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If I had to pick one concept from psychology to summarize coaching development, it would be the Dunning-Kruger Effect. Although that might come off as a little cliché, if you experience it firsthand, you will realize why it’s so commonly used. In popular terms, the concept traces a progression where:

• When you first learn about something, you’re excited and feel like you know everything because your knowledge on that topic just exponentially increased (the Peak of “Mount Stupid”).
• Then you become aware of the vastness and depth of that topic, which causes you to feel like you know nothing (Valley of Despair).
• You embark on a long, slow journey of increased knowledge (Slope of Enlightenment).

For me, year one of full-time coaching was definitely the Peak of “Mount Stupid,” with year two being the Valley of Despair and year three marking the ascent out of those depths and beginning up the Slope of Enlightenment. And what moved me forward through these peaks and valleys were the hours and hours and hours…and then even more hours, all just coaching—coaching kids as young as nine years old up to professional athletes and working with those whose goals range from becoming a pro athlete to making the high school team to just wanting fitness as part of their weekly routine. And doing so in settings ranging from a one-on-one with an athlete all the way to 100+ athletes I met just five minutes prior.

Starting my (hopefully) graceful rise after falling off the peak of Mount Stupid, I want to share the three biggest mistakes I’ve made and, consequently, what I’ve learned. Hopefully, I can expedite your learning process just a little bit as I start my long climb up the Slope of Enlightenment.

Mistake #1: Thinking I Had Enough Stories from Just One Year of Coaching

The one story that marks the beginning of my descent from Mount Stupid—and that will forever make me cringe every time I think about it—comes from a phone call I had after only a few part-time summers and a graduate assistantship under my belt…

I connected with an extremely well-known coach in the speed development space, someone I followed for a while and who made a significant impact on my and my coworker’s training philosophies. We scheduled a phone call, and I was an eager combination of nervous and excited. That phone call finished in about 27 minutes but felt like an eternity…the conversation was stale; it was just me asking questions and interviewing them with no real back-and-forth. I felt like I completely blew my one opportunity, which caused me to lose more sleep that night than it probably should have.

As time heals all wounds, I reflected on that phone call and realized that at that point in my coaching career, I just didn’t have enough stories, says @CoachBigToe. Share on X

As time heals all wounds, I reflected on that phone call and realized that at that point in my coaching career, I just didn’t have enough stories. We could replace the word stories with experience, but you’ll see why stories makes more sense with my examples below. Stories allow you to do two main things:

Contribute to Conversation

I’ve connected with more coaches over the last three years­—both intentionally and unintentionally networking—than most coaches probably will in their whole career. Many of those calls I planned to be 45 minutes long instead lasted three hours. This is because the other person had a background and interests similar to mine, the anecdotes we shared we both found interesting and fit well together, and so on. The conversation flowed, and I felt we connected more deeply than with the typical phone call.

On the flip side, I’ve also had phone calls I planned on lasting 45 minutes that ended up being barely 30 (like the one I shared above), and even those I initiated, I couldn’t wait just to finish. During those calls, the other coach and I didn’t really have anything in common, and I brought nothing to the table besides my questions from stalking them on the internet beforehand.

With that being said, I’m pleased to announce that the success rate of all my networking phone calls is dramatically higher in year three than in year one for one simple reason: I have more stories. I can contribute to the conversation by sharing interesting anecdotes, opinions, and insights to make it more of a back-and-forth than an interview. I can provide value to the other person with my unique experiences that can help them learn and grow instead of me just taking information from them.

Demonstrate Expertise

Although this story is from grad school, you’ll still learn from my embarrassment… It was the beginning of the second year of my master’s program, and because I knew graduation was inevitable, I started applying for jobs. Come October, I get a response from an application to schedule an interview with a professional baseball team. I learned who would be on the Zoom call, researched their backgrounds, and prepared notes for what I assumed they’d ask me relative to my experience and that role.

I had some experience, including a few part-time summers coaching and one semester of doing collegiate sports science, but that was pretty much it. My notes consisted of definitions of concepts from my textbooks and research studies I read in class. Once I finished my preparation, I had this feeling in my gut that it wouldn’t go well…and the interview turned out predictable and boring, like something was missing. And in retrospect, I know what it was: real-life stories.

Fast-forward 3 1/2 years, and I was interviewing again with a professional baseball team. The opening question of the interview was, “Tell me about a time you optimized the data reporting process.” I said, “I actually used to send Excel documents every day to the coaches with the athletes’ wellness data. Then I realized we only met weekly and made decisions based on the week, so why was I sending daily data? I changed to just having reports for the meetings but was ready to answer any questions they had between meetings. The coaches told me they felt less overwhelmed with one report per week instead of seven and were actually excited to see the data as it aligned more with their decision-making processes. As all sports science follows a data-discussion-decision flow, we needed to look at what decisions and at what frequency we wanted to make them, then work backward from there.” I received incredibly positive feedback about that answer, which definitely was not something I could’ve said 3 1/2 years earlier.

Everything in performance is a shade of gray, so when ‘it depends’ is the correct answer, you’ll have stories to turn that into ‘it depends, and here’s why,’ says @CoachBigToe. Share on X

Within stories is the opportunity to discuss nuance. Everything in performance is a shade of gray instead of black and white, so when “it depends” is the correct answer, you’ll have stories to turn that into “it depends, and here’s why (insert story).”

Lesson: Stories matter, and you need a lot of them. 

Mistake #2: Believing What I Put on Paper Is What Causes Improvement

The first year of full-time coaching is a blur; everything’s new and exciting due to the exponential learning rate. And this story takes place during my second year, right when coaching started to slow down in my mind as I felt more comfortable and collected. I had both my largest group and longest-training group so far…

It was the fall, and I was training a group of 12 sophomore high school baseball players. They were all friends; they worked and competed hard; everyone involved enjoyed a great experience. The group doubled their initial six weeks and were with me for 12 total weeks. The fall then ended, and it was time for winter training to pick up in anticipation of tryouts, with much of the group being varsity hopefuls. However, three athletes of the group decided to continue training until tryouts for another six weeks.

Finally, tryouts came and passed, and the athletes/parents relayed the good news about making the team with very positive feedback about the training and the results it created. However, a theme appeared from those texts, with some being much more satisfied with the results than others…it wasn’t the ones who worked the hardest or the ