#PerfectPractice #Barefoot for #Tennis #Client:

I started training Oliver at age 11 last summer. He is now age 12 and a committed tennis player in London, Canada. He will begin playing age group tournaments in the Greater Toronto area this spring, summer and fall. It will give him a gauge as to how he ranks in the U14 age group provincially. Thus far, he is progressing well according to his tennis coach. He is also progressing well training in my gym specific to tennis.

The following photos and captions will take you inside the specifics of one of our sessions. Note he does all of the drills barefoot – a prerequisite for training with me! In photo 1 below, Oliver opens up his back on Level 3 of the Health Bridge (the highest level available!). This helps keep him aligned and squared up.

In the following photo, Oliver uses the Extensor cords of my SkiX trainer. He picked up the technique quickly and now uses the movement with or without cords daily to activate the posterior chain of his body. This helps him maintain perfect posture especially when in the ‘tennis ready’ position.

Above, I have Oliver try to grip a ruler as I drop it between his fingers. The goal is to clasp the ruler before it slides through the fingers. When we first started the drill, Oliver often missed the ruler completely. Now, he grips it within 1 to 3 inches with both right and left hands. This indicates his speed of brain processing is improving, thus allowing him to react faster to a tennis ball as it rockets off an opponent’s racquet. The end result is better, more accurate returns.

Below, Oliver balances on 1 leg with his eyes closed. The goal is to hold the position for a minimum of 30 seconds, maxing out at 2 minutes. Oliver could not balance for more than 5 seconds on wither leg when we started – he now averages 40 seconds per leg. This shows me that his proprioceptive (from the arch of his bare feet) feedback loop through the balance centre of the brain is improving weekly. Improved balance is important in all aspects of tennis.

Above, I have Oliver balancing on 1 leg at a 15 degree angle on a slant board with eyes open. I am testing his pronation (inner part of the foot and ankle) for strength and stability. The goal is to balance for a minimum of 30 seconds on each leg. Oliver started at 10 degrees (the lowest level) and could only hold in pronation for 3 to 5 seconds on either leg. Being so weak in pronation put Oliver at a high risk of spraining (or worse) his ankles on the tennis court. After specific strengthening work over the past 8 months, Oliver can now hold the pronation position for 28 seconds on either leg…AND he has not suffered an ankle injury to date!

A major area of weakness with Oliver when we first started training together last summer was his lack of upper body strength endurance. I have been training him using a variety of exercises to overcome the weakness. One of these is the reverse supine pull-up (see photo below). This shows Oliver doing a standard grip pull-up using a broom handle suspended between a stack of storage boxes. He then does the same exercise but with a reverse grip. The goals are to touch the chest to the bar keeping the legs straight and slowly lower the body to just above the floor and then repeating 10 times for 2 sets of each. He started unable to do 1 perfectly but can now do 10 standard and 6 reverse x 2 sets. Being strong through the upper body is essential for Oliver to increase his tennis stroke power without injury.

Above, Oliver performs the roll-out exercise – one of the most challenging core and arm exercises I have him perform in our sessions. He must start with the roller under his chest and slowly roll it forward from his knees until his body is parallel to the floor. I have him roll out and back to his right, in the middle and to his left. The goal is 5 circuits of 3. At the beginning, Oliver could not do 1 rep of each – his core, shoulder girdle and arms were that weak! He is working up to the goal gradually with perfect practice, gradually moving further out without collapsing onto the mat. Perfecting this will carry over to better stability through the tennis motions and less negative strain on the wrists, elbows, shoulders, lower back and hips – all sources of common tennis injuries.

Below, Oliver performs paddle handle push-ups rotating the hands in on the way down and out on the way up. His technique is now almost perfect – he does 10 reps turning in and 5 reps turning out x 2 sets. At the beginning, he was unable to do 1 of each correctly. The exercise helps strengthen his wrists, forearms, upper arms, chest, shoulders and back. He must also activate his butt and abdominal muscles to protect his lower back.

The slide pad under Oliver’s left foot (above) allows him to slide out wide as if slipping on the court surface while hitting (in this case) a backhand. I have Oliver do 15 reps to the backhand and forehand sides and the same number angled forward to either side. This helps him strengthen the inner thighs to avoid needless groin and hip adductor injuries.

Below, Oliver catches a tennis ball tossed by me randomly. It could be to his right, left, centre, forward to the right or left and wide right or left. He must pick up the ball quickly, react accurately, catch the ball and toss it back to me – always returning to the centre ‘ready’ position. His improvement in the drill has been significant – a sign that his reaction time is improving along with his depth perception and hand-eye coordination – all important for success in tennis.

