The summer camp that every junior high student should take part in is Carle Sports Medicine Plyometric Training Camp. The camp is led by St. Joseph-Ogden athletic trainer Casey Hug.
The camp which is already under way runs from June 11 to July 30 twice a week every Tuesday and Thursday from 3:30 – 4:30pm. There will not be a session on July 4 due to the holiday. Each session is an hour long under expert supervision.
The camp is designed to introduce and teach proper exercise techniques to young athletes and focus on building a foundation to develop explosive movement, agility, and better neuromuscular control.
St. Joseph-Ogden's Maclayne Taylor fires a shot during their Class 2A third place game against Hillsboro at the IHSA Girls Basketball State Finals on Saturday. Taylor led the Lady Spartans to the program's first Final Four appearance. She is a prime example of how pylometrics can elevate a players athleticism. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)
"Proper form and control are very important," Hug points out. "Most athletes, regardless of age, lack proper hip and core strength, which makes it nearly impossible to do these exercises properly."
He added,"Most people associate core strength with doing sit ups and having a six pack. At this camp we try to work on hip, glutes, and low back strength as well."
Pylometrics are exercises that train an athlete's muscles to exert maximum force in short intervals of time. The goal is to increase speed, agility and strength, especially from a resting position. Explosive movement starts from having a strong, well coordinate group of core muscles working together.
Sometimes referred to as "pylos", Pylometric training focuses on learning to move from a muscle extension to a contraction in a rapid or "explosive" manner, such as in specialized repeated jumping on to platforms or over barriers.
When it comes to explosive athletes, the St. Joseph-Ogden athletic program has enjoyed more than their fair share.
"As far as explosive athletes the one that sticks out to me is Maclayne Taylor," said Hug. He pointed out there are drills performed at the camp named after her. "She did this camp for four to five years and then has helped me as an instructor the last few years.
In addition to Taylor there are three other athletes from this spring season that epitomizes the benefits of pylometric training. Bailey Dowling, Hannah Dukeman and Atleigh Hamilton are at the top of his list.
Dowling currently holds the IHSA state record for the most career home runs and will play on the United States Junior National softball team. Earlier this week she was recognized as Gatorade's Illinois Softball Player of the Year. Dowling, who is the first SJO player to earn such national recognition, earn the same honor in 2018.
Hamilton is also headed for the IHSA record books. She is back-to-back Class 1A Long Jump champion. She went 18 feet-7.75 inches, three more than her nearest competitor, at last month's state track meet in Charleston.
A two-sport athlete and leader on the basketball court, Dukeman's balance and footwork is exceptional. On the diamond she is tied for 13th in IHSA records for runs batted in an inning. She also tied for second for most doubles in a softball game with four.
"We have a lot more kids that are explosive, but these are the ones that stick out against all the competition across the state," said Hug about the Spartan program.
Another is Adam Rose, who holds the baseball school record for the most stolen bases.
Although the first week of camp is in the books. It is not too late for kids who are starting 4th grade through the 9th to start their plyo training. To register now or for more information, email Casey Hug at casey.hug@carle.com.
"I believe that plyometrics are important but making sure they are doing them with proper form/control is more important," Hug emphasized. "It doesn’t matter how high you can jump if you don’t know how to land."
The camp which is already under way runs from June 11 to July 30 twice a week every Tuesday and Thursday from 3:30 – 4:30pm. There will not be a session on July 4 due to the holiday. Each session is an hour long under expert supervision.
The camp is designed to introduce and teach proper exercise techniques to young athletes and focus on building a foundation to develop explosive movement, agility, and better neuromuscular control.
"Proper form and control are very important," Hug points out. "Most athletes, regardless of age, lack proper hip and core strength, which makes it nearly impossible to do these exercises properly."
He added,"Most people associate core strength with doing sit ups and having a six pack. At this camp we try to work on hip, glutes, and low back strength as well."
| When it comes to explosive athletes, the St. Joseph-Ogden athletic program has enjoyed more than their fair share. |
Sometimes referred to as "pylos", Pylometric training focuses on learning to move from a muscle extension to a contraction in a rapid or "explosive" manner, such as in specialized repeated jumping on to platforms or over barriers.
When it comes to explosive athletes, the St. Joseph-Ogden athletic program has enjoyed more than their fair share.
"As far as explosive athletes the one that sticks out to me is Maclayne Taylor," said Hug. He pointed out there are drills performed at the camp named after her. "She did this camp for four to five years and then has helped me as an instructor the last few years.
In addition to Taylor there are three other athletes from this spring season that epitomizes the benefits of pylometric training. Bailey Dowling, Hannah Dukeman and Atleigh Hamilton are at the top of his list.
Dowling currently holds the IHSA state record for the most career home runs and will play on the United States Junior National softball team. Earlier this week she was recognized as Gatorade's Illinois Softball Player of the Year. Dowling, who is the first SJO player to earn such national recognition, earn the same honor in 2018.
Hamilton is also headed for the IHSA record books. She is back-to-back Class 1A Long Jump champion. She went 18 feet-7.75 inches, three more than her nearest competitor, at last month's state track meet in Charleston.
A two-sport athlete and leader on the basketball court, Dukeman's balance and footwork is exceptional. On the diamond she is tied for 13th in IHSA records for runs batted in an inning. She also tied for second for most doubles in a softball game with four.
"We have a lot more kids that are explosive, but these are the ones that stick out against all the competition across the state," said Hug about the Spartan program.
Another is Adam Rose, who holds the baseball school record for the most stolen bases.
Although the first week of camp is in the books. It is not too late for kids who are starting 4th grade through the 9th to start their plyo training. To register now or for more information, email Casey Hug at casey.hug@carle.com.
"I believe that plyometrics are important but making sure they are doing them with proper form/control is more important," Hug emphasized. "It doesn’t matter how high you can jump if you don’t know how to land."
That phrase will no doubt echo the feelings around the state after the Illinois High School Association released the schedule high school sports for the remainder of the 2020-21 academic year in Illinois.
The Board of Directors issued the following statement:
"Unprecedented circumstances create extraordinary decisions. The IHSA Board of Directors faced one of the most difficult decisions in the Association’s 100-plus year history today. Please know that we did so with great diligence, empathy, and understanding. There were an immense number of factors that went into today’s decisions. We knew there would be obstacles no matter what we decided. Whether those hurdles included overlapping seasons for multi-sport athletes, equity between sports, preseason acclimatization guidelines, the prioritization of spring sports, facility conflicts for schools, officiating, and that is just naming a few. Please know that each potential roadblock was recognized and given consideration. The IHSA membership, like our state, is incredibly large and diverse. Each Board member brought different concerns to the table that impacted their own school or region differently. There was never going to be a one-size fits all solution to playing 25 sports seasons in a little over four months. What did occur was collaboration and camaraderie. Each Board member may not have been able to have all of their specific concerns addressed, but we worked together to produce a schedule and plan that we believe will work for our student-athletes."
In case you haven't seen it yet, here is the list of the sports along with their start and finish dates.
