye can see By Mike Maloney Glare may be caused by dazzling stadium lights or the sun, and it can also come from light that is reflected off from a smooth shiny surface. The second type of glare is why athletes apply adhesive backed patches or grease paint to their cheeks in the area directly under their eyes. When an athlete sees something out of the corner of their eye, they are using peripheral vision. Peripheral vision is good when it enables the athlete to avoid an obstacle, like an opposing player, and bad when it causes an unnecessary distraction. The human eye is capable of seeing more than 180o at all times and the brain is constantly processing all of the information that is received and determining what is important (informational) and what is not important (non-informational). Most people see part of their nose and their cheek in their peripheral vision at all times and the brain has learned to ignore them as being non-informational. When a splash of light suddenly reflects off from the nose or cheek, however, the brain needs to process that information and determine if it is important or not. Causing the brain to process non-informational input is a distraction that could easily impair an athlete’s ability to concentrate on tasks like catching or hitting a ball. Athletes have been using dull finish, dark colored materials like grease paint and shoe polish for many years in order to prevent light from reflecting off from their cheek and into the peripheral areas of the eye. Nowadays, many of them use adhesive backed patches which are easier to apply and remove, and less likely to get smeared into the eye. Our laboratory performed a series of tests to determine how well the performance of eye patches compare to grease paint and we also tested some new over-the-nose patches that have recently come on to the market. Since people have a difficult time quantifying the amount of light that is being detected in the peripheral areas of their eyes, we performed the tests using a specially equipped mannequin. A photo diode was attached to the mannequin’s right eye and positioned where the rods and cones responsible for peripheral vision are located. A lamp was positioned so that light reflected off from the mannequin’s nose and cheek and the amount of light reaching the photo diode in the eye was recorded. Eye black was then applied to the area of the cheek directly under the eye and another reading was recorded. The test was repeated 5 times

Anti-Glare Product

Reduction in Amount of Light Entering Peripheral Area of Eye (%)

Eye Black Grease

1.6

No Glare™ Strips

2.6

No Glare™ Over-The-Nose Strips

12.3

and the results showed that the eye black reduced the amount of light entering the peripheral area of the eye by about 1.5%. That may seem like a small change, but because there is no way to determine how much distraction is too much distraction, the goal should be to reduce or eliminate as much as possible. When we tested the adhesive backed strips, we found that they reduced the light entering the peripheral area of the eye by about 2.5%. Since the eye black and the adhesive strips were applied in the same location and have about the same color and texture, it appears the advantage for the adhesive strips comes from the difficulty of applying uniform amounts of eye black at the same location for each test. We also tested adhesive backed strips that cover both the cheek and the bridge of the nose and found that they reduced the light entering the peripheral area of the eye by about 12%. The bridge of the nose is a larger reflective surface than the top of the cheek. Should your players use anti-glare products? Our tests clearly demonstrate that anti-glare products can reduce distractions caused by sudden splashes of light, entering the peripheral areas of the eye, from reflections off from shiny surfaces on the players cheek and nose. For maximum benefit, the anti-glare material should cover any area of the cheek and nose that the eye can see. When the anti-glare material is first applied, it may actually create a temporary distraction until the brain gets used to seeing it and classifies it as non-informational. As a result, anti-glare products should be applied well in advance of taking the field for an athletic event.

About the author – Mike Maloney is President of Bjorksten Research Laboratory and has over 40 years of experience testing consumer products and sporting goods. He holds patents in several areas and has published previous articles on testing and the development of testing devices. He developed the test apparatus and the test protocol for ASTM method F 1900 Standard Test for Water Resistance of Footwear Using a Walking Step Simulator.

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State of the Industry Leading companies discuss trends, new product technologies, and more.

New Technology/Industry Trends Foot Management, Inc., employs Computer Aided Design and Manufacturing (CAD/CAM) in its custom orthotic fabrication. When a cast or impression of the foot is received, it is scanned with a digital laser and measured electronically to start the correction process. Once the scan is corrected, the information is sent to the mill where production begins. Electronic milling maintains a high level of accuracy in reference to the foot impression. Every orthotic is then hand-finished by skilled craftsmen. Benefits Speed and accuracy are the more obvious benefits for employing a CAD/CAM system of manufacturing. Corrections can be made more expediently and there is less room for human error in a computerized environment. All scans and corrections are saved electronically to provide greater ease and accuracy for re-ordering and modification.

Foot Management, Inc. 800-HOT-FOOT, www.FootManagement.com

New Technology Want to treat your injured players with the same technology used by the best athletes in the world? The Game Ready Accelerated Recovery System helps musculoskeletal injuries and post-surgical conditions heal more rapidly by delivering simultaneous cold therapy and intermittent compression. Trainers for more than 45 professional sports teams and 55 universities rely on Game Ready to get their injured athletes back in the game sooner. According to Tampa Bay Buccaneers Trainer Todd Toriscelli, “Our players fight over who gets to use the Game Ready System.” The portable system consists of a control unit, which provides adjustable cold therapy, four levels of compression, and patented ergonomic wraps based on NASA spacesuit technology.

Game Ready, Inc. 888-426-3732, www.gameready.com Circle No. 51 on Reader Inquiry Card

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New Technology/Industry Trends Interactive tools teach athletes and coaches superior lifting technique. Optimal Muscle Training uses a unique book and DVD package to present all the keys to mastering the technical aspects of resistance exercises. The book provides the background, theory, and science of how muscles develop imbalances, how testing can pinpoint problems, and how specific training to correct imbalances optimizes muscle function. The DVD, compatible with both personal computers and home DVD players, enhances the information presented in the book with over 200 practical exercises and three levels of muscle testing. Working in tandem with the book, the DVD, with its multiple menus and random access format, allows viewers to customize their experience by quickly accessing what is most relevant to them. Benefits Through the integrated approach of the book and DVD, athletes can determine the exact location of muscle imbalances and tailor programs to address their needs. They will learn the subtleties of muscle testing and exercises to improve their training and achieve the highest level of muscle function.

Human Kinetics 800-747-4457, www.HumanKinetics.com Circle No. 52 on Reader Inquiry Card 48 ◆ T & C D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 3 ◆

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Speed training has to be considered one of the largest trends concerning competitive athletes. The amount of “bigger is better” positions in sports has diminished, as players with a quick first step and an extra burst of speed are quickly becoming the preferred option. This change has extended our focus from a small target audience to every coach in every sport. With many coaches including speed exercises in their daily sessions, we feel that proper training equipment can only assist coaches all the more. We have also seen speed training as an important first step for athletes returning from various injuries. Therefore, our focus also includes athletic trainers. With a growing market comes a larger demand, and Kwik Goal intends to meet the needs of everyone.

Kwik Goal, Ltd. 215-536-2200, www.kwikgoal.com Circle No. 53 on Reader Inquiry Card

State of the Industry Leading companies discuss trends, new product technologies, and more.

The Power Fitness Chute, from Kytec, is the ultimate multisport chute. Offering up to 50-percent more resistance than any other chute on the market, it has an innovative way of adjusting resistance by sliding the patented cord lock up the shroud lines, which changes the shape of the chute, resulting in the desired amount of resistance. The Power Fitness Chute uses only four lines, compared to other chutes on the market that use eight lines and can easily become tangled. Another innovative addition to the Power Fitness Chute is its “parabolic cup” designed canopy. The cup-shaped design is sewn in the chute, giving it instant lift and stability. Because of its quick opening and stable characteristics, it is the ideal chute for sprinters’ speed development.

Kytec Athletic Speed Equipment, Inc. 800-732-4883, www.kytec.us Circle No. 54 on Reader Inquiry Card

Simply The Best! Judah Mfg. Gives You the Tools for Managing your Athlete’s Pain

COMBINATION THERAPY Medi-Stim, Inc., offers the latest products that combine multiple therapy modalities in one portable battery-operated unit. Having one machine that can do what four different machines can do offers a big advantage for limited space, traveling, and fast and easy set-up. Their new ALLSTIM PRO™ can do just that. Medi-Stim also offers the widest selection of portable electrotherapy products from one source. DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY The latest trend of electrotherapy devices incorporates digital technology that offers precise settings for a clean comfortable stimulation, and other features such as pre-programmed and programmable treatment protocols, timers, and compliance monitors. POWER AND PORTABILITY Power is not sacrificed by being portable! Many devices now can operate on batteries as well as through an AC wall adapter. The ALL-STIM PRO™ provides table top power without the bulk or the hefty price tag.

