More Olympic Sports

A continuation from the unsung sporting events in the Olympics:

Fencing - 3 forms: foil, epee, and sabre.

Archery - The form of archery used in the O-games is Recurve archery because the bow is flexed

away from the archer (stores more energy)

Weightlifting - The Russians are strong. Wow, is this sport powerful. Men and women snatching and jerking about 3x times their body weight!

Equestrian - the horse is also an athlete.

Water Polo - Hungary dominates in this sport at the O-games.

Wrestling - first introduced in 708 BC of the Ancient O-Games - USA and Russia dominate now.

Judo - Medals are based on a single elimination bracket.

Volleyball - High flying ever since 1964 whether it is played indoors or on the beach.

Taekwondo - Are you a male that weighs 80+ kg or a female that weighs 67+ kg? Then, you are considered a heavy weight in this sport.

Soccer - Going all the way back to 1900 in Paris, the 2nd Summer Olympiad.

Gymnastics - The "Iron Cross" and the "Balance Beam" are just two of the most difficult apparatuses.

Swimming - Phelps (USA) is the most decorated. But, anyone can pose as a threat in this sport.

Rowing - Only one boat per National Olympic Committee means that there is a slim chance to compete in this competition.

Triathlon - A fast growing sport. Australia and its shark infested waters owns the most medals.

Track & Field - Names: Bolt. Lewis. Owens. FloJo. Rudolph. Johnson. Devers. History and present. Just fast.

Tennis - Fitting that Great Britain owns the most medals since the sports Olympic emergence in 1896.

Basketball - There is only one "Dream Team". But, bring back the amateur athletes!


Make It Happen,
Derek

Derek Arledge, MS, CSCS      www.teempt.com       TEEM Performance Training, LLC

London `12 Olympic Games: Unsung Sport - Table Tennis

Originated: 1988 Olympics in Soeul, Korea. But, it was the 1880's in Great Britain that introduced the sport to the world.
Where Popular: Asia and basements
Best Countries: China (hands down). Korea is in a distant second with the other countries far behind.
World Rankings Women: #1 Ding Ning (China)
World Rankings Men: #1 Zhang Jike (China)
Reigning Olympic Champion: Ma Lin (China - men), Zhang Yining (China - women)
Interesting Tidbit: The U.S. has never medaled, ending out the third and final Olympic sport in which we have never touched the winners podium (Team Handball and Badminton are the others.)

We know it as "Ping Pong", which ultimately could be an onomatopoeia if it is not already one. Great, a sport in which we have never medaled has been named, at least in Western culture, by a sound.



If you have only seen this sport played as a basement activity, then you are missing out on its true nature. First, the sport is fast. You need reflexes, coordination, body control, and focus.  Second, because the space is so small communication is a necessity. Do not bump into your partner. Let your partner know that you have the ball. Third, China dominates this sport. I mean, dominates the sport. They dominate table tennis so much that the tournament's criteria had to be changed because China takes all of the medals. But hey, when you are good; you are good.

Again, look at the muscle tone, at the balance, at the precision of all of these athletes. It is no joke. Have you ever profusely sweat playing table tennis/ping pong? Probably not. But, less sweat might be due to playing at a slow speed, which brings technique into play. Look at the distance from the table and the follow through on the return hit. Look at where the receiving athletes place there paddles in the ready position.

Table tennis is more than simple leisure. It is indeed very skillful.

Make It Happen,
Derek

London `12 Olympic Games: Unsung Sport - Badminton

Originated: 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona. Mid-18th century in India by British soldiers.
Where Popular: Asia
Best Countries: China, Korea, Denmark.
World Rankings Women: Singles - #1 Wang Yihan, #2 Wang Xin (both from China). Doubles - #1 Wang Xiaoli and Yu Yang (China)
World Rankings Men: Singles - #1 Lin Dan (China), #2 Lee Chong Wei (Malaysia). Doubles - #1 Chung Jae Sung and Lee Yong Dae (Korea).
World Rankings Mixed Doubles:  #1 Zhang Nan and Zao Yunlei (China)
Reigning Olympic Champion: Lin Dan (China - men), Zhang Ning (China - women), Markis Kido and Hendra Setiawan (Doubles - Indonesia)
Interesting Tidbit: One of three sports in which the U.S. has never donned a medal (we already mentioned Team Handball as the other one)...The feathered birdie that the athletes hit is called a "shuttlecock" or "shuttle"...Badminton has a single-elimination tournament: lose and you're done!

A very popular sport in backyards and at cookouts (I remember having a set as a kid), badminton is not the most popular when it comes to the USA medaling in the sport. Most individuals probably think that this sport is boring and slow. Wrong. Just let loose of our typical "oh, it must be slow because that is how we play in our backyard" mentality. When it is played overseas, the reflexes and reactions are much faster and much more serious.

What is needed in this sport? Looking at the photos below it is evident that muscle tone is very visible. Look at the athlete body types. The positions. The concentration. In addition, good balance, flexibility, and coordination are important. Would one of these athletes need to be thrown on the bench press? No way! Plus, the bench press is an exercise on which the general population loves and thrives.

