For more information on the world of strength and conditioning, visit Strength Peformance Network.

Providence, Rhode Island – Roger Marandino, the head strength and conditioning coach at Brown since 1995, has stepped down to become the first assistant strength and conditioning coach with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Marandino was responsible for the coordination of all strength and conditioning programs for Brown’s 37 varsity sports. He utilized a hands-on approach to assure that all players maintain peak physical conditioning to be able to play at the highest level possible. Marandino developed a lifting program for the Brown football team, helping the squad to three Ivy League Championships (1999, 2005, 2008) in his tenure.

Marandino, who was named the NSCA Collegiate S&C Professional of the Year for Division I in 2000, was a three-time, drug-free national power-lifting champion and is certified by the National Strength and Conditioning Association as a certified strength and conditioning specialist (CSCS). Marandino earned his coach practitioner distinction from the NSCA in 2003. In addition, he is certified by the United States Weightlifting Federation as a Level I Olympic Weightlifting coach.

In 1997 and 2000, Marandino was chosen as the NSCA Strength and Conditioning Professional of the Year in the Ivy League. He has been a NSCA National Conference speaker, giving 10 presentations at NSCA conferences. He has had three articles published in the NSCA journal, and contributed to a video on using weightlifting combinations to train multiple sports.

A 1993 graduate of Kean College of New Jersey, Marandino earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Exercise Science and Adult Fitness, with a concentration in Exercise Physiology. He completed a strength and conditioning internship at the University of Pacific after graduation and then enrolled in the graduate school at the University of Connecticut in 1993. While working towards his Master’s of Education Degree in Sport Biomechanics, which he completed in May 1995, he served as assistant strength and conditioning coach for two years.

A national search will begin immediately.

For more information on the world of strength and conditioning visit Strength Performance Network.

Dynavision International LLC is headquartered in Cincinnati at the 226-person TSS Technologies facility, and will retain its satellite office in Canada. Establishing Dynavision International through TSS will provide administrative resources and manufacturing structure for the company.

“This joint venture partnership will allow us greater reach within the United States and the ability to provide full service from production, all the way to delivery,” Phil Jones, CEO of Dynavision International said. “The new, centralized location makes sense for our growing company, especially because of the relationship we have with the University of Cincinnati athletics department, where significant research is currently being conducted using Dynavision technology.”

“Our companies have undeniable synergy, and we recognized at an early stage that we can both bring something to the table to make this partnership successful,” Bruce Read, president of TSS Technologies said. “Phil has a strong vision for where Dynavision is headed and combined with our significant manufacturing and engineering capabilities, we look forward to an exciting and successful long-term relationship together.”

Dynavision International will focus on market growth across the high-performance sports arena, manufacturing technologies like the D2 and I-SPAN that improve athletes’ reaction time, eye-hand coordination, peripheral awareness, agility and other visual-motor and movement skills. The D2 is also used to base-line test for concussions to help doctors and trainers monitor return-to-play.

Additionally, Dynavision International will be involved in the tactical industry, committed to improving dynamic skills that directly impact job performance.

“Our devices are not just sport-specific; they are industry-specific,” Mark Hallis, CMO of Dynavision International said. “Users can create protocols that mimic real-life situations. So while a coach might develop a distraction test to help improve players’ focus on the field, a SWAT officer can design ‘shoot versus don’t shoot’ scenarios. As Dynavision International, we will be able to reach each of these markets more effectively and efficiently.”

Dynavision originally started 20 years ago in the medical realm, which continues to be a primary market for the company today. Through a partnership with Bioness, an international provider of non-invasive rehabilitation devices, more than 700 Dynavision units have been sold to hospitals and medical facilities across the world. That number continues to grow rapidly with the recent development of the D2 and I-SPAN.

Current Dynavision users include the Gatorade Sport Science Institute, ESPN: Sport Science, The Pittsburgh Steelers, University of Cincinnati, Baylor University, Texas A&M Corpus-Christi, University of Central Florida, Air Force Academy, WestPoint, Manchester United, NASCAR racer Kasey Kahne and countless other athletic, tactical and medical programs. 

For more information on Dynavision, please visit: http://www.dynavisiond2.com/ 

For more information on TSS Technologies, please visit: http://www.tss.com/

For more information on the world of strength and conditioning, please visit Strength Performance Network.

