SPARTA is an athletic training facility for high school, college and professional athletes who strive to maximize their sport performance while minimizing their risk of injury. Located in Menlo Park, the athletic programs are individualized incorporating a foundation of science, technology, training, nutrition and recovery programs.
Dr. Phil Wagner, owner of SPARTA, “I was always interested in training athletes. My career path has been based around that from the beginning.” The East Bay native received his medical degree from USC and in 2008 set up his training headquarters in Menlo Park because of the city’s location and abundance of high level athletes. Athletes who train at SPARTA are first tested on a force plate using the company’s proprietary software. The test results spotlight how each individual athlete moves and what his/her strengths and weaknesses are in relation to force and time output. Dr. Wagner says the process is similar to taking a fingerprint but of the total athlete. An athletes training program is then developed based on that fingerprint.
SZ:There are many performance training facilities in the bay area, Sparta has developed it’s reputation around being a science driven training facility. Explain how this method is a safer, healthier method of training for athletes.
PW: We focus athletic performance and injury prevention into its simplest need; force production. How much force you can put in the ground determines how high you jump, your sprinting speed, your ability to change direction, and how hard you can hit or throw a ball. The second major aspect of force production is the way you produce force, whether it very quickly or smoothly over a longer amount of time, as this balance determines your injury risk. The final aspect we analyze is the consistency of force production. If your nervous system is healthy and trained, you can repeat the same intensity over and over again.
We use a force plate buried in the ground to measure these qualities, coupled with our customized software to measure the needed values. After completion, we compare the athlete to our database of training over a hundred professional athletes and Olympic medalists of all sports and both genders.
SZ: What are the psychological benefits for the athlete using this method?
PW: There is a psychological component in everything we do, whether it is the tone of coaching feedback or the scientific approach. In the end, the goal is the same, to get results. So psychologically, the athlete feels more confident when they see the drastically improved results every day. If they happen to not improve as much, then they must learn to cope with disappointment and focus on aspects they can control.
SZ: What experiences from your own athletic play or training created your drive to seek out a scientifically organized method of improving athletic performance?
PW: I had countless injuries on the field; seven concussions, several surgeries on shoulders, and dozens of muscle strains and broken bones. While some could not be prevented, most of the setbacks were from pursuing training that was only supporting my innate imbalances. For example, I was naturally strong, so lifting heavier weights was fun, but did not necessarily increase my athleticism or improve resilience to injury. This training made me more explosive but also more prone to muscle strains
SZ: In an article you wrote for The Performance Lab, “Too Much Playing Harms Youngsters,” you mention that, “training the same muscles year round is believed to be the main cause of the rise in overuse injuries in young athletes.” What is Sparta’s system for recognizing overtraining outside of Sparta? Do you have a conversation with the athlete and parent when this occurs? What is a typical recommendation for the athlete when this occurs?
PW: Every athlete over trains, it just comes down to how much. Over trains doesn’t necessarily mean working too much as it does over specialization. Baseball players playing their sport year round never experience jumping or agility, while soccer players never learn how to throw a ball. We provide a stimulus with other skills to prevent the overuse of certain movement patterns, while still trying to enhance the most important parts of their sport.
SZ: What are the most interesting parts of your job?
PW: Improving athletes’ lives, helping them to achieve their dreams and changing lifestyle habits (nutrition, sleeping, etc.) that will last long after their sporting career is over.
SZ: Do you have a favorite quote or story that has guided you on your professional path?
PW: “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.” Aristotle
The most important thing we measure is consistency; how often you can produce force, reproduce a skill, and pursue positive regeneration habits (nutrition, sleep, etc.).
Phil thank you for taking time out of your extremely busy schedule to talk about SPARTA
and the training it offers to athletes.
To learn more about SPARTA Performance: www.spartascience.com
*Guests featured are not former nor current clients of Susan Zaro.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Bay Area Bandits - Women's Football League
The Bay Area Bandits’ organization was founded by a group of five players who wanted to prove that a women’s football team in the San Francisco Bay Area could be successfully managed, sustained and positively integrated into the community. The mission of the Bay Area Bandits is to afford its members an opportunity to play tackle football, a sport not traditionally offered to women, in an organized, life-enriching manner that promotes teamwork, discipline and dedication, while fostering the skills and knowledge necessary to compete nationally.