The above 2 photos show Oliver using a series of kettle bells to do overhead 1 arm extensions from a low squat position. He has progressed from 5 pounds only to 8, 10, 14 and 18 pounds x 3 sets with no rest between sets. This helps strengthen his whole body, especially the shoulder girdle and upper back – 2 high risk injury areas for prepubescent tennis players.

Below, Oliver performs a 3/4 squat holding 10 pound dumbbells on his shoulders while balancing angled forward on a 15 degree slant board. This forces him to better activate his front thigh muscles, calves, gluteals and hamstrings. He started with 5 pound weights 10 reps x 1 set. He now uses 10 pound weights 10 reps x 3 sets perfectly aligned and powerful. On court, he now hits harder with more accuracy and less muscle fatigue.

Isolating the 3 hamstring muscles is critical for balancing the naturally stronger quadriceps muscles of the front upper legs. Above, Oliver performs hamstring curls with 1 leg pushing into a stability ball as he rolls the ball to his butt. He must keep his butt and low back along with his arms off the mat while curling the leg in and pushing out. He turns his toes in, to the middle and out x 5 reps on each leg. His improvement in hamstring strength has been noticeable and he now pushes off stronger from forehand and backhand sides.

Below, I am putting Oliver through isolated forehand and backhand kneeling medicine ball (8 and 10 pounds) throws for power, distance and accuracy. He must move with speed across his body as if swinging the racquet. We started with 3 pound balls with difficulty. Now he handles the heavier weights with 7 reps per weight per side x 2 sets.

Above, Oliver works against the resistance of a COREFX tension band. He explodes forward into a forehand or backhand stroke with his racquet. This improves his strength, balance hitting into the ball, footwork and explosive power off the mark – all important in elite tennis performance. He does each stroke for 30 seconds x 3 repeats then does them without the band. With no tension, the motion becomes almost effortless for him.

Above, Oliver uses a variety of tension bands from 10 pounds to 30 pounds of resistance simulating forehand, backhand (photo above) and serving motion. He does 10 reps of each stroke and resistance. This helps him build strength endurance and specific muscular development in the upper back, shoulders, arms and hips.

Below, the six-sided super ball can be seen careening off the wall. The drill requires Oliver to stand 10 feet away from the wall and throw the ball at the wall. He never knows where it will bounce (due to its 6 protruding knobs) but the goal is to catch it 17 times in 1 minute. If able to do that, he moves in 1 foot. The drill continues until Oliver is able to catch the ball 17 times in one minute from 3 feet away. He stared by catching the ball twice in the minute. After 9 weeks of doing the drill, he is up to 12 catches. It is a MOST difficult drill but ultra-important for eye-hand-body reaction, speed of first step and accuracy of movement. It helps develop his ability to pick up a tennis ball quickly as it leaves his opponent’s racquet.

In the 2 photos above, I toss a tennis ball to Oliver who is in a push-up position. I have 1 ball in each hand. He does not know which one I will toss and whether I will toss it to his right or left side. The goal is to catch it and toss it immediately back to me. This is a great warm-up drill as well as a coordination, balance and core strengthening exercise. He has improved to the point where we can do the drill for 1 minute at a time.

Above, I have laid out 5 different coloured cones simulating a mini version of the tennis court. Oliver starts in the mid baseline. I call out a colour but point to another colour. He must process the command and then quickly move to the cone where I am pointing. At times, I will call out a colour that is not one of the 5. Oliver must remain in the mid-court ‘ready’ position. Initially, Oliver made many errors during the drill. Now, he is almost 100% accurate in his response and stroke mechanics. This is a good conditioning drill as well as a brain processing drill. It reinforces for Oliver the importance of a quick AND accurate first step-there is no room for error.

We finish each session with specific tennis-related stretching and unlocking exercises such as the Brettzel stretch in the photo below. He will do active (range of movement) stretching as well as static (20 second hold) stretches. This helps calm down his body and help protect key muscle groups from needless strain and tear.

Oliver is a special young man of few words and a ready smile. He is a quick study – picking up challenging concepts, processing them and performing them repeatedly until he does them perfectly. This is starting to pay off in his on-court tennis performance. Focused tournament play begins for him from March, 2023 in the boys U14 division. It will be a challenging journey supported by his tennis coach, his parents (Prisca and Jedrin) and me.

In closing, I want to acknowledge Oliver’s parents (Prisca and Jedrin) for their unconditional support, understanding and patience with the tennis process. At the end of the day, Oliver will take his tennis game as far as he is willing!!

coach Jeff

#Barefoot Invincibility? Apparently NOT…:

Throughout the almost 70 years of my life, I never paid particular attention to my vulnerability to illness or injury. I simply lived each day as it unfolded through school, work, family and other sundry components.

From a young age (specifically, age 5), I was physically active – almost excessively so. Not just in playground games with my buddies but in competitive athletic pursuits. During my elementary school years, I participated in all sports available to me – track and field, baseball, non-tackle football, baseball, ice hockey, tennis, volleyball to name a few. The pattern continued throughout high school but expanded into rugby, badminton and wrestling. All the while, I was developing unique techniques to TRAIN for all of these sports – something that was not common in the late 1950s and 1960s. With all of this building up my body’s ability to stave off bacterial and viral infections, I virtually never fell ill. I firmly believed my immune system was well-developed and strong.

Throughout university and beyond, I remained physically active in recreational and competitive pursuits. At the same time, I did not smoke, drink alcohol or take any type of drug. My body essentially had no excuses for being unhealthy. Indeed, I suffered my fair share of athletic and self-inflicted injuries BUT I have always bounced back…in many cases stronger than before each setback. Part of that is my mental approach to training. You commit to it totally or do not even start! In other words, set yourself up for success.

I started running around barefoot with my siblings and cousins at our summer cottages at Inverhuron Beach (on Lake Huron). Most of us have spent from birth to current times holidaying there. For 21/2 months, we never wore shoes. We never got injured or sick – until we got back to school and put on shoes!! I morphed back to going barefoot most of every day 25 years ago – basically, the only one of my clan to do so!! Any injuries running in shoes vanished as my feet got stronger and more activated by moving barefoot on all sorts of surfaces.I continue to go barefoot even as I approach age 70!

Doing foot strengthening drills daily (such as in the photo above), running barefoot in snowy, sub zero temperatures (photo immediately below)

and walking barefoot on the rocky Atlantic Ocean shores of Nova Scotia (first photo below) would, in my mind, keep me connected to Mother Earth’s protective energy and help me ward off unhealthy bacteria and viruses.

Beyond this, I believed (and still believe) in the overall physiological benefits of swimming in zero to sub zero water…whether it be oceans such as the Atlantic (1st photo below) on the Cape Breton, Canada coast or Lake Huron (one of 5 Great Lakes in Canada). In photos 2, 3 and 4 below, I sand run along Inverhuron Beach out of and in the cool lake water. The combination kept me injury-free and disease-free as near as I could reckon.

I have taken my extreme water swimming regime to the Arctic Ocean (Iceland), the Irish Sea (northern Ireland), the south Atlantic Ocean (South Africa), the Indian Ocean (India and the Maldive Islands), the Caribbean Sea (Trinidad, Haiti), the Pacific Ocean (Hawaii, Vancouver Island, Monterrey, California), the Baltic Sea (Croatia), the waters surrounding Scandinavia and the Gulf of Mexico (Cozumel). Thus, my body is used to being exposed to extreme conditions that force it to adapt and survive. The alternative?? Not so good…

Further, running barefoot over rocky terrain not only has toughened up my feet but also helped protect my body from avoidable illness and injury.The top photo is me running through a rocky forest and the bottom picture is of a fellow barefoot running colleague TRULY negotiating rugged terrain without flinching. Only his canine companion could keep up!!!

Immediately above is me exiting through the ice-covered parts of the Medway Creek in London, Canada after a brisk mid-run swim. My internal temperature regulation system is in overdrive as I enter, swim and exit. The rush of warm blood to my extremities as I run home is exhilarating to say the least. Even in the sub zero temperatures, I can safely run with jacket, shirt and sweat pants tied around my neck and waist.

The 3 photos below are of me during a March, 2022 holiday in the Azore Islands of Portugal in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean- specifically, the island of Sao Miguel. It just so happened that our accommodation had a cold water (2 Celsius) lap pool (1st photo below) where I swam multiple times per day (needless to say, I was the only one of our entourage to do so!). It always amazes me how quickly my body adapts to the ultra cold, keeping my heart and lung systems strong and my immune system efficient and effective (or so I thought!).

Here I am swimming in the 3 Celsius waters of the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Sao Miguel with my younger sister photographing my exploits. It does not look rough due to the angle of my older sister’s photo from the cliffs above. However, I can tell you the waves rolled in between 3 and 8 feet with a nasty rip tide that pulled me out deeper with every wave. It was hard work to navigate my way back to shore. Needless to say, nobody else was swimming in the Bay.

Lastly, during one of our many volcano mountain hikes, I would make a habit of swimming in the ice cold grottos. The rocky bottom, fast-flowing current, the power of the waterfall and the 1 to 2 Celsius temperatures once again lent itself to a ‘me only’ venture. There were a few close calls BUT, all in all, another opportunity for me to activate my body’s internal protective system.

At the end of the day, however, my body gave in to COVID-19. The photo below shows me at Day 6 of isolation AND total submission. My invincibility (as concocted in my mind!) was brought down to earth with a thud. It became painfully obvious to me that nobody is immune to the vagaries of a deadly virus. The fact that I was fully vaccinated and physically fit leads me to believe my immune system was strong enough to keep me out of hospital – barely! Thanks to my wife, Patti, I was able to slowly recover after losing 10 pounds in 7 days. No way I stay out of hospital if on my own!

I head into 2023 humbled and more in tune with the finite nature of my life. No matter how strong I THINK my mind, body and immune system is, they are NOT invincible.

The majority of us have been humbled by COVID-19…or WORSE! Simply remember that there are NO guarantees in life. Thus, seize each moment of each day you have on earth with appreciation and gusto – it may be your last!!!

coach Jeff

#BarefootDrills to #StrengthenBody for #Injury-freeRunning:

Virtually every client I have trained initially presents with exceptionally weak feet. By this I mean collapsed arches, compromised ankles, virtually no muscular development and a lack of blood vessel expansion indicative of low flow to the feet.

I felt it was about time a series of foot strengthening exercises be part of one of my blogs. Well, this IS the time! If the following are done daily (only about 10-12 minutes per day are required to do these), you will notice a significant improvement in your foot strength and mobility, ankle support and balance…all critically important for safe, efficient movement especially BAREFOOT.

I always do my feet strengthening sessions BAREFOOT as a matter of course. It makes NO sense to do them shod or in socks for that matter. This defeats the purpose of activating the body from the proprioceptive centre of the feet.Thus, go barefoot…!!

The photo above shows a 1-legged 1/4 squat keeping the foot flat. This helps stabilize the body from the ankle to the knee and hip. The key is to keep the knee lined up over the foot and under the hip. Activating from the gluteal muscles is a must to protect the knee and ankle from needless ‘itis’ running injuries.I do 20 reps on each leg daily.

The drills below help strengthen the feet in plantar flexion (Photo 1), dorsi flexion (Photo 2) and supination (Photo 3). I also do a pronation exercise (feet rolled in – no photo shown). These are designed to strengthen the feet, ankles, calves and shins. If you happen to turnover on an ankle, the chances of straining tendons and ligaments are slim to none. I do 15 reps of each daily.

To get a greater range of muscle activation around the feet, I do various stair drills on a daily basis. Photo 1 below shows a 1-legged deep heel drop from the forefoot position. This involves slowly lowering the heel to a 5-count and then exploding up to full plantar flexion. I recommend doing 15 reps on each leg daily.

The next photo below shows a 2-legged full raise on a step. This helps coordinate the activation process of both legs. The action involves lifting up as high as possible on the forefeet and then lowering both feet slowly to a 5-count. Hold at the top and bottom for a 2-count. Explode upwards to the full plantar flexion position each repetition. Do this daily as well.

I finish the feet strengthening circuit with 25 reps x 2 circuits of explosive double leg jumps (the photo above). Starting from a 1/2 squat position, I jump straight up as high as possible, extending the toes down toward the floor. This ensures maximum activation of the lower body musculature. I then must flex from the knees on the way down and brace my whole body against gravity. The key is to land like a cat – cushioned, soft and quiet – before exploding back into the air. I must also land where I take off EVERY REPETITION to ensure maximum benefits from the drill. I do this 2-3 times per week. I cannot stress enough the importance of doing this IF you are serious about running injury-free.

I encourage all of my runners to practice running barefoot on the spot at varying paces for 2-3 minutes at a time for a total of 12-15 minutes. It is more difficult than it seems but effective at locking in proper foot placement, technique and balance – all keys to injury-free running!

In summary, to maximize the benefits of the circuit outlined in this post to guarantee avoidable soft tissue running injuries:

• get rid of your socks
• get rid of your ‘coffins’
• go BAREFOOT

coach Jeff

#Off-CourtTraining Protocol #Barefoot for My Young #Tennis Client:

I introduced you to my young tennis client, Cosmina (Cosmi) a number of blog posts ago. I thought as a new year begins (2023!!!), I would feature her going through segments of an off-court tennis-specific training regime – BAREFOOT – in my gym. Please view, read along and, hopefully, learn something new!!

