Don’t Resist The Power of Resistance Bands!

Resistance bands should not be used to slap your sister with when she “p’s” you off! If you are strength training on a budget, then it is always good to improvise with resistance bands. For a couple of bucks you can choose from a wide variety, and be able to pull off some very cool exercises. But don’t think that resistance band training will help you increase your muscle mass or size. If you have not trained for quite some time, then resistance bands are a great way of getting the muscle primed before you break into the competitive season, where weights with some intensity will need to be utilized.

You can do a whole gauntlet of exercises with resistance bands. Everything from push-ups with resistance, to biceps curls, where the list ends is purely up to your own creativity. As with all training programs, utilizing resistance bands should be part of the wider scope of your training regime. You can use resistance bands as a great way of winding down from a competitive season (de-training) while letting your muscles keep some semblance of the massive boulders you have sculpted.

On the other hand, resistance bands are a very good way of keeping fit while travelling. In fact, while the Mrs. and I where whisking our way through Europe, I carried a handy resistance band in my jumbo packed travellers luggage. Did I need any weights? Nope. Resistance bands did the trick for me. With my current prolonged recovery from ACL surgery, resistance bands have been a staple of my recovery regime. Resistance bands are not a way of creating massive lumps of muscle, you need to haul the heavy iron for that accomplishment. What resistance bands can do, is provide a great way of training on the go and help you to burn fat naturally, as the added muscle will help you burn fat at rest.

In conjunction with an aerobic fitness program, resistance bands can help streamline your way into a fully blown weight training program. Utilize resistance bands as a great way to keep your muscles primed and your belly less jelly-like. I feel like an old late night “Body by Jake” infomercial!

Don Mullan’s “A Hero Who Could Fly” Released To The World

A Hero Who Could Fly

by Don Mullan

A few weeks ago a small but very moving book ‘A Hero Who Could Fly’ was published about an Irish boy and his English hero. It is the memoir of a boy with learning disabilities who learned to read and write through his sporting idol, Gordon Banks. Through the darkest days of ‘The Troubles’, the influence of the boy’s hero remained constant. It all began 40 years ago this month when, on 30 July 1966, the boy saw Banksy for the first time on TV in the World Cup Final at Wembley. As an adult the boy became a best-selling author with Eyewitness Bloody Sunday – a book that inspired the award-winning movie ‘Bloody Sunday’ – but he never forgot the debt of gratitude he owed to England’s greatest goalkeeper.

The author has received scores of letters and texts from people in Ireland, England and Scotland who read the book and loved it. Here’s what some have written:

… the book arrived today and I have read it in one sitting! I am not a football fan but, as expected, I found your human story poignant and touching – big tears fell a few times! It was captivating and well-written and I congratulate you on it; thank you. Amber, Stockport.

Thank you for a truly lovely book. I’m trying to make it last by not reading it all at once! Difficult! I’ve just forced myself to put it down… There is so much wisdom and understanding here… Thank you for giving me a new hero at the age of 84… With very best wishes and congratulations on writing such an engaging book. Peter (ex-goalie), Perthshire.

… Just finished your Gordon Banks book… I have to say it was a very entertaining read. It had everything from a lump in my throat to laughing my head off, to the situation up north and great football analogy… well done again… your dad would be proud. Nicky Byrne, Westlife

And here is what some of the national Irish and UK media outlets have said:

“Beautifully written”, BBC Sport , June 2006

“… Long after the England legend retired, he remained for Mullan the most vivid and supreme representation of English football. That they would meet decades later, as equals and eventually as friends, is what makes this book ring so powerfully true and heartfelt.” The Irish Times , May 2006

“READ THIS”, Simon Hills , The Times, June 2006

Like those quoted above, I am sure you will find it an entertaining and moving experience. Details on purchasing the book can be found by emailing: albc@eircom.net. Please mention to Don that you were referred by Keeper Skool.

Royalties from the book are donated to the Dyslexia Association of Ireland.

Got Water?