Medi-Stim, Inc. 800-363-STIM, www.medi-stim.com Circle No. 55 on Reader Inquiry Card

Stabilize Chronic Shoulder Dislocators, Separators, and Subluxators With over a decade of experience in shoulder brace design the MAXTM Shoulder Brace by Brace International, Inc. is an evolution in shoulder girdle support. The snug-fitting, lightweight material (under 2 pounds) allows for comfort with movement while its strap design system allows for many options to help protect the glenohumeral joint. Maximum Protection, Maximum Range of Motion

Unit fits in the brace designed for all types of electrotherapy treatments - conductive garments available for all body parts.

Relieves pain, swelling, sore muscles, strains, and stiffness immediately. Fits easily in your trainer’s bag.

Judah Manufacturing Corporation 10720 Miller Road, Suite 304 Dallas, TX 75238 800-618-9793 www.judahmanufacturing.com Circle No. 32

We highly recommend its use for all sports.

800-545-1161 Toll Free - www.braceint.com Circle No. 33

State of the Industry Leading companies discuss trends, new product technologies, and more.

Mettler Electronics is pleased to offer the athletic trainer a wide variety of choices for electrotherapeutic modalities. Our products include the latest in continuous and pulsed Auto*Therm® shortwave diathermy, Sonicator® Plus therapeutic ultrasound combined with electrical stimulation, Sonicator® therapeutic ultrasound, Sys*Stim® neuromuscular and interferential stimulators and the Trio*Stim battery-operated TENS, microcurrent and muscle stimulators. All these can allow the trainers to expand the options in their training rooms to get their athletes back in action quicker. Added to these products are the new leak-proof ThermalSoft® Durapak hot and cold packs and a new topical analgesic, Polar Frost® cold gel. Call or email us to receive your free Mettler catalog that will introduce you to these exciting new products and help your athletes.

Mettler Electronics Corp. 800-854-9305, www.mettlerelectronics.com Circle No. 56 on Reader Inquiry Card

Perform Better, and Safer, with ProCordz! TurfCordz ProCordz are used for high level athletic training by professional football, baseball, hockey and basketball teams, providing explosive starts, increased power and quicker footwork. The new Safety Cord design features a strong nylon cord running the entire length of the heavy latex tube, offering the safety and reliability professionals demand during rigorous sports training.

M-F Athletic Company 800-556-7464, www.performbetter.com Circle No. 58 on Reader Inquiry Card 50 ◆ T & C D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 3 ◆

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NASM is pleased to introduce its all-new Web site at www.nasm.org! Featuring enhanced navigation, expanded information and new member benefits, the site will quickly become an industry favorite for education and development. And coming soon, NASM will debut the industry’s first interactive resource center, a state-of-the-art online universe that will revolutionize the way athletic trainers do business. From personalized Web sites to program design, we have the tools and solutions to help professionals propel their career to the next level. This resource center will include revolutionary assessment and programdesign tools as well as an online library of the industry’s hottest topics. Log on now for a preview! While you’re there, be sure to register for a complementary membership which includes bimonthly newsletters, special discounts and so much more!

National Academy of Sports Medicine 800-460-NASM, www.nasm.org Circle No. 57 on Reader Inquiry Card

New Technology: This is Oakworks patented Integra-hinge. Some people assume that it can't possibly be as strong as the piano hinges used on other portable treatment tables because piano hinges are bigger. The truth is that the Integra-hinge is not only superior but FAR superior, in strength, stability, safety, and durability. The Integra-hinge requires fewer holes drilled into the framework of the table. This means a stronger frame. The Integrahinge incorporates the table braces as part of the hinge itself. This means that the very weight of the table AND the client serves to strengthen the ability of the hinge to do its job. Benefits: This kind of integration offers unbeatable stability, exceptional durability, and the kind of reliable strength that you and your athletes can depend on.

Oakworks, Inc. 800-558-8850, www.oakworks.com Circle No. 59 on Reader Inuiry Card

State of the Industry Leading companies discuss trends, new product technologies, and more.

The Interactive Functional Anatomy on DVD software features a high-resolution 3-D gross anatomy model of the entire human body, including bones, muscles, and ligaments. Interactive functions allow you to choose different views, move, and rotate the 3-D model and add or remove layers of anatomy. Interactive Functional Anatomy will show agonis and antagonist text, up to 80 live action surface anatomy and muscle action videos, views of proximal and distal attachments, and patient information text. Not only can Interactive Functional Anatomy help with learning, retaining knowledge, and teaching but it can also save you time, educate your patients more effectively, and allow you to access a comprehensive image library. Newly developed on the OPTP Web site is the newsletter. This bimonthly newsletter will contain various topics of interest to fitness and rehabilitation professionals.

OPTP 800-367-7393, www.optp.com

Biofreeze contains ILEX, an herbal extract which helps provide deeper, longer lasting pain relief than conventional cooling gels. The cooling effect accelerates the rate of the basic healing process through the relaxation of stiff and aching muscles. Invaluable in the clinical setting or training room, mix Biofreeze with neutral coupling agents and lotions to enhance ultrasound and soft tissue massage. With professional supervision, BioFreeze can be used with ice and breathable wraps. Biofreeze should be applied as part of the cooling down period to help remove lactic acid and reduce edema to minimize next-day aches and pains.

Performance Health, Inc. 800-246-3733, www.biofreeze.com

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How

Biofreeze, the most effective pain reliever, is available to enhance your therapy and relieve athlete pain to aid training, rehab and injury prevention.

order

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from...

Kytec Athletic Speed Equipment, Inc.

courteously, and to ship merchandise as quickly as possible, usually within 24 hours. There is a difference in Kytec products. It's the difference between being the runner-up and the winner. It is the difference between nearing the top and reaching it. When you buy Kytec products the difThe new millennium brings with it the promise of new ference is quality, factory-direct savings, and prompt delivtechnologies, state-of-the-art solutions, and a high-tech ery. Call today and order our free 68-page full-color cataapproach to solving our everyday needs. At Kytec, we log, which includes over 200 products such as: medicine embraced the philosophy of cutting-edge technology balls, reaction balls, hurdles, ladders, stop-watches, parasince we began operations 12 years ago. We have been chutes, bunji equipment, trainer aids, sport specific books the innovators and inventors of the best speed training and videos, balance aids, foam rollers, Swiss balls, plyoequipment available on the market. World class, professional, collegiate, and prep school athletes and coaches all metric benches, thera-bands, floor mats, cones, jump ropes, dot mats, score counters, sleds, and much, much over the world have used our products. more. Begin to feel the benefits of the highest quality and Our goals are to have a wide variety of superior merlowest-priced athletic speed, strength, and rehabilitation chandise at the best possible prices, to handle your order equipment in the USA. Kytec Athletic Speed Equipment, Inc. offers a wide variety of products dealing with fitness, strength, rehabilitation, speed, and flexibility for all types of athletes and individuals.

Call us toll-free at 800-732-4883 Fax us at 952-884-3424 E-mail us at order@kytec.us

Visit us on the Web at

www.kytec.us for more information.

State of the Industry Leading companies discuss trends, new product technologies, and more.

New Technology

New Technology/Industry Trends Selling is increasingly managed via the web. Register for a comprehensive free demonstration of eSimtrak.NET at www.esimtrak.com. Benefits Trainers need not keep records on their own computers or school networks. They can be free from CD upgrades, down networks, and PDA data transfers. And trainers can now work on records from anywhere, anytime. That means more time to attend to athletes. In 2000, Bill Gates left his top job at Microsoft and appointed himself Chief Software Architect, to give full-time attention to Microsoft.NET, a new programming technology. Later, he said, “It's the Holy Grail that computing has talked about for a long time.” This summer the wellknown Simtrak™ service released eSimtrak.NET™. It is written in the new Microsoft technology. It operates entirely on the Web.