Below, I am testing the stability of Cosmi’s knees. Her technique is not perfect but she will get better at this. I want her to have the toes flush against the wall and her face and hands almost touching the wall. From upright, she must squat as low as possible, keeping her feet on the floor and trying not to fall backwards. The deeper she can go, the more stable her knee joints. The muscles connected to her knees and her gluteal muscles are getting stronger, thus reducing the risk of tennis knee issues.

Above, Cosmi is balancing at a 15 degree angle on a slant board with her left foot in pronation (by far her weakest angle position). When we started this 6 months ago, Cosmi could not hold the position on either foot for more than 8 seconds. She is now up to 24 seconds on the right and 21 seconds on the left…the goal being 30 seconds on each. Being able to stabilize around the ankle is critical to avoiding needless serious ankle strains, sprains or fractures. We are now doing drills to strengthen all around the ankles but mainly in pronation.

Below (the next 2 photos), are part of the aerobic endurance portion of her training, Cosmi runs the stairs BAREFOOT for 1, 2 or 3 minutes in combination with the same length of time on a rower (Concept II) and footwork drills through a 15 foot long floor ladder (photo 2 below), These are done consecutively 3 times with no rest. She has improved her pace and endurance to where her recovery between points, games and sets is significantly better.

In the 2 photos above, Cosmi is working on her multi-tasking skills – balance, hand-eye coordination, reaction time and strength endurance. The grey ball weighs 2.5 kilograms and the blue ball weighs 1.5 kilograms. I toss the balls randomly high, low, side and middle one at a time. Cosmi must catch either ball in 1 hand and quickly toss it back to me. She could not even balance on the Bosu ball initially. Now, she can do the drill for 1 minute on each leg. She almost never drops a ball even with the pace getting faster each week. This is an exceedingly difficult drill but Cosmi now makes it look easy.

The 3 photos below feature Cosmi doing Plyometric jumps (explosive power) off a box (5 to 7 reps first – see Photo 1) before 1-legged hopping and holding the landing (balance, leg strength and movement precision) over the hurdles (Photo 2) and finishing with full circles around a series of pylons (Photo 3). She then does the drill in reverse. She always does this with her racquet held in the ‘ready’ position and barefoot for improved reactivity. Her level of excellence on the drill is now outstanding.

The 2 photos above show Cosmi working on a quick 1st step – currently, one of her few physical weaknesses. She starts from 1 knee, explodes straight up and immediately pushes off into a rhythmic step to the next pylon. She drops down and repeats the movement from pylon to pylon and back x 4 circuits. The goal is to react faster each week and get to each pylon quicker. She is improving but there is still room for improvement.

The 4 photos below show Cosmi blocking out external distractions in order to perform a specific tennis-related skill (Photo 1 – Cosmi balances on the Bosu ball 1-legged with a tennis ball in each hand facing the wall. I call out “right, left, left, right, right etc” rapidly. Cosmi must respond accurately by throwing the ball from the correct hand and catching it in the same hand. I randomly toss the stability ball with force to her right and left side, head, back, hips and legs). She does the drill now for 2 minutes on each leg virtually never dropping a ball or losing her balance and focus. For the first few months, she failed at certain components every time. The carryover to the court in her ability to block out distractions has been impressive. She now usually shows laser focus!

In Photos 2 and 3 below, she is doing a ‘blind’ reaction drill to improve her brain processing of external information, foot speed and accuracy of movement – all critical to high level tennis performance. I toss or roll a tennis ball past Cosmi from behind. She must get to the thrown ball before it bounces twice or the rolled ball before it reaches the furnace. Cosmi must pick up the ball early and react within milliseconds. We just started the drills and she is already performing them better. I anticipate her getting to shots faster, hitting the ball on the rise and improving her on-court foot speed during lessons and matches.

Photo 4 involves the use of a 6-sided super ball. Cosmi starts by standing 10 feet away from the wall. She then throws the ball against the wall and tries to catch it cleanly. If she does so 19 times in 1 minute, I move her in by 1 foot. The pattern continues until she gets to 4 feet. The caveat is that the 6-sided ball can bounce off the wall in any direction – there is no way to predict the pattern. It took Cosmi 4 sessions to hit a minimum of 19 catches from 10 feet. She is now at 8 feet and improving her reaction time, accuracy of response and hand-eye coordination.