Yesterday I felt that if I drank anymore water I would probably produce about two humps. I decided to have a late afternoon run which was great. I ran for about 26 minutes at a moderate pace. Then the Mrs. decided to take the little one out for a walk, and me being the big macho guy that I am, felt that it would be great to put bubs in the sling instead of pushing the pram. So here I am lugging 10 kilos (she’s eight months old) of cute, cuddly joy, over some pretty serious hills. To tell you the truth I worked up a sweat. What I also worked up was a serious thirst. We don’t get too much H2O in our systems, that’s a fact. Following is some advice about why hydration is so important for the competitive soccer player.

I’m not going to give you the ABC’s of water, you are probably grilled by your coach as to hydration. If not, well I’d truly ask what your coaches qualifications are? Water is of the utmost importance for the athlete. Sodium/potassium drinks like Gatorade are also extremely important during competition. Why? There is a phenomenon in our bodies called the sodium-potassium pump. This little beauty, helps regulate the amount of sodium or potassium being pushed in and out of your muscles. If you don’t have the right amount of sodium or potassium in your blood stream, your muscles are not going to function at their maximum. This is why electrolytic drinks are so important.

Competitive soccer players need to hydrate often, before, during and after a game. Water contributes to every facet of your body’s makeup. If you don’t have a good intake of water, then the muscles don’t function, the brain does not function..well you pretty much end up bursting into flames (not that serious!) Most athletes totally forget about the need for proper hydration, this is why the trainers role is to inform you before, during and after competition to constantly hydrate. This article points to some very good studies that tell of the need for athletes to consume water and an electrolytic drink with some carbs mixed in to maximize performance.

Never, ever forget the importance of drinking water throughout the day, and during competition. The need for electrolytic drinks with carbs added can help fuel continued performance, help with thermo regulation and restore vital body fluids for better overall well-being. A good question to ask yourself regularly is…”Have I got enough water”?

C Yourself Perform Better With Vitamin C!

Remember eating oranges at half time? Sitting on those hard wooden benches in your under 9 squad, while Jimmy, the little overweight kid that they stuck in goals ate all of them? It’s nice to reminisce about those good times growing up playing soccer and sucking down oranges after a hard earned half-time effort. Whilst oranges might not be the first option for competitive goalkeeper’s in today’s cut-throat electrolytic beverage market, vitamin C has a very important role in the athlete’s diet. The following study points to why vitamin C should be consumed by people in training:

“Vitamin C is required for the synthesis of carnitine, the amino acid responsible for transporting fatty acids into the cells to be oxidized (burned as fuel). Researchers found that subjects with poor vitamin C status oxidized less fat than subjects with adequate vitamin C status during a walking test.¹⁴ Similarly, subjects depleted of vitamin C who then underwent two weeks of vitamin C supplementation (500 mg daily), were able to perform 10-percent more work during a 90-minute walk.^15″

Vitamin C can help you maximize your performance by aiding in fat-loss. Therefore, vitamin C can be looked upon, based on the above study as a natural thermogenic which can help you maximize performance by reducing your fat levels during exercise. No one likes an overweight Jimmy in goals, so throw some vitamin C in your post and pre-season nutrition regime to help you burn fat and increase performance.

Why L-arginine Can Benefit The Competitive Goalkeeper?

Many supplements have a component of L-arginine within them, many people don’t even understand what all that L “blah” science speak is all about. Therefore, we usually consume a supplement on hype rather than research. This is not to say that L-arginine is not important for a competitive athlete, it can be very helpful. Some recent studies by the International Journal of Sports Medicine reflect what L-arginine can do to benefit performance:

L-arginine, an amino acid, is a precursor of nitric oxide, which is important for the heart and circulation system or cardiovascular health, according to early studies. Nitric oxide helps the inner lining of blood vessels to dilate. L-arginine is an ingredient commonly used in many supplements for male sexual enhancement.

The study designed by the lab rats in the above study was aimed at people with heart conditions. The results showed that patients supplementing with L-arginine had a lower heart rate during exercise than others who did not supplement L-arginine. Therefore, L-arginine can be seen as a beneficial supplement with those athletes whom have a lowered instance of it in their blood-stream.

