Change conditioning and strength coaches

[ericns1]

The Yanks overhauled their conditioning program from last season - is it time to question the personnel they have here given the many hamstring injuries that have happended in warm Florida (Wang), the cold (Matsui) and a dome (Moose).

[destro]

and out come the "blamers"

[TEPLimey]

Yeah, a few minor nagging injuries early in the season, particularly those incurred while playing in the snow, tell me that something is amiss in the locker room.

I suggest George picks up a trainer who can control the elements to avoid these problems. One who can turn get a pitcher into mid-season form year round would be nice too.

I fully expect this trainer to ride into Yankee Stadium on a unicorn and present Cashman with a road map of Atlantis.

[TheBamTino24]

The only thing I saw in regards to that was this:

Expect to read a lot in the next two days about Marty Miller? Who’s Marty Miller you ask? He’s the team’s new “director of performance enhancement.” That’s a fancy way to say he’s the new strength and conditioning coach.

With so many player suffering muscle strains, Miller’s work will come under question. Several players said his stretching routine is different than what they were used to.

http://yankees.lohudblogs.com/2007/0...re-on-mussina/

[bigjf]

The only thing I saw in regards to that was this:



http://yankees.lohudblogs.com/2007/0...re-on-mussina/

All I can say about the stretching routine is you can never stretch too much. As long as they have proper technique in their stretching, they should be doing this guy's program, as well as whatever they were used to. If the new program feels like it is neglecting some of the benefits from the old, then that's a problem that should be addressed. Other than that, I assume they are properly stretched, which just means that these hamstring problems are coincidence. I'm not sure of Wang's excuse, but for Mussina and Hideki, the cold and age in Moose's case are viable factors.

[yankeebot]

Talk about a topic I feel totally unqualified to have an opinion on! Does anyone here really know what the strength and conditioning program entails before we decide it's bad? Does anyone know anything about the coaches before we call for their heads? Seriously. I know nothing about either.

[fredgmuggs]

Talk about a topic I feel totally unqualified to have an opinion on! Does anyone here really know what the strength and conditioning program entails before we decide it's bad? Does anyone know anything about the coaches before we call for their heads? Seriously. I know nothing about either.

I'm still trying to figure out what a firstbase coach does before I move onto critiquing the strength and conditioning coach.

[TEPLimey]

I'm still trying to figure out what a firstbase coach does before I move onto critiquing the strength and conditioning coach.

speaks spanish

[Mr. Mxylsplk]

speaks spanish

Good one.

[silverdsl]

I don't think it's so crazy to wonder about this, particularly since the injuries coincide with when the conditioning program changed. That doesn't mean there's a connection, but I can understand why some are wondering, especially when the players have brought it up.

[BHawe]

speaks spanish

[bigjf]

speaks spanish

And taught Posada how to have an amazing year defensively. That works for me.

[BRNXBMRS]

Is this the same strength and conditioning coach that the football Giants have? Moose is 37 he probably should have stretched a little better. When does Ca$h hit the "Rocket" or Phil Hughes panic button?

[bostonyankeefan]

Injuries happen, particularly with older players, but this is crazy. I am a runner, and I used to have problems with my knees until I started stretching before and after I run. No knee problems since. Baseball is different because of all the sitting, but it does strike me that some of our players, like Mussina, get more muscle strains and pulls than they should. We are talking about professional athletes. It is their job to stay in shape and to take steps to prevent injuries. As smart as he is, I would think that Mussina does everything that he can to prevent injuries, but sometimes I wonder.

[Astorian]

"Just who is taking care of it could be an issue. Mussina’s injury comes at a time when some players are privately questioning the new conditioning program. General Manager Brian Cashman hired Marty Miller last winter to replace the strength and conditioning coach Jeff Mangold, creating a new title of director of performance enhancement.

Cashman also promoted Dana Cavalea to be an assistant to Miller, who had not been in baseball since 1997 and most recently spent nine years as the director of fitness at the Ballen Isles Country Club in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.

Miller also earned a master’s degree in performance enhancement and injury prevention from California University of Pennsylvania in 2004. But injury prevention is not going so well for the Yankees."

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/12/sp...ts&oref=slogin

[35Knucklecurve]

I'm working towards my certification as a personal trainer and without knowing exactly what the new program Miller is using entails, its's tough to say the number of injuries can be directly attributed to it. I'd like to know myself, out of curiosity, what's different about his program. As Damon said, the hamstring injuries he and Matsui sustained could have been a result of the very cold conditions in NY last week.