Below (Photo 1), Cosmi does a full core-arm exercise using the roller. From her knees, she slowly rolls herself out to full extension and back. She does this to the right, left and middle 3 times each. There must be NO flinging of the roller back toward the body. Cosmi has to gradually return to her start position. At the early stages, Cosmi could not go more than 1 foot forward without collapsing. I cannot stress how difficult it is to go to full extension and back. It is one of the best core-arm strengthening exercises essential for tennis excellence.

The 2 photos above show Cosmi doing paddle push-ups – Photo 1 turning the hands in and Photo 2 turning the hands out. She is up to 10 reps (from 2 reps 7 weeks ago) of the hands in and 3 reps (from NONE 7 weeks ago) of hands out. The goal is to strengthen the areas around the wrists, elbows and shoulders to help Cosmi avoid the dreaded tendon/ligament/joint issues that plague virtually all tennis players at some point. These are done religiously in our sessions – they are simply too important for injury prevention. To date, Cosmi has been virtually injury-free even as she goes through a growth spurt, hits puberty and plays high level tennis 8 to 12 hours per week.

Simulated dead-lifts shown in the 2 photos above help strengthen Cosmi’s hamstring , gluteal, back and calf muscles (all in the extensor chain). These were areas of weakness that limited her fatigue tolerance during long tennis rallies and inhibited her recovery between points. She now does 8 reps of each of 4 gradually increasing kettle-bell weights x 3 sets with no rest. The heaviest bell weighs 18 pounds. Her technical skill level in this is now off the charts but the work required continues.

Photos 1 and 2 below show Cosmi practicing her jump serve using 3 levels of tension bands. She must be perfect in her technique on each repetition within a 30 second segment against 10, 20 and 30 pound resistance. From not being able to do the action versus a 10 pound resistance, Cosmi can now handle up to 30 pounds without failure. The carryover of the improved strength in the serving motion has allowed Cosmi to serve harder regularly with no shoulder/elbow discomfort.

Cosmi uses different weighted medicine balls in the 3 photos above to improve her forehand-backhand (Photos 1 and 2) and serving (Photo 3) action power. She must toss the ball across her body and send it as far and straight as possible (5 reps per side of 8, 10 and 12 pound balls) while, in Photo 3, she must slam the medicine ball (weights 8, 10 and 12 x 20 seconds per weight) to the floor hard enough to bounce up to her eyes. She started at 5 to 8 pounds initially with difficulty. No such issues now!! I may need to introduce heavier balls soon!!

Immediately below, there are 6 different coloured cones positioned in the ‘box’. I call out a colour (either one of the cone colours or non-existent ones). Cosmi must react to my command from the ‘ready’ position and immediately get to the proper cone while making the appropriate shot. She must retreat quickly to the starting point, ready for my next signal. I gradually have increased the pace of my commands and Cosmi has kept up – seldomly making a mistake now. This shows her ability to process information quickly and accurately with balance and power.

Her tennis coach mentioned to me that Cosmi’s lower body was not strong enough to properly protect her knees from collapsing in when running hard forward, backward and side to side. Even though I am a tad reluctant to introduce weights for Cosmi (at age 11), I have gradually done so only after building her strength endurance performing body weight resistance exercises against gravity over a 15 month period. She does not lift dumbbells heavier than 10 pounds and never in movements that comprise her safety.

She does a controlled forward adapted lunge with 1 foot on a step box and dumbbells held on either shoulder. She steps onto the box and lowers the other knee to the floor before pushing off to an upright position. Two sets of 6 repetitions using 3 different weights (5, 8 and 10 lbs x 2 dumbbells) are completed in each session. We started with NO weights and Cosmi struggled to do 1 set of 8 reps. Her ability to explode onto the ball from her feet to her legs, body and arms has improved along with her ‘uncoiling’ speed (arms, body, legs) to get ready for the next shot.

Cosmi’s favourite thing in our sessions – bar none – is trying to balance on a large stability ball. She has been working on this for over 15 months and can finally balance on her knees for minutes at a time. From there, she tries to stand on the ball. This is a whole different type of challenge. She can stand for 1 to 2 seconds – sometimes! It is a huge challenge for her (or anyone, for that matter!) – one that she will conquer sooner rather than later. Getting good at this indicates that her centre of balance is activated – thus, her ability to stay symmetrical under the pressure of match play will improve.

Each session contains specific stretches to help keep Cosmi relaxed through her hips, pelvis, lower back and gluteals. This is accomplished with 1 stretch – the Bretzel shown in the photo above (it is one of several Cosmi does to further guard against avoidable soft tissue injuries). Cosmi must improve to the point where her shoulders rest against the floor (Photo below). She will get there soon!

