Athletes Edge is a sport performance training company that not only conditions your body to prevent injury; they also develop personalized sports specific training programs for each athlete to help them achieve their goal of being the best athlete they can be.  Each program begins with an evaluation that determines the strengths and weaknesses to personalize the program to turn their weaknesses into strengths.  The other part of the evaluation is a list of goals that the athlete wants to achieve whether it is to add velocity, increase power or just increase overall strength.  The trainers at Athletes Edge keep those goals into consideration when developing an explosive workout program that will work towards the athlete’s goals.

A big selling point on Athletes Edge located in North Miami is the countless baseball teams from Little League all the way up to high school and even college that are located in the area.  With multiple options from private one-on-one training to group training Athletes Edge has a program for everyone.  Baseball teams can come in and train together to improve the performance of the whole team.  Athlete’s Edge also offers a semi-private program used for small groups to train any number from two to five athletes at a time.  So in regards to becoming the best baseball player you can be, it is not a question of how, it is a matter of when are you going to sign up.  Get the Edge with Athletes Edge

We teach the directional step technique.  Feet are squared up, shoulder with apart.  Our teaching points are “push”, “lift”, “open” & “drive”.  Meaning, push off your left leg, lift your right knee, open your right hip towards second base and drive in into the ground.  We believe that this is a more powerful first step, allowing for proper right shin angle.  This is also the exact footwork that an athlete would use to retreat back to first base in a pick-off attempt.

Movement creates unforced errors by shrinking the court. We’ve all played someone who covered the court so well you had to take more chances against them. Watch Nadal on clay and you will see players trying to hit with more power than usual and closer to the lines than usual because he moves so well. This leads to them playing out of their comfort zone and thus filling the stat sheet with unforced errors.

But there is so much more to movement than just running down balls no one else cancover. A player who moves well can get to a ball and play a neutral shot when another player may only be able to play a defensive shot. And they may be able to play an offensive shot on a ball other players can only play a neutral shot.

In our Tennis Performance Training Program we focus on training “movement, not muscles.” We spend time in the gym getting our players stronger but our focus is on functional movements, especially those specific to tennis. We concentrate on stability, flexibility, explosiveness and proper movement patterns. Our program also is full of pre-hab exercises because our first aim is to keep our players healthy and on the court. The AE Change of Direction progression system is a highlight of the Tennis Performance Training Program because tennis players change direction on average every 1.1 seconds! That cannot be replicated by just doing endless sets of squats and lunges.

For more information on the Athletes Edge Tennis Performance Training Program and how to get a free evaluation, please call Richard Woodroof at 954.406.0716. Visit our website at www.AthletesEdgeTraining.com/tennis and follow us on Twitter @AthletesEdgeTen Also find us on Facebook, Athletes Edge Tennis and hit us with a “Like.”

In this drill top-10 USTA junior Ally Miller-Krasilnikov working on her drop step after recovering from a wide groundstroke.  To perform the drill, start with a crossover-step from the sideline, shuffle to the middle, split-step and then drop step.  In this drill Ally continues back after her drop step with a smooth crossover-step and then she plants her back foot to hit.

Her left hip must open enough to allow her drop step to clear her left side for the right foot to crossover.  If the step is too narrow she will not get back quickly or efficiently.  Notice her shoulders are in front of her hips; a good hitting position.

For more on this drill or more information on the complete AE Tennis Performance Training Program, please contact Richard Woodroof, Director of Tennis Performance Training at 954.406.0716.  Follow us on Twitter @AthletesEdgeTen

Strengthening the Glute Med (gluteus medius) is the first step in proper lateral movement.   The Glute Med is one of the three gluteal muscles, situated on the outer surface of the pelvis.  The primary movement of this muscle is abduction, pulling the thigh away from the midline of the body.  Once this muscle is strengthened (along with general lower body strengthening) we teach lateral bounds.  A lateral bound in simple terms is “jumping sideways”.  If you were to perform a lateral bound to the left, the athlete would assume an athletic stance, lift their left leg, bend their right leg and jump to the left.  Points of emphasis are to fully extend the right knee and hip, not to turn (rotate) the pelvis and land in an athletic stance with proper knee bend.  Once this movement is perfected, it is then resisted and assisted.  Resisting the movement will further strengthen it and assisting the movement teaches the body to fire thru the plane of motion quicker.  This combination creates quickness through lateral movement. 

