Conditioning

By: Ralph Reiff, Sr. Associate Athletic Director for Student Athlete Health, Performance & Well-Being at Butler University

From the Hudl Blog

The research is in — poor sleep habits lead to worse per­for­mance, while good sleep can mean improved performance.

My own deep dive into this sub­ject start­ed years ago. 

Coming off back-to-back appear­ances in the NCAA men’s bas­ket­ball cham­pi­onship game, the 2011-12 Butler University team was on a west coast trip. While in Palo Alto to play Stanford in late December, youth­ful coach Brad Stevens called me to find out if I knew Stanford sleep researcher Dr. Sheri Mah. 

I was already aware of her sleep research and ath­lete per­for­mance find­ings, which sparked an enthu­si­as­tic and lengthy dis­cus­sion on how we could trans­form her research into action­able steps Stevens’ team.

I’m pleased to share what we came up with. Once you under­stand how sleep is a fac­tor of ath­lete per­for­mance, you can take steps to ensure the health of your players.

The Connection 

The sports per­for­mance com­mu­ni­ty has become increas­ing­ly aware of the rela­tion­ship between sleep depri­va­tion and dimin­ished aca­d­e­m­ic and ath­let­ic performance.

Researchers have pro­vid­ed val­i­da­tion that stu­dent-ath­letes who sleep poor­ly are:

• Prone to health issues
• Have high­er rates of stress and depression
• More like­ly to use over-the-counter stim­u­lant med­ica­tions to remain awake
• More like­ly to use alco­hol to pro­mote sleep

Now for the good news: research also has proven longer sleep is cor­re­lat­ed with improved mood and aca­d­e­m­ic performance. 

According to the CDC, this is the rec­om­mend­ed amount of sleep peo­ple should get. 

• 6 – 12 years old: 9 – 12 hours every 24 hours (naps count)
• 13 – 18 years old: 8 – 10 hours every 24 hours (naps count)
• 18 – 60 years old: 7 or more hours per night

Recommended Steps 

You can sup­port new habits towards high qual­i­ty sleep by encour­ag­ing your ath­letes (and your staff) to fol­low these guidelines.

Before going to sleep:

• Create a habit­u­al pre-sleep routine.
• Set con­sis­tent times to be in bed and when to wake up.
• Limit caf­feine, alco­hol and screen time for at least 90 min­utes beforehand.
• Don’t try to sleep hun­gry or imme­di­ate­ly after a large meal.

While sleep­ing:

• Avoid look­ing at blue light (i.e., device screens) dur­ing the night.
• Keep your bed­room as dark and qui­et as possible.
• Set ther­mo­stat to 62 – 68 degrees.
• Use com­fort­able bedding.
• Encourage bright, full spec­trum light upon waking.

Overall:

• Use your bed­room for sleep and rela­tions only.
• Avoid read­ing, study­ing or watch­ing TV while in bed.

By Jon Sanderson MS, CSCS, MSCC, USAW, NASM-CES, TPI, FMS

Head S&C Coach Michigan Basketball

Recovery Strategies    

1. Give your team time to foam roll and go through mobility/stretching routines.
2. Utilize Cold tub immersion and contrast bath post practice.
3. Remind your team that 8-10 hours of sleep is optimal for their age group.
4. Encourage proper nutritional habits.

Five benefits of proper sleep for athletes 1

– Improved reaction times

– Reduced injury rates

– Longer playing careers

– Better accuracy, faster sprint times

– Fewer mental errors

Cold Tub Immersion 2

– Reduces inflammation.

– Has a pain-reducing effect.

– Recommended temperature: 50-60o F.

– 8-12-minute immersion is recommended.

Contrast Bath 3

– Contrast between hot tub and cold tub.

– Has a pumping effect of blood which aids in flushing of bi-products.

– Pain-reducing effect.

– Start with hot tub and finish with cold tub.

– Three rounds of 3-minute hot tub and 3-minute cold tub.

– 50-60o F for cold tub and 100-103o F for hot tub is recommended.

1. Fatigue Science. (2015, September 23). 5 areas sleep has the greatest impact on athletic performance [Web log post]. Retrieved June 2, 2016, from http://www.fatiguescience.com/blog/5-ways-sleep-impacts-peak-athletic-performance
2. Quinn, E. (2016, April 28). After Exercise – Does and Ice Water Bath Speed Recovery? [Web log post]. Retrieved June 2, 2016, from https://www.verywell.com/after-exercise-does-an-ice-water-bath-speed-recovery-3120571
3. Matsui, C. (2015, September 21). Do Ice and Contrast Baths Really Work? NYC Strength Coach [Web log post]. Retrieved June 2, 2016, from http://www.fusiontrained.com/do-ice-and-contrast-baths-work/ 65.

