On Sunday, March 13 I attended the Cressey Sports Performance: Spring Seminar (CSP-Jupiter), an event hosted at the Cressey Sports facility in Jupiter, FL.

Here are my take away points from the seminar:

  1. Neil Rampe (Head ATC for LA Dodgers) says to treat your evaluation like Mr. Potato Head… start with the torso and work your way out.
  2. “Ideal Alignment Facilitates Optimal Movement” –Shirley Sahrman
  3. Many athletes are actually stuck in extension and need thoracic flexion (evaluate each athlete individually)
  4. Causes of Butt wink:
    a. Lack of core control (center of mass)
    b. Poor ankle mobility
    c. Bony Block (Cam/Pincer Deformity)
    d. Hip Retroversion/Tibial Torsion forced into a neutral foot stance
    e. Brutally Short Quads/Posterior hip musculature or capsule
    f. Long Term aberrant neuromuscular patterning
  5. Imbalances and compensation patterns exist in every single client you have
  6. “Explosive Control” Create –Transfer-Receive in reference to med. Ball drills. (Med ball drills are incredible for stability/motor control/rotational athletes)
  7. Training model must dictate business model
  8. Be a Role Model
  9. Take Pride in Educating (clients, others and fitness industry)
  10. Great marketing Book suggested by Pete Dupuis: Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook: How to Tell Your Story in a Noisy Social World by Gary Vaynerchuk (Author)
  11. The mission is to create value more than just clients
  12. “Every time you get under the bar is Continuing Education” Tony Bonvechio
  13. Learning Styles: Visual, Auditory, Kinesthetic
  14. Internal/External Cues create an increase in motor control and muscle activation via studies from Wulf and Sahrman
  15. Know your client and their sport demands (Stu McGill also refers to this as part of his initial exam)
  16. “Pain sensitivity is a direct result of overloading the various anatomical parts of the spine with inappropriate movement.” –Dr. Stuart McGill
  17. Flexion vs Extension tolerant backs
  18. Lack of Femoral IR and Uncontrolled Femoral IR can lead to a barrage of knee problems
  19. Rarely is knee pain a knee problem (unless acute) ie: Limited Hip ROM/Ankle ROM
  20. Regular soft tissue early on can dramatically enhance program results.
  21. Clam Shells at CSP are used more for motor control than for reps or hypertrophy
  22. Breathe, Activate, Control and Load
  23. Train in pain free ROM or what is available.
  24. Be apart of a group that talks the talk and walks the walk
  25. Tony B. eluded to Nick Winkelman’s presentations on Internal/External Cues.