HEALTH MATTERS
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OrangeObserver.com
DECEMBER 2018
Don’t let sore feet stop you from having fun!
Train ’em right At Total Athlete Training’s new Winter Garden location, Dan Bessetti is looking to help aspiring local athletes. TROY HERRING SPORTS EDITOR
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www.OrlandoFootAndAnkle.com
(407)423-1234
MAKE AN APPOINTMENT TODAY! DR. PHILLIPS
OCOEE
CLERMONT
Dr. Perez Dr. Estrada
Dr. Maguire Dr. Estrada
Dr. Saranita
6000 Turkey Lake Road, Suite 108 Orlando, FL 32819
1261 Blackwood Ave Ocoee, FL 34761
1381 Citrus Tower Blvd, Suite 103 Clermont, FL 34711
291663-1
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s Dan Bessetti paces on the turf inside his new facility, there’s a controlled excitement about his demeanor. It’s in this large space filled with weights and training equipment in Winter Garden that he plans on helping mold the area’s young athletic talent. Total Athlete Training, located on Gillard Avenue, is the physical embodiment of Bessetti’s life work preparing middle and highschool athletes to play at the next level by offering programs that are geared specifically for their age group. “Most of the information out there about training is still based upon the college and the elite level — unfortunately, that doesn’t extrapolate naturally down to someone who is 12,” Bessetti said. “I learned that the hard way. Obviously, the parents and the athletes didn’t know any better, but (I) as a practitioner saw (that) these kids are not understanding how they need to move and contort their bodies.” By continually utilizing college workout programs at the middle and high-school level, it actually can prevent a studentathlete from reaching fullest, and healthiest, potential, Bessetti said. Teaching age-appropriate
technique and training can help build a stronger base for an athlete — setting the foundational requirements needed to excel at his or her sport. “You need to train them where they are at with an eye toward where you would like to get them to — where almost everyone aspires to,” Bessetti said. Getting kids started at an early age — their early teens or sooner — helps further establish those required skills thanks to the makeup of the brain. The human brain contains the most neurons between the ages of 9 to 13, Bessetti said, which means the more that young athletes can learn in that time, the better off they will be when it comes to nailing down those needed skills. “At the base of the brain — in the cerebellum — which is the coordinative center of the brain, that’s where the thought of, ‘OK, I need to shuffle over there’ goes to here (legs, feet) to tell what muscles to make to do it,” Bessetti said. “This is like the relay point where everything is connected together. So there are a lot of connections that are possible in there, and the more you make, the more varied your movement skill repertoire is.” Another big aspect of the training programs that Bessetti offers to younger athletes is focused on keeping them physically healthy by showing them proper technique.