The!Cardinal" Way Teena Murray

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1 The!Cardinal" Way Building Athletes, Preparing Champions. That!s our motto. It!s the mission we live each day. While the unfolding of that motto varies for each of the 21 teams we serve, the bottom line is always the same- leave no stone unturned while optimizing the development of every athlete, and performance of every team! At the University of Louisville the Olympic Sports Performance (LSP) program adheres to a holistic philosophy and an integrated approach that addresses the entire anatomy of a champion- body, mind and spirit. We educate, motivate and inspire- using a combination of traditional and non-traditional methods. We believe in the value of all techniques, tactics, tools and modalities- when implemented effectively and at the appropriate time- to enhance performance and reduce injury risk. From yoga and relaxation training for regeneration, to Strongman/woman competitions, obstacle courses, boxing and boot camps for "toughness training! and off-season conditioning, we look outside the box to keep it fun, fresh and effective. Finally, we place a heavy emphasis on competition- within and between teams- to develop confidence, build cohesiveness and challenge toughness. After all, when the game is on the line these are the separating factors! Performance Team We!ve all experienced the synergy of a great team. When it comes to building elite athletes and producing championship teams, it truly takes a village! At U of L, we are fortunate to have an exceptional athlete-centered Performance Team- that includes a network of health and performance specialists- surrounding us. As a team, we communicate regularly and work seamlessly to consistently provide the highest quality of care to our athletes. While certain members of the team are activated more often during the competitive season, others make their impact during the off-season, or are available on an "as-needed basis.! Most team members are full-time employees of the Athletic Department, others volunteers from the medical community, and some contracted for specific services. Regardless, each member makes an important contribution to the final outcome. U of L Performance Team Performance Specialist Athletic Trainer Physical Therapist Chiropractor ATHLETE Boxing Coach Team Doctor Yoga Instructor Sport Psychologist Nutritionist Massage/ART Therapists # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # #

2 Planning for Success At Louisville, preparing to win begins with with the development of a detailed and comprehensive annual plan. This master plan is our roadmap for success. Before the school year begins (in August) the sport-specific annual plan is designed, reviewed, discussed and approved by the sport coaching staff. This way, all major decisions related to screening, testing, training, education, nutrition/supplementation, in-season performance tracking and regeneration, and any special needs/initiatives are finalized outside of the stress and craziness associated with the college sports year. Know Thy Athlete Once the annual plan is created our focus shifts to execution, with a special emphasis on knowing our athletes as comprehensively as possible. "To do no harm! we must first assess each athlete!s readiness to train. This extends beyond how fit? how strong? and how fast? When it comes to athlete evaluation we have a 3-pronged approach that includes: screening, testing and tracking. Screening and performance testing are priorities at the beginning of each phase (off-season, pre-season, in-season), while tracking is the priority throughout the in-season phase. Screening Each of our 375 athletes undergoes Functional Movement Screening immediately postseason (or as soon as possible based on exam and vacation schedules) to determine the effect of the competitive season on movement quality. Results are reviewed with the sports medicine staff and corrective plans (team and/or individual as necessary) are implemented. In extreme cases, corrective plans become the training program until major asymmetries are improved. Nutritionally- in addition to questions relating to health, nutrition and menstrual cycle history on the pre-participation questionnaire- we use a simple tool to screen the presence or absence of high performance eating habits. Our LSP Health and Performance Checklist includes a series of 20 (yes or no) questions and gives us insight in to each athlete!s eating strengths and weaknesses. This information becomes the starting point for our nutrition education. Testing Sport-specific Performance Testing plans are developed based on thorough needs analyses and a review of available literature. An emphasis is always placed on comprehensive athlete development, with special focus on the performance parameters relevant for that sport!s success. Next, we create sport-specific Performance Indices (10- point scale) based on the tests being used (vertical jump, squat, etc.). This index assigns a point value (1-10) to scores earned (ie: 10 points for a 30 vertical jump). At the end of each testing period a total score for all testing events is calculated for each athlete- called the Performance Score. This score is a solid reflection of sport-specific athleticism and helps us reinforce the importance of overall athleticism- not just speed or strength or conditioning. This score is tracked throughout an athletes! career and has become an effective tool for tracking short and long-term athlete development. It has also become an exceptional motivational tool that is used to determine each team!s Iron Cardinals during the pre-season testing period.