Running the 40 yard dash is a skill not a race. Most people just line up and go about running the 40, but do they really understand how to line up correctly and take off in the right manner? Well, we at the Parisi Speed School in Fair Lawn NJ understand every single aspect from 0-40; training over 1,000 athletes over the past decade and decreasing every single 40 yard dash time that came in through the door. Not only in high school athletes, but in college and pro as well.  Here I have 10 small tips on ways that can assist you in decreasing your 40 yard dash time:

1. 45 degree body angle
2. Horizontal shin angle
3. Explosive arm action
4. Chest up/hips forward
5. Toes pointed straight forward and up
6. Explosive 1^st step
7. Work your way from a 45 degree angle to up tall
8. Rotate only shoulder and hip joints (resist twisted torso and moving head while running)
9. Keep hands open and face muscles relaxed
10. Step over the opposite knee

Steps 1-6 are in the acceleration phase of the sprint.

Keep in mind that these tips are focal points and not drills.  Also keep in mind that corrective progression and program design will also allow for a better decrease in time than just going out and running regular sprints.

Running your 40 yard dash to achieve the best time is a skill that is developed over time using correct technique through proper training. That is what we do here at the Parisi Speed School in Fair Lawn, NJ. Running your 40 yard dash at a fast pace is the best way to run it, but is it the most efficient way of doing it? With incorrect technique and just running a 40 at your fastest way possible can cost you the smallest amount of seconds that can cost you BIG TIME, and if you’re looking to get into the pro’s, it can cost you MILLIONS OF DOLLARS in a contract. Think about it, the more you train on correcting your technique on running a greater 40 yard dash time, ultimately can decrease your time and get you looks from the next level (college or pro). Let’s do the math: If you can decrease .005 of a second every week you train, and you train for 16 weeks, you have just knocked off .08 from your 40 yard time. BIG NUMBERS. Why? Well, say you ran a 4.55 before training, after 16 weeks you knocked your time down to a 4.47! HUGE DECREASE! If you don’t think that the decreased time was huge, well think again, because those guys that are doing the recruiting in the NFL and for colleges will notice a .08 difference in 2 different athletes of the same position.

For more information from the world of strength and conditioning, visit Strength Performance Network.

Click here to vote for this year’s winner

Strength Performance, LLC today announced the Top 5 finalists for the 2011 Strength Performance College Coach’s Choice Award.  The top 5 finalists, nominated by their peers, and listed in no particular order are:

• Tommy Moffitt:  Louisiana State University
• Donnie Sommer:  Texas Christian University
• Ike Hammerly:  William Penn University
• Kaz Kazadi:  Baylor University
• Andrea Hudy:  University of Kansas

As the only award given to a strength and conditioning coach who is both nominated and ultimately voted on by fellow strength and conditioning professionals, the Strength Performance College Coach’s Choice Award sets itself apart from others by enabling professionals in the industry to recognize one of their own for outstanding performance in a given academic year.

“The participation during the nomination phase of the College Coach’s Choice Award was fantastic,” said David Harris, co-founder of Strength Performance, LLC.  “Strength and conditioning professionals are excited to have a forum through which they can recognize colleagues for their positive impact on the strength and conditioning industry, the evolution of the profession and the development of coaches and athletes alike.  The Top 5 finalists have made a career of striving for excellence and should be congratulated.”

ABOUT THE AWARD:

The 2011 Strength Performance College Coach’s Choice Award will be awarded to a college or university strength and conditioning coach in recognition of his or her achievement as a strength and conditioning professional and dedication to his or her current institution’s athletic program and athletes during the 2010-2011 academic year.  Nominees must be a current NCAA Division I, II, III, or NAIA Head/Director/Assistant strength and conditioning coach.

Brian Harris, co-founder of Strength Performance, LLC, said, “We’re constantly looking for ways to continue the positive evolution of the strength and conditioning profession,” adding:  “There’s simply no greater honor than to be recognized by one’s colleagues.  Thus, it seemed natural for the industry to have an award that could be given to an outstanding strength and conditioning professional as recognized by his or her peers.  The Strength Performance College Coach’s Choice Award will enable this recognition to take place on an annual basis.”

Nominations were made online and accepted through July 6, 2011.  Only members of Strength Performance Network were eligible to make a nomination.  Strength Performance’s staff reviewed all nominations and announced the 5 finalists for the Award on July 11, 2011.  Members of Strength Performance Network are now eligible to vote online for one of the five finalists July 11, 2011 through August 31, 2011.  The finalist that receives the most member votes will win the Award.  This year’s Award winner will be announced September 2, 2011 on Strength Performance Network.