This is a programme that young athletes must commit to if they truly wish to perform their sport at a high level. Cosmi has made the choice. Now is her time!!

coach Jeff

#Training Outside Your #Comfort Zone to Enhance #RunningBarefoot:

With the start of a new year (welcome to 2023!!), I thought it appropriate to blog on TRAINING OUTSIDE ONE’S COMFORT ZONE (kind of a New Year’s Resolution!). Without doubt, doing so is not easy to do once let alone repeatedly. It is, however, essential for improving one’s overall and specific fitness level. I will add that in the world of barefoot running, the concept is beyond essential – it is imperative to do so. The only way to strengthen the feet and super-activate the body is by going way beyond simply ‘walking around the house barefoot and expecting miracles’. WON’T HAPPEN!!!

The 2 photos below show 2 foot strengthening exercises (done BAREFOOT of course) that are not easy but most efficient at building up the muscles of the feet, calves and shins. The 1st photo focuses more on the feet and calves. You must extend as high up onto the forefeet as possible, hold at the top for a five count and slowly lower. I recommend 10 repeats daily.

The 2nd photo uses a step to accentuate the toe lift and add a heel drop. This incorporates the shins on top of the calves and feet. You lift up as high as possible, hold at the top for a 3 count and lower the heels to a five count. Do 15 reps every other day.

To truly activate the proprioceptive feedback loop from the feet to the brain and back through the body, you MUST definitely go outside your comfort zone. As you will notice in the 1st 3 photos below, they highlight running over stones, rocks and brush along a forest trail (doing this toughens the soles of your feet and forces you to run light and braced – keys to injury-free running), running on a cinder track (this enhances your reactivity to external stimuli, thus keeping you better aligned) and balancing on a Bosu ball flat side up ON 1 LEG (holding for 30 seconds – this develops better balance and alignment for a more compact running style).

The 3 photos above most definitely take you out of your comfort zone. In doing so, you develop a much stronger circulatory response system (thus improving the flow of oxygenated blood for the heart to the extremities). You are also forced to increase foot turnover, decrease ground contact time and run lower to the ground – all of which are keys to safe, efficient and powerful running.

Of course, running barefoot over and through snow and ice in below zero centigrade temperatures must be perfected gradually. Starting early in the winter season going barefoot for a few minutes on colder than normal surfaces helps prepare you for the intensity of more severe conditions. I am sure there is scientific data that supports the benefits of barefoot snow and ice running to the circulatory and immune systems. From a personal perspective, I know doing so helps keep me running injury-free (BAREFOOT) year-round (as it can do for you) and virtually eliminates bacterial infections from sidelining me.

In the photo above, I have just emerged from a dip in an ice-cold creek (this is REALLY stepping out of your comfort zone!). You will notice the ice formations along the shorelines. The air temperature was -10C and the water temperature was -2C. If you can work up to cold water plunges and/or dips, you will be the better for it. There is no better way to naturally boost your immune system and toughen up your feet to tolerate running in any conditions – safely!

Finally, in the photo below, I leave you with one of my main mentors, Dr. Michael S. Yuhasz, pulling himself powerfully along the railing in his nursing home hallway. Dr. Mike was 89 in this photo, 11/2 years away from the end of his life. Having survived 2 major debilitating strokes, Dr. Mike stepped outside HIS comfort zone every day…until he couldn’t! He only had partial use of 1 leg – thus, he propelled himself by using his other leg and supporting the ‘dead’ leg on it. You will notice there are NO foot rests on the chair – he refused to use them!

Every week during my visits to Dr. Mike, he was open to stepping outside HIS comfort zone and do all sorts of amazing things that those in his circle could not believe – catching up to FOUR soft balls thrown to him consecutively, braking and turning himself away from walls and curbs as I flung him forward and working a hand ergometer strapped around his ‘good’ wrist until he fell asleep doing so.

Now, if any of you cannot get out of your comfort zone, break through limiting plateaus and achieve greatness in your life after reading about Dr. Mike (on top of the rest of this blog content!), then there is no hope – only failure!

Enter 2023 as if you have renewed faith in yourself and what you can accomplish on any level. The journey will be well worth it!!!

coach Jeff

#Barefoot and #Balance – the #DirectConnection:

Making the connection from bare feet through the ground to the rest of the body seems to make perfect sense – especially as it applies to balance. And yet most of us wear socks and thick-soled shoes on these very feet EVERY day for most of the day.The sensory feedback loop from the feet to the brain and back from the balance centre is totally deadened.