A recreational athlete or individual would love working out like a badminton player: various planks, various lunges, various overhead exercises, and more. Think of exercises that are typically done in these positions with a little flare to them since badminton involves holding a racket.

Make It Happen,
Derek

London `12 Olympic Games: Unsung Sport - Canoeing and Kayaking

Originated: 1936 Berlin Games (demo sport in 1924 Paris O-Games); wherever there was water and a paddle back in the day. American Indians used them a lot to travel.
Where Popular: Wherever there is water and canoe and kayak accessibility.
Best Athletes: For the kayak - Rene Holten Poulsen (Denmark - men), Edward McKeever (Great Britain- men); Spela Ponomarkenko (Slovakia - women), Henriette Engel Hansen (Denmark- women), Marta Walczykiewicz (Poland - women). For the canoe - Andriy Kraytor (Azerbaijan - men) and Mark Oldershaw (Canada - men)
Best Teams: Former Soviet Union, Germany, Hungary at least in the past. European dominated. 
Recent Champions: Germany, Russia, Canada.
Interesting Tidbit: 85 nations have fielded a canoe/kayak team since the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games.

Have you ever canoed or kayaked before? Did you know that canoeing is most likely more difficult than kayaking minus the rapids. Endurance, and strength are two things that are necessary for both of these boats. Having to navigate through goals or posts set up while rapids provide resistance. An athlete needs core stability, upper body strength, reactive agility, quick reflexes, the ability to change direction using a device, flexible, and get this...he or she needs to be lightweight. Yes, lightweight.

It is an exciting sport to watch, and most likely an exciting one in which to participate. Could a non-athlete perform canoe and kayak drills in the gym? Sure! Why not use the body bar for something other than wasteful curls and other less functional exercises. Why not use a core bar hooked to the cable machine? But, the body bar is a big favorite for this sport.

Whether the event or boat is in rough water or flat water, this sport is something to recognize.

Olympic dreams,
Derek



London `12 Olympic Games: Unsung Sport - Track & Field's Hammer Throw

Originated: Celtic. Can be traced back to 1829 B.C. - Tailteann Games held in Tara, Ireland. Entered Olympic competition in 1900.
Where Popular: In Scottish Highland Games. European dominated.
Best Athletes: Athletes from the former Soviet Union and Belarus have thrown the farthest (men). Athletes from Germany, Russia, Poland, and Belarus have thrown the farthest (women).
Reigning Olympic Champion: Primoz Kozmus (Slovenia - men), Aksana Miankova (Belarus - women)
Reigning World Champion: Koji Murofushi (Japan - men), Tatyana Lysenko (Russia)
Interesting Tidbit: Women could not compete in the hammer throw in the Olympics until 2000 (Sydney). The U.S. dominated the first six medals of the hammer throw in the Olympics

It is interesting how the best athletes in this track and field event are from countries, which are nowhere near the origin (Ireland, Scotland, England) of the hammer throw. But, hands down, Russia, known for its breakthrough strength, is no surprise in how it has dominated this event. The country that gave us kettlebells has roots in rotational movement: think about ice hockey, gymnastics, and kettlebell swinging.

To excel in this sport, an athlete needs strength, power, balance, and a lot of grit (grunt!!!) With cable machine exercises, dumbbells, and kettlebells a hammer throwers movement can be mimicked. We will hold right here on this one. However, since the hammer throw is technical and difficult to get a hold of (we can't buy one at City Sports) whet your palate by messing around with a sledge hammer for a good workout of strength and power.


Make It Happen,
Derek

London `12 Olympic Games: Unsung Sport - Team Handball

Originated: 19th century Europe
Where Popular: Eastern Europe
Best Teams: Eastern European countries (men). South Korea, Denmark, Norway (women)
Reigning Olympic Champion: France (men) and Norway (women)
Reigning World Champion: France (men), Norway (women)
Interesting Tidbit: The USA has never won a medal in this sport.

Team Handball is very different from American Handball or Wallball as many call it. Picture basketball, soccer, volleyball, and lacrosse wrapped into one sport. You get Team Handball. Fast, high-scoring, foul-filled, and strategic.

Put the ball in the net!

If you have never seen this sport played, then you will enjoy this sport as it is played over the 30th Olympiad time period in London, England. The preparation that these athletes undergo is tremendous. This sport is not for the lazy. You have to be in shape. You have to be able to jump off one leg, sprint, catch, transition, start and stop, and get this...be lean and quick. Unlike other similar sports, namely, lacrosse and basketball, team handball does not have a big man. You will not see anyone who looks like LeBron James in size.

A Team Handball athlete needs enough power to generate a great shot on net. Olympic lifts, like the split jerks, push jerks, and power cleans are nice. But, work with cables, sleds, power bands, and tubing work just as well. The name of the game is speed with precision. So, functional training is very important with emphasis on throwing technique. To end it off...other than ice hockey, lacrosse, and water polo, you will not see a more active goalie in Team Handball.

Enjoy!

London 2012

Derek