In order to develop the athlete the coach must recognize their individual needs and plan the training program around them. KA works with their athletes to overcome their unique injury patterns and imbalances, improve their individual weaknesses and increase overall sport performance. They work with their athletes on all properties of Athletic Development: speed, strength, power, flexibility, endurance and skill. KA's advanced understanding of the periodization and restoration processes allows their coaches to integrate all these physical properties without compromising the recovery of the athlete. This extraordinary skill allows their athletes to achieve incredible results in their sport.

KA provides athletic development coaching and consulting to athletes in multiple sports at all different levels. Whether you are the amateur athlete looking to optimize your performance, the professional athlete looking to prolong your career, or the college athlete striving to make it back from an injury, our methods can help you! Our philosophies are not based on the latest research paper - they are based on sound scientific principles, real life experiences, proven successes and feedback from our athletes.
"I play division III hockey for Plattsburgh State University and I am in my third year. I prepare for each upcoming season and decided this year I wanted someone to train me who really knows his stuff. After looking around I determined Mark was the most knowledgeable and best fit for the job. Quickly he exceeded my expectations and together through hard work I am now in the best shape of my life and fully prepared and the long
season ahead. I am confident that the hard work will pay big dividends on the ice.
I am already looking forward to working with Mark again as he was not only a great trainer but also a great mentor."

KA provides individualized integrated physical assessments for our clients, and for the clients of other exercise specialists looking to gather critical information on which to base their programming decisions. Our resident coach Mark Mancino has designed a comprehensive testing protocol to assess an individuals present injury status, their injury potential, strengths, weaknesses, imbalances and their general level of preparedness. The assessments contained in this protocol come from a number of industry resources. They have been well studied in many laboratories and clinics, and have demonstrated tremendous application in the clinical arena. They have also met our highest standard of excellence based on the following criteria:

1. Validity
2. Reliability
3. Applicability
4. Ease of administration and replication
5. Subject suitability

The testing protocol involves an initial in depth consultation, full postural appraisal, muscle length/tension assessments, recruitment and activation pattern testing, neurological tension points appraisals, trigger point assessments and gross movement pattern analysis. The exercise specialist and client are then provided with a comprehensive summary of test results complete with exercise recommendations, relative contraindications and training programming guidelines.

Health and performance arises from the inside and projects outward. That is, optimal human performance depends greatly on the ability to synthesize and transmit energy at a cellular level. While many nutritional experts have recommended countless generic approaches, these methods continue to demonstrate limited success. Have you ever wondered why it is that people lose weight and feel great on a low carbohydrate diet, while others experience the same benefits on high carbohydrate intakes? Why some people can eat a vegetarian or vegan diet and feel great, while others swear by the no grains approach? This can be explained by the fact that the capacity to produce and utilize energy at a physiological level is a highly dependent on individual dietary needs.

This fact has been well documented in the innovative works of Dr. Roger Williams, Dr. William Donald Kelley and the great Dr. Weston A. Price to name a few. Weston Price studied large groups of primitive and modernized people with varying eating habits based largely on what was available to them in their geographical area; from isolated Irish fishermen to American Indians to Australian Aborigines. His compelling conclusions; as long as the primitive people stuck to their natural ways of feeding, they enjoyed good health and vitality in the absence of degenerative disease.

At KA we provide comprehensive nutrition and lifestyle assessments based largely on this premise and the collaborated works of Dr. William Wolcott and Paul Chek. This approach allows us to establish the individual's unique nutrition and lifestyle needs. These assessments leave no stone unturned investigating individual metabolic type, dietary habits, digestive function, circadian health, food intolerances, environmental toxicities, potential parasitic and fungal infections, lifestyle stressors, mental and emotional stressors and much more..

This appraisal process provides us with the information we need to recommend the appropriate changes to meet your health, vitality and performance needs. The nutrition and lifestyle counseling process is not unlike the the physical training process; changes must be made in a planned, periodized manner that meets the dominant needs of the individual at that time Recognition must also be given to their state of readiness for change. For some this may mean committing to drinking more water and reducing their sugar intake, while for others with more pressing health concerns, it may mean a complete reorganization of their habits. Whatever, your goals or needs, KA can help you meet them with their individual specific diet and lifestyle approach.