Overall, L-arginine that reside in supplements for competitive athletes can help benefit heart endurance and keep you going for longer.

You Crazy Goalkeeper You!

Following is a very cool video of some of the crazy antics professional goalkeepers can get up to. Especially love the old Grobbelaar dance and some of the final footage of Casillas. Another memorable goalkeeping moment is the point blank save by Schmeichel. Much to learn from watching this video. Also, food for thought? Why do many European based goalkeepers have weird, and relatively long surnames?

Harness The Power Of The Mind For Great Goalkeeping Feats

Uri Geller can bend spoons using thought, imagine what you can do for your goalkeeping if you just harnessed the power of focus. Focus is an encompassing goal, you’re the only person who can see it. With a strong focus you can alleviate pain, shape your thoughts and turn those same thoughts into powerful action’s. The mind is a powerful conduit for brilliant actions. Goalkeepers like any other competitive athlete have that ability to utilize their mind for favorable outcomes on the field.

Aussie health show ‘What’s Good For You’ gave a really fascinating insight into the power of the mind to excel in any athletic endeavour. Over the past decade, sports scientists have created some compelling studies that focus on how an athlete can help improve their game by up to 10 to 15 percent with the use of technology and sports science:

“We have athletes improve 10 to 15 percent in terms of their accuracy of making decisions in a game of basketball and we attribute that to the training we have given them.”

Above, Australian Institute of Sports Scientists have developed a computer program for basketball players that mimic on court decisions during a competitive game. I remember seeing a documentary on the National Geographic Channel about modern football and some of the amazing technologies that they use nowadays to help players increase their playing ability. Other scientists such as those at the University of Washington utilize virtual reality programs to enhance the focus of a test subject, thus allowing their minds not to be affected by a certain threshold of pain.

Can you imagine the ramifications of this in the future? Virtual reality used to increase the focus of athletes so that they can overcome pain and play longer? Sometimes I tend to think that the future is happening right now, and we can see this from the above scenarios. I’ll leave you with this interesting scientific fact that shows just how powerful the mind is if we focus on the things that we want to achieve on the playing field and off:

Your brain accounts for two percent of your body weight, yet it gobbles up 20 percent of your oxygen and blood supply just to keep going. And if they harnessed the electricity it uses while you’re having a think, your brain could light up a 10 watt bulb.

Imagine what you could do with your goalkeeping skills if you harnessed the power of mental focus…fly to save the impossible shot on goal while your team mates looked on in awe? Why not.

New Dietary Supplements To Look Out For

Following are some interesting new supplements (or some that I have not heard of before) that I came across the other night while researching and reading through numerous scientific documents. None of these supplements I personally prescribe, and as I have said on numerous occasions, I would never utilize any supplement that has not been extensively studied, or used by me personally. Highly trained competitive goalkeepers can benefit from supplements such as creatine, whey protein and only natural supplements such as fish oil or glucosamine for example (there is an exhaustive list that can be utilized). Following are some new (to me at least) supplements, that you should be aware of in the supplement market place:

• Geranamine: Produced from geranium oil that stimulates the body in a way that is similar to norepinephrine (neurotransmitter that speeds up metabolic rate and increases fat metabolism and alertness). Gernamine supposedly suppresses appetite and increases ones metabolic rate.

• Ecdysterone: Plant sterol (an adaptogen derived from plants or animals, with powerful properties that increase the metabolism and immune system) that triggers muscle growth.

• Green Tomato Extract: Increases the amount of blood vessels that supply muscles which increases oxygen, nutrient sand anabolic hormones and remove waste products from the blood. This means increased energy to go longer in the gym as there is more oxygen in the blood.

• GAKIC: Glycine-l-arginine-alpha-ketoisocaproic (…I had to catch my breath). Glycine increases growth hormone production, which enhances the firing of nerves to stimulate muscles. Arginine (amino acid) boost growth hormone production and nitric oxide levels. Alpha-ketoisocaproic acid (KIC) is a form of the BCAA leucine is anti-catabolic and increases energy that also helps reduce fatigue in the muscle during exercise.