Premier Software 630-906-6630, www.esimtrak.com Circle No. 62 on Reader Inquiry Card

PROTEAM by Hausmann, a Specialty Division of Hausmann Industries, Inc., introduces a new concept in athletic trainer’s tables and treatment furniture. PROTEAM provides customized, modular taping stations to fit any space and any need! You can add, change or relocate modules as your needs change! PROTEAM products feature maintenance free, laminate surfaces for years of carefree use. PROTEAM’s high-density foam tops and optional nylon reinforced vinyl ensures the extra durability you are looking for. PROTEAM can also provide you with a full line of split leg tables, exam and treatment tables, mat platforms, stools, benches, cabinets and stadium lockers. School colors can be matched on contract sales.

PROTEAM by Hausmann 888-428-7626, www.proteamtables.com Circle No. 64 on Reader Inquiry Card 52 ◆ T & C D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 3 ◆

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Using Cool Max covered Felt, Pro-Tec Athletics implements targeted compression in their braces and supports. This provides the user with focused support right where they need it. For example, the Shin Splints Compression Wrap includes a vertical compression strip that provides focused compression on the soft tissue next to the edge of the tibia. By directionally wrapping the support around the lower leg, the compression strip stabilizes the soft tissue against the tibia, helping to prevent further tearing. This is one example of why Pro-Tec’s line of “targeted compression” supports are more effective than traditional sleeves and wraps. Additional Pro-Tec supports implementing targeted compression are the Knee Pro-Tec, The Lift knee support, Arch Pro-Tec, Achilles Tendon Support, Iliotibial Band Wrap, Elbow Power Strap, Metatarsal Lift and J-Lat. Benefits summary Pro-Tec Athletics’ “targeted compression” supports are more effective than traditional sleeves and wraps because they focus support right where you need it.

Pro-Tec Athletics 800-779-3372, www.injurybegone.com Circle No. 63 on Reader Inquiry Card

Injury Treatment New Technology Rich-Mar now offers a Hands-Free ultrasound that provides a better ultrasound treatment and saves you enormous time! Rich-Mar, a leader in ultrasound for over 30 years, has developed a patented device, the AutoSound, which virtually eliminates application errors that can detract from a manual ultrasound. The AutoSound always moves the ultrasound output at the ideal 4cm/sec via its patented stationary applicator. Best of all, it provides a great treatment while saving you lots of time. Say you provide 10 ten-minute ultrasound treatments a day, four days a week for 50 weeks a year; the AutoSound will save you over 2.5 months of 40-hour work weeks in a year…wow! Trends The best trend is the newer devices that provide better treatments in a Hands-Free manner allowing more time for more athletes.

Rich-Mar Corporation 800-762-4665, www.richmarweb.com Circle No. 65 on Reader Inquiry Card

State of the Industry A new technological advance created by Scandinavian Consulting, Inc., can be found in the all-new Plyo Jumper. This piece of equipment is designed to treat the post-op and low level patient as well as help your sports enhancement people make their gains. The Plyo Jumper can be adjusted from 10 to 60 degrees and can also be loaded with a speed (low inertia) pulley. This gives the therapist the versatility of a deloading function all the way up to high end plyometric training. With this in mind, we believe the therapist is able to build an objective database that our competition that utilizes springs and rubber cords is unable to duplicate. As we visit clinics across the United States a trend occurring in the industry has surfaced. The requirement to deload patients as well as train with plyometrics has forced many therapists to purchase two different pieces of equipment. The Plyo Jumper has the versatility to do both. It not only deloads but makes it easier for the post-op/low level patient to maneuver on and off the equipment. The sports enhancement group’s main benefit will be the functional loading with weight stacks via the speed (low inertia) pulley, but can also be used by strictly loading with gravity.

Scandinavian Consulting, Inc. 602-442-2088, www.scipulleys.com Circle No. 66 on Reader Inquiry Card Circle No. 34

Catalog Showcase POWER SYSTEMS, INC. (800) 321-6975, www.power-systems.com

When it comes to increasing LOWER BODY REACTIVE POWER, no training system can equal the results achieved by the new LowLoad, Velocity-Specific VertiMax Training System. Seventeen patented functions and unique engineering under the platform combine to provide unique and essential kinetics that optimize the proprioceptive response and radically improve an athlete's vertical jump and first-step-quickness. In addition to the superlative gains achieved with the well established Collegiate and Pro models, there is now a new V6 model (designed by the NFL 2002 "Strength Coach of the Year"). The V6 is the only trainer capable of applying a synchronous upper and lower body loading for direct transfer sports-specific training. Athletes who take advantage of this free-form system will not only make new "personal bests" in the scholarship and pro-contract measurable events, but will markedly upgrade all their competitive moves on the field of play. It is the one device that will make a difference that the athletes can feel and their coaches can see!

VertiMax 800-699-5867, www.vertimax.com Circle No. 67 on Reader Inquiry Card

Since 1986 Power Systems has been a leading supplier of sport training, health and fitness products. The company prides itself in being the one resource for all of your training needs. Its new 2004 catalog has a new look with better graphics and photos. Included areas are core strength, medicine balls, speed, plyometrics, agility, strength equipment, strength accessories and flooring. You will find the catalog full of hundreds of new products and dozens of products available exclusively from Power Systems. The company has also lowered some prices to enable the customer to get premium products at great prices. Go online or call to request a free 2004 catalog today. Circle No. 68 on Reader Inquiry Card

CREATIVE HEALTH PRODUCTS (800) 742-4478, www.chponline.com Creative Health Products, in business since 1976, is a leading discount supplier of Rehabilitation, Fitness, Exercise and Athletic Equipment and also Health, Medical, Fitness Testing and Measuring Products all at discounted prices. Products include Heart Rate Monitors, Blood Pressure Testers, Pulse Oximeters, Bodyfat Calipers, Scales, Strength Testers, Flexibility Testers, Stethoscopes, Pedometers, Exercise Bikes, Ergometers, Stopwatches, Fitness Books and Software, Exercise Bands, Step Benches, Hand and Finger Exercisers, Heating Pads Circle No. 69 on Reader Inquiry Card and more. A T H L E T I C B I D . C O M ◆ T & C D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 3 ◆ 53

ScoutingReport Electrotherapy ACCELERATED CARE PLUS (800) 350-1100, www.acplus.com The Patterned Electrical Neuromuscular Stimulator (PENS), from Accelerated Care Plus, uses the pattern of electrical firing in muscles identified by EMG studies for electrical stimulation protocols. The FX2 uses biphasic asymmetrical pulsed currents to induce contractions in agonist and antagonist muscles to simulate the “live firing” pattern of muscles during normal activities. The muscle contractions in the agonist-antagonist muscle groups produced by EMG patterned stimulation provide afferent inputs that assist in retraining of the CNS and spinal motor loops to promote normal muscle function. Circle No. 70 on Reader Inquiry Card

BIOMEDICAL LIFE SYSTEMS, INC. (800) 726-8367, www.bmls.com The BioStim NMS + is a Digital Muscle Stimulator/TENS combo unit from BioMedical Life Systems. When chronic pain, post surgical pain, acute pain, range of motion, increased blood circulation, muscle disuse atrophy, muscle reeducation, or venous thrombosis are indicated the BioStim NMS + would be an ideal choice. The waveform can be switched from asymmetrical biphasic square to a symmetrical biphasic square. The unit has a patient lock/compliance system allowing the trainer to lock the unit into place to prevent the patient from changing the settings and monitors the number of hours the unit has been used. The unit has five preset therapies and three fully programmable therapies for precision. It also has a timer to time treatments and closes completely so none of the dials can be accidently bumped. This unit rivals the most powerful portable e-stim units on the market. The unit outputs an amazing 120mA of power to contract large muscle groups. It also has an increased pulse width that can go up to 400 microseconds. Circle No. 71 on Reader Inquiry Card