I can't remember Moose ever pulling a hamstring in his entire career and he does take very good care of himself, so this could be a fluke and/or being older.....or maybe the new program needs to be revised, especially if some players are having second thoughts about it.

Orginally posted by bostonyankeefan

Injuries happen, particularly with older players, but this is crazy. I am a runner, and I used to have problems with my knees until I started stretching before and after I run. No knee problems since. Baseball is different because of all the sitting, but it does strike me that some of our players, like Mussina, get more muscle strains and pulls than they should. We are talking about professional athletes. It is their job to stay in shape and to take steps to prevent injuries. As smart as he is, I would think that Mussina does everything that he can to prevent injuries, but sometimes I wonder.

Even before he came to NY, Moose had groin pulls. There are very few pitchers who've never had that injury and once you have a pretty bad groin pull, you're likely to have more. Mike's had injuries of the nagging variety moreso than one that's devasating and good mechanics/good conditioning are part of the reason. You're so right about having to sit and wait around in between innings after you've been going full tilt. The pitching motion is one of the most un-natural sequences that exists in sports.

[BHawe]

If the new conditioning coach IS the cause, I think it might be more about the players getting used to his new techniques as opposed to him actually doing anything wrong. Injuries happen, I don't think it is neccesarily anyone's fault, but the fact that there are a lot of "nagging" injuries has to raise SOME speculation.

[IronCaballo4]

hire a shampoo and conditioning coach

[DontHateOnNumber2]

They need to take their vitamins.

[TEPLimey]

They need to take their vitamins.

Wheaties and Flinstones and they'll be good.

[DontHateOnNumber2]

Wheaties and Flinstones and they'll be good.

"Ten thousand strong and groooowing."

[NYYFAN5388]

lol get rid of them

[PeteRFNY]

If I recall correctly, the Yankees had constant problems with hamstring injuries in 1996 and it ended up costing Paul Mastropasqua his job as strength and conditioning coach. I don't remember who the new guy they brought in was, but the hamstring problems magically vanished by 1997.

[JavyVazquezIsSick]

Change? I want castration, possibly double castration...

[OldYankeeFan]

I read (and trying to locate) an interesting analysis of hamstring pulls that I saw right after Wang hurt his hammy just jogging.

It pointed to a study that suggested the injury is caused more by the quad muscle being better conditioned than the hamstring muscle, rather than as a result of poor or inadequate stretching.

Anyone ever hear of this?

[Mr. Mxylsplk]

I read (and trying to locate) an interesting analysis of hamstring pulls that I saw right after Wang hurt his hammy just jogging.

It pointed to a study that suggested the injury is caused more by the quad muscle being better conditioned than the hamstring muscle, rather than as a result of poor or inadequate stretching.

Anyone ever hear of this?

Not any study specifically, but as far back as high school I remember coaches telling us that it was important when lifting leg weights to work the hamstrings as well as the quads to avoid exactly what you're talking about.

[ajra21]

I read (and trying to locate) an interesting analysis of hamstring pulls that I saw right after Wang hurt his hammy just jogging.

It pointed to a study that suggested the injury is caused more by the quad muscle being better conditioned than the hamstring muscle, rather than as a result of poor or inadequate stretching.

Anyone ever hear of this?

this is well known is the world of football (what you guys call "soccer"). it is important to maintain the balance in the legs to ensure that you do not put too much pressure on the other muscle.

[32elston]

I work closely with and train with a world class sprinter. He trains many pro and college athletes and celebrities. Over the years, being around him, I've noticed some patterns that keep popping up in ham injuries.
1) bad running technique
2) footware that isn't specific to person's foot
3) nagging pain in the shin on the opposite leg causes them to overcompensate
4)stretching in the wrong order or overstretching the quad

I wore sneakers that were not good for my footshape for exactly one day and hurt my hammy within minutes. I strethced properly and used proper technique. It could just as easily be cookie-cutter shoes they are getting from a sponsor that aren't specific to each player's feet.

[b_joseph]

Injuries happen..you deal with then and move on.

[The Q Bomb]

Any one know why Jeff Mangold (who was the strength and conditioning coach for years) is no longer in that position? Was he let go or did he retire/quit?

