Brian Schiff’s Blog

Well, I have become somewhat of a runner in the past 2 years.  I have run two half marathons and have been training for a third.  That is until my right lower leg has gotten in the way.  In May, I ran 1:40:08 at The Flying Pig Half in Cinci (tons of hills).  Not bad for a 184 pound former football player, right?  My goal was to crush that time in Columbus on 10/18.

About 5 weeks ago I felt intense pain near the medial head of my right calf during the end of a 4.5 mile run.  I iced immediately afterward, but I knew something was wrong.  I had to take about 10 days off from running.  I had recently made it back to 4-5 days per week running and thought all was fine.  I even completed an 8 mile run in 60 minutes without incident two weeks ago.

But alas, the pain returned last week on a 10 mile run.  Only 2 miles into it I felt horrific sharp pain just below the calf.  I had to hobble back to my car.  This is a frustrating and defeating experience to be sure.  While I suspected a small medial head gastroc (calf) tear, I wanted to get my friend and orthopedic surgeon’s medical opinion.  So, I went and saw the man I send all my hurt athletes to yesterday.  I wanted him to confirm that my achilles tendon was indeed OK.  That he did.  Whew!!  What a relief.  X-Rays revealed no stress fractures either.

We talked and decided I would wear a heel lift to off load the calf for a short while and try to run in the half on 10/18.  As I continued to marvel at my scenario today, I began testing my leg and thinking, “Why can I do a single leg calf raise and single leg hop without pain if my calf is injured?”

Then the light bulb went on.  It dawned on me the pain was deeper and perhaps just below the calf.  The thing that hurts the most is descending stairs.  Of course!  The injury (or strain if you will) is of the soleus, a smaller muscle deep to the calf and responsible for assisting the calf with push-off and preventing excessive dorsiflexion (foot moving toward to head) of the foot with gait.

You see the pain is almost non-existent when my knee is straight.  But, once the knee bends and I transfer weight forward over the foot I feel significant pain/weakness.  Yes, the soleus is not quite right.  The calf is less responsible for controlling the body weight as the knee bends which makes sense to me based on the symptoms.  I can honestly say I am not sure I have treated anyone with a soleus strain.

See the soleus in red below:

So, what is the course of rehab?  Cross training on the elliptical this week and then gradual integration of running again.  The real challenge for the soleus occurs at heel strike to foot flat as it works to slow the dorsiflexion down and take all the weight of the body during single leg support.  Ouch!!

The good news is my tendon is fine.  The bad news is that the half marathon involves so many steps it may become an endurance based issue.  I will be adding knee bent stretching, single leg calf raises (straight and bent knee), anterior reaches, step downs and lunges into the program as pain allows this week.

So, for all the runners out there keep in mind pain around the calf may actually be related to a soleus strain.  Identifying whther the pain occurs mostly with a straight or bent knee will be key in finding the tissue at fault.  The two may be linked as I had a bad medial calf tear many years ago.

The take home message is listen to the body and develop the right strategies to maximize recovery and rehab.  Hopefully, I will still hit that goal on 10/18.  Then, perhaps I will take a short hiatus from distance running until 2010 to allow it to heal 100%.

Have questions and want answers to your sports training issues or injuries?  Let me know and I will attempt to answer them as part of my blog posts.

As I was preparing a talk on body weight training for the knee today, I came across a new article in September edition of the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research.  The article discusses the effects of  lower limb plyometric training on body composition, explosive strength and kicking speed.

In short, the authors looked at 20 elite female soccer players over a 12 week period.  Half of the players were assigned to a control group who did normal conditioning (including general strength training but no weights) on M,W and F, while the plyometric group did just the plyometrics on those same days.

Assessments were done 1 week prior to starting, 6 weeks in, 1 week after cessation and 5 weeks after the program is finished.  In summary the results for the plyometric group were:

• No significant change in body composition
• Players were able to increase explosive strength in 6 weeks
• Kicking speed improved after 12 weeks of plyometric training
• Players were able to maintain these gains for weeks after training ceased just with regular soccer training

I have long advocated soccer players do plyometrics on the field after the warm-up period to increase power and reduce injuries.  Now, it appears the increased explosive strength gains may be transferred to a sport specific skill in terms of kicking speed.

In the article the procedure utilized horizontal hurdle hops, depth jumps and horizontal jumps.  For coaches and players looking for a simple field routine, consider the following drills:

1. Squat jumps – Squat down to load the muscles and then jump straight up and down continuously for maximal height.  Continue jumping in one smooth fluid motion for 10 repetitions focusing on soft landings and the knees staying in line with the knees and not caving inward.  Perform 1-2 sets.
2. Split jumps – stand in the lunge position and then jump straight up and back down with maximal explosion.  Repeat 10 times with the left leg forward and then repeat with the right foot forward.  Do 1-2 sets.
3. Consecutive broad jumps -perform 5 consecutive broad jumps for distance.  Rest 30-45 seconds and repeat 1-2 times.
4. Power speed skater – drive off the left leg moving laterally and land on the right leg, then immediately drive off the right leg and land on the left leg.  Perform 1-2 sets 0f 10 repetitions continuously (back and forth = 1).

