Month #1 Week #2 - Speed

Month #1 Week #2

Our Monthly Attribute for December is: Flexibility

This is the second week of December where our extended focus is on Flexibility.

During this month of December I will continue to convey the importance of gently and consistently addressing our mobility issues on a regular and ongoing basis. We continue to work on determining a personalized routine for each participant to perform on a daily basis. (Perhaps as part of a regular morning routine)

As a special focus on Flexibility this week two, we will:

• Start each session with some dynamic mobility movements.
• Pay special attention throughout class on movement quality and note deficiencies requiring special attention.
• End each session with Yoga inspired movements with a mind towards individual modifications as needed.

Our Weekly Attribute for Week #2 is: Speed

Sometimes, as we age, we'll ever so slowly, usually at an imperceptible rate, lose our ability to move quickly. We will touch upon that today and emphasize movements and drills that challenge our overall speed.  We'll work with bouncing balls, the simplest of agility drills to focus on speed and we'll include some lateral shuffle/agility drills to work on thinking of moving faster. We may even visit the "8 Foot Up-and-Go" test which will be one of the metrics we record during our month of Speed. 

Your "Lifestyle Application" of Speed

You can easily include activities that challenge your sense of speed throughout this coming week. Some simple suggestions would include:

• A game of Ping Pong.
• Basketball - No matter if it's a pick up game with friends or some practice of a cross court cdribble and casual shooting, it'll all require speed.
• Tennis Anyone?
• Soccer drills in an open field or against a brick wall!
• Handball or Racquetball

While often times we'll just need an awareness of speed to see improvements (I often find myself moving exceptionally slow while I'm walking or climbing steps). I'm sure there are many more ways to work on maintaining our speed and I'd LOVE to hear your additional recommendations.

Our Three Daily Attributes This Week

Our challenge here will, without question, be one of time management! So much to get to!

• On Monday (day 1), we'll be exploring the attribute of Power. We'll be doing some ball slams, Med Ball throws and we'll cover some basics about jumping (the secret is in learning to land softly!)
• On Wednesday (day 2), We will touch on the attribute of Accuracy. There will be more drills with the agility ladder and I have some cone drills to try. We'll do some throwing & tossing as well as an elementary introduction to the art of juggling. We may also work in a quick obstacle course game of "The floor is Lava" (How's that for a blast from our past!?). 
• On Friday (day 3) - So, what do we do when both the weekly and daily attribute is Speed? I've numerous ways we'll be able to work on our strength and cardiovascular systems and you know with a double element of speed, it's going to be quick!