Velocity Matters

- By Joseph Schoenbauer Fri, March 25, 2005



Many regard Argentinean Diego Armando Maradona, who dominated the world sport of soccer from the late seventies to the early nineties, as the best soccer player to ever play the game. Throughout his distinguished playing career Diego “El Pibe de Oro” Maradona was the winner of countless championships and individual honors. From leading scorer in Argentina, to Cup winner in Spain, to World Cup Champion with Argentina, to League winner in Italy, Diego Maradona won it all. At the turn of the century he even won the FIFA Player of the Century award. If that wasn’t enough, the goal he scored against England in the 1986 World Cup was voted the best goal ever in the history of soccer.

To some people these facts are astonishing given Diego Maradona’s physical appearance. Diego Maradona, in top physical condition during his greatest years and dressed in street clothes, could easily have been mistaken on the street for your typical man. Diego was never the tallest player, nor was he ever the skinniest player. In fact, if one had to use words to describe his physical appearance, the first one’s to come to mind would be short and stocky. Certainly these aren’t the characteristics befitting of a FIFA player of the century, right?

So how was Diego Armando Maradona so good despite his obvious lack in what many people perceive to be an essential characteristic to being the best, size? The answer. The perception that bigger is better when it comes to athletes is simply just not true, and Diego Maradona is proof of this. Rather than size, Diego had what is truly essential to being the best. He had sublime skill on the ball, fantastic vision, boundless creativity, and a mind for the game. But that’s not all. On the soccer field, Diego could turn on a dime in the tightest of spaces. He could react to a deflected ball in a matter of a split-second. He could leap over countless sliding defenders one after another without falling to the ground. And he could stop full tilt and then reach top speed again quicker than you can count to two. In short, Diego had amazing footwork, rapid turns, breakneck starts, superior agility, commanding balance and tremendous velocity. And he proved that these attributes are of the most importance when striving to be an elite athlete.

Unfortunately for fans of Argentina and of the sport of soccer, Diego Maradona is retired and therefore no longer can display his skills to the world. Nevertheless, since his retirement, soccer fans around the world have been persistently hoping and looking for a new Diego Maradona to bless the sport once again. Thankfully, while most are merely hoping for another Diego to appear before them, others are taking matters into their own hands to develop elite athletes capable of competing on the world stage. In 1999, Loren Seagrave, currently regarded as one of the most prominent speed and sports performance coaches in the world, co-founded a program in America. His mission: to create an advanced athletic performance-training program that gives all athletes, regardless of their age, skill level, shape or size, the opportunity to be exposed to the same methods and exercises the best athletes in the world are exposed to, in hopes that all athletes in the program can reach their full potential. His method: The use of a high-class facility coupled with highly educated, knowledgeable and talented coaches. His result: Velocity Sports Performance.

Just as Diego Maradona is probably not what your typical perception of an elite athlete looks like, Velocity Sports Performance is probably not what your typical perception of what an elite gym looks like either. In fact, Samantha Horwitz, co-owner of the Velocity Sports Performance in Rockville, Maryland, goes as far to explain simply that Velocity Sports Performance is not a gym at all. As you walk in, you can see exactly what she means. Apart from the front desk and offices, Velocity Sports Performance does not resemble a typical gym in the least. Missing are the endless lanes of treadmills, stationary bikes, and elliptical trainers. Missing are the robotically static bench press, triceps and back machines. In their place, a strength and conditioning center complete with a 30-yard turf field, a 50-yard track, a multi-purpose hard court, and a speed and power equipment area, all of which should make any youth, amateur, collegiate, professional or Olympic athlete radiate with excitement.

Last Saturday, I had the opportunity to witness this facility in action for the first time. Velocity Sports Performance was giving back to their community by allowing a team based out of Washington D.C. free sessions. As I walked in the door, members of the WSC DC Blast, a girls U-14 team that competes in WAGS (www.wagsl.com), an extremely competitive league that boasts some of the best youth teams in the nation, was warming up with “the stick” (www.thestick.com) before getting into their exercises. Overseeing them was the knowledgeable Coach Thien Dinh, a certified strength and conditioning specialist, as required for all coaches working with Velocity Sports Performance. To further qualify himself, Coach Thien Dinh has years of strong experience in weightlifting, soccer, martial arts and volleyball under his belt. His resume is perfect for Velocity Sports Performance’s philosophy, where the methods and exercises for teams or individuals are made specific to their sport. Over the total of ten sessions he’s had with the DC Blast soccer team, Coach Thien Dinh has concentrated on many of the best exercises that improve on the skills that made Diego Maradona unstoppable. In this particular 90-minute session, the last of the 10 sessions, the athletes were subjected to numerous agility and speed drills with the use of cones, agility ladders, hurdles, the 50-yard sprint track, and soccer balls with the aim of working on their lateral motions, acceleration to deceleration to acceleration movements and stomach muscles.

When the final session was over, both coach and players were full of praise for the other. Coach Thien Dinh was quick to point out that this group of players was great to work with. Likewise, the DC Blast team members told me they were thankful to their coach for their improved footwork, quicker turns, faster starting speed, and exercises they can continue to work on on their own. Perhaps just as importantly, the DC Blast team members were most thankful for Coach Thien Dinh making the session’s fun, and for Dave and Buster’s being just around the corner! Regardless of which factor is most important to the coach and the players, the proof is there for all to see that the coaches, methods, facilities and overall philosophy of Velocity Sports Performance is a combination Diego Maradona would be proud and approving of. As places like Velocity Sports Performance grow, maybe even American’s can dream of a new Diego Maradona appearing before them on their own home soil.

For more information on Velocity Sports Performance go to their website at www.velocitysp.com/rockville