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Do your basketball players stretch their hips enough?

By Jon Sanderson MS, CSCS, MSCC, USAW, NASM-CES, TPI, FMS

Head S&C Coach Michigan Basketball

The Hips are the center of the body and are incredibly important for basketball performance.  When the hips get locked up and tight, performance and durability have a way of diminishing.

To combat this, we recommend that every basketball player should go through a daily routine to ensure that this part of our body stays mobile.

Below are 3 hip mobility examples that would be great for pre or post practice.  If you are warming up before practice make these movements dynamic with short holds, 5 sec or less and more overall movement.  If you’re done with practice for the day, these can be accomplished with 3 to 4 sets of 10-15 sec., still moving dynamically but with longer holds.

90-90 Hip Mobility

Sit on the floor with one knee bent under your body and the other bent behind you.

Lean forward and toward the leg under you until you feel a stretch in the outside of the hip.

Repeat on the Other leg.

Quad Hip Flexor

Kneel down on one knee with the other leg bent in front of you with your foot flat.

Grab the foot Of the kneeling leg and pull it to your butt, then push your hips forward until you feel a stretch in the front Of your hip.

Repeat On Other side.

Bretzel

Begin by lying on your back and crossing your right leg over. Hold your knee with your left hand.

Use your left hand to grab your left ankle and pull up towards you.

Hold for desired amount of time and repeat on other side.

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By Jon Sanderson MS, CSCS, MSCC, USAW, NASM-CES, TPI, FMS

Head S&C Coach Michigan Basketball

Jon Sanderson has been the head strength and conditioning coach for the University of Michigan men’s basketball team since 2009.

Regarded as one of the basketball strength and conditioning coaches in the business, Sanderson is the only strength and conditioning coach in NCAA history to participate in a Final Four as a player (Ohio State in 1999) and a coach (Michigan in 2013 & 2018).

Before joining the Michigan staff, Sanderson spent three years (2006-09) working at Clemson as the men’s and women’s basketball strength and conditioning coach, as well as the director of the Littlejohn Coliseum weight room. During Sanderson’s time at Clemson, the men’s basketball team won 20 or more games for three straight seasons — a first in program history. Also, during those three seasons, only North Carolina and Duke had more wins than Clemson in the ACC.

Prior to his time at Clemson, he served as the head strength and conditioning coach and sports nutrition coordinator for Olympic sports at Marshall University (2003-06). Before heading to Marshall, Sanderson was a strength and conditioning intern at North Carolina, working with the men’s basketball program (2002-03).

Throughout Sanderson’s career with the U-M basketball program, he has trained 11 student-athletes that have gone on to play professional basketball in the NBA, including MDarius Morris, Manny Harris, Tim Hardaway, Jr., Trey Burke, Nik Stauskas, Mitch McGary, Glenn Robinson III, Caris LeVert, D.J. Wilson, Derrick Walton, Jr. and Moritz Wagner.

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The following anti-rotation exercises can be performed in a tall or half-kneeling position, normal stance or a split stance, and with either a band or pulley mechanism.

Trunk/Core Stability–Pallof Hold

Begin in in an athletic stance with your shoulders perpendicular to the cable column and holding the single attachment above your belly button.

Press the attachment away from your body until your arms are fully extended, then hold for the specified time.

Repeat on the other side.

Stand in an athletic position holding the pulley attachment just above your belly button.

Press the attachment to an arms-length in front of you and return it back to the starting position.

Repeat on other side.

Stand in an athletic position, perpendicular to the cable machine, with arms extended toward the column, and hold the pulley attachment at just below shoulder level.

With a stable trunk, move your arms from the start point to the finish point.

Repeat on other side.

Begin holding the rod with your hands about 18 inches apart with a double overhand grip, shoulders perpendicular to the column, and arms extended out toward the column.

Pull the rod toward you until your arm closest to the column is on your side, then rotate and punch that arm upward while keeping your feet flat.

Return to the starting position and repeat for specified reps.

By Jon Sanderson MS, CSCS, MSCC, USAW, NASM-CES, TPI, FMS

Head S&C Coach Michigan Basketball

What is a valgus knee?

A valgus knee position is when the femur internally rotates and collapses inward.

It is also commonly referred to as knock knees.  (See Diagram 1 Below)

Why is this a concern?

Studies show there is a link between athletes that exhibit valgus tendencies and knee injuries, specifically ACL tears.

Also, athletes that have Valgus knees are typically less efficient in movement skills

Who is at risk?

There are more than 120,000 ACL injuries in high school and college athletes per year. 

Research shows that females are 4-8 times more likely to tear an ACL than their male counterparts. 

However, this does not exclude male athletes.  They too are susceptible to this injury.

