Uncategorized

If you’re a top football player who plans to attend 2011 spring and summer football camps, now’s the time to start preparing! You only get one chance to make a great first impression to the colleges and scouts who want to see what you can do.

This clinic will train you for college prep combine drills. At Gamespeed, we will not only teach you skills and mechanics, but will help build and condition your mind and body for the intense training. Don’t just show up — show out!

Training includes:

• 3 cone drill
• 10-yard shuttle
• Bench press
• Vertical jump
• Position drills
• 40-yard dash
• 1-on-1 drills
• Offense & defense ball drills

Cost: $30 per class; 4 for $115 (pre-scheduled)

Where: Gamespeed Dublin

When: Saturdays, 10-11:15 a.m.

Ages: 14 and up

Small group, by appointment only.

Clinic begins Dec. 4 and runs through Jan. 29. Classes fill up fast, so reserve your spot early. To sign up, call (925) 513-8676.

If you’re planning to move up the next level of football next year, it’s time to get to work. At Gamespeed, we’re pleased to offer a skills clinic that will have you prepared and ready to take your game to the next level.

Clinics cover:

• Basic football agility skills
• Proper stance and footwork drills
• Speed development
• Upper/lower body strength
• Specialized position technique

Cost: $27 per class; 4 for $100 (pre-scheduled)

When: Wednesdays, 6-7 p.m.

Where: Gamespeed Dublin location

Age: 9-12, small groups by appointment only

Clinic begins Nov. 29 and runs through Jan. 29. Classes fill up fast so reserve your spot early. To sign up, call (925) 513-8676.

Let’s be honest — in most sports, those who are slow, don’t play! How many athletes are given a shot just based on their speed? Or overlooked because they’re too slow? Most scenarios in sports come down to one thing: GET THERE FIRST!

• Get the ball first
• Break away
• Beat the throw
• First off the line

You name the scenario and there is some aspect of speed involved. In most cases, the spoils go to the swift, not the biggest. Even when comparing two big-sized athletes, who do they take? The faster of the two. If you want to compete, you have to train to go faster.

That’s what we do at Gamespeed. Our program is not for those who want to work out. It’s for those who want to TRAIN. Looking for performance and speed training? Catch up with us at Gamespeed. To find out more, give us a call at (925) 513-8676.

Core, core, core. It’s all you hear today in sports performance. “My athlete can’t do this or that because he has a weak core.” Gimmicks are all over TV touting tight six-pack abs. They are all geared toward flexion because when people “feel the burn” of an exercise, they feel as though the exercise is working. So athletes rush to the gym and coaches prescribe mega reps of crunches and sit-ups.

Without a complete understanding of how the core affects performance, this is a complete waste of time.  A strong and balanced core is a unit including several muscle groups working in coordination, not just the superficial six-pack. The most important muscles are the deep ones that cannot be seen and that are mostly responsible for athletic performance.

I liken the core to the transmission in a car — it allows for the transmission of torque and power to the legs and arms (speed & power).  It incorporates the frontal abdominal muscles (rectus abdominas), the lateral abdominal muscles (obliques), and the back muscle groups (erector spinae).

In terms of performance demands, I break it into three “athletic movement components.”  These components are:  trunk flexion (bending), trunk extension (upright), and trunk stabilizing (holding).

Athletes commonly […]

Aaron Prier, Ryan Toney

Gamespeed running backs Aaron Prier and Ryan Toney went head to head in last week’s matchup of Salesian against Valley Christian. Salesian won  63-41. The two Gamespeed-trained running backs  are both among the leaders in the East Bay. Salesian’s Aaron Prier is #4 overall against Valley Christian’s Ryan Toney, who is #5 overall. 

In this game, Prier finished the evening with 244 combined yards (187 rushing, 57 receiving) and scored four touchdowns. Toney rushed for 168 yards and scored three touchdowns. Great job to both athletes on their excellent seasons.

Shai Kobayashi

A fingertip interception by Shai Kobayashi of Heritage, led to a 53-yard drive and score in last week’s game between Heritage and Freedom. Heritage won the game 28-17. It was at least the third interception for Gamespeed athlete Kobayashi this season. Great job, Shai.

Celina Li

Celina Li, who swims for Foothill, recently competed at an international swim competition in Russia. Celina made the top finals in the 200 Fly and took 8th place. She swam a personal best of 2:15:63. She also made the top seeded heat in the 400 IM and swam in the finals, but was unfortunately disqualified. She also took 17th place in the 200 Breast. Congratulations, […]

Craig Jones’ 49-yard touchdown run earned him a spot as a finalist for the Sacramento area HighschoolSports.net Play of the Week. Here’s the link. He’s #30. http://on.fb.me/atvUML

Congratulations, Craig.

Our proof is in the pudding. Size is good but speed dominates at the high school level.

Aaron Prier of Salesian (Richmond) and Ryan Toney of Valley Christian (Dublin) are among the East Bay leaders in rushing. Aaron Prier (4th) has rushed for 887 yds through six games and averaged a whopping 12 yards per carry — second in the East Bay.

Ryan Toney (10th) has rushed for 777 yards through six games and has averaged 10.9 yards per carry. He is ranked 3rd overall per carry. The number two guy in yards per carry is the speedy George Atkinson of Granada. He’s one of the state’s top track athletes. 

To all you guys spending all your time in the weight room. I don’t see any stats on who has the highest bench press. Go ahead, keep getting big — you’ll get left!

We are excited to offer an Athletic Infielder Skills Development Program for baseball and softball players, beginning Nov. 1. Some of the Bay Area’s top infielders are past participants in this dynamic program which offers a two-pronged approach to developing the ultimate playmaker.

Participants will sharpen their fielding skills and techniques with former SF Giants player Erik Johnson and strengthen their athletic skill development with Gamespeed owner Aaron Thigpen. It promises to be the most effective 75 minutes of training a baseball athlete can undergo.

Athletes will see marked improvements in their: soft-quick hands, footwork, range, instincts, reaction and vision.

Our roster of past participants includes:

• Aaron Miles (2B/SS) – Antioch High, St Louis Cardinals
• Johnny Ash (2B/3B) – Bishop O’Dowd, Stanford, Houston Astros
• James Darnell (SS/3B) – San Ramon Valley, South Carolina, Padres
• Brandon Crawford (SS) – Foothill, UCLA, Giants
• Mickell Escobar (2B) – Heritage, USD
• Cheyenne Cordes (SS) – 2010 U.S. Junior National Softball Team

The class will be held from 7-8:15 p.m. on Mondays, Nov.1, 8, 15, 22, 29, and Dec. 6, 13. The cost is $335. 

Last year’s participants saw marked improvements in left-to-right range abilities. The biggest improvement was a whopping three feet! For more information or to sign up, call Gamespeed at (925) 513-8676.

Welcome to the new Gamespeed blog! If you’re reading this on Facebook, it won’t be much of a change from what we already post on a regular basis — lots of training tips, updates on our athletes’ successes and motivational articles. We decided to start a blog to expand our reach. We rely on referrals for new business, so feel free to forward our articles to friends, invite people to join our Facebook Page and, best of all, come by Gamespeed to see what we’re all about.

As an introduction for new readers, Gamespeed is an athletic performance training center in Dublin for athletes who are serious about their sports. In addition to being a competitive athlete, owner Aaron Thigpen has been a professional speed specialist for nearly two decades. He started coaching other athletes part-time between his professional track and field seasons before finally opening Gamespeed in 1995.

Gamespeed’s roster (past and current) includes 17 NFL athletes, 34 Major League Baseball players, and more than 100 scholarship athletes in soccer, baseball, track, rugby, lacrosse, tennis, swimming and basketball.

At Gamespeed, we specialize in: Speed training, Power, Agility, Conditioning, Instructional Clinics and Customized Training Programs by athlete […]