Keys to selceting performance professional

Apr
25
2011

1. Education– is not everything but a person with a strong
background will be able to help you in several areas and answer your questions.

2 Experience– Several ways to look at this. But longevity in the profession
is key. I always tell people that just because someone rehabilitated their
ACL doesn¹t mean that they are qualified to help you rehabilitate yours.

3 Reputable certification– I would never fly with the person who took the
weekend course. I am not going to trust my body with the person who got
certified on the internet or over the weekend.

4 A person who really loves what they do– They spend time continuing to
learn about the field they love and this always benefits the client.

5 They are good with people- They have your best interest in mind.

6 They know their limits– I have always felt that the best people, no
matter what the profession, know when they are outside of their practice and
can refer you to the expert you may need.

7 They come highly recommended– Not only from word of mouth, but also from
their peers in the profession, and the medical community.

8. They put the clients¹ safety and well being as priority #1.

9. They lead by example and because of this they inspire you to work hard
and achieve your results.

10. Philosophy – Make sure your goals are the right fit with the trainers
expertise and background.

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Creating leverage, look at the the front foot down and knee inside big toe

The KEMBA Walker Step Back : A breakdown of the athletic movement

Mar
31
2011

As soon as Kemba Walker made this shot against Pittsburgh during the Big East conference tournament, thousands of aspiring hoopers went right outside on their hoops, mimicking and imagining the moment being theirs. They attempted to cross over like Kemba, the hesitation like Kemba and then they planted their right foot and pushed back into jump shot only to find mixed results. The “Kemba Step Back” has become legendary among basketball fans. In just one year, Kemba has made continuos buzzer beaters and big step back jump shots so much that he has defined a move and made it his own, the “Kemba Step Back”. It is easy as fans and spectators to get caught up in the imagery and the scale of the moment in which the player makes the spectacular signature move , but it is in the details that will unlock the true glory.

With Kemba Walker leading UCONN into the Final Four this Saturday it is a good time to go back and look at the “Kemba Step Back” move and to define the movements that made him successful in hitting the biggest shot in his career.

The Athlete Behind the Movement: “Kemba Step Back”

1. The initial image proves that Kemba has great movment patterns. His first crossover is a classic Lateral Lunge that gives him ability to change direction under control for the next counter.

Initial crossover


Continue reading →

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March Madness Bill and Connie in the Morning Radio Show!

Mar
22
2011

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Keiser Power For Basketball, Football tuck to Bull Hop

Mar
21
2011

Part of the Basketball Power Series

Trainer Mike Atkinson

Resistance at 17% Body weight

Keiser performance equipment is a game changer. I have had the opportunity to work with Keiser performance for over 4 years at Sierra Strength & Speed. The ability to generate basketball specific training programs that use the pneumatic technology is a huge training advantage for athletes. Whether I am working with an NBA draft pick or a high school athlete, the response is the same: training with Keiser allows them to feel the power behind the movement.
An athlete is often possesses great movement or great strength but are limited in the ability to merge the two together. With the instant feedback for the athlete, the trainer can help the athlete understand when they perform the movement properly, the overall power goes up and reinforces the timing and pattern of the drill. Power is a great tool, but for my athletes the constant resistance gives me the option to work acceleration and deceleration with dynamic movement patterns, go right into a stability exercise, finishing with another high demand strength exercise, replicating the demands that the athlete is very familiar with on the court.
Performance trainers want to have as many tools in the toolbox as possible to help clients’ achieve their goals. Keiser allows me to bridge the creativity of the sport with the functionality behind the movement. There are no limits on what I can do with this kind of POWER.

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Improve your Performance with Proper Breathing

Mar
02
2011

Insight on Proper Breathing

The most basic function of life is breathing. We all breathe without having to think about how we are doing it or what muscles are producing this important function. On average, a healthy adult while at rest will take anywhere from 17,000-24,000 breathes per day! That is 12-16 breaths per minute. An adult performing strenuous exercise will increase their number of breaths by an average of 2500 breaths per hour of exercise. At a peak of 60-70 breaths per minute your breathing will increase to 3600-4200 breaths per hour of exercise. Continue reading →

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Playing against Globetrotters is a dream come true for Atkinson

Mar
02
2011

Playing against Globetrotters is a dream come true for Atkinson Dan Hinxman (DHINXMAN@RGJ.COM) RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL

January 17, 2006
Galena High grad proud to be a National

Globetrotter Football


It was autograph day at the local mall for a handful of Harlem Globetrotters and their anti-nemeses, the New York Nationals, and newly minted National Mike Atkinson was taking it all in.
The former all-league basketball player at Galena High did more watching and smiling than signing as wide-eyed children hounded Globetrotters for an ounce of attention. One girl, about 9 or 10, Atkinson guessed, asked Globetrotter Levi Jones for an autograph, and as Jones was signing, the girl’s mother asked Atkinson if he, too, was a member of the world- famous basketball team.Atkinson is now a member of the New York Nationals. “No,” the 23-year-old Atkinson told the mother. “I’m a National.” Galena High graduate , The little girl looked up at him on that hot day. “You can keep yours.” Such is the life of the Globetrotters’ regular whipping boys — unmatched losers on the court, and, in most situations, nameless and faceless black hats off it. But Atkinson, whose Nationals face the Globetrotters at Lawlor Events Center at 7 p.m. tonight, doesn’t mind.

Got to love the hair

Galena High graduate Mike Atkinson defends an in-bounds pass during

Continue reading →

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Never Outshine the Master

Feb
15
2011

One day all great players will fall to the next-
Respect the men that motivated you to achieve greatness-
The ultimate form of respect is to compete as hard as you can against them-

Below are some clips from Michael Jordan vs Kobe in beginning of Kobe’s career and another clip of Michael Jordan’s farewell tour (Washington Wizards) vs a seasoned Kobe who scored 55points. The last clip is for the BIG MEN Shaq vs Hakeem two of the most dynamic big men to square up in the NBA in past 20 years, the respect between the two has been well documented. Continue reading →

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Keiser Performance for Basketball, with Video

Feb
02
2011

Keiser performance equipment is a game changer. I have had the opportunity to work with Keiser performance for over 4 years at Sierra Strength & Speed. The ability to generate basketball specific training programs that use the pneumatic technology is a huge training advantage for athletes. Whether I am working with an NBA draft pick or a high school athlete, the response is the same: training with Keiser allows them to feel the power behind the movement.

Keiser Performance

An athlete often possesses great movement or great strength but are limited in the ability to merge the two together. With the instant feedback for the athlete, the trainer can help the athlete understand when they perform the movement properly, the overall power goes up and reinforces the timing and pattern of the drill. Power is a great tool, but for my athletes the constant resistance gives me the option to work acceleration and deceleration with dynamic movement patterns, go right into a stability exercise, finishing with another high demand strength exercise, replicating the demands that the athlete is very familiar with on the court. Continue reading →

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Ice Skater for Lateral Power

Jan
13
2011

Ice Skater for Basketball

VIDEO With Audio From Mike Atkinson, Elite Pro Performance
Campers at Holiday Handles Basketball camp go through warm-up with Performance trainer Mike Atkinson.

1. Proper single leg stance and landing

2. Extension through posterior chain

Extension

3. Ninja Landing

Single Leg Perfection

Seattle Basketball Training, Reno Basketball Training

2k10 Holiday Handles Basketball Camp
Columbia Athletic Club.

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Jumper’s Knee For Basketball, Think about it…

Dec
30
2010

It is important to identify the early  signs and symptoms of over use  and overload injuries to protect the athlete.   In order to do so we must take a closer look at why they occur.  I have great respect for this weeks Author Rob Conatser, he has opened my eyes and  shed the light on how to combat overtraining and old methodology.-Mike Atkinson

Author- Rob Conatser -LAT, MA, ATC, CSCS,

Founder of

Sierra Strength and Speed, Reno ,NV

In the young athlete especially the young basketball player we are seeing alot of patellar tendonitis AKA jumpers knee.  Jumpers knee is an overuse or overload injury involving the patellar tendon.

Overuse and Overload

There are a lot of causative factors for jumpers knee but for the scope of this talk we are going to focus on two things, overuse and loading. Overuse and loading could be thought of as being the same factor, however I will explain the difference.

I feel that what we are seeing in terms of overuse is too much of one sport, too much one dimensional movement and too much one dimensional modes of practice.  Basketball year round, performing 5-6 games per weekend with the thought that the only way to improve our basketball athletes is with more and more basketball.

Overload is the way in which these young athletes are jumping, landing and playing in poor position. Their body position is not only very poor for movement and poor for performance but is of great stress to the knee, ankle, and hip and the poor ability to put the necessary stress into the muscles to allow them to function and perform.

Evaluate the way you prepare for competition

If we change two things with these athletes I guarantee there will be a drop in injuries and in improvement in performance.

  1. We need to teach the athlete of the new millenium how to use there hips.  They need to learn that the first move in a squat or defensive position occurs in the hips NOT the knees.
  2. They need to allow the athlete to recover.  For so many of these young athletes less is more Quality over Quantity every time.

OTHER RESOURCES

Jumper's Knee

Championship Season Immunity Lulls, Cortisol, and Inflammation | Boddicker Performance

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