BioMedical Life Systems, is proud to introduce its new generation in Electro-Therapy Devices, the QuadStar® four channel NMS Muscle Stimulator Device. Its compact size and user friendly programming features make the QuadStar’s® design unique among Electro-Therapy Devices. The unit measures 6.75” by 2.75” by 1.25” and has an easy to read LCD screen and a digital keypad. Simple to understand instructions guide the user through nine pre-programmed protocols; 54 ◆ T & C D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 3 ◆

two types of waveforms; symmetrical or asymmetrical biphasic square, continuous, cycled or reciprocating stimulation, adjustable pulse rate and pulse width. The device has a patient lock system that, when activated, prevents the patient from changing any of the set parameters. The device features a graphic representation of the timing parameters directly on the screen. When the Patient Lock System is turned off, a patient compliance meter is displayed showing how long the device was used. A timer allows the patient to use the device for a specified period of time. The four-channel device incorporates touch-proof design and is run by four AA Batteries or a Nova® Wall Adaptor. Circle No. 72 on Reader Inquiry Card

BLUEWAVE MEDICAL PRODUCTS (866) 463-7829, www.BlueWaveMedical.com TENS without a prescription. The BlueWave Low Back Pain Relief System, from Blue Wave Medical Products, is the first and only FDAcleared TENS for sale over the counter. Targets pain relief for the lower back by integrating a stimulator with a waist support wrap. Simply wrap the support around waist over the lower back, adjust the TENS for optimum pain relief, and wear under clothes while working, playing and resting. Circle No. 73 on Reader Inquiry Card

DYNATRONICS CORPORATION (800) 874-6251, www.dynatronics.com Shopping for light therapy? Dynatronics introduces Solaris, featuring the New Infrared Cluster Probe generating 500 mW of power at multiple wavelengths— five times the power of competing devices— reducing average treatment times by 80 percent at a fraction of the cost. That’s not all. Solaris also includes Ultrasound and seven Stim waveforms, making Solaris the most powerful and versatile line in the industry. Circle No. 74 on Reader Inquiry Card

ELECTROMEDICAL INTERNATIONAL (800) 367-7246, www.alpha-stim.com Absolutely nothing relieves pain from sports injuries like the Alpha-Stim 100 Microcurrent Stimulator from Electromedical International. Inspired by recent advances in the understanding of

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biophysics, the AlphaStim 100’s therapeutic abilities have been acclaimed by Athletic Trainers and health care professionals worldwide. ATC’s from teams such as the Dallas Cowboys and Houston Rockets use the Alpha-Stim regularly in treating their athletes. Specific treatment protocols are included with the Alpha-Stim 100 and technical assistance is readily available by telephone, fax, and email. Circle No. 103 on Reader Inquiry Card

JUDAH MANUFACTURING CORP. (800) 618-9793, www.judahmanufacturing.com Judah Manufacturing is the premiere pain management manufacturing company in the U.S., offering both conductive garments and electrotherapy equipment for every area of the body. The Ultimate Wrist Gauntlet is designed so that the stimulator is attached as part of the wrist brace. The Gauntlet can accommodate all variations of electrotherapy treatment—muscle stim, interferential, microcurrent, high-volt, and TENS—and the brace is flexible enough to be used for either the right or left hand. Circle No. 75 on Reader Inquiry Card

MEDI-STIM, INC. (800) 363-STIM, www.medi-stim.com Medi-Stim, Inc. has introduced its new ALLSTIM Pro™ 4-Channel Portable Combo Muscle and Nerve Stimulator. Powered by four AA batteries or AC wall adapter, the ALLSTIM Pro™ can treat four areas at one time. Choose from four different treatment modalities: Electrical Muscle Stim—for muscle reeducation and rehabilitation; Russian Stim—for power strengthening; Interferential—for deep tissue pain control, increased local circulation or edema reduction; and TENS— for chronic pain management. Circle No. 76 on Reader Inquiry Card

METTLER ELECTRONICS (800) 854-9305, www.mettlerelectronics.com The Sonicator® 730, 1 and 3 MHz therapeutic ultrasound unit from Mettler Electronics, gives the trainer a choice of three ultrasound applicators with each unit. Choose between

Electrotherapy

C USTOMER T ESTIMONIAL

“From a cost-effective standpoint and a user-friendly standpoint, the G5® GBM™ Massage Machine is probably as good a unit as I have seen. It has benefits from youth sports right up through grown ups, both male and female. The massage can be done with minimal risk to the areas that are being worked on. You just can't beat that, and that's its biggest selling point. “Anytime you can use massage therapy to either loosen up or help flush out the muscle tissue, you want to do it in the most effective way, and the most convenient way is using the G5 Massage Machines from General Physiotherapy, Inc. The G5 Massagers definitely help the players recover faster because of the type of massage effect given. “Quite a few of our players have purchased the G5 GBM unit to use at home. They may go home feeling tight after a game, but don't want to come in for a treatment. With a unit at home, they can conveniently use the machine themselves or ask their wives to give the treatment. “Additionally, G5 Massage Machines help the trainers. They save a lot of wear and tear not only on the fingers of our trainers, but also in the wrist joints. During spring training when 3-4 trainers are taking care of 60-70 players, there's much work to be done in a short period of time. The G5 massagers enable the trainers to help more players.” Nick Swartz, ATC Head Trainer, Kansas City Royals

two 1 MHz applicators (5cm2 and 10 cm2) and two 3 MHz applicators (1 cm2 and 5 cm2). The detachable applicator cable makes changing applicators quick and easy. All Mettler Sonicator ultrasound applicators feature Mettler’s unique crystal-to-patient technology for efficient delivery of ultrasound to the patient. Circle No. 77 on Reader Inquiry Card Mettler Electronics has introduced the new Sys*Stim® 216 battery-operated, interferential stimulator with automatic vector. It has three preset frequency sweeps plus a programmable single frequency selector. The LCD display guides the trainer through treatment setup. The Sys*Stim 216 uses rechargeable batteries that allow the user to stimulate for more than 3.5 hours. A fast battery charger and an extra set of batteries are included with the unit. Circle No. 78 on Reader Inquiry Card

RICH-MAR CORPORATION (800) 762-4665, www.richmarweb.com Here it is ... The future of therapeutic ultrasound ... AutoSound. Rich-Mar has introduced the patented, hands-free ultrasound that can be applied to the patient without constant

manual application. The AutoSound uses a patented design to actually move the ultrasound field via multiple crystals in a single stationary applicator. The AutoSound 5.6 is a fully functioning therapeutic ultrasound with a 2.0 W/cm2 output capability allowing for both nonthermal and thermal treatments and you can even combine it with your stimulator for Hands-Free Combination. Circle No. 79 on Reader Inquiry Card Rich-Mar’s Theratouch 7.7 combines six different stimulation therapies and both 1 and 3 MHz ultrasound in an advanced touchscreen, software controlled design allowing for the easiest one touch setup with customizable QuikSets. The 7.7 has four channels of completely independent stimulation in any of the following six stimulation therapies: Quadpolar IFC, Premodulated IFC, High Volt, Biphasic, Russian, and Microcurrent. In addition to all those stimulation features the Theratouch 7.7 offers the patented “Therapy Hammer” ultrasound transducer giving both a 2cm2 and 5cm2 soundhead. Circle No. 80 on Reader Inquiry Card

General Physiotherapy, Inc. 13222 Lakefront Drive St. Louis, MO 63045

800.237.1832 www.g5.com

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3-Point Products (Oval-8) . . . . . . . . . .21 . . . . . . . .35

Exertools (Year-End Sale) . . . . . . . . . . . 9 . . . . . . . .18

PRO Orthopedic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23 . . . . . . . .37

Accelerated Care Plus . . . . . . . . . . .22 . . . . . . . .36

Foot Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 . . . . . . . .30

PROTEAM by Hausmann . . . . . . . . .13 . . . . . . . .24

Alpha-Stim . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35 . . . . . . . .22