3 Setting the Bar Higher I believe it was Martin Luther King who said "Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss you!ll land among the stars.! When it comes to goal setting, establishing testing standards and creating expectations we believe that setting the bar high is the only way to go. For female athletes in particular, we find they generally have no idea how strong, fast, fit and good they can be. Creating a profile of an elite athlete for each of the sports we work with has been an great educational and motivational tool- using data gathered from professional leagues, NGB!s and other top college programs. For a freshman female basketball player, the opportunity to compare her testing data to top WNBA players highlights the value of development and impacts willingness to train. Likewise, setting gold, silver and bronze medal standards for performance testing events (vertical jump, body fat, pro agility) and tracking a team!s progress up the medal podium impacts cohesiveness and competitiveness. Tracking During the competitive season our priority is the maintenance (if not improvement) of lower body power and lean mass. We know the consequences of negative changes in these two areas are significant where performance and prevention are concerned. As a result, we track these two areas weekly or bi-weekly and adjust training parameters and dietary intake accordingly to ensure our athletes are at their best during championship time. Power tracking is performed (after an off day) using either a vertical jump test or a barbell squat jump test with a Tendo weightlifting analyzer (using average velocity). Changes in lean mass are identified through weekly weigh-ins. Body composition testing (7-site skinfolds) is conducted every 4-6 weeks during the in-season phase with special emphasis placed on lean mass changes. Training Basics Once screening and performance data have been gathered and analyzed we use this information to drive program design. Our goal is always to simultaneously address performance and prevention through movement-based multi-dimensional training. We use 4 main types of workouts- implemented in various concentrations based on team/athlete needs and phase of training: 1) speed-strength, 2) max strength, 3) work capacity, and 4) regeneration. Regardless of the team, all workouts begin with minutes of pre-work that includes activation (soft tissue and NMS), corrective and prehab training. Based on our conjugated approach we tailor our pre-work to match our training emphasis for that day. For example, a speed-strength day begins with an emphasis on neuromuscular activation (using Power Plates, reaction and quickness drills, short-response plyos and med ball throws). Corrective and prehab work has a stability focus. Max strength workouts begin with soft tissue and muscle activation work and a joint mobility emphasis. Likewise, movement training and energy systems development is tailored to the workout theme. Finally, "X- Needs! are established as necessary for individual athletes based on deficiencies identified during screening/testing. These are integrated either following the team workout, or on separate days altogether. A sample late off-season microcyle is shown below.

4 Sample Late Off-Season Microcycle Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Weekend NMS Activation (Power Plate) MSK Activation (FR + BF Wup*) Regen &/or "X- Needs! NMS Activation (Power Plate) MSK Activation (FR + BF Wup*) Regen &/or "X-Needs! S-R Plyos + Med Ball Throws Glute Activation + L-R Plyos/Med Ball Throws Ankle/T-Spine Mobe + L-R Plyos/Med Ball Throws Competition Day (ESD) Speed Dev. Max Strength Lift Speed Dev. Core/Shldr. Stability ESD Core/Shldr. Stability Speed- Strength Lift Speed-Strength Lift *BF Wup- barefoot warm-up BASE Training The training age of the majority of our athletes is 0-1 when they arrive as freshmen. Even those arriving with some training experience tend to have a poor training history. As a result they are "raw! athletically, typically lacking a sufficient base of fundamental movement skills. For this reason we place a heavy emphasis on BASE training- which focuses on mobility, stability and work capacity- the cornerstones of athleticism. These elements form the BASE of our athlete development model. Not only do they represent the concentration of our freshman and early off-season programs, they are components of our training plans throughout the year- especially on Fridays during the off-season and pre-season, post-season, and after all exam and holiday breaks. In addition to the important role of mobility and stability in injury prevention, we also believe that developing and maintaining a large base of work capacity plays a key role in injury prevention and long-term athletic success. Our BASE training programs center on the ability to perform high volumes (reps or time) of complex total body movements (work) over time. They require mastery using bodyweight loading before external resistance is added and include an emphasis on force reduction capacities (landing & stopping) and isometric holds over extended periods in functional sport-specific positions.

5 Athlete Development Model # # # Power Strength Speed # Mobility Stability Work Capacity Sometimes Less is More We take seriously our position as role models and our ability to optimize potential through consistent, intense and diverse training. However, we also understand and appreciate (probably more than ever) the power of timely rest and recovery in team success. During the competitive season (in particular) we also take pride in our role as regeneration experts. When it comes to regeneration we teach and implement a 5-step regeneration protocol immediately post-workout. It includes stretching, self-massage, vibration (when possible), cold water immersion and nutrition. Post-practice and post-game we charge our captains with this responsibility if we are not on-site. During the season we use water extensively for active recovery sessions, in addition to soft tissue work (manually or with our massage and ART specialists), yoga, light bike rides and AIS stretching. With certain teams we use a Regeneration Log in-season to track qualitative information that indicates fatiguesoreness, RPE, sleep, appetite, heart rate, training willingness and emotional stress. This combined with data from the POLAR Team System (used to gather and track heart rate information for all practices and games) and our power tracking and body composition data allows us to identify athletes in need of extra rest. Measuring Success When our teams win, we win, and we take pride in that success. But, to truly evaluate our effectiveness and direct impact on development and performance we look at 2 critical values- rate of increase (% change) in critical values during off-season and pre-season training, and the number of games missed in a season due to injury (particularly noncontact injuries). We rely on our Olympic Sports Medicine staff and their Sportsware software for the injury data. To assess athlete/team progress each coach submits all performance testing data for analysis. There may always be extenuating circumstances and reasons outside our control for injuries and lack of progress, but trends emerge and outliers removed the numbers do tell a story. This story is our accountability system and our motivation. It helps us justify our existence with our coaches and our administration and it drives our staff education and program design. After all, if we!re not building significantly better athletes then we!re not preparing champions!