Performance Training for Action/Extreme Sports?
Over the last several years we have had a couple of these action or extreme athletes: some wakeboarding, motocross, martial arts, etc. More recently, in the last year, we have attracted some of the world’s top wakeboarders. With that have come an incredible introduction and a relationship with Red Bull and some of their athletes. We also have partnerships with watersport apparel company Ten-80 and Legit Crown, an apparel company for the extreme. As we dive deeper into these sports, we have gained a better understanding of these athletes’ world, lifestyle and money that is involved. Which leads to the subject of this article. Are these athletes seeking out professionals in Performance Training? Do they think it’s important? Are they taking care of themselves as professional athletes? Eating properly? Sleeping? Partying?
I was speaking with a Performance Manager to one of these professional extreme athletes and she was describing the scene of one of her athletes showing up to a competition with the wrong shoes, half awake and very lethargic about warming up; a scene that used to be very familiar in some of these sports.
I just received a copy of the The Red Bulletin (a magazine by Red Bull) and was very excited to read an article about Red Bull Motocross Rider, Ken Roczen. I was very excited to see how disciplined and committed to performance he is. The article discusses his strict diet that he uses in order to help him as a rider, how important muscle is and the importance of him being athletic. I love it.
“Roczen is pure muscle. He’s athletic. There’s not an ounce of fat on his body. He’s agile and fit.”
His coach Aldon Baker explains, “At this level you have to strike the right balance between three things: endurance, strength/mobility, and training on the bike itself.”
Music to my ears. But doesn’t this also sound like a formula you would hear about with any successful athlete. It’s no secret; these things will make you a better athlete regardless of sport, age, gender, etc.
I get it, wakeboarding, skateboarding, surfing; these sports are freaking cool sports. And there is a coolness that should go with them. However, laziness is not. I beg all of you raw freakishly awesome athletes to take your sport and skills to the next level.
It is not necessarily the "coolness" that is the problem for the lack of conditioning It is the social attitude in the grass roots of the sports. Bikers, skaters, surfers and wake boarders etc. just tend to go for it. It is the activity they want and it is the mental aspect that takes priority in a warm up. With the danger involved athletes need to have their thoughts focused. If their thoughts are focused then the fun can begin.