Two Tools that have made an impact in Performance Training
I have been skeptical about gadgets as my thought process is that if the principles are sound you do not need gadgets. As I have aged, I have become less narrow minded and more open to experimenting. I believe that the aim of a Coach should be to be on the cutting edge of information that may help their athletes. I had been searching for a mouthpiece that could help decrease concussions for many years. But, I kept running into generic models that did not suit every athlete. I reached out to Dr. Hutchinson of power plus mouth guard and he began to educate me on the benefits of a custom mouth guard.
He made sense when he talked about how aligning your joints will create more stability throughout the body. The only way to do that was to have a customized mouthpiece to fit the jaw structure of the athlete. He sent me some samples and I tested them on my athletes. We decreased our concussions and our performance numbers went up. I was so excited I invited him to speak our football camp at Graham HS. The best story that came out of that camp was an athlete who ran a 4.8 at our camp went to a camp at Georgia University and ran a 4.59 while wearing the mouthpiece. It is not a miracle mouth guard, but It will help.
Also, we have been activating our bodies with the activation sticks prior to training. This tool has proven to help us activate muscles that have been dormant. This helps decrease injuries as the proper muscles are performing the movements desired. The stick activates the glutes and the deep hip flexor muscles. It is helps you focus on your breathing which is very important in aligning the body. Give these two tools a try and let me know how it works for you.
Jimmy Lamour is a former Guilford College in Greensboro, NC All South Defensive Back. He set the record for interception return yards at the school. Upon Graduation, he tested numerous philosophies on strength and speed through seminars, self-study, conversation with renowned strength coaches, and training of hundreds of athletes. This led him to develop the 4.30 40 Speed System a system that helped him improve his 40 yard dash from a 4.66 to a 4.30, which gave way to many professional football workouts. He later developed Lamour Training Systems with the help of his lovely wife Charlene to help athletes improve their performance and receive knowledge he missed out on as a child. He continues to consult with several division 1, prep schools, and high school coaches. LTS has helped many football athletes play at the D1, D2, and D3 levels. He believes that his passion to see young men become all God intended them to be and provide knowledge of the defensive back position which will allow young athletes under the tutelage of Pick 6 Academy to flourish. He is currently certified as a Youth Fitness specialist, 7on7 Performance Director, and High School Strength & Conditioning Specialist. Also, Coach Lamour is a devout Christian. He has two children Camdon (19) and Micah (12).Sign up for his newsletter to receive his free speed report at http://fastyouthathlete.blogspot.com/ on For more information, call 336-257-9151