Game Ready . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 . . . . . . . .17

Rich-Mar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 . . . . . . . .21

Athletics Plus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 . . . . . . . .24

Gebauer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 . . . . . . . .13

Scandinavian Consulting . . . . . . . . .27 . . . . . . . .41

Biofreeze . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 . . . . . . . . 5

Human Kinetics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 . . . . . . . .15

SDSM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 . . . . . . . .31

BioMedical Life Systems . . . . . . . . . . 5 . . . . . . . .10

Injury Zone/Injury Tracker . . . . . . .25 . . . . . . . .38

Total Gym/efi Sports Medicine . . . . . 4 . . . . . . . . 7

BlueWave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 . . . . . . . .35

Judah Manufacturing . . . . . . . . . . .32 . . . . . . . .49

TurfCordz/NZ Manufacturing . . . . . .39 . . . . . . . .57

Brace International (Bar-1) . . . . . . . .34 . . . . . . . .53

Kwik Goal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 . . . . . . . .23

VertiMax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37 . . . . . . . .56

Brace International (Fluk) . . . . . . . . .38 . . . . . . . .57

Kytec Athletic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28 . . . . . . . .43

Xvest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29 . . . . . . . .45

Brace International (MAX) . . . . . . . . .33 . . . . . . . .49

Medi-Stim . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26 . . . . . . . .41

Zoombang (Impact Innovative Products) . .24 . . . . . . . .37

C.H.E.K. Institute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36 . . . . . . . .55

Mettler Electronics . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 . . . . . . . .27

Cho-Pat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 . . . . . . . . 2

NASM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 . . . . . . . .28

Dynatron Solaris (Dynatronics) . . . . . . . 1 . . . . . . . .IFC

Oakworks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41 . . . . . . . .BC

For Quicker Response, Request Information From Advertisers On-Line at

eSimtrak.NET . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 . . . . . . . .22

OPTP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 . . . . . . . .29

MomentumMedia.com

Exertools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40 . . . . . . . .IBC

Orthogel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42 . . . . . . . .44

IF YOU WANT TO SEE SOME REAL EXCITEMENT AND PRODUCE NEW PERSONAL BESTS FOR YOUR ATHLETES

IS THE ANSWER! • NO trainer–anywhere, at any price, will increase an athlete’s vertical jump and first-step-quickness like VertiMax. Rapid, large gains are guaranteed! Your athletes will feel and see their improvements immediately!

Adding VertiMax to your arsenal will give you a whole new training dimension, expand your client base, and increase your revenue. • Patented Hip Trackers move laterally with the

athlete to sustain a proper gravity vector and preserve balance and form during lunges and other sports specific exercises. • Engineering under the platform applies a non varying level of resistance through the complete concentric and eccentric movements, optimizing the proprioceptive response.

• VertiMax has been featured in Sports Illustrated and seen on ESPN, HBO, and Fox Sports Networks.

• Individually tailored resistances

can be set in seconds!

1-800-699-5867

www.vertimax.com DON’T WAIT FOR YOUR CLIENTS TO ASK FOR IT. HAVE IT! Circle No. 37 56 ◆

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PRODUCT DIRECTORY COMPANY

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Kytec (Speed Trainers) . . . . . . . . . . . . .83 . . . . . . . . .59

Dynatronics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49 . . . . . . . . .46

Athletics Plus (Springco) . . . . . . . . . .102 . . . . . . . . .63

Medi-Stim . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76 . . . . . . . . .54

eSimtrak.NET (Premier Software) . . . . . .62 . . . . . . . . .52

Biofreeze . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .94 . . . . . . . . .62

Mettler Electronics (Sonicator 730) . . . .77 . . . . . . . . .54

Foot Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50 . . . . . . . . .48

Biofreeze (Single Application Dispenser) . . .93 . . . . . . . . .62

Mettler Electronics (Sys*Stim 216) . . . . .78 . . . . . . . . .55

Game Ready . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51 . . . . . . . . .48

BioMedical Life (BioStim NMS +) . . . . . .71 . . . . . . . . .54

Power Systems (Biokenetic-Plyo Box). . . 104 . . . . . . . . .59

Human Kinetics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52 . . . . . . . . .48

BioMedical Life (QuadStar) . . . . . . . . .72 . . . . . . . . .54

Power Systems (catalog) . . . . . . . . . . .68 . . . . . . . . .53

Kwik Goal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53 . . . . . . . . .48

BlueWave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73 . . . . . . . . .54

Power Systems (Instructional manuals) . . . .85 . . . . . . . . .59

Kytec Athletic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54 . . . . . . . . .49

Creative Health Products . . . . . . . . .69 . . . . . . . . .53

Rich-Mar (AutoSound) . . . . . . . . . . . . .79 . . . . . . . . .55

Medi-Stim . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55 . . . . . . . . .49

Dynatronics (Solaris) . . . . . . . . . . . . .74 . . . . . . . . .54

Rich-Mar (Theratouch 7.7) . . . . . . . . . .80 . . . . . . . . .55

Mettler Electronics . . . . . . . . . . . . .56 . . . . . . . . .50

Dynatronics (taping tables) . . . . . . . . . .97 . . . . . . . . .63

Scandinavian Consulting . . . . . . . . .86 . . . . . . . . .59

NASM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57 . . . . . . . . .50

Electromedical International . . . . . .103 . . . . . . . . .54

VertiMax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .87 . . . . . . . . .61

Oakworks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59 . . . . . . . . .50

Foot Management . . . . . . . . . . . . .98 . . . . . . . . .63

VertiMax (V6) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .88 . . . . . . . . .61

OPTP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60 . . . . . . . . .51

Gebauer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .95 . . . . . . . . .62

Xvest (Don Chu) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .89 . . . . . . . . .61

Perform Better (M-F Athletic) . . . . . . . .58 . . . . . . . . .50

Go Flow, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .99 . . . . . . . . .63

Xvest (Fire Fighter model) . . . . . . . . . . .90 . . . . . . . . .61

Pro-Tec Athletics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63 . . . . . . . . .52

Judah (Analgesic Cream) . . . . . . . . . . . .96 . . . . . . . . .62

STATE OF THE INDUSTRY

PROTEAM by Hausmann . . . . . . . . .64 . . . . . . . . .52

Judah (Ultimate Wrist Gauntlet) . . . . . . . .75 . . . . . . . . .54

3-Point Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46 . . . . . . . . .46

Rich-Mar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65 . . . . . . . . .52

Kwik Goal (Performance Pack) . . . . . . .101 . . . . . . . . .63

Biofreeze . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61 . . . . . . . . .51

Scandinavian Consulting . . . . . . . . .66 . . . . . . . . .53

Kwik Goal (Speed Training Pack) . . . . . . .100 . . . . . . . . .63

BioMedical Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47 . . . . . . . . .46

VertiMax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67 . . . . . . . . .53

Kytec Athletic (Plyo Hurdles) . . . . . . . . .84 . . . . . . . . .59

Cho-Pat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48 . . . . . . . . .46

Perform Better With ProCordz!

Accelerated Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70 . . . . . . . . .54

Circle No. 38

ProCordz Faster! Quicker! Stronger! TurfCordz ProCordz Gives You... • Explosive Starts! • Increased Power! • Quicker Footwork! • The Safety and Reliability Professionals Demand! • Call 800-556-7464 or visit us online at www.performbetter.com TurfCordz are distributed by M-F Athletic Company

Circle No. 39 ATHLETICBID.COM ◆

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THE

clipboard ddd

www.gssiweb.com

Fueling the Mind for Peak Performance By DAVID CUTCLIFFE Head football coach at the University of Mississippi (Oxford, MS)

The mental preparation of an athlete can be the difference between winning and losing. While winning should not be the only goal, it does play a part in a coach’s job. In addition to making their players better athletes, coaches have the job of making players better people. Good people will be mentally tougher and have a will to win in the fourth quarter. Knowing and using the following tactics can help a coach develop a winning program on all levels. Define the program Create a mission statement to help define the team. Every team member, including players, coaches and other staff members, should be held accountable to this statement. A team is not made up of individuals. It is defined by its individuals.

