My Day with Akron General Sports Performance
Just the other day, I was given the opportunity to visit one of the Akron General Sports Performance Centers. During my visit, I was allowed to participate in one of the workout sessions.The workout session and my visit as a a whole was a great learning experience. Most of my past experiences with sports performance was in the collegiate setting and this visit really showed me what sports performance in the hospital setting is all about. I was never sure how private sports performance training operated but thanks to Coach Amanda Kephart, I was able to better understand the daily responsibilities of a sports performance coach in a hospital setting.
While I was Akron General, I got to see some things that I have never seen before. One of the most interesting I saw during that day was the max-velocity testing. Athletes would strap themselves into a treadmill much like the one pictured below.
The purpose of max-velocity testing is to examine the athletes running form while running as fast as they can (maximum velocity). To start the test, Coach Amanda would start the treadmill while the athlete stood on the edge of the treadmill. Once the belt got up to speed, the athlete would hop onto the treadmill, run for about 5 seconds, then jump off onto the edge of the treadmill. Coach Amanda then told the athletes what they needed to change for their next attempt. The treadmill was then turned up to a higher speed and the athletes gave it another shot at running. This was done until the athlete could not keep up with the treadmill. If the athlete could not keep up with the treadmill, they could just jump in the air, and the body harness would catch them until the belt could be stopped. I was extremely impressed with how fast some of the athletes could run, being that all of them were in middle and high school. One athlete ran up to 22MPH!!
After the max-velocity testing, we moved on the the strength training portion of the workout. I was actually able to participate in the workout. Normally, I would train by myself or with a partner. But during this workout, I was working out with a group of athletes. Even though all the athletes play different sports and come from different high school, it seemed like everyone was on the same team. All the athletes were helping each other out and there was a competitive feeling in the room. It really goes to show that when you train with a team, you push yourself a little harder than you normally would. Even though these athletes were so young, they kept solid technique on all the movements. If they did mess up, Coach Amanda corrected the issue and the athletes responded positively. It was really great to see young athletes who want to make improvements to better their athletic career.Best of luck to all those athletes in their future endeavors.
I would like to thank Coach Amanda for allowing me to visit the facility and participate in a training session. It was great to see a different aspect of the sports performance industry. I could probably write a book about my experiences, but I'll keep it short.
I suggest that you check out Akron General Sports Performance to see all the great things Coach Amanda is doing for these young athletes. Here are some links for some more info about Akron General Sports Performance:
