Entries by Nick Garcia

Speed Over Tonnage: Is It Worth the Sacrifice?

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If you watched Christian McCaffrey at the NFL combine, you couldn’t help but be impressed. He was fast, explosive and agile. But nevertheless he had some critics as his weightlifting numbers were not impressive. Interesting. I know for a fact that Stanford University has employed velocity-based training (VBT) methods with their football athletes in the past. To what extent McCaffrey used VBT I do not know, but whatever combination of methods he used it clearly got him results on the field. Maybe lifting all the weight possible like a weightlifter is not the end-all-be-all to being a top athlete.

This Is What Organization Looks Like

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When you are one coach responsible for upwards of 400 athletes, you are forced to be organized whether you like it or not. Thankfully I like organization and take pride in the system I have set up at Notre Dame High School. As we spoke about on our podcast, if you are set up and organized you can get an abundance of work done; you no longer have to choose between the need to do and nice to do, you can do both. Recently Train Heroic1 visited our new facility in Los Angeles and made a few vides that show our setup. Check it out as it gives you a good idea how we can work efficiently with such a large number of athletes.

The Art of Holding a Peak

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Peaking at the right time matters, but for many athletes it is just as important to be able to hold that peak. For my athletes, at the high school level, the post season lasts nearly two months. Therefore we have to stay in top shape for a long period in order to qualify and place well at the state meet. I’ve always said one of the reasons I like the Bondarchuk program is how it is able to keep athletes at a top level after reaching their peak.

The Value of Work Outside the Weight Room

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If you think developing power/strength for your sport is weight room specific only then you are gravely mistaken. Why do I say this? I’ve been doing some thinking after reading some posts recently and, more importantly, I just finished a 6 week study/observation specific to this.

The Case for Drills

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As a young inexperienced coach it was my goal, like most all coaches, to be the best I possibly could be. The way I figured I was going to do this was by first distinguishing who had the best program and then seeking out the coach of this program. This quest actually began when I started my junior college throwing career. At this time there was no question that coach Art Venegas and the UCLA Bruins were at the top. I distinctly remember going to my first major track meet, the Pac 10 Conference Championships hosted by Stanford University, to watch the Bruins live in action. I could not wait to see them throw and oddly enough my seats were right in front of Coach Venegas. I listened to every word and every cue he gave his throwers. Although, I was relatively inexperienced, especially having zero knowledge about the rotation, I noticed right away that the Bruins had distinct characteristics in their technique. Little did I know that in the future I would be competing against the Bruins while attending college at Cal State Northridge.

Athletics: Is the price you pay worth it?

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I often listen to sports talk radio to and from work each day. If you have been in touch with the news lately concussions and CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) have been major stories in relation to American football. Because of this participation numbers at the high school and youth levels have dropped significantly. What I have to talk about below has nothing to do with concussions or CTE. Yes from the research we know now about concussions; you can make a better choice as a way to make a living than football, but I have a beef with a different issue.

Holiday Special on Hammer Wires

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Looking for a gift for that hammer thrower in your life? Help them stock up on hammer wires for the upcoming season and save in the process. Our premium hammer wires are hand made in America to meet your exact specifications and offer the best in quality, strength, and performance. If you order before Christmas and use the coupon code xmaswires you can get 10% off.

The Bondarchuk Dictionary

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Over the next few weeks I am putting together a multi-part series on Bondarchuk’s training methods for the Freelap USA website. It is my goal to explain setup and application of Dr. Bondarchuk’s system as it was taught to me and how I understand it. Some of this information might be a review session for readers on this site, but I hope the series will also include some new information for everyone.