Preach those two favorite four-letter words – HARD WORK Winning games is hard enough, but champions win games in the 4th quarter! There is no easy formula for this. The team must outwork the opponent to gain the winning edge. Hard work does pay off in the end.

Teach accountability

Change is uncontrollable and positive

Each athlete’s actions on and off the field affects the athlete, the athlete’s family and the team. Teach players to stop and think. Have the athletes ask themselves the following questions:

A coach or an athlete may have had success in the past using particular tactics. However, those tactics may not work at every level. Don’t be afraid to make adjustments to reach that next level of success. A solid program should continue to evolve as teams and players grow.

✓ Is this a risk I can afford to take? ✓ How will this affect my future? ✓ How will this affect my family? ✓ How will this affect my teammates and coaches? Get every coach on the same page The coaching staff sets the tone of the team. They must make the same sacrifices as the athletes, set an example, keep a positive attitude and never stop teaching. Athletes act as the coaches act.

Take time away from the game Sometimes coaches and athletes need to forget about the sport. This does not mean quitting the sport. It means taking time away to talk with the team or coaches about life. Sharing life’s lessons with one another can make the team stronger as a unit and each athlete a stronger person.

Remember this formula for success

✓ Practice and concentration, then more practice and concentration!

Motivate athletes to believe in themselves If athletes believe in themselves, they will accomplish more on and off the field. Whether it’s themselves, their team, their school, their coaches or their visions, believing can take athletes as far as they want to go.

✓ Those who let things happen usually lose to those who make things happen.

✓ If you don’t invest much in the process, then defeat doesn’t hurt and winning isn’t very exciting!

ScoutingReport Plyometrics KYTEC ATHLETIC SPEED EQUIPMENT (800) 732-4883, www.kytec.us Kytec Speed Trainers™ are a must for running or plyometric drills. Speed Trainers are worn by athletes all over the world. They are proven to increase speed in documented university studies. Speed Trainers offer resistance to the key muscle group while training with them. Speed Trainers are portable and easy to use in any sport. An instructional manual is included and the Speed Trainers come with 6 lbs. of weight. Circle No. 83 on Reader Inquiry Card

Kytec also offers Plyo Hurdles at a great price. The new base design provides greater stability. The Plyo Hurdles are easily adjustable up to 40” tall. Perform your plyometric jumps over these versatile hurdles. Hurdle base can be filled with sand to provide

How

more stability. These lightweight hurdles are portable and assemble in seconds. Made of durable plastic. The hurdle width is 40” and the set consists of four hurdles. Assembly is required. Circle No. 84 on Reader Inquiry Card

POWER SYSTEMS, INC. (800) 321-6975, www.power-systems.com The Biokenetic-Plyo Box available from Power Systems has a fully adjustable cushioned top to reduce impact. The textured, reinforced tops have a unique Iso-Gel feature that allows the landing area’s stiffness to be adjusted so you can tailor your program to each individual athlete. These boxes are ideal for all levels of plyometric programs. Each Biokenetic-Plyo Box has a wide base for stability and one piece all polymer construction. They stack easily for storage. Boxes come in heights of 12”, 18”, 24” and 30” or sets of all four heights. Circle No. 104 on Reader Inquiry card

order

The Power Plyo-Box, Lateral Plyo-box and Power Builder Instructional manuals available exclusively from Power Systems will enhance any plyometric program. These manuals are specifically designed to demonstrate proper implementation of each of these products into your program. Manuals are designed for all levels of plyometric instruction. Each manual includes product guidelines, scientific principles of training, warm ups, and a variety of drills in order of complexity and program design. Circle No. 85 on Reader Inquiry Card

SCANDINAVIAN CONSULTING, INC. (602) 442-2088, www.scipulleys.com The Lojer Twin Tower, from Scandinavian Consulting, is a 5’ x 6’ freestanding ultimate exercise machine for all functional qualities of soft tissues. Its two-pound weight increments allow for early exercise intervention. Its speed properties allow for dosing an exercise according to functional speed of

from...

Customized Taping Stations and Treatment Furniture for Athletic Trainers

PROTEAM by Hausmann, a Specialty Division of Hausmann Industries, Inc. introduces a new concept in Athletic Trainer’s tables and treatment furniture. PROTEAM provides customized, modular taping stations to fit any space and any need! You can add, change or relocate modules as your needs change! PROTEAM products feature maintenance-free, laminate surfaces for years of carefree use. PROTEAM’s high-density foam tops and optional nylon-reinforced vinyl ensures the extra durability you are looking for. PROTEAM can also provide you with a full line of split leg tables, exam and treatment tables, mat platforms, stools, benches, cabinets and stadium lockers. School colors can be matched on contract sales.

Call us toll-free at 888-428-7626 Fax us at 877-737-3332 E-mail us at sales@proteamtables.com

Visit us on the Web at

www.proteamtables.com for more information. A T H L E T I C B I D . C O M ◆ T & C D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 3 ◆ 59

Q&A

C O M PA N Y

Training for Peak Performance: An Interview with Rob Garcia, Part 2

Training and conditioning coach Rob Garcia has an enviable client roster that includes some of the world’s best-known athletes. This is the second part of an interview where Garcia shares his views on his choice of equipment with Training & Conditioning. (Note: We recognize that athletes of great accomplishment can be female or male. For the sake of brevity only, in the following interview we are referring to the athlete as "he.") T&C. What kind of difference can training equipment make for athletes who are at the world competition level?

comes. You counter. We used drills to help Oscar de la Hoya find the center point. The core pulls him back to balance.

RG. Big, and miniscule. That answer can use some explanation. First, you need to understand the difference between a personal trainer and a strength and conditioning coach. A personal trainer trains clients to achieve their personal best. As the strength and conditioning coach of high-level competitive athletes, you go way beyond personal best. Your athlete has to be best. Period.

Every athlete is different. Surfers like Sunny Garcia [2000 World Champion] and Conan Hayes [Wildcard, Billabong Pro, Teahupoo, Tahiti, 2002 & 2003; GShock Hawaiian Pro 1999] have a different challenge. They are moving and the water is moving beneath them. Proprioception is important. Total Gym challenges agility and coordination and helps with proprioceptive training in a way that’s not available with other equipment.

If your athlete is already performing at 97 percent, you are working with the possibility of perhaps three percent improvement. At this higher end, miniscule training changes can make a big difference in the final result. Your athlete may get one shot at the competition he’s been training toward. Total Gym is versatile and it lets you make small calibrated changes in resistance. That’s important at this or any other level of performance. T&C. Can you say more about the importance of measuring strength and conditioning changes that occur during training?

