Sports-Specific Performance Training to Increase Success

Mentally Tougher, Bigger, Faster, and Stronger. Regardless of the sport, coaches will apply an assortment of practical exercise training modalities in hopes their teams will gain a competitive edge. For most coaches the goal of practice focuses on sport-specific skills that emulate game competition to prepare students to win at a high level; however, there are ways to enhance the outcomes of individuals and teams, implementing quality strength training programs.

Individualized strength and conditioning may increase the chances of both student and team success. In the past, lack of knowledge, training and education led to dangerous training sessions. High school students are young athletes, and they have increased risk for significant injuries if attention is not devoted to athletic development. In addition, social media applications as well as the creation of strength and conditioning jobs that now focus on high school sports solutions are more accessible, but with proper planning, coaches can develop a meaningful strength conditioning supplemental plan to enhance competition.

When coaches take time to analyze and break down the needs of their respective sports, supplemental strength training can positively affect outcomes and lead to further success for individual athletes and athletic teams.

Understanding Athlete Needs
The first and most important perspective of improving sport-specific athletic development is understanding why supplementing practice time with strength training is beneficial. Having goals for training in relation to the athlete and sport is crucial for creating meaningful outcomes. Coaches and athletes need to set objective goals to work toward, such as lowering times in a timed track race, vertical jump height for volleyball or basketball or even distance of a ball hit in baseball or softball. Regardless of the sport, setting an objective standard to work toward allows everyone to measure outcome where the goal is to maximize effort regardless of whether the objective standard is met.

When designing strength training programs, it is important to understand that despite research showing the drawbacks of year-round sport specialization, some students continue to engage in such practices. Consequently, strength training that does not account for such variables may be less effective. Students who compete year-round may find benefit to significantly lower volume sessions than that of a one-sport athlete who is in need of greater stimulus due to lack of year-round competition periods. Consequently, individual results may vary for each athlete. Coaches need to closely monitor results and build psychological resiliency so that students are not discouraged when they do not attain immediate gains.

Understanding Specific Sport Needs
In addition to understanding how to maximize the potential in an athlete, attention needs to be devoted to what strength training can do to develop specific sport skills. For example, an athlete who primarily plays football and basketball may need specific strength activities that prepare them for specific energy needs; a wrestler may need more lower body strength for leverage as opposed to the cross country runner. The basic foundational training principles may be similar for both athletes, but the cross country/soccer athlete may need to address longer conditioning tactics that attack not only shorter sprint durations, but rather extended bouts of running while the football/basketball athlete may need to address more explosive movements with combined shorter/longer sprint durations.

Coaches who understand the specific skills they are trying to develop for their entire teams are more likely to design programs that increase entire cohort improvement and can lead to systemic levels of success.

Tracking Results of Strength Conditioning
Strength conditioning has clear purpose when objective goals can be measured. For example, to improve the athlete’s maximum vertical jump, a plan to train ground contact timing and force production should be completed three times per week in 30-minute training sessions. Even more gains may be made when such strength conditioning is done before practice as students will get additional opportunities to test their new strength in a practice.

When a set training plan has timely measurements focused on outcome, it can show students and coaches individual gains, validating improved results and encouraging continual development. It is during this time that coaches also need to continue to monitor athletes so that they do not overtrain; they may be excited about their outcomes and overtraining may increase risk of injury and decrease performance.

Understanding Physiology
Athletes are competitive and want to improve. Each athlete’s physiological makeup has differences that should be accounted for when establishing specific athlete development. An athlete’s height may impact squat patterns and depth. Body composition may play a crucial role in deciding between training volumes and body weight exercises such as pull-ups, push-ups and single leg activities. When coaches can provide students with a realistic pathway to improve their outcomes, they are more likely to follow strength training development. By understanding and applying training perspectives to any high school athlete development program, superior outcomes will occur that inevitably will lead to improved athletic performance.

All coaches strive to establish success in their respective sport by addressing the need for athletic development. Particularly at the high school level, a need for specific training modalities is a necessity for optimal physiological enhancement. By organizing training perspectives and setting objective purpose, athlete and sport-specific training practices can lead to overall desired goals. Mentally Tougher, Bigger, Faster, Stronger.