SZ: The Bay Area Bandits women’s football team began in 2008. How many players were on the original roster and how many players does the team have today?
Bandits: We started with nearly 68 women who tried out and carried 45 players on the roster for the inaugural 2010 season. In 2011 we began the season with 45 women on the roster.
SZ: How would an interested player learn about where and when try-outs are held?
Bandits: There are try-outs each year for both returning and new players. These try-outs
typically run between September and December, which is during our mini-camp training period. Interested players can learn about our try-outs by visiting our website or via the hundreds of information fliers that are passed out while recruiting prospective players. Our advertisements are typically via free or low-cost media and word of mouth.
SZ: I read that the Women’s Football Alliance which has leagues across the nation is owned by Jeff and Lisa King, and has grown to over sixty teams for the 2011 season.
What are other features of women’s football that readers are probably not aware of?
Bandits:
* Women’s football has been in the U.S. since 2000.
*It’s a league where the women pay to play.
*Several teams nationwide participate in philanthropic youth programs such as,
NFL Play 60, Special Olympics, Girls Inc. etc.
Women’s football is an international sport.
Approximately 30% of the money spent for a single football season is given back to local schools and city parks and recreation departments.
SZ: What are some of the qualities that attract women to participate in football as a sport for health and well-being?
Bandit (Jen Romanini): Football is an opportunity to play a sport that has never been offered to women. It’s a chance to be involved in a team sport and experience the challenge of playing a sport that requires physical aggression.
Bandit (Julia Jalalat): Love for the game gives me the motivation to keep going and push harder during the most mentally challenging and physically strenuous moments during games and while conditioning.
Bandit (Cori Evans): The qualities that attracted me to participate in women’s football include the opportunity to compete beyond collegiate athletics. The challenge to succeed in a new sport that I love and dreamed of playing.
Bandit (Sandra Hernandez): Many women are attracted to being part of a team a unit. Many athletes have experienced that sense of camaraderie and want to feel “a part” of something again. The great physical conditioning is definitely attractive and a physical sense of accomplishment.
SZ: What are some of the physical and mental skill sets that are useful for players to have or acquire who wish to compete on a women’s football team?
Bandit (Jen Romanini): The more physically fit and strong the player the more likely the player will find success playing the game. Physical skill sets range from speed, agility and power to brute strength, endurance, athletic skill and coordination. The skills that prove to be more useful are mental. Work ethic, drive, determination, leadership and the ability to work with others, trust. Much of what a player does on the field affects the rest of the team. Understanding that a players individual success comes from and contributes to the teams success is a crucial key in enjoying and finding success in this sport.
Bandit (Danielle Golay): The mental toughness that is needed to play this sport is something that is ultimately needed for any player to be great. A big heart, a great work ethic, and the desire to continue to become better are also great traits for a player.
SZ: Does the team have a quote, motto or story that expresses the team’s culture and/or philosophy?
Bandit (Jen Romanini): Dedication. Determination. Domination. We ask a lot of the ladies that make up our roster, instilling in them our goal of bringing home a championship to the Bay Area. It takes a lot of time, preparation and organization to be successful in this league and this game. The bar has been set high and is being set higher each year. The longer the opportunity for women to play football is around the stiffer the competition gets.
Bandit (Julia Jalalat): I wish everyone got to experience what it feels like to be running your last 100 yard sprint thinking surely this time you will perish, and have your teammates come and run the final sprint with you, not letting you run or perish alone, their very presence giving you life. In all other athletics I felt tolerated; in football I have a sense of belonging. Feeling like I belong moves me to want to become stronger, faster, better. When I step onto the football field, I am home.
Lady Bandits, Danielle Golay, Cori Evans, Julia Jalalat, Jen Romanini, Sandra Hernandez, thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedules to share your thoughts and experiences of participating in women’s football. As of this writing the Bay Area Bandits 2011 record stands at 5 and 0, next game is Saturday, June 4th.
*Guests featured are not former nor current clients of Susan Zaro
SZ: The Bay Area Bandits women’s football team began in 2008. How many players were on the original roster and how many players does the team have today?
Bandits: We started with nearly 68 women who tried out and carried 45 players on the roster for the inaugural 2010 season. In 2011 we began the season with 45 women on the roster.
SZ: How would an interested player learn about where and when try-outs are held?
Bandits: There are try-outs each year for both returning and new players. These try-outs
typically run between September and December, which is during our mini-camp training period. Interested players can learn about our try-outs by visiting our website or via the hundreds of information fliers that are passed out while recruiting prospective players. Our advertisements are typically via free or low-cost media and word of mouth.
SZ: I read that the Women’s Football Alliance which has leagues across the nation is owned by Jeff and Lisa King, and has grown to over sixty teams for the 2011 season.
What are other features of women’s football that readers are probably not aware of?
Bandits:
* Women’s football has been in the U.S. since 2000.
*It’s a league where the women pay to play.
*Several teams nationwide participate in philanthropic youth programs such as,
NFL Play 60, Special Olympics, Girls Inc. etc.
Women’s football is an international sport.
Approximately 30% of the money spent for a single football season is given back to local schools and city parks and recreation departments.
SZ: What are some of the qualities that attract women to participate in football as a sport for health and well-being?
Bandit (Jen Romanini): Football is an opportunity to play a sport that has never been offered to women. It’s a chance to be involved in a team sport and experience the challenge of playing a sport that requires physical aggression.
Bandit (Julia Jalalat): Love for the game gives me the motivation to keep going and push harder during the most mentally challenging and physically strenuous moments during games and while conditioning.
Bandit (Cori Evans): The qualities that attracted me to participate in women’s football include the opportunity to compete beyond collegiate athletics. The challenge to succeed in a new sport that I love and dreamed of playing.
Bandit (Sandra Hernandez): Many women are attracted to being part of a team a unit. Many athletes have experienced that sense of camaraderie and want to feel “a part” of something again. The great physical conditioning is definitely attractive and a physical sense of accomplishment.
SZ: What are some of the physical and mental skill sets that are useful for players to have or acquire who wish to compete on a women’s football team?
Bandit (Jen Romanini): The more physically fit and strong the player the more likely the player will find success playing the game. Physical skill sets range from speed, agility and power to brute strength, endurance, athletic skill and coordination. The skills that prove to be more useful are mental. Work ethic, drive, determination, leadership and the ability to work with others, trust. Much of what a player does on the field affects the rest of the team. Understanding that a players individual success comes from and contributes to the teams success is a crucial key in enjoying and finding success in this sport.
Bandit (Danielle Golay): The mental toughness that is needed to play this sport is something that is ultimately needed for any player to be great. A big heart, a great work ethic, and the desire to continue to become better are also great traits for a player.
SZ: Does the team have a quote, motto or story that expresses the team’s culture and/or philosophy?
Bandit (Jen Romanini): Dedication. Determination. Domination. We ask a lot of the ladies that make up our roster, instilling in them our goal of bringing home a championship to the Bay Area. It takes a lot of time, preparation and organization to be successful in this league and this game. The bar has been set high and is being set higher each year. The longer the opportunity for women to play football is around the stiffer the competition gets.
Bandit (Julia Jalalat): I wish everyone got to experience what it feels like to be running your last 100 yard sprint thinking surely this time you will perish, and have your teammates come and run the final sprint with you, not letting you run or perish alone, their very presence giving you life. In all other athletics I felt tolerated; in football I have a sense of belonging. Feeling like I belong moves me to want to become stronger, faster, better. When I step onto the football field, I am home.
Lady Bandits, Danielle Golay, Cori Evans, Julia Jalalat, Jen Romanini, Sandra Hernandez, thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedules to share your thoughts and experiences of participating in women’s football. As of this writing the Bay Area Bandits 2011 record stands at 5 and 0, next game is Saturday, June 4th.
*Guests featured are not former nor current clients of Susan Zaro
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