[SportzStooge007]

You have to be skeptical, since a lot of guys have gone down with similar leg injuries (Wang, Mussina, Damon).

But I don't think that reason to start talking about firing people or whatever. Things happen.

[RIyankee]

For our new conditioning coach, I nominate Billy Conners!!!

[fredgmuggs]

For our new conditioning coach, I nominate Billy Conners!!!

What is Hopalong Cassady doing these days?

[ieddyi]

I read (and trying to locate) an interesting analysis of hamstring pulls that I saw right after Wang hurt his hammy just jogging.

It pointed to a study that suggested the injury is caused more by the quad muscle being better conditioned than the hamstring muscle, rather than as a result of poor or inadequate stretching.

Anyone ever hear of this?

Think of it as if the quads ( in the front of the leg ) and the hammys ( in the back of the leg ) were 2 guide wires maintaining a telephone pole ( your thigh bone ) upright and in place. IF one side is too weak or too strong, it will cause stess on the other side. Most major muscles in the body have an opposite muscle ( antagonist ) that helps maintain balance

[gold23]

The Star Ledger has on at least two occasions either quoted or intimated that there are several players who are either not enamored with the new program or say that it is unlike anything they've done in professional baseball before.

I don't think it is out of bounds to question whether or not this has any affect on the large amount of injuries being suffered, as long as most of us acknolwedge that we pretty much don't have the ability to judge one way or the other. It simply looks suspicious.

[GiambiRocks]

I say bring back the guy in my avatar!

[ZIM 2002]

Interesting; overstretching quads would possibly be consistent with some players saying this program is more rigorous than provious training. I hope they get it figured out before we get any more injuries!

[32elston]

Interesting; overstretching quads would possibly be consistent with some players saying this program is more rigorous than provious training. I hope they get it figured out before we get any more injuries!

The quad stretch is one almost everyone knows, so they tend to do a lot. I see it overused all the time. I used to overdo it myself and it created a serious imbalance. The imbalance led to micro tears in my left hamstring. It is important to have a well-balanced stretching routine to avoid such problems.

[BennyTheJetRodriguez]

two years ago I was training in the Disney sports complex. I met the braves stregnth and conditioning coach(who btw confirmed that I was faster than Raphael Furcal) and shared a weight room with the braves. No relevant player was working with him because they were all doing their own things with their own guys. The scrubby players that were there were doing a very basic cookie cutter workout. Stregnth and conditioning coaches get their jobs because of who they are and who they know. I wouldn't assume its much different with the Yankees. Especially not during spring training, which is when all of these injuries would have originated.

I will say though that Mussina's injury makes sense and shoudn't be blamed on anybody. He had been pitching-and likely running/conditioning ect- in 30-50 degree weather. Then he goes to the dome where i'm sure it is very warm. When you train in the cold your limbs, particularly the legs, can only reach a certain range of motion. If you work out/run too close to that in a much warmer environment these things happen because your body isn't used to the range of motion.

[PoughVirginiaYankee]

two years ago I was training in the Disney sports complex. I met the braves stregnth and conditioning coach(who btw confirmed that I was faster than Raphael Furcal) and shared a weight room with the braves. No relevant player was working with him because they were all doing their own things with their own guys. The scrubby players that were there were doing a very basic cookie cutter workout. Stregnth and conditioning coaches get their jobs because of who they are and who they know. I wouldn't assume its much different with the Yankees. Especially not during spring training, which is when all of these injuries would have originated.

I will say though that Mussina's injury makes sense and shoudn't be blamed on anybody. He had been pitching-and likely running/conditioning ect- in 30-50 degree weather. Then he goes to the dome where i'm sure it is very warm. When you train in the cold your limbs, particularly the legs, can only reach a certain range of motion. If you work out/run too close to that in a much warmer environment these things happen because your body isn't used to the range of motion.

Following the Giambi issue, the Yankees decided to not allow any non-team personnel into the clubhouse - including the gym. So, the only S&C guys in there are team-hired guys.

And if I'm remembering right, MLB followed this, and banned any non-team trainers as well. But, I'm not positive on the latter.

[BennyTheJetRodriguez]

Following the Giambi issue, the Yankees decided to not allow any non-team personnel into the clubhouse - including the gym. So, the only S&C guys in there are team-hired guys.