NOTE:  When considering nominees attention was given to:

• 2010-2011 on-court/field competitive record of athletic team(s) coached by the nominee
• New/unique strength and conditioning programs implemented during the 2010-2011 academic year
• Stories expressing the personal impact a coach had on an athlete or athletes during the 2010-2011 academic year
• Examples of leadership as demonstrated through the development of a strength and conditioning staff and related program
• Influence on the evolution of the strength and conditioning profession (through speaking engagements, articles/books published, technical innovations developed, etc.)

About the Award

The 2011 Strength Performance College Coach’s Choice Award will be awarded to a college or university Strength and Conditioning Coach in recognition of his or her achievement as a strength and conditioning professional and dedication to his or her current institution’s athletic program and athletes during the 2010-2011 academic year.

Nominees must be a current NCAA Division I, II, III, or NAIA Head/Director/Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach.

The Strength Performance College Coach’s Choice Award is the only award given to a strength and conditioning coach who is both nominated and ultimately voted on by fellow strength and conditioning professionals.  Nominations were made online and accepted through July 6, 2011. Only members of Strength Performance Network were eligible to make a nomination.

Strength Performance Network’s staff will review all nominations and announce 5 finalists for the Award on July 11, 2011.  Members of Strength Performance Network will then be eligible to vote online for one of the five finalists from July 11, 2011 through August 31, 2011.

The finalist that receives the most member votes will win the Award.  This year’s Award winner will be announced September 2, 2011 on Strength Performance Network.

Download Press Release

Dan Sellers attended the University of Cincinnati on an athletic scholarship, going on to play six years of professional football with multiple CFL teams and the NFL New York Jets. He also has more than a decade and a half of experience in the corporate business development field, working for companies like Panasonic and Multivista.  In 2005, he started his own company, Diversified Facility Solutions LLC, where he continues to provide an array of services to clients including Wells Fargo, Frito Lay, Macy’s Department Stores and more.  Dan was even invited to the White house by President Bush in 2003 to participate in the first meeting of the Urban Entrepreneur Partnership.

Dan says that while he’s done well in his career, he’s looking forward to getting back to his athletic roots in his new role, and merging his passions for sports and business at Dynavision.

For more than 20 years, Dynavision has developed training and evaluation devices to improve performance and rehabilitation for athletes everywhere. Dynavision recently released two state-of-the-art training systems – the I-SPAN and the D2 – both of which Dan will be responsible for selling. The I-SPAN provides scoring capabilities for agility, explosive reaction time, speed and other forms of movement, while the D2 tracks and improves reaction time, peripheral awareness, hand-eye coordination, and other visual-motor skills.

“Dan understands the value of our devices throughout the athletic realm,” Mark Hallis, CMO of Dynavision Sports said. “His background as an accomplished athlete and business professional makes him the ideal person to perpetuate the growth of Dynavision. We are lucky to have him on board.”

Dynavision technology can be found at Gatorade Sport Science Institute, IMG Performance Institute, University of Cincinnati, Baylor University, University of Central Florida, WestPoint, Air Force Academy, NASCAR Racer Kasey Kahne’s facility and countless other athletic programs across the nation.

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For more information, please visit: http://www.dynavisiond2.com/index.php

For more information from the world of strength and conditioning, visit Strength Performance Network.

“As a point guard, you have to be able to think a couple of plays ahead, know where the play needs to go, react and stay in front,” Knight said during his test.

The I-SPAN is designed to accommodate those needs.

The device consists of a central computer and eight stations that glow in random succession. The light indicates where the athlete is to go next, and then the user must wave his/her hand over each light as it is signaled. The technology tracks, measures, and improves all forms of movement, including acceleration, speed, agility, explosive reactions, and more.

Knight, who is known well for his mental game and quick thinking, was given a customized workout to test his cognitive and physical skills. He received baseline reaction scores on his first run on the I-SPAN, and was then tested again while simultaneously answering trivia questions. With this added mental pressure, Brandon’s reaction time slowed by .04 seconds.

In a separate episode, the I-SPAN recorded Markieff’s average reaction time as less than six-tenths of a second, which compares well to other NBA draft prospects, including his twin brother.

“The mental and physical reaction times of these players are imperative to their journey in the NBA, and continued use on the I-SPAN could make these great athletes phenomenal,” Mark Hallis, CMO of Dynavision Sports said. “The device can be used in almost any situation: horizontally as floor exercises or vertically with the lamp mounted on a multi-adjustable frame. The test is fun, yet challenging and ever-changing, just like the sport of basketball.”

