SAQ Lacrosse (Speed, Agility and Quickness) Training Program with Ben Preston and his staff at Preston Student Athletic Services along with Girl's Lax Coach Sarah Fischer. This is the first, only and best SAQ Lacrosse program in Florida. If you are a top athlete in South Florida you should already know who Ben Preston is. If not, now is the time to introduce yourself. The program will run December and January. While tailored to lacrosse players, this program is ideally suited for any sport including soccer, basketball, softball players, etc. Lacrosse players must have sticks. All athletes are welcome. Runs Sept-November. SAQ Session Images

Speed • Agility • Quickness • 40 yd Dash Mechanics •Plyometrics/Jumping/Timing •  Overload • Resistance  • Overspeed/Speed Maintenance • Biomechanics • Balance/Coordination • Occular Coordination  • Read & React Drills  • Position Specific Drills • Functional Strength/Core Development  • Proprioception Drills  • Testing  

Ben Preston and the staff of YMCA SAQ Lacrosse will help transform you into the complete lacrosse player. Our team of professionals will help you extract the most speed your body is capable of generating. In addition to learning lacrosse at an accelerated pace you will substantially increase your speed by the end of this season.

If you are looking to increase your speed, improve your dodging capabilities, defend with efficiency and develop proper footwork then SAQ Lacrosse is for you! You will dramatically increase your acceleration, improve cutting ability, learn techniques to decelerate, improve coordination and develop top speed.

                                       

Ben Preston – YMCA SAQ Lacrosse Head Trainer

Ben Preston  YMCA SAQ Lacrosse Trainer President, Preston Student Athlete Services, Inc. EDUCATION: Fitness Institute International - Certified Personal Training Specialist Florida International University - B.S. (Exercise Physiology) Florida International University - M.S. (Exercise Physiology) National Strength and Conditioning Assoc. - Certified Personal Trainer Since 1981, Ben Preston has been training athletes from professional to all levels of youth.  His first project was his son, Asheiki Preston, who eventually went on to play Division I football for Kansas State University on a full scholarship.  Since then, Coach Preston has helped developed many athletes to their full athletic potential. His students have gone on to receive scholarships at many Division I and II schools.  Coach Preston has trained athletes to highly successful lacrosse, soccer, baseball, volleyball, football, hockey, tennis, golf and other sport careers.

SAQ Lacrosse recognizes that the game of lacrosse is one of the most demanding of all sports. In the modern game conditioning is essential. Outside of soccer, few sports are played on as large a playing field, lasting as long and without regular rest periods.

Players cover on average 5 miles during a game, consisting of 25% walking, 40% jogging, 18% sprinting, 13% moving backwards and 4% moving while in possession of the ball.

Lacrosse players must posses excellent endurance with VO2max (Aerobic Power & Maximal Oxygen Uptake) ranging between 55 and 70 ml/kg/min in top players. The game is played at an average intensity close to the lactate threshold - approximately 80-90% of maximum heart rate. Lactate threshold is ”the point during exercise of increasing intensity at which blood lactate begins to accumulate above resting levels, where lactate clearance is no longer able to keep up with lactate production.” During low intensity exercise, blood lactate remains at or near to resting levels. As exercise intensity increases there comes a break point where blood lactate levels rise sharply.

The greater a player's aerobic capacity, the more ground they cover during a typical game. Additionally, improved endurance also increases the number of sprints completed in a game. Over an eight week period of SAQ Lacrosse, is it possible to improve the VO2max of lacrosse players by 11%, an increase of 20% in total distance covered during a competitive game, as well as a 25% increase in involvement with the ball; and a over a 100% increase in the number of sprints performed by a player during a typical game.

Strength training plays a major role in lacrosse. We are not speaking about traditional weight lifting. Lacrosse requires a balance of explosive power and muscular endurance. Some players may benefit from increasing their lean mass but even they should focus on converting much of their strength into lacrosse-specific power. Strength training for lacrosse helps to correct muscle imbalances. SAQ Lacrosse addresses strength training through Ballastic and Plyometric drills.

In ballistics training the force far outweighs the resistance so movement is of a high velocity. The resistance is accelerated and projected. Examples include medicine ball throws and free weights such as jump squats. The aim is to reach peak acceleration at the moment of release projecting the object or body as far as possible.

Plyometric drills involve a quick, powerful movement using a pre-stretch or counter-movement that involves the stretch shortening cycle. Classical plyometric exercises include various types of jump training and lower and upper body drills using various medicine balls. Plyometrics is an ideal form of power training for lacrosse players. Plyometrics is used to develop the power required for sprinting, throwing, jumping and quick changes of direction.

Traditional strength training such as weight lifting may lead to a 5% gain; whereas plyometrics will result in at least a 10% gain; and ballastic drills can increase a players jumping height by 15% or more. A blend of ballastic and plyometric strength training is essential in SAQ Lacrosse.

SAQ Lacrosse carefully balances the rigours of one of the most strenuous team sports. Lacrosse requires the physical and performance qualities of most other sports "combined". Players must possess size, strength, power, speed, agility, quickness and endurance. Players are almost constantly moving as they attempt to move the ball downfield and into the goal cage.

On average lacrosse players must have the aerobic capacity of soccer, basketball and football players. Midfield players on the other hand, must have significantly greater endurance than attackers or defensive players and their aerobic endurance compares favorably to more traditional distance athletes. This makes sense as midfielders are expected to cover more ground than all other players.

While male lacrosse players require a high bodyweight to cope with the aggressive physical contact in the game, girl's lacrosse players are not expected to carry high bodyweight. A higher than average bodyweight must be coupled with a low body fat percentage as players are required to move quickly around the field of play. Lacrosse players are expected to have a lower body fat percentage compared to other athletes playing football, basketball and volleyball.

From a conditioning point of view then, lacrosse players must have maximal strength, explosive power and power endurance. Attackers and defensive players tend to have greater need for strength and power compared to midfield players. All positions will benefit from both aerobic and anaerobic endurance training, and while this may be more predominant for the midfielders, attacking and defensive players could also be expected to improve their performance over the duration of the game with greater stamina.

Speed, agility, quickness and strength training is an important element of a lacrosse training program - for all positions. One of the challenges we address in SAQ Lacrosse is combining all the required elements of fitness without one negatively affecting the other.