Athletes in Action: Connor Vomero

Hello Everyone!

Recently I had a chance to watch one of our football athletes compete. Connor Vomero of Highland is number 27 and he did some private training with me this summer to fine tune his athletic performance.

It's always great to see the skills we work on at AGSP in action. Here are some examples:

Acceleration off the line. Connor does a nice job of driving back, keeping his shoulders pointed forward, and extending through the hip. These were key points we focused on in his training.
 

Acceleration

Keeping his weight forward and chest facing down. Are crucial for successfully chasing down his opponent once free from his defender. This summer, we did some video analysis to help him improve this part of his run.

Weight forward and chest down.

It's always a compliment when you are double or tripled teamed. Connor's hard-work in the weight room, along with proper athletic mechanics, makes it tough for just one person to stop him.

Triple-teamed and still moving.

He was very consistent with his proper start stance: chin in front of knees, flat back, and chest facing down.

Start stance.

Great triple extension on this almost sack of the QB. We worked on this with Cleans in the weight room. 

Triple extension means hips, knees, and ankles extend.

I'm a big believer in training athletes in movements that they actually do in a game and Connor demonstrates them well!

Keep Training!
Coach Amanda Kephart and Akron General Sports Performance 

Optional means Opportunity

Hello Everyone!

For serious athletes, the word optional should mean opportunity. If you're an athlete that truly loves your sport, every time you hear the word optional, your mind should automatically think opportunity.

I enjoy following Alan Stein, Drew Hanlen and The D1 Experience on Twitter. Over the summer they shared that at one of their camps they had 14 out of 65 athletes show up for an optional 7:00 am workout. I was shocked! These athletes were staying at the camp and they had no reason not to be there except they chose not to! They will never get that optional workout back, they missed it. And for what, an extra hour of sleep? These athletes were attending a camp called The D1 Experience so you assume they want to play collegiality.

Serious athletes don't miss optional sessions, serious athletes know that optional actually means opportunity. That's why I love the name of the 7:00 am optional workout, The Separator. Your actions (or lack there of) speak so loudly I can't hear what you're saying.

Athletes at AGSP know that every workout counts!

Keep training (regardless of whether it's optional or not)!
Coach Amanda Kephart and Akron General Sports Performance

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

FAQ

HOW DO I SIGN UP?
After you've decided to train with us, call our scheduling line at 330-945-3150 (Stow) or 330-896-9829 (Green) and you can schedule your next sessions. You can also schedule as many upcoming sessions as your package allows for simplicity. (See more about scheduling below)

WHEN CAN I START?
You can start and stop at anytime. If your first day is the 5th of January and you're doing a monthly package, your package would end on February 5. When returning to your sport, please let our receptionists know when you are stopping training.

WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE FULL PROGRAM AND THE SPEED ONLY PROGRAM?
The full program means the full 90 minutes, including the weight room. The speed only is the first 30-45 minutes of our sessions and does not include the weight room. The start times are the same for each program.

WHEN ARE THE TRAINING SESSIONS?
STOW after school hours are:
Monday through Friday we have 3:30pm and 5:30pm start times. And when needed, we open an overflow 4:30pm to keep up with demand.
Saturday mornings we have 9:00am, and when needed, we open up an overflow at 10:30am.
STOW summer hours are:
Monday through Friday we have 10:00am and 5:30pm start times. And when needed, we open an overflow 11:00am and sometimes a 1:00pm.
Saturday mornings we have 9:00am, and when needed, we open up an overflow at 10:30am.

GREEN after school hours are:
Monday through Friday we have a 5:30pm start time. And when needed, we open an overflow 4:00pm to keep up with demand.
Saturday mornings we have 10:00am start time.
GREEN summer hours are:
Monday through Friday we have 1:00pm and 5:30pm start times.
Saturday mornings we have 10:00am start time.

HOW DOES SCHEDULING WORK? CAN I CHANGE MY SCHEDULE?

At AGSP we have wonderful, REAL, receptionists that can help you maximize your training via scheduling. They are available Monday through Thursday from 7:00am to 7:00pm and Friday 7:00am to 2:00pm. You can always leave a message after hours and they'll get back to you when they return. You can change your schedule as often as needed, but you have to arrive for the sessions you've scheduled. We limit our class sizes to maintain high levels of coaching and showing up at the correct time is crucial. We understand that life happens, just call us and let us know if you need to change your schedule (even the day of if needed!).

WHAT DOES "WAIT LIST" MEAN?

This only effects athletes that are doing the full program. When all weight room spots are filled we go to our "wait list" scheduling. This means if you are "wait-listed" and someone cancels from the weight room, our receptionists will call you to let you know you've been added into the weight room. Regardless, you can always do the speed portion of the session. 

Laser Timer 40 yards

At Akron General Sports Performance we strive to have the best training, best facilities, best coaches, and best equipment that today's sports performance world can offer. We are happy to announce that we have invested in an official 40 yard Laser Timer!

The PowerDash Laser Timer

In fact, this is the same Laser Timer that is used at the NFL Scouting Combine!

Having our athletes use the same equipment as professional athletes give them a great opportunity to practice proper testing and to get the most accurate 40 yard times possible (it also gives us a 10 yard time too!).

We test our athletes once a month on the following performance skills:

• 10 yard dash
• 40 yard dash
• 5-10-5 Pro-Agility 
• Long Jump
• Vertical Jump

3 Other Ways to Get Better

Hello Everyone!

On our Instagram and Twitter accounts I've been using the hashtag #getbettersummer2014 since our athletes are working hard on "getting better". Besides training with us at AGSP, there are other ways athletes can get better and get closer to their goals.

These 3 other ways are geared towards athletes that have the desire to play in college which requires athletes to find ways to separate themselves from their competition.

• MAKE YOUR TWITTER PUBLIC: If I'm a college coach recruiting you and your Twitter is private, what is the first thing I am going to assume? That you are tweeting things that are not good. Why else would you not want to showcase your workouts, skill development, highlights, etc on one of the greatest platforms in the world? A good rule of thumb is: if you wouldn't want your mom/dad to read it, then you probably shouldn't tweet it!
• LISTEN TO SUCCESS ORIENTED PODCASTS: Many of today's athletes have to travel for hours to tournaments and camps. While you are traveling, why not listen to something productive? Something that will motivate you to be better? My personal favorite, that is free, is The Hardwood Hustle. Even if you are not a basketball athlete, you will gain a ton of knowledge, motivation, and insight into elevating your game!
• READ AN ATHLETE'S AUTOBIOGRAPHY: While you are resting or traveling, why not get inside the heads of great athletes? Autobiographies are an opportunity to literally see inside the minds of some amazing athletes! They are sharing their journey with you! Talk about motivating and educating you to a whole new level!

Twitter, Podcasts, and Autobiographies are great ways to become a better athlete!

If you are truly serious about playing at the next level, then you'll WANT to do these 3 things. Do the little things that others aren't doing to elevate your game past others!

Keep Training!
Coach Amanda Kephart and Akron General Sports Performance
@AkronGeneralSP
AkronGeneralSP on Instagram

Why was was he picked #1 in the draft?

Hello Everyone!

Why was Andrew Wiggins picked #1 in the 2014 NBA draft?

Was it because he was the best shooter? 

Maybe he was the best dribbler?

The sharpest passer?

The best defender of them all?

While Andrew Wiggins is very talented in all these areas, the biggest reason he was drafted first was because he was the most athletic player in the draft! His speed, strength, power, and overall athleticism separated him from everyone else.

You have to be a great athlete if you want to be a great basketball (or any other sport) player you want to be.

Check out this awesome pre-draft workout video of Andrew Wiggins. The best parts are:

• He's practicing basketball-specific skills that he will see in a game.
• He's NOT running mindless suicides up and down the court.

AGSP athletes, check out the following details that we coach here all the time!

• Where his chin and shoulders are.
• His shin-angles when he changes direction.

Become a better athlete and all your skills get better! Join us today!
Keep Training!
Coach Amanda Kephart and Akron General Sports Performance 

Walsh Jesuit Showcase for the Cure 2014

Hello Everyone!

This year's Walsh Jesuit Showcase for the Cure was my favorite so far! It is such a great event with an even more amazing cause.

Showcase day is jam packed as it is the last day of the Walsh Jesuit Baseball Camp, a baseball focused Expo, and a Showcase of most of Ohio's best baseball players. The Showcase is highly attended by collegiate and professional scouts from all over the country. The Camp on this day includes an opportunity for campers to improve their speed and running with me as I am one of the 5 stations the athletes rotate through. The athletes this year were a lot of fun and hardworking as we were sweating in the summer heat!

Coach Kaczmar speaks to the crowd while members of the Walsh Jesuit baseball team wait to release balloons in member of Chad Crawford.

Coach Kaczmar, the head baseball coach for Walsh Jesuit, gave a great speech honoring Chad Crawford, the man who picked the charity that the Showcase raised money for this year. Coach Kaczmar encouraged everyone to live like Chad did, with exclamation marks!!! Live each day fully!!! Love others, like Chad did, with big energy and a bigger heart!!!

Coach Beals, the head baseball coach for Ohio State, shared a powerful story about attitude, Ohio State's "we not me", and having a "next pitch" mentality. He reminded everyone that it is not just skills he's recruiting, but young men with great character.

The Expo always have some great vendors!

AGSP had a lot of athletes participate in this year's Showcase. It was a special feeling looking at Ohio's best and being able to know many of them personally. I took a moment to point out that the biggest difference between collegiate athletes and high school athletes is that collegiate athletes truly are bigger, faster, stronger, and more powerful. Athletes at both levels can hit, throw, catch, and run, but collegiate athletes have trained themselves so they can do all those things with more power, strength, and speed. You have to train your body if you hope to compete at the next level.

Thanks to Coach Kaczmar, Gary Minorik, and the entire Walsh Jesuit Baseball Showcase for the Cure family for such an amazing experience!

Keep Training!
Coach Amanda Kephart and Akron General Sports Performance