Sports performance training is simply doing exercises, drills and movements that will play a part in increasing or improving upon your ability to do things at practices and games.

So, what does that look like exactly?

Let’s start with what qualities can improve one’s performance on the field, court, ice, or track.

STRENGTH

Strength is HUGE in terms of sports performance. Whether it’s being strong enough to handle going up against opponents, being strong enough to produce enough force to jump higher and run faster or having enough strength to where your body is more resilient to things like injuries; strength is pivotal for most athletes wanting to see an increase in their performance.  

SPEED

Speed kills in almost every sport. So how do you get faster? Just sprinting more is a great place to start, but doing specific sprint drills that may work on mechanics or different aspects of speed like acceleration, transition, and top end will also get you a lot further. Competition also plays a big factor, being able to compete against someone, something or some time ensures you get the most out of your speed work.

CHANGE OF DIRECTION OR AGILITY

The ability to change direction quickly can be the difference between stopping your opponent or getting your ankles broken. Learning how to slow yourself down quickly and efficiently will help in that transition. Also learning how to sprint coming from different positions or angles will also lead to smoother transitions down the road.

JUMPING

Who doesn’t want to jump higher? For a handful of sports, jumping higher is crucial in ones’ success (ie: basketball & volleyball). However, most sports can benefit from improving one’s vertical jump as well. Think of times where you might need to get off the ground quickly or while running or moving side-to-side; being able to jump high and quickly can improve one’s game tenfold.

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

So, with the above in mind, what does sports performance training look like then? A great answer should be a blend of all those, and more.

Most importantly, it starts by identifying what the needs are for the individual and sport and then building a plan around those needs and the timeline presented. Not only do sports have different needs, but so do positions, an athlete’s age/experience, and most importantly, an athlete’s injury history. It’s important to take as many factors into account, as well as where the athlete is in terms of their competitive season.

From there, you would want to build a plan for 60-75 minutes a day for 2-3 times a week where you incorporate those qualities. A good session would include a dynamic warm-up, some technical speed/agility/jumping work, some competitive speed/agility/jumping work, and a weight lifting session that includes things done in multiple planes and on one and two legs. Build that together with your training goals and a timeline, and you’ll certainly see some added success when it’s time to compete during your season!