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Speed of reaction is a much more important aspect of speed development, and can be improved dramatically at whatever age and level of competence. Speed of thought and speed of adjustment, are two areas which, when worked on consistently, produce fantastic improvements. All of the great players have a saying and an understanding that “the first 2 meters of movement are in your head”. How a player reacts or adjusts to an opponent's moves wins and loses games.

There are within this framework, two different types of players.

1. Reactive - A player who only is aware and ready when directly involved with the play.
2. Proactive - A player who is aware from the moment he steps onto the pitch until the moment he steps off at the end of the game, whether or not he is directly or indirectly involved with the play.

If you’ve been working out for more than a month, you probably know that leg workouts can be brutal. Throw in some knee pain, mix it up with a more than strict workout partner, blend in some ego, and you have the recipe for a really miserable workout! In this article, I’m going to share some wisdom about how you might approach knee pain.

Knee pain can be the result of many things. In my experience, by far the most common problems are related to a combination of (1) mechanical dysfunction coupled with (2) structural compromise. What this means is that the way someone is moving (mechanics) added to problems with the tissues (structures, i.e. cartilage, muscles, ligaments, etc.) results in pain.

Paul Chek developed the “Poopie Line-up” and the “Poopie Policeman” to teach clients, and children, how to recognize symptoms of dehydration, poor digestion, and toxicity. The “Poopie Policeman” represents a healthy bowel movement. For a bowel movement to qualify as a “Poopie Policeman”, it must:

• Be well shaped and consistent in contour
• Pass easily
• Be light brown in color
• Smell natural, almost earthy- not foul
• Float, yet doesn't require multiple attempts to flush.

Familiarity with the following “Bowel Bandits” will help diagnose an irregular or dysfunctional digestive/elimination system.

Don't you just hate it when life’s daily routine gets in the way of you finding time to exercise?

For some of us, work and family take priority over our health. Not to say that’s a bad thing, but if you aren't fit and healthy, do you not think your family and work life will suffer in return? It is possible to find time to exercise and still not neglect the other importance aspects of your life. Plus, you don't need anything more than 15 minutes maximum in your day.

It’s been shown in studies that short high intense bursts of exercise for a few minutes per day actually has the same health benefits of at least one hour of “moderate paced” exercise. The trick is get the heart-rate up for a short period of time, and then bring it back down to lesser rate for short period of time, and repeat this for several minutes.

Here are few things you could try after a brief warm-up:

I have always said fitness is not as complicated as people think. Unfortunately, many products and companies would like you to believe that getting fit is almost impossible without their help. This, however, is just an unfortunate ploy to get another customer.

With obesity on the rise, the weight loss and fitness industry is also on the rise. There are more diet books, weight loss gimmicks, and fitness related products than ever. If people weren’t already confused before exploring the world of fitness, it won’t take long before the confusion and frustration begins.

People who are in the market to get fit are faced with too many decisions. Between deciding which gym to join, gimmick to try, or diet to attempt, the mind-boggling decisions often are a result of guesses based on false claims instead solid facts.

What does it take to be an Olympic champion? In fact, what does it take to be the most winning Olympic athlete in history? For Michael Phelps, it takes long, grueling workouts and an obscene amount of calories.

The big-footed kid from Baltimore captivated America and the world as he quickly swam to the top of the marquee in Beijing 2008. His record amount of eight gold medals in a single Games gave him the title of most Olympic gold medals – fourteen in all – as well as most medals won during one Olympics.

Okay, picture this…you’ve been giving it some thought as of late, it’s time for change. You’ve eaten a big bowl of inspiration and washed it down a large glass of determination, you’ve thought meticulously about how you’re gonna train and what you’re gonna eat for the next 12-16 weeks..

You’re ready!

But did you know that as much as we’re all aware that sleep is important to us, we take it as a given because it’s what comes naturally, but unfortunately it doesn’t come naturally to all of us.

There are 5 phases of a typical sleep cycle, but I want to focus a little on the one that potentially effects all of us as athletes and our gains. Phase #5 and the deep part of sleep.

Exercising during pregnancy has obvious benefits for the mom, such as keeping weight gain under control, maintaining fitness level, and relieving stress, but until recently, little has been known about the positive effects on the unborn baby.

Research presented this week at the annual meeting of the American Physiological Society implied that exercise has cardiovascular benefits not only for the mom, but for the developing fetus as well. Dr. Linda E. May and colleagues from the Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences hypothesized that fetuses whose mothers exercised would have better autonomic nervous system function than fetuses not exposed to exercise.

Have you ever put yourself in a good mood for no apparent reason at all? Experts from various disciplines now believe that certain foods we eat play a hand in our happiness. Avoid the diet doldrums with these healthy, happy foods:

1. Oily fish – Medical research teams believe that sardines, salmon, and other oily ocean foods can bring you up when you’re feeling down

The answer to this question seems pretty simple, but it’s actually a bit more complicated than you might imagine. There are definitely going to be folks who say, “Yes, without a doubt, supplements are needed.” There will also be those “naturalists” who won’t advocate any supplement at any level for anything. I have to admit…I fall somewhere in the middle. There are several supplements that have been studied extensively and seem to pass the test when it comes to safety and efficacy, but does that necessarily mean you need to take them? Good question, huh? The point of writing this little article arose because some members have brought up the issue of supplements and their cost, and whether they really need them to reach their goals. Let’s take a closer look at this hot button issue.

Let’s face it… When it comes to weightlifting, there’s a whole lotta cheating goin’ on.

At its roots, cheating comes from never really learning good form in the first place. Many people simply “learn” by watching others. Often, this is not good enough. The subtleties and nuances of technique are difficult for the inexperienced to see, if they can be seen at all! Exercise is a science, and the movements of exercise need to be learned.

Also, the tendency to cheat increases as the weight / load increases. This is not to say that using light weights guarantees good form. It doesn’t. But the two things that result in cheating / loss of form are actual load and perceived load.

Actual load is the weight on the bar. It’s just that simple.

Perceived load is relative to how fatigued you are. Fatigue can be local or systemic. Local fatigue involves the muscle or muscles you are working. Systemic fatigue means your cardiovascular system is taxed. Both can spell trouble when it comes to keeping good form.

I don’t mean to imply that cheating the weight up (or down) is necessarily a bad thing. Used as a tool by an experienced lifter, it can be a powerful intensity technique. But, believe it or not, there is a proper form to this kind of cheating!