by Jeff Appel
The question I get more than anything is “Do you do sports specific training?”
The answer is not a simple yes or no, I wish it was, but an explanation always comes with it. The strength and conditioning aspects of an athlete’s training will not help the athlete with the three-point shot, the ability to hit a curve ball, or make an accurate pass; these objectives are completed on the field, court, and in an athlete’s spare time. The goal of sports performance training is not to make the trainee a better player of their sport, but rather a better athlete--this is where it gets tricky. Most of the time becoming a better athlete will make one a better player, so, yes, we do sports specific training. We train the body in ways that it will need to move on the field. We make sure to train athletes in such a way that they will be as balanced as possible and be as resilient to injury as possible. We condition in a way that will improve the efficiency of the athlete’s energy system(s) used in their sport. However, is there a giant difference between the program we will initially give two beginner athletes of different sports? Probably not, depending on the athletes themselves. The first thing we need to do is teach them how to move and build a base from which they may grow. Will our agility program help your athlete read a defense? Probably not, but they may be able to physically react faster. But as stated above the tactical side is learned on the field or court. Will our strength staff teach tackling drills, dribbling drills or batting drills during Speed or Strength class? No.
As one can see, this can be a loaded question. Sports performance training will give the athlete the physical tools to be able to compete in their sport, so yes, we do sports specific training.
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