Hope in HOPS

There’s a new plyometric training center at the basement level of the Green Valley Country Club in Pasig and it’s the latest fitness rage in town.

San Miguel Beer and Barangay Ginebra players are regular customers in the 177 square-meter facility that had its grand opening and ribbon-cutting last Wednesday.

Plyometrics is the new-age concept that’s revolutionizing the way of priming an athlete’s body for competition.

The country’s plyometrics guru and pioneer is Kirk Collier of South Carolina State. His job description says he’s a skills coach who tutors an athlete to play to his full potential using plyometric techniques. Collier, 42, is both a teacher and drillmaster.

The training center is called HOPS or the Home of Plyometric Strength. It’s situated right beside the rehabilitation clinic of Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) physical therapists Dondi Narciso of San Miguel Beer, Roy Lazaro of Purefoods and Eskie Feria of Talk ‘N’ Text.

Investors coughed up over P2.5 Million to import 10 plyometric machines for HOPS. Three full-time trainers are on hand to take care of as many as 20 athletes in 10 different work stations.

HOPS isn’t only for athletes in training. It’s also for ordinary folks who want to keep in shape. What’s more, a full 12-session plyometric program isn’t that expensive. The cost is P5,000 a month. Each session will take about one to 1 1/2 hours to complete with the strict supervision of a HOPS trainer.

The bonus is if you work out at HOPS, you’ll rub elbows with the San Miguel and Ginebra stars who usually report in the afternoon. If you’re lucky, Collier might share his conditioning tips, too.

At the grand opening were Henry Cojuangco, San Miguel Beer coach Joseph Uichico, model and talk show host Angel Aquino, Danny Ildefonso (still in crutches after undergoing surgery to remove bone spurs in his left foot), Olsen Racela, Rudy Tan of Burlington Socks, former San Miguel team manager Zar Avendano, San Miguel Beer team manager Robert Non, Narciso and of course, Collier, among others.

Noted sports medicine specialist Dr. George Canlas is involved in both the rehabilitation clinic and the plyometrics center. His far-reaching influence and expertise guarantee professionalism in the management of the clinic and plyometrics center.

Narciso, who earned his physical therapist degree at the University of Santo Tomas in 1993, opens both the clinic and plyometrics center at 7 a.m. and stays until 7 p.m. The only hours when he’s not around is during San Miguel Beer practices.

Narciso said like Ildefonso, San Miguel star Danny Seigle underwent surgery to remove bone spurs in his right foot. Seigle is already off crutches and even went to Bangkok for a vacation with a cast in his foot. He came back from Bangkok the other day and will start rehabilitation on Monday.

At the grand opening, Alaska star Don Allado’s younger brother Andrew demonstrated the use of the plyometric machines. Andrew, 16, played varsity basketball at Chatsworth High School in San Fernando Valley near Los Angeles and is visiting with father Loy for the summer.

"Andrew’s 6-1, just about Don’s height at his age," said Loy. "I expect him to shoot up this or next year just like Don did. He played on a varsity team with 10 blacks and a Hispanic. He was the only Asian and he had to fight for his playing time. It was good training for him. He wants to be a lawyer but also likes to play ball. Let’s see what his final decision will be."

I also spoke with Uichico at the opening. He said he’s leaving for the US soon and will be back in time for San Miguel’s first practice on Aug. 2. Uichico hopes to hook up with Detroit Pistons and US Olympic coach Larry Brown during his trip.

Uichico said he was disappointed with import Art Long’s showing late in the conference.

"He’s like a Jekyll and Hyde," said Uichico. "Off the court, he’s a real nice guy, likes to play with kids. On the court, he can’t seem to control his temper. He lives in Philadelphia with his grandmother and he’s divorced. He’s involved in a child custody case. He’s a great player. He belongs in the NBA (National Basketball Association) but I think he has an attitude problem."

Uichico said Long never got a chance to explain what happened in the quarterfinals where the Beermen lost two of three outings. "It was academic," continued Uichico. "We were already eliminated. I felt he was trying to say he wasn’t to blame. But in a conference like this, imports are 50 percent of the game. During the quarterfinals, he just wasn’t in condition anymore. I don’t know what happened. Maybe, too many late nights. He wasn’t in shape for practices or for games. So we just decided to play All-Filipino in our last game."

If you’re looking to rehab or train, the place to go is Green Valley Country Club. It’s the TEAM Specialists rehabilitation clinic for therapy and HOPS for plyometrics training.