And if I'm remembering right, MLB followed this, and banned any non-team trainers as well. But, I'm not positive on the latter.

I remember that too, but that doesn't mean these men stop making the workouts for their clients, especially in spring training, which is when most of these injuries would have originated with the possible exception of Mussina who may have injured himself stepping off the mound oddly. Pettitte and Clemens did their own thing for years. I'm sure Mangold was there, but he he obviously wasn't the man with the plan because it preceeded him and none of the other yankees were doing it.

[Meecham4ever]

two years ago I was training in the Disney sports complex. I met the braves stregnth and conditioning coach(who btw confirmed that I was faster than Raphael Furcal) and shared a weight room with the braves. No relevant player was working with him because they were all doing their own things with their own guys. The scrubby players that were there were doing a very basic cookie cutter workout. Stregnth and conditioning coaches get their jobs because of who they are and who they know. I wouldn't assume its much different with the Yankees. Especially not during spring training, which is when all of these injuries would have originated.

I will say though that Mussina's injury makes sense and shoudn't be blamed on anybody. He had been pitching-and likely running/conditioning ect- in 30-50 degree weather. Then he goes to the dome where i'm sure it is very warm. When you train in the cold your limbs, particularly the legs, can only reach a certain range of motion. If you work out/run too close to that in a much warmer environment these things happen because your body isn't used to the range of motion.

Good point..before anyone jumps on the employee in charge of conditioning, please realize that most of these prima-donnas have their own trainers, dieticians, etc....(and I hear that some of them hire "guest workers" to cut their steaks into small, chewable pieces)

[ring403]

Good point..before anyone jumps on the employee in charge of conditioning, please realize that most of these prima-donnas have their own trainers, dieticians, etc

The issue isn't really with the physical fitness routines of the individual players. It's the pre-game team warmup/stretching exercises that are causing concern among some players and coaches as being a possible cause for the rash of muscle pulls/strains.

http://www.nyjournalnews.com/apps/pb...00/1034/SPORTS

According to several players, Miller's program de-emphasizes running as a way to increase leg strength. He also took away the large rubber bands that Mangold used to help players stretch before games.

Some players have chosen to ignore Miller's methods, believing the lunges and other calisthenics he prescribes are too strenuous. Whether or not to trust Miller has become a topic in the clubhouse just eight games into the season.

Several Yankees said that the team's pregame stretching routine is just an excuse for players to talk to each other before batting practice. Mussina said he incorporates only some of the new program.

You can be the world's most well-conditioned athlete, but if your muscles aren't properly warmed up before you engage in sports activity, you are very prone to muscle injuries.

[thecaptain]

Torre said he doesn't blame Miller but wants the program reevaluated.
"I think it's one of those freak things that we've had happen here," he said. "But we'll shake it out and see where we are

[Jen19]

I think the cold weather, for the most part, has a lot to do with the injuries. I know you can't say that about the Florida or dome weather, but it must play a big part. It's too early to judge the S & C guys.

[ZIM 2002]

If it's true as in the comment that running is de-emphasized, that means hamstrings aren't worked as much, and if quad exercises are more rigorous then there could be an imbalance as some people have suggested. Pettitte certainly believes in running, since he has said not being able to do it while his back was recovering set him back strengthwise. In any event, 3 hamstring injuries just seems to many to be totally coincidental.

[PeteRFNY]

Jeff Mangold! THAT'S the guy that replaced Paul Mastropasqua after '96.

[flymick24]

Yankees Look for Answers as Injuries Mount

Cashman revamped the Yankees’ strength and conditioning program last winter, hiring Marty Miller to run it and promoting Dana Cavalea to be his assistant. Despite a rash of muscle-related injuries to five important Yankees in the past four weeks, Cashman is standing by his hires.
“I’m constantly evaluating everything we do,” he said in a telephone interview. “But do I blame Marty and Dana for this? No.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/13/sp...l?ref=baseball

[Rich]

Yankees Look for Answers as Injuries Mount



http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/13/sp...l?ref=baseball

If George was still in his prime, these two would have already been publicly humiliated or fired.

[ManilaYankee]

Surely the number of players getting injured is kinda alarming but I don't think it's all or even the trainers and coaches' fault. I'm sure the players have their own thing when it comes to preparing, it's just a matter of combining these two elements for them to basically be injury-free.