RG. We document every day, and it has a lot to do with building a winning mental attitude. An athlete can see his body change. But his image of what he is capable of has to catch up Conan Hayes and Rob Garcia, to the body’s achievement. We reach the mind through the body. I show my Triple Crown 2000, Haleiwa, Hawaii. athletes their progress on paper. Last week he did 40 reps of an exercise. This T&C. What about working muscles in week it’s 60. That’s a 50 percent synergy during training? increase. Then he doesn’t just guess RG. When muscle groups work togethhe’s prepared for competition. He has er, you get an uninterrupted, smooth seen the evidence. He can approach flow of motion. That’s one of the marks competition with confidence. of a champion fighter. You can see T&C. How important is recruitment of them almost gliding. Working muscles the core in virtually every exercise? synergistically the way you do with RG. Core stability is all part of balance and symmetry. For a fighter, a punch

Total Gym also lets you address three or four issues at once during training. T&C. Is it an advantage to be able to provide stretching and flexion during the same exercise? RG. In boxing, it’s the basis for erasing the seam between offense and defense. As fast as a movement goes out, it has to come back. In any sport, it adds another layer of synergy. Every movement on Total Gym goes full circle, with a beginning, middle and an end. As a coach, I can watch during the stretching phase and the flexion. I look for smoothness. I can see where fatigue sets in. It’s a real help for me. T&C. Are power and flexibility related? RG. Yes, flexibility is directly related to power. Without flexibility, you have no stamina. Without stamina, you have no power. And, power goes hand–inhand with speed. In fact, some say speed is power. It all comes full circle to what we talked about earlier. Before an athlete becomes a champion, he is already functioning in a very narrow margin near peak performance. His training has to be directed toward bringing his whole being – mind, body, spirit – into synch so that he peaks at exactly the right moment. I can’t think of a more exciting or rewarding thing to do than be a strength and conditioning coach. For information about Total Gym and the full line of efi Sports Medicine products, visit efisportsmedicine.com or call efi Sports Medicine: 800-541-4900 More about Rob Garcia and his use of efi Sports Medicine products will soon be available at his Web site: innovativesportsgear.com.

efi Sports Medicine

(800) 541-4900

7755 Arjons Drive San Diego, CA 92126

www.efisportsmedicine.com

ScoutingReport Plyometrics movement without the weight stack overcoming inertia. It addresses core stability by dosing the extremities unevenly forcing the multifidi to respond in order to maintain posture alignment in space. It aids in improving joint mobility joint mobility by using the stacks to aid normal glide of joint surfaces during active movement. The 6:1 ration speed weight stacks allow up to 30 feet of resistive gait with a resistance of up to 80 pounds. Circle No. 86 on Reader Inquiry Card

VERTIMAX (800) 699-5867, www.vertimax.com No matter what kind of lower body strength and speed training you are doing, it will fall into one of three categories: (1) Heavy Resistance, (2) Plyometrics, or (3) Low-Load VelocitySpecific training

How

(the VertiMax). If Heavy Resistance were 10 on a scale of 1 thru 10, and if plyometrics were 1, VertiMax would be a 5. It's plyo with overload—the best of both worlds. Maximum transfer to the sports-field. Circle No. 87 on Reader Inquiry Card “Only the VertiMax V6 incorporates upper body loading into an already highly effective explosion training device. Training the upper body to improve the lift aspect of vertical jump is a giant breakthrough. You can use it for arm action in the running phase, jam techniques, or combine all resistance bands for run into jump maneuvers. I can say without hesitation, this device is of great importance in any training program.”-Garrett Giemont, Professional Football 2002 S&C Coach of the Year Circle No. 88 on Reader Inquiry Card

X VEST (800) 697-5658, www.THExVest.com “I have found the X Vest to be an excellent tool for providing overloads in both plyometric and strength training, conditioning and rehabilitation programs. The fit and

order

adaptability are excellent. The X Vest allows for freedom of movement and doesn’t interfere with any of the agility, bounding or running programs that I write for a wide variety of athletes, both collegiate and professional. The X Vest has proven itself in my programs! Thank you for all your efforts and help in improving my capability as a strength & conditioning specialist.”—Donald A. Chu PhD, PT, ATC, CSCS and author of Jumping into Plyometrics. Circle No. 89 on Reader Inquiry Card X Vest has a new weight configuration and it’s heavy—84 pounds of heavy. The NEW X Vest known as the Fire Fighter model was developed for fire fighters and their rigorous training. It has the basic design as the original X Vest but internally it has a new weight configuration allowing for 84 pounds. Because of its ability to adjust weight like the original X Vest numerous individuals from bodybuilders to the military are buying it. Circle No. 90 on Reader Inquiry Card

from...

Here it is... The future of therapeutic ultrasound... AutoSound! Rich-Mar presents the patented, hands-free ultrasound that can be applied to the patient without constant manual application. The AutoSound uses a patented design to actually move the ultrasound field via multiple crystals in a single applicator that is microprocessor controlled to mimic human movement. This patented device will change the way ultrasound is used in therapeutic settings. No longer will ultrasound require you to manually apply and move the transducer, plus it will provide you a better ultrasound treatment. The AutoSound 5.6 is a fully functioning therapeutic ultrasound with a 2.0 W/cm2 output capability allowing for both non-thermal and thermal treatments and you can even combine it with your stimulator for Hands-Free Combination.

Well" on the applicator that you either fill with gel or use the new AutoGel Pads, a highly conductive solid gel pad that fits perfectly into the applicator, allowing for constant coupling. You then simply affix the compact AutoSound applicator in place with a strap that allows for easy positioning on virtually any body part. Three different lengths of straps come standard with the device—making it easy to apply anywhere from a wrist to a low back. The AutoSound can actually apply ultrasound better than manual application because it takes operator error out of the equation.

Please visit our Web site to learn more about the AutoSound and our complete line of stimulators, ultrasounds, combination units, and accessories. You can even use the Dealer Locator, under the Contact tab, to find your local rep Plus, the AutoSound is from Rich-Mar, the leader in theraand schedule a free evaluation in your facility. Of course you peutic ultrasound for over 30 years, so you know it's a safe and well-made device. The AutoSound uses an ingenious "Get can also call us toll-free at 800-762-4665 for a catalog or any other customer service needs you may have.

Call us toll-free at 800-762-4665 Fax us at 918-543-3334 E-mail us at info@richmarweb.com

Visit us on the Web at

www.richmarweb.com for more information. A T H L E T I C B I D . C O M ◆ T & C D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 3 ◆ 61

ScoutingReport Topical Analgesics BIOFREEZE (800) 246-3733, www.biofreeze.com Biofreeze has introduced the new Single Application Gravity Dispenser Package. The new single dose dispensing system is perfect for clinical and training room use to easily dispense Biofreeze to patients and athletes for trial use and at home. Biofreeze helps provide a deeper, longer lasting relief from pain than most cooling gels. Biofreeze is effective to enhance therapy, relieve pain from arthritis, muscle strains and backaches. It also aids in reducing edema and myospasm. Apply generously for penetrating relief from pain and stiffness of muscles and joints. The cooling effect accelerates the rate of basic healing processes through relaxation of stiff and aching muscles. Circle No. 93 on Reader Inquiry Card

Biofreeze® is a topical pain reliever used in Pain Management Programs to reduce pain from arthritis, bursitis and tendonitis. It is also used to treat athletic injuries, muscle injuries and strains, stiff necks and upper/lower back tension. Biofreeze helps with both deep trigger and soft tissue work. Prior to massage, it helps patients relax for a more effective treat-

ment and minimizes post-treatment swelling when applied after massage. Patients who rarely bother to use ice can be counted on to use Biofreeze. Patients can also use Biofreeze at home to relieve pain and help them get a full comfortable night of sleep. Biofreeze is also available as a no-touch rollon, perfect for trainers and athletes’ supply bag. Contact the company for more information and for a free trial package. Circle No. 94 on Reader Inquiry Card

THE GEBAUER COMPANY (800) 321-9348, www.gebauerco.com From the most trusted name in skin refrigerants for over 100 years comes a new, non-prescription topical skin refrigerant, Gebauer's Instant Ice™. Use it like ice for the temporary relief of minor pain and swelling from sprains and strains, minor sports injuries, bruising and contusions. Now instead of using ice to treat on-the-scene minor sports injuries, high school and recreational league coaches, high school athletic trainers, and others will be able to use what profes-

sional athletic trainers use. In fact, Jim Ramsay, head athletic trainer for the New York Rangers, has been using Gebauer topical skin refrigerants for years. “Instant Ice is great for on-the-scene care,” said Ramsay. “If a player gets hit on the wrist or takes a puck off the shin, I can easily anesthetize the area with Instant Ice to reduce the pain, allowing the player to get back in the game quickly.” Circle No. 95 on Reader Inquiry Card

JUDAH MANUFACTURING CORP. (800) 618-9793, www.judahmanufacturing.com Judah Analgesic Cream is a non-greasy topical cream that is used to relieve pain, swelling, sore muscles, sprains, strains, backaches, and stiffness. The product can be used either before or after exercise. To relieve muscle tension, massage it into the impacted area for 20 seconds, and then apply a second treatment 60 seconds later. Judah Analgesic doesn’t have a strong smell like other topicals on the market, and its deep-penetrating formula provides relief immediately. Circle No. 96 on Reader Inquiry Card

Web Connections BIOFREEZE® WWW.BIOFREEZE.COM BIOFREEZE® is a unique, effective analgesic formulated to provide a variety of benefits for therapy, pain relief, exercise/training and overall comfort. BIOFREEZE® was created by Dr. Danné King, an internationally known botanical chemist. BIOMEDICAL LIFE SYSTEMS, INC WWW.BMLS.COM BioMedical Life Systems, Inc., Vista, California, has been manufacturing portable Electro-Therapy Devices and accessories for over fifteen years. The result is a comprehensive family of devices meeting the range of needs from Workers Compensation to advanced physical therapy. EFI SPORTS MEDICINE WWW.EFISPORTSMEDICINE.COM After more than a quarter century at the forefront of innovation in athletic training, physical therapy and home fitness, efi Sports Medicine, originator

of the commercial grade Total Gym and developer of the GRAVITYSystem(TM), has become the leading manufacturer of functional rehabilitation and sports conditioning equipment.