(Adpated from Muscle & Fitness Magazine, May 2006)

The above are relatively new to me? I personally would not take any of them if there are no detailed studies as to their benefits. I feel it is always handy to know what supplements are entering the market place…for your own knowledge.

Super Exercises To Increase Lateral Strength!

Looking for a workout to power up your lateral strength. One of the most important movements for the competitive goalkeeper is attacking the impossible ball to either your left or right hand side. Also, one of the least trained muscles are the abductors, and adductors. I can vividly remember training at the dank old Balmain PCYC, with it’s rusted old equipment and contraptions from a bygone era…I liked it. Tucked away in a little corner was the adductor machine. You know the stirrup looking nautilus equipment that was about 50 years old and looked more at home in a gynecologist’s surgery? This machine, funnily enough was left rotting away where no beefed up muscle head could see it. It was better for chicks to use than blokes (at least that was the strategy of the gym owners floor plan).

The adductor machine is a good piece of equipment to use, as the adductor of the legs need to be strengthened to maximize lateral movements. Following are some powerful exercises you can utilize to boost your leg workout into overdrive and enhance you lateral goalkeeping movements:

Barbell Squat: Nothing beats this old war horse! To maximize total leg strength targeting every muscle in your legs, nothing is better than the barbell squat. Utilize 2 warm up sets, with 4 sets that include 10,10, 8, 6 reps respectively (remember good form is everything)!

Lateral Lunge: Using a barbell again, (with lighter weights of course). Stand erect, feet shoulder-width apart, holding a barbell across your upper back. Step sideways 3 feet or so, bending your lead knee until that thigh comes parallel to the floor. (Leave the non working leg dead straight). Keeping the torso erect, push up through your working leg to return to the start position. Perform the same movement on the other side, then the next side until both sides completed equal one rep. Do 4 sets of 10, 10, 8 and 6 reps.

Lateral Barbell Step-Up: Looking to go through some extra effort for your poor old adductors (they’re hurting now are’nt they?) Stand next to a stable platform. Drive through that lead foot to bring your tailing foot up. Step off in the opposite direction, lead foot first. Repeat going the other way to complete the exercise for reps. Again, 4 sets of 10, 10, 6, 6 reps.

(The above exercises have been extracted from Muscle & Fitness Magazine, 2006 pg 21)

No more shots on goal that are too out of reach! The above exercises will help increase your lateral strength and maximize your ability to keep the ball out of hard to reach places when you are between the sticks.

Powerful Goalkeeping Statement

Give back. It’s not always about your dream, or about being bigger or better than the next person. Giving back results in positive mental gratification. Great sports people have a strong sense of giving back to their communities. Soccer players, even goalkeepers like Kristie Bowers of Birmingham University know how to give back to others who possibly don’t have the opportunity or outlets to channel their talent. Is football all about glory and self gratification? Or are the talents that God has gifted you a means to give back to others. I’d rather think that the latter applies.

When I was travelling through war torn Croatia as a 15 year old, I was blessed with the opportunity to see the front lines in Bosnia, to talk with people of State and young soldiers who had risked their lives and limbs for the benefit of others. Why was I blessed? Because it humbled me, and it made feel that the 1001 things that may bother me about my performance as a soccer goalkeeper, or whatever hurdle life may throw at me are all together trivial. In the end, there are millions of people around the globe with extremely insurmountable odds to deal with and they far surpass any small worry we may have in our lives.

The article about Kristie shows how you can use your goalkeeping art (she is studying sports science)to transform other peoples lives for the better. And that is more beneficial than a dusty trophy on a mantle piece (I have a tonne of those), or the money you could make from playing semi-professionally or professionally. Remember that with everything you achieve in your soccer life, you should translate positive deeds into benefits of those who need it the most. Good deeds on the soccer field and off are worth their weight in gold.

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