These four basic plyometric drills require no equipment and are very effective for improving performance.  Consistency is key to get the best results.  Blending the plyometrics with body weight and core strengthening will only serve to enhance the neuromuscular training effects in my opinion as well as to serve to prevent injuries.

In this final post, I will show two simple yet very effective reactive drills I use with one of my clients training for Saber fencing for the 2012 Olympic games.  In terms of reactive agility training, you can utilize  audio, visual or even kinesthetic cues.

As it was difficult to video myself and the client, I chose to use audio cues for this post so you could see the drills.  I also use visual cues to train her with these same reactive movements.  In this drill, the focus is precise quick footwork in a linear pattern.  I have also added in some left and right linear movements as the athlete does lunge or attack off center in certain instances during a match.

In many cases, success in fencing is defined by inches.  The ability to anticipate the opponent’s movements and react faster is crucial.  We use several of these drills to work on her footwork in space.  Keep in mind that the progression from simple planned agility drills to more complex reactive agility training yields optimal results. 

With that said, strive for repetition and mastery fo the most crucial movement patterns/skills and avoid temptation to get too creative.  Use drills that train precise movements in applicable spaces for appropriate time intervals.  Focusing on this mix will elevate performance and get those inches you need in sport.

In the first two posts on this topic I have shown you predictive agility drills.  These are great for the beginning phases of training and early pre-season conditioning.  Once athletes understand how to move properly, it is time to turn your attention to reactive agility as this more appropriately mirrors sport.

There are countless games and drills you can use with your athletes.  I have certain “go to” drills if you will but am always looking for new ones or more importantly the best ones for each athlete or group of athletes I am working with.

Today I included some video taken from a field hockey speed clinic I held last month.  A primary goal was to show the team a bevy of drills they could use to improve speed, agility and quickness.   Another important goal was to make the hard work seem FUN.  

You see I was an athlete not so long ago and I know athletes really don’t get very excited about conditioning because that usually involves running, sweat and fatigue, right?  So, anytime you can introduce games and competition to get maximal effort from your players or clients, it becomes a win-win for all involved.

In the video clip today, you will see a friendly game of partner tag.  Is this ingenious?  Absolutely not.  But, I strategically placed cones in a circle and then asked about 12 players to move within the circle trying not to get caught.  Group one worked for 30 seconds while group two rested and then we switched.

So, the pairs designated an initial “it” person and when the whistle blew the offensive player tried to evade while the defense pursued.  This timed drill accomplishes all of the following great things:

·         Unpredictable movement

·         Variable speed

·         Variable cutting cutting angles

·         Acceleration and deceleration

·         Multiple bodies in the same space (very game like)

·         Great anaerobic conditioning

Some may say there is a greater risk of injury by confining the athletes.  I simply respond by saying the playing field has boundaries and in sport there will be collision at times as well as the very real need to maneuver tightly and quickly around people to avoid collisions and score.  By the way, not one person collided in our drill.  Safety or the lack thereof with tag comes down to preparation and proper instruction prior to starting.

Leading up to partner tag, I always initiate more basic partner mirror drills for linear FW/BW running, shuffles and combinations in a 4 cone pattern (smaller area with only two at a time).  These simpler condensed drills lay the foundation for an all out reactive game of tag.

The take home message is that reactive agility must be a progressive part of your field or court training to help refine proper movement patterns, reduce injury risk and maximize athletic performance.  In my final post, I will reveal an even more specific reactive agility drill with an Olympic level fencer I am training for the 2012 games.

I continue in this post with another drill from our lacrosse clinic.  You may notice in these drills that the athletes know exactly where they are going throughout.  We start with predictive agility drills in our training with the aim of teaching them how to move correctly and repeat the drill in a controlled manner.

As athletes progress, we will move to more reactive agility where they respond to cues or changes in their environment.  I will reveal some of these drills in the upcoming posts.

In the pole run and spin drill in today’s video we ask the athlete to focus on the following:

• deceleration
• spin on the inside leg
• stay low on the cuts
• accelerate quickly
• dodge the poles

We end the drill with a linear acceleration.  The athletes enjoy using the lacrosse sticks while they do this and often I will have them compete for time to get their best efforts as well.  A couple of key points to consider when coaching them are:

1. Demonstrate proper execution of the drill
2. Let them practice the drill half speed at first
3. Provide verbal and tactile cues to correct improper form
4. Start with longer distances between the cones at first

In the next post I will begin to reveal some of my favorite outdoor field drills in a team setting.