FUNCTIONAL DESIGN SYSTEMS WWW.FUNCTIONALDESIGN.COM Functional Design Systems is an internationally recognized leader in providing functional knowledge through: our home study course (Functional Video Digest Series), individual videos (Quest Series), and functional training products. Please visit our Web site for additional information. MED-FIT SYSTEMS, INC. WWW.MEDFITSYSTEMS.COM Med-Fit Systems, Inc., has been supplying the capital equipment needs of the rehabilitation community for the past 15 years. Med-Fit features a nearly 600-page Web site, and offers a free CD ROM catalog including video demonstrations of many products.

NATIONAL MEDICAL ALLIANCE WWW.NMADIRECT.COM The National Medical Alliance is a professional coalition of the best PT equipment and supply dealers in America. We consistently meet the highest industry standards for the best quality, service and pricing. Our website features our catalog and highlights items such as the Wall Crawler. POWER SYSTEMS, INC. WWW.POWER-SYSTEMS.COM Power Systems, Inc. is an international distributor of sport performance, health and fitness products. With over 800 products and instructional programs, its is the one resource for all your training needs. Its Web site features over 75 new innovative products for 2004 and dozens of exclusive Power Systems products.

Check out www.AthleticBid.com to contact these companies. 62 ◆ T & C D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 3 ◆

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C USTOMER T ESTIMONIAL

ScoutingReport More Products DYNATRONICS (800) 874-6251, www.dynatronics.com Dynatronics’ taping tables are designed to meet the continuous demands of today’s athletic training room. Ruggedly constructed of the finest hardwoods and upholstery, they feature triple bolted legs for maximum stability. The Dynatronics taping tables can be custom designed to fit your training room needs. In addition to our custom tables, standard models are available with optional shelves and cabinets. Circle No. 97 on Reader Inquiry Card

"This is a letter of endorsement of Biofreeze as a topical analgesic, which I used over the past eight years. As an athletic trainer and massage therapist, I treat a great number of athletes with muscular skeletal soreness and pain. I use your product for both acute and chronic problems! It has been successful in its application with a frozen ice cup massage and with cryotherapy compression. "Our athletes are able to take it home due to the fact it is available in the small packets. This allows a continued home therapy, as time is a big concern in high school sports. "Our use of Biofreeze will increase, as track, baseball, and softball season begins. Our players will benefit from the relief that their pain/soreness can be under control with the use of Biofreeze." Tom Falan, L.A.T., L.M.T. La Vernia High School La Vernia, Texas

1017 Boyd Road Export, PA 15632

800.BIOFREEZE (246.3733) www.biofreeze.com

FOOT MANAGEMENT (800) HOT-FOOT, www.footmanagement.com The newest product available from Foot Management is the Static Calf Stretcher. Made from durable, weather resistant materials, it’s designed to help relieve the pain of plantar fasciitis and to increase calf flexibility. Lightweight and portable, it’s perfect in any setting. Ideal for use with cleats of all types. No more slipping when trying to stretch out on the field or court. Use in the home as well for maximum benefit. Circle No. 98 on Reader Inquiry Card

GO FLOW (888) 463-5699, www.goflow.net, www.sanivex.com Oklahoma State virtually eliminated skin infections as they earned the Division I 2003 NCAA National Title. Washoe County

(Reno, NV) Schools cut skin infections by 90 percent. A Division I football program nailed a major outbreak of staph on their way to a BCS appearance. Pasadena Independent School District eliminated a staph outbreak effecting athletes, cheerleaders and other students. It’s simple. Sanivex® works! So what are you using? Circle No. 99 on Reader Inquiry Card

KWIK GOAL, LTD. (215) 536-2200, www.kwikgoal.com With speed becoming more important every season, it is imperative for coaches to train their players with various speed training exercises. To help coaches with their sessions, Kwik Goal now offers the Speed Training Pack. The pack includes a Speed Ladder, the new Speed Hurdles, Speed Rings, and Disc Cones. The equipment in this pack will allow players to improve both their speed and agility. Circle No. 100 on Reader Inquiry Card

The Universal Coaching Stick Performance Pack is a new addition for 2004. This set of 18 sticks, bases, and 9 hurdle poles with attachment clips will allow any trainer to challenge their athletes on turf, grass, or indoors. Demanding obstacle courses can be arranged with the sticks alone, or combine them with other equipment speed training equipment from Kwik Goal to provide a workout that will improve speed, agility, and overall fitness. Circle No. 101 on Reader Inquiry Card

SPRINGCO ATHLETICS (800) 383-0305, www.springcoathletics.com The Winged Water Walker, offered exclusively by Springco Athletics, is a necessary component of any serious track and field training program. It benefits throwers, sprinters, jumpers, and distance warriors. Coaches from across the country have begun using this device with great success. Once you try a pair, you will realize how much time you have been “wasting” in the pool training without the Winged Water Walker. You will also realize that you can do many of the same drills and exercises you normally perform on the field, but with greater range of motion and loading if desired. Circle No. 102 on Reader Inquiry Card

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Association Corner The following associations offer services of interest to our T&C readers.

The Voice of the Doctors who care for the Pros

Call: 800-322-3976 or 516-432-6877 for a FREE brochure

The PTP provides resources and services for all sports medicine professionals.

Visit www.proteamphysicians.com to find a PTP doctor, ask a question of a PTP doctor, or explore the educational materials from PTP regarding prevention, treatment and performance.

eca/nyc 2004 fitness convention & trade show ● march 12-14th

SPECIALIST IN SPORTS CONDITIONING ISSA Certification Program • • • •

Be the conditioning coach for your team. Expand strength & conditioning programs. Maximize earning potential as a coach. Learn to enhance athletic performance. CALL FOR FREE INFO:

1.800.892.4772

www.FitnessEducation.com

International Sports Sciences Association

Take Your Career to New Heights PERFORMANCE ENHANCEMENT CONTINUING EDUCATION ● CERTIFICATION

• Earn CEUs for NASM, NATA, NSCA • Live workshops, home-study and online courses • Flexibility, core, balance, power, speed and strength training

• Clinical applications • Proven methods

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Athletic Therapy. Rapid return to work and play.

Athletic Therapists are dedicated to the promotion and delivery of quality care through injury prevention and rehabilitation and emergency services. In collaboration with other health care professionals, athletic therapists work to create a healthier environment that encompasses the needs of the active community, including the high-performance athlete.

For more information please visit us online at www.athletictherapy.org

All NATA certified athletic trainers are eligible to receive a free subscription to T&C.

EXERTOOLS

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Lower Prices. Better Values. Visit us at www.exertools.com or call 1-800-235-1559

F i t n e s s a n d T h e ra p e u t i c E q u i p m e n t Yo u C a n C o u n t O n . Circle No. 40

teamwork.

The

BOSS

Bodies talk. We listen. Portable Taping Table Circle No. 41