Richmond Spiders Conditioned For Success In NCAA Tourney

ESCONDIDO, CA, March 25, 2011 (Press-News.org) The University of Richmond Spiders head Strength & Conditioning coach, Jay DeMayo, employed a secret weapon and deployed a revolutionary conditioning program that has had a major impact on the basketball team's ability to successfully compete with better known programs.

The secret weapon is legendary biomechanist pioneer, Dr. Michael Yessis. The revolutionary concept, developed by Dr. Yessis, is to use sport-specific exercises designed to mimic actual game play, including the angle and velocity of movements performed on the court. According to DeMayo "Dr. Yessis' concepts and program of specificity (specialized exercises to build strength where it's needed for the specific sport), along with his work on technique and mechanics, has helped our kids all year--including our run in this year's NCAA tourney." It's one of the factors that has allowed the Richmond Spiders to hold the record of the most wins as a 12th seed or lower.

Dr. Yessis added, the key to successful play on the court directly relates to improved player execution of the core skills, such as jumping, cutting, shooting, etc. This is made possible by using specialized exercises that combine technique with strength. This is what provides the basis for a successful team strategy. Any strategy is only as good as the player's ability to execute the necessary skills."

Dr. Michael Yessis received his Ph.D. from the University of Southern California and his B.S. and M.S. from City University of New York and is Professor Emeritus at California State University, Fullerton, where he was a multi-sports specialist in biomechanics (technique analysis) and sports conditioning and training.

He has served as training and technique consultant to several professional and Olympic sports teams, including the L.A. Rams and L.A. Raiders and the U.S. Men's Volleyball team. Additionally he has trained hundreds of athletes in different sports in addition to developing unique specialized training programs.

During his fifty plus years of working with athletes, Dr. Yessis developed what has come to be known as the "Yessis System" for improving running speed. His three-step method has been successfully used to improve athletes in basketball, football, soccer, baseball, track and other sports. Most notable is the improvement in sports technique. He is considered this country's foremost expert on sports technique. In the Jan 2011 issue of Muscle & Fitness, Dr. Yessis is referred to as the legendary biomechanist.

Dr. Yessis has written 16 books in the sports and fitness field including "Build A Better Athlete" and "Biomechanics & Kinesiology of Exercise, and written more than 2,000 articles on fitness and sports training that have appeared in magazines such as Muscle and Fitness, Shape, Scholastic Coach, Fitness Management, National Strength and Conditioning Association Journal and Track and Field Coaches Review. Dr. Yessis Bio can be viewed at doctor yessis website.

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