I have been barefoot for most of my days for the past 20 years. For at least 25 minutes each day over those years, I have been doing barefoot strengthening exercises like those in the first 2 photos below. In turn, I use the sensory feedback from the ground through the arches of my feet to improve my static (stationary), dynamic (moving through space) and functional (daily activities) BALANCE.

This is exceedingly important in helping me avoid needless injury and the resultant pain.

Also over the past 2 decades, I have incorporated barefoot training into my private and group client sessions. It dawned on me that if my clients were not able to balance on 1 leg with eyes open or closed doing a variety of drills, then God help them when they trip or stumble at home, work or in sports activities. As you will notice in the 3 photos immediately below, 2 of my clients are balancing on Bosu Balls.

My adult running client is doing a 1 legged eyes open and eyes closed balance drill on the flat side of a Bosu Ball in the first photo below. He must centre his body over the mid-foot and FEEL the energy from his foot power source up the chain to his brain and back. The goal is to hold each position for 30 seconds. This improves awareness of body position to help avoid actually falling when slipping or tripping.

My ASD youth featured in the second photo below uses the Bosu Ball as well BUT balances on the round side (even more difficult than the flat side). He does this with eyes open and closed, holding each for a minimum of 30 seconds. This is EXCEEDINGLY difficult but can be done with perfect practice. The end result is more lower body stability and balance for counter-acting a sudden change in the underlying surface while walking, running, jumping etc.

The same young client in photo 3 below is balancing on the round side of 2 Bosu Balls simultaneously while bouncing and catching a ball. This trains the neuromuscular chain from feet to brain and through the body. Being able to bounce and catch while remaining balanced helps the brain to multi-task without falling forward, sideways or backwards.

Examples of static balance are featured in the above 3 photos. Photo 1 captures one of my young tennis clients statically balancing on 1 leg with eyes open. To perfect the move, she needs to lift her knee to 90 degrees and rotate the right hip out so that the knee faces forward. Being able to square up like this barefoot transfers into more symmetrical alignment of the body and less risk of imbalance pain.

In photo 2, my grandniece balances barefoot at age 3 on the edge of a rather large and ominous boulder. Learning to do so fearlessly at an early age is important to lock in symmetrical balance. This leads to an almost zero possibility of avoidable imbalance pain.The 3rd photo shows my grandniece with me niece (her mother) doing the ‘sun salutation’ at sunset. Balancing on one leg at the edge of large boulders requires activation from the bare feet, bracing from the whole core and squaring up the body through the hips.

The 2 photos above show power activation moves in sand barefoot. The natural energy transferred from the sand through the feet helps strengthen the body’s synergistic (small support) muscles. This in turn helps the body functionally balance better and react faster if you happen to trip, slip or stumble in the course of your day.

The next 3 photos show a few of my running clients training barefoot on grass. Doing so utilizes the natural energy from the earth along with the proprioceptive stimulation from the feet to enhance the active balance process. The high knee lift and hold (photo 1) and the crossover step and hold (photo 2) push the brain to keep the balance centre on high alert. There must be perfect transitional action from right to left side. Running backwards uphill barefoot (photo 3) significantly challenges you to FEEL the earth, respond to its energy accurately and balance through your shoulders, hips, knees and feet to prevent falling or stumbling. You have no choice but to keep balanced!

The extremes of barefoot activation for improved balance are featured in the next 2 photos. In the first, running barefoot UP a mountain trail strewn with rocks, boulders and silica is tough enough wearing trail shoes. Barefoot, it requires perfect balance, body symmetry and sensory activation – critical in avoiding a sprained ankle or worse. In shoes, the risk of tripping and blowing out an ankle or worse is off the charts. Barefoot, even if you hit a boulder off centre, your body will process the sensation immediately through your balance feedback loop and keep you upright.

In the snow and ice of northern hemisphere winters, going barefoot is definitely beyond extreme. Having said that, doing so literally titillates the skin, nervous system and balance centre to keep your body in high gear. Your natural protective systems are on high alert and your balance is automatically enhanced in the moment and beyond – nothing better than that!

I have to conclude with a photo from a number of years ago of the old coach himself barefoot meandering toward the Atlantic Ocean on the coast of Nova Scotia. I still remember the almost euphoric feeling coursing through my body as I strolled over the rocky shore. Without missing a step or stumbling over the rocks, I eased over the embankment into the water.

Do yourself a favour and get barefoot as much as possible EVERY day of your life. My message is loud and clear. Doing so in some capacity will vastly improve your quality of life – today, tomorrow and forever!

coach Jeff