For more information or to set up a FREE Performance Evaluation, email us at info@AETrainingSystems.com or check our web site www.AthletesEdgeTraining.com

We break linear speed into 3 phases, burst, acceleration and top end speed with each phase having two components, stride length and stride frequency.  Each phase and component must be trained to its full potential to maximize an athlete’s linear speed.

There are many modalities in which to train speed.  At the Athletes Edge we use a combination of resisted runs and over speed treadmill runs in conjunction with explosive jumps, power squat jumps and traditional strength training (squats, step ups, single leg deadlifts and hamstring curls).

We have had high school athletes drop their 40 yard dash time from 4.88, down to a 4.48 and land a college scholarship.  We have had college football players run 4.25 (pro day) at 205 lbs and 4.34 (NFL combine) at 219 lbs.

For more information or to set up a FREE Performance Evaluation, email us at info@AETrainingSystems.com or check our web site www.AthletesEdgeTraining.com

We start by placing 7 cones across the baseline equidistant apart. The player will start in the alley and shuffle laterally behind the first cone. They will then simulate a groundstroke as they move between the 2 cones, shuffle in front of and then around the first cone and continue moving laterally behind the 2nd cone. Moving in between the 2nd and 3rd cones the player simulates another groundstroke and continues the pattern all the way across the baseline.

This simple drill has many variations depending on the point of emphasis for the day. For example, a player can use their racquet to do shadow strokes between the cones.

The shoulder consists of three bones including the scapula, more commonly called the shoulder blade.  As a ball-and-socket joint, the shoulder has the greatest range of motion of any joint in the body.  However, with this range of motion, the shoulder can become very unstable.  By strengthening the muscles and tendons surrounding the scapula we can prevent the scapula from riding up and causing tendonitis, rotator cuff injuries as well as elbow pain.  This is especially important in tennis as all strokes originate from the ground and transfer energy up through the body and out the hand (and racquet) in a process known as the kinetic chain.   In addition to causing injuries, an unstable scapula will also cause energy to be lost as the kinetic chain passes through the shoulder and out to the arm, thus weakening shots.

One of the exercises Athletes Edge uses to stabilize the scapula is the scapular retraction push-up.  Start in a push-up position and keeping your arms straight, lower your body a few inches down, allowing your shoulder blades (scapula) to pinch together.  Pause and then roll the shoulders back up to the starting position.  Repeat for 15 reps.  This is a very small movement but is very effective at stabilizing the scapula.

For more information on this exercise and the complete Athletes Edge Tennis Performance Training Program, please contact us at 954.406.0716.  You can also find us at www.AthletesEdgeTraining.com/tennis and follow us on Twitter @AthletesEdgeTen

When we train our tennis players at Athletes Edge we have a complete matrix of hip exercises utilizing stretch bands to improve hip strength.  The bands come in varying strengths and can be stretched around the ankles, the knees or both, depending on the player.

One of these exercises is to assume a good athletic position with the feet slightly more than shoulder width apart.  Proper posture is very important with the head and chest up, the back straight and the knees bent.  Begin by moving to the right 6 inches at a time with each foot.  Be aware of not letting the trail foot snap back too close to the lead foot; resisting the negative move is important.  Continue 15-20 feet and then move back to the left with the same small steps.  Keep your shoulders and your hips level; don’t rock side-to-side as you move.  Looking in a mirror as you move will help you achieve this.  Also, keep your head still and level, too.  Imagine you have a pencil in your mouth and you’re trying to draw a straight line on the wall as you move.  Repeat this exercise 2-3 times.

The next exercise in the sequence will also involve a slight hip opening like the one you make as you move out to a shot.  Start from the same athletic position as in the first exercise.  As you lift your right foot to move out to the right, turn your foot and knee out so they point in the direction of movement.  As you move your left foot closer to complete the motion, pivot on your right foot so it is turned forward again and you are back in the starting athletic position.  Continue this movement 15-20 feet and then return to the left.  Repeat this exercise 2-3 times.

For more information on these exercises and the complete Athletes Edge Tennis Performance Training Program, please contact us at 954.406.0716.  You can also find us at www.AthletesEdgeTraining.com/tennis and follow us on Twitter @AthletesEdgeTen

Click to Download PDF