Below are a few exercises that are recommended to improve Valgus Knee dysfunction:

RFE Split Squat w/ Band RNT

(See Diagram 2)

Elevate the back leg and descend down into a squat.  A coach or partner should be pulling the band so the knee is being pulled inward.  The goal is to resist the inward movement and maintain a neutral knee while executing each rep.

 

Band Defensive Slide

(See Diagram 3)

With the Band around the knees slide in a defensive position, typically 10 yds down and back would equal a set.

 

 

 

Goblet Squat w/ band around knees

(See Diagram 4)

With a band placed around the knees execute the goblet squat emphasizing a neutral knee (don’t let the band pull your knees inward)

 

 

Manual Clams

(See Diagram 5)

Assume the clam position, laying on your side. 

Have a partner apply steady pressure downward as the hips open and close.

 

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Jon Sanderson has been the head strength and conditioning coach for the University of Michigan men’s basketball team since 2009.

Regarded as one of the basketball strength and conditioning coaches in the business, Sanderson is the only strength and conditioning coach in NCAA history to participate in a Final Four as a player (Ohio State in 1999) and a coach (Michigan in 2013 & 2018).

Before joining the Michigan staff, Sanderson spent three years (2006-09) working at Clemson as the men’s and women’s basketball strength and conditioning coach, as well as the director of the Littlejohn Coliseum weight room. During Sanderson’s time at Clemson, the men’s basketball team won 20 or more games for three straight seasons — a first in program history. Also, during those three seasons, only North Carolina and Duke had more wins than Clemson in the ACC.

Prior to his time at Clemson, he served as the head strength and conditioning coach and sports nutrition coordinator for Olympic sports at Marshall University (2003-06). Before heading to Marshall, Sanderson was a strength and conditioning intern at North Carolina, working with the men’s basketball program (2002-03).

Throughout Sanderson’s career with the U-M basketball program, he has trained 11 student-athletes that have gone on to play professional basketball in the NBA, including MDarius Morris, Manny Harris, Tim Hardaway, Jr., Trey Burke, Nik Stauskas, Mitch McGary, Glenn Robinson III, Caris LeVert, D.J. Wilson, Derrick Walton, Jr. and Moritz Wagner.

By Jon Sanderson MS,CSCS,MSCC,USAW1,TPI,NASM-CES

Head Strength & Conditioning Coach-Michigan Basketball

Below are 3 really effective agility drills that emphasize Defensive movements.

When doing these drills emphasize with your athletes to stay low in defensive stance and to explode from cone to cone.

I would recommend doing these drills prior to any traditional conditioning drills (i.e. lane drills, 17’s, conditioning ladders etc.)

Diagrams created with FastDraw

Defensive Close out Drill– Start in the middle of the lane and closeout to cone #1 and slide to baseline.

Reset in the middle of the lane and proceed to Cones #2-4.

 

 

Cone Defensive Slides– Start by sliding to the first cone, advance forward then slide to the next cone.

Repeat until the course is finished.

 

 

 

T-Drill w/ Defensive Slide– Start with a sprint to the middle cones, defensive slide to one of the outer cones, then slide to the opposite outer cone, and then back to the middle. 

Finish with a backpedal to the finish cone.

 

If interested in the Camp Sanderson S&C program powered by Blueprint Athletes App

Apple Phones   https://apple.co/2FYcJ00

Android Phones   https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.blueprintathletes.android

Jon Sanderson has been the head strength and conditioning coach for the University of Michigan men’s basketball team since 2009.

Regarded as one of the basketball strength and conditioning coaches in the business, Sanderson is the only strength and conditioning coach in NCAA history to participate in a Final Four as a player (Ohio State in 1999) and a coach (Michigan in 2013 & 2018).

Before joining the Michigan staff, Sanderson spent three years (2006-09) working at Clemson as the men’s and women’s basketball strength and conditioning coach, as well as the director of the Littlejohn Coliseum weight room. During Sanderson’s time at Clemson, the men’s basketball team won 20 or more games for three straight seasons — a first in program history. Also, during those three seasons, only North Carolina and Duke had more wins than Clemson in the ACC.

Prior to his time at Clemson, he served as the head strength and conditioning coach and sports nutrition coordinator for Olympic sports at Marshall University (2003-06). Before heading to Marshall, Sanderson was a strength and conditioning intern at North Carolina, working with the men’s basketball program (2002-03).

Throughout Sanderson’s career with the U-M basketball program, he has trained 11 student-athletes that have gone on to play professional basketball in the NBA, including MDarius Morris, Manny Harris, Tim Hardaway, Jr., Trey Burke, Nik Stauskas, Mitch McGary, Glenn Robinson III, Caris LeVert, D.J. Wilson, Derrick Walton, Jr. and Moritz Wagner.