Saturday, August 29, 2009

You gotta love the off-season!




This fall is when we are going to get better. If we're going to play for the state title on our home floor (believe me, it could happen) then this fall you need to get in the gym and the weight room. Every Monday through Thursday 6:30 am - 7:45 am I will be available to lift and shoot with anyone willing to put the time in.
Go Lady Broncs!

Thursday, August 20, 2009

August 20, 1988


Thanks to my beautiful wife Carla for the last
21 years of marital bliss:)

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Fall 2009...the start of a new school year!















Just under three weeks until the first day of school! This may be exciting to some and dissappointing to others...either way, it's about that time:)

Remember that middle school cross country and girls basketball starts the first day of school, Tuesday, September 8th. You must have a physical before you can compete! The fall sports meeting is Monday, August 31st at 6:30 at HMS.

Other important dates include registration for classes at the high school. Wednesday, Sept. 2nd is the day to register for seniors (11:30) and Juniors (2:30) in the commons. Sophomores are at 9:00 and incoming freshmen are at 6:00 pm in the performing arts center (PAC) on Thursday, September 3rd.

Don't forget these important dates and enjoy the rest of your summer!!

Coach Albert

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Learning to Manage Injuries

The unfortunate truth all athletes must face is the reality that they will become injured. Accepting this fact and learning how to manage injuries is an important skill for all athletes to acquire.

Common running injuries are shin splints, plantar faciitis, IT band soreness, knee pain and hip pain. If these become chronic or get too painful to compete be sure and see a doctor and/or physical therapist. (Report all injuries to your athletic trainer!)However, your goal is to "manage" these potential injuries before they become too serious. Perhaps the best thing you can do is ice, stretch and rest. Take care of the small "tweaks" before they become nagging injuries that keep you out of competitions.

Of course the ankles and knees (along with backs) are the most common ailments for basketball players. We already talked about knees in the last blog...let me address ankles. The most useful acronym I have found for dealing with ankle sprains is R.I.C.E. This stands for Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation. (Ashley is employing this right now after she sprained her ankle last night at open gym.) Be sure to get weight off your ankle. This may require using cruthes for a day or two. Ice frequently (20 minutes on, 20 minutes off). Wrap your ankle with an ACE wrap to keep the swelling down especially when walking around or sleeping at night. Elevation is the technique to use gravity to pull out some of the swelling. Prop your foot up on some pillows and get it above your heart for best results. The degree of sprains is different but the use of RICE can really help speed up the healing process.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but you will be injured. However, accepting this reality and learning to manage these injuries can get you "back out there" a lot quicker and probably stronger than before.

Here's hoping for an injury-free season!!!

Coach Albert

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

ACL Prevention

As most of you know, we have incorporated landing drills as part of our practice routine in the girls basketball program for the past three years. I firmly believe they have made a difference for those kids who have focussed on executing the drills with the proper technique.

Last summer, Ashley strained her knee pretty good and it turns out she was a milimeter away from tearing her ACL. Fortunately the muscles around her knee were just strong enough to keep this injury from becoming too serious.

Of course there are no secret formulas to preventing injuries but the research does show what a difference landing and jumping drills can do to help significantly reduce the occurence of ACL tears.

Immediately after seeing Dr. Schutte at Northern Rockies Rehabilitation Center, Ashley was put on a landing program similar to the one we used from both Doug Martin of Hamilton Physical Therapy and Carla Albert of Catalyst Physical Therapy. They have really helped her recovery process. The only thing that I'm concerned about is that our athletes only do these drills during the season or after an injury has already occured.

Dr. Schutte recommends doing just 2 or 3 of these drills daily to strengthen the muscles around the knee and more importantly train these muscles how to "land," because it is in the incorrect landing that causes ligament damage. It's the nueromuscular training that makes all the difference!

Check out the following link for some drills or get a hold of a local physical therapist (I know a cute one:) and get some drills you can work on this summer. In fact, Carla would be happy to give you a specific program and the training to do it properly. (240-3494)

http://books.google.com/books?id=FIqw8LHQCeYC&pg=PA244&lpg=PA244&dq=landing+drills&source=bl&ots=PkZ2qkIi0t&sig=DMWZU_R5WIdeMaB3mrkkQymwFmk&hl=en&ei=vWWDSuX0BJDKsQPJrsWhAg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=9#v=onepage&q=landing%20drills&f=false

A great research article is found in The American Journal of Sports Medicine, Vol. 33, No. 7

Happy Landing!

Coach Albert

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Fall Sports Meeting Tonight

Tonight (8/11) at 6:30 is the annual fall sports meeting for cross country, football, soccer, golf and volleyball. It is a terrific informational meeting. We'd especially like to get an idea of who is coming out for our XC teams this year. We will have a meet and practice schedule for you as well as introduce you to our new assistant coaches...come find out who they are, I know you will be pleasantly surprised:)

Be sure and have a physical completed before the first day of practice on Monday, August 17 at 8:30 am. Remember too that pay to play is $80. We will bike in the evenings about three days a week. Our first meet is Tuesday September 1st in Butte and you will need to have attended a minimum of 10 practices and have your pay to play paid at that time..

See you tonight!!

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

NBC 2009

We had a terrific week at NBC Whitworth with our 7 Hamilton girls (Natalie Hayes not pictured). All six pictured here played in the oldest league and held their own...I was very proud! Not surprisingly, they were the most consistent shooters in the league and pretty skilled by comparrison. The time spent on fundamentals by these middle schoolers has really paid off! In addition, Hamilton was represented on the all star team by Jaylee and Taylor. I'm looking forward to watching these girls play school ball this fall and coaching them again during the AAU season. Congrats girls on a great week and good luck this season!