To see the I-SPAN in action, click on the below ESPN Sports Science segments:

ESPN Sports Science Segment 1

ESPN Sports Science Segment 2

Click here for more information about Dynavision.

For more information on the world of strength and conditioning visit Strength Performance Network.

Story from:  http://www.okstate.com/sports/m-footbl/archive/062111aaa.html

STILLWATER – Oklahoma State Director of Athletics Mike Holder has announced that the University will begin construction on the Sherman E. Smith Training Center, the school’s indoor practice facility, approximately August 1, 2011.

Work has already begun on the new grass and turf practice fields that will be located adjacent to the Smith Center and just north of Boone Pickens Stadium. The approximate cost for the new indoor facility will be $16 million, with the practice fields and surrounding fencing to be completed for $3 million.

The Smith Center and practice fields will be the latest of several new dynamic athletic facilities that rise above Hall of Fame Avenue in Stillwater. The Smith Center, Gallagher-Iba Arena and Boone Pickens Stadium will compose one of the finest athletic footprints in the country.

“Sherman Smith was a good friend of mine,” Holder said. “His relationship with Boone Pickens dates back to the 1940s. They shared the same birthday, were in the same fraternity and had a business relationship.”

Sherman Smith passed away on June 6, 2011.

“It’s fitting that two of the most important structures for OSU Athletics will be across the street from each other and will bear the names of Sherman Smith and Boone Pickens,” Holder added.

Smith’s gift for OSU’s practice facility was originally termed an endowment.

“We owe another thank you to the Smith family,” Holder said. “They have allowed us to use their gift for the construction of the indoor facility. Boone Pickens has made a testamentary gift that will provide for the endowment of the facility.”

OSU is continuing to fundraise for the practice fields project.

Click here for pictures of the Sherman Smith Center from OSUAthletics on Flickr.

For more information from the world of strength and conditioning, visit Strength Performance Network.

Even though I consider the typical “shoulder” day ridiculous, in my opinion there are many ways to do certain overhead lifts properly (aka not seated) to keep a person’s shoulder safe.  Typically, the best athletes generate the most force through their lower extremity whether it is sprinter, baseball player throwing a ball, soccer playing kicking a ball, or a football player creating power from  his feet to lay a hit.  Basically, the legs are the powerhouse to produce the power in athletic movements.  So onto the considerations that I have learned about over the year or so…

Shoulder presses should at least be performed standing for a variety of reasons

• 1) In the above statement I put, athletes produce force from the ground up and the general population sits too much anyway.
• 2) Seated presses (unless there is some type of lower extremity injury) can restrict optimal muscle activity–seated can restrict the range of motions at the scapula-thoracic/gleno-humeral joint
• 3) Pinning the scapula back on the bench can alter the scapular-humeral rhythm which is paramount for safe overhead lifting movements–(heard this from Robert Paniarello PT)
• 4) This lack of rhythm will lead to screwed up muscle force couples and stabilizers.. Meaning that the deltoids are going to get overworked and the scapular stabilizers, underworked–we know that these stabilizers need to work optimally in conjunction with the deltoid to create safe overhead movements (a main reason why people may have problems with overhead pressing in the first place)

Another interesting tidbit is to test for the extensibility of someone’s latissimus dorsi..you know, the one in which every guy thinks he has huge shoulders and walks around like this guy.

The latissimus dorsi has a huge attachment  through the throacolumbar fascia from the lower 6 thoracic spinous processes, all the lumbar spinous processes, down to the sacrum and iliac crest.  This allows the muscle to affect the lumbopelvic alignment.  Sahrmann describes these compensatory patterns in her book, so that a short lat (as the arm is raised overhead) will cause an extension force, tilting the pelvis anteriorly.  Even if the lat is not short, there is a possibility that the abdominals are not stiff enough to resist the extension at the lumbar spine as the arm is overhead (relative flexibility). This is another case why we need to work on muscle tissue all the time.  Looking at the test below, if the girl were to extend at the lumbar spine while getting her wrist closer to the floor, this would be an example of the lat possibly being short or stiff.

These are just some considerations to look for in order to keep the shoulders safe.  Another quick consideration when shoulder pressing with DB’s is to press with the palms facing each other which allows more space in the shoulder joint to get overhead.

For more information from the world of strength and conditioning, visit Strength Performance Network.

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