Athletes must be able to express strength, power, and speed in multiple directions, and it may be beneficial to emphasize horizontally based movements in strength and conditioning programs.
Personal trainersCoachesExercise Sciencehorizontal loadinfographics
This excerpt from NSCA’s Essentials of Sport Science highlights the importance of quantifying training load for both programming and monitoring an athlete’s progression or regression over time.
Personal trainersTSAC FacilitatorsCoachesProgram designTraining LoadPlayer LoadRPEGPS
Field tests have become popular in applied exercise science and sport performance enhancement programs because of their simplicity and ability to generalize results. However, numerous confounding factors may influence the validity of test data from such evaluations.
CoachesTesting and Evaluationsport performance trainingfitness trainingfitness testsfitness testing
Considering that the term "power" typically evokes the perception of high-speed movement, many people are inclined to take the tenets of specificity to literally mean “train fast, be fast.” However, to create the most strategic methods of training and adaptation, it is vital to compartmentalize power into the primary testable and trainable elements.
CoachesExercise ScienceTesting and Evaluationpowerpower trainingstrength and conditioning
Plyometric training is a series of explosive bodyweight resistance exercises using the stretch-shortening cycle of the muscle fiber to enhance physical capacities, such as speed, strength, and power. These physiological measures translate to improved performance in many sports, including court-based sports, field sports, and water sports.
This article covers commonly used terminology from United States of America Weightlifting (USAW), plus it contains illustrations of the basic positions for weightlifting exercises.
CoachesExercise TechniqueProgram designOlympic-style weightliftingpower snatchsquatweightliftingclean and jerksnatch
This article outlines some very basic procedures for video analysis that strength and conditioning professionals can use to identify the physical demands of specific activities.
CoachesExercise ScienceProgram designTraining program designsports performance video analysisvideo analysisstrength trainingexercise program design
The NFL Combine is a week-long evaluation process that allows NFL scouts, coaches, general managers, and owners to get an up-close and personal evaluation of the talent that comprises the given year’s draft class. This is a day-by-day program outline to maximize results and effort for the NFL combine.
CoachesProgram designTesting and EvaluationNFL CombineFootballAthlete Testing
This article discusses the influence of lower-body power on soccer performance in collegiate female soccer players. It also covers testing for muscular power qualities, different training modalities to use, and sample training programs as examples.
This book excerpt provides examples of quickness drills that may improve the ability to identify a specific stimulus and to respond quickly and appropriately.
CoachesExercise TechniqueProgram designAgilityball drops drillshuffle reaction ball drillwave drillreactive sprint and backpedal drillreactive gear drilldrills to improve quicknesshow to improve reaction timesquickness