Slosh Sled Dragging for Functional Strength

by Jim Smith, CSCS, RKC

Check out my latest article that was posted on Elite Fitness!  It involves a very unique sled dragging variation you have never seen.  I liken it to cutting for football or explosive dribbling in basketball, but the carry over is for all sports.

Non-linear, non-patterned sled dragging is the key to preparing the body, the joints and developing functional strength.  Truly bridging the gap between GPP and SPP.

SEE THE FULL ARTICLE HERE – CLICK HERE

Slosh Sled Dragging

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Here are two exercises I just filmed on my alternative YouTube channel (Muscle VIP).    Both are highly effective for increasing the mobility of the hips, dynamically stretching the hamstrings and warming-up the entire body for a training session.

Spiderman Crawls (with Rotation)

Coaching Cues:

• Stay low to the ground
• Keep a neutral torso and head position
• Try and lay forearm to ground on initial movement
• Rotate toward the forward leg
• Watch hand during rotation
  

Squat to Stand

Coaching Cues:

• Grab under foot and hold throughout
• Drive hips upward straightening knees, dropping the head (dynamic stretching of hamstrings)
• Swing hips through while pushing chest through and upward
• Head should be in neutral
• Drive knees outward with elbows
  

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Reactive / Speed / Quickness

Training for Athletes

When you think about speed, quickness and reactive movements you immediately think of jumps, agility drills, jumping and maybe even perhaps some overspeed running with bands?
CHECK OUT THE REST OF THIS KILLER POST AFTER THE JUMP
Yes, those strength training means are one part of the equation.

The 5 Senses

You must use the senses in your training.  Especially with athletes.  I’m not talking about tasting a kettlebell, I’m speaking specifically about harnesses sight and hearing.  The next-step, unconscious patterning of actual practice and gameplay can be heightened and developed in the weightroom.

Sight & Hearing

If we can isolate the importance of sight and hearing with our athletes it does many things.  They become sharper, they can “turn on” when they need to faster, they can make their movements without thought and without hesitation.

How Do We Do Speed, Quickness and Reactive Training in the Gym?

It is simple, all we need is a tennis ball.

I am going to show you one of the ways I specifically training my athletes to get faster and improve their speed.  In this video, two MMA fighters are working on their quickness.  We use this technique early in the workout when they are fresh and can demonstrate as much power as possible.

Another benefit is this display of power in non-optimal.  There is NO PATTERN.  Only reaction.  Their is NO PLANNING, only reaction.

Drill 1:  Visual Target / No Visual Cue (VISUAL SPECIFIC)

The athlete can see there target (the tennis ball) but do not know when I am going to drop them.  They MUST grab the ball before it hits the ground TWICE.  Notice in the video, their movement.  Multi-planar, non-patterned and very explosive.

Drill 2:  No Visible Target / With Verbal Cue (VERBAL SPECIFIC)

This time the athlete will not be able to see the target, they must listen for the verbal cue.  Their hearing is heightened.  Only until the movement is initiated can they turn around and IMMEDIATELY have to find the target as fast as they can.

Drill 3:  No Visible Target / No Verbal Cue

In this drill, the athlete will stand in front of a wall and grab the tennis ball without any visual cue or verbal cue.  This is the ultimate test and proficiency of hand-eye coordination is developed very fast.  You will see immediate improvement after the first session.

Stay tuned for my next installment, where the chaotic environment is turned up a notch.

Hope you enjoyed the drills, please “like” the video on YouTube.

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I don’t usually comment on videos for many reasons (everyone thinks their opinion is so important for others to hear haha).   When in fact, no one cares.

But sometimes I can’t help myself.  Because sometimes videos move me.  They validate many of my own opinions and I truly appreciate originality.  Something that has been lost in the fitness industry.

I mean tons of people have stolen my stuff.  Should I be flattered or enraged?  Or should I put my head down and continue to put out solid content focusing on trying to help as many people as I can?

I chose the latter.

So what is in this video?

As you watch it, you will see many important training as it applies to athletics.

Let’s review.

Top 6 Key Athletic Strength Training Tips

As seen in the San Diego State Football Training Video

Tip 1

Be Chaotic – in the video you see the training where the players were pulling against each other with a tire in between them. Watch that part again. Do you see the articulations of every joint? Ankles, knees, hips, shoulders, etc… Do you get that same absorption, the same stresses, the same power output with patterned agility drills? How about with a speed ladder? I don’t think so. Sport is chaotic, and a chaotic environment can be created safety in training to bridge the gap between GPP and SPP – Check out this article I wrote years ago.

Tip 2

The Switch - In my Chaos Manual I talk at length about the Switch.  The Switch is where an athlete engages in sports that continue to develop similar physiological and metabolic adaptations for their primary sport by engaging in different sports.   In the video the football players are on a wrestling mat performing dragging drills and wrestling drills.  This is so important when trying to develop a more comprehensive, broader athletic foundation.  Coaches, look toward other sports to better assist your athletes.  Here’s another from the Chaos Manual, have your football kickers perform martial arts in the off season  to improve their flexibility and kicking power!

Tip 3

Unilateral Training – Most athletic strength programs incorporate bilateral squatting movements.  But very few incorporate overloaded unilateral lower body movements (in the video you’ll see unilateral glute bridging and barbell step-ups).  Life and sport happen unilaterally.  Remember that.  Also, you will improve overall movement and the strength and stability of the ankles, knees and hips with unilateral training.  And don’t forget the implications to the athlete’s ability to stabilize their torso, ie. core strength.  Stabilizing in the sagittal plane is completely different than stabilizing in the frontal plane.

Tip 4

Sandbag Training – This is group under odd object training. Why?  Because the implement and its subsequent center of mass (COM) is not fixed.  The athlete must make real-time adjustments while lifting the weight.  This has a very important carryover to the athlete’s ability to stabilize, especially under fatigue.  Check out more odd object training here.

Tip 5

Intensity – You either have it or you don’t.  If you don’t have it you will get eaten.  You better bring it everytime you step in the weightroom and everytime you step on the field.  Because everyone can be ordinary.  Everyone can be average.  Everyone can be forgotten.  Make your mark, be the leader, get shit done.

Tip 6

Posterior Work for the Shoulders – The body must be balanced.  The force couples must be balanced.  The posterior musculature of the shoulder and upper back must be a priority in your training.  It has to be.  Never forget its importance.  Because when you do, it will get you.  Exercises like push-up pluses, band pull-aparts, retractions, diesel face pulls and all the stuff in the best shoulder rehab video on the net – should be done frequently.

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Benefits:

By improving the mobility of the ankle, the knee (requires dynamic stability) does NOT have to absorb unnecessary forces.

Typically ankle mobility exercises are thought to be reserved to keep athletes healthy, BUT everyone can benefit from this drill prior to their workout.

Any good workout should be structured the following way:

1. Foam Roller
2. Mobility
3. Activation
4. Workout
5. Recovery / Rehab
6. Restoration

How to Perform:

Sequence:

1. Ankle Mobility
2. Strength / Resistance Movement
3. Ankle Mobility
4. Strength / Resistance Movement
5. Ankle Mobility
6. Strength / Resistance Movement
7. REPEAT

PS. Don’t forget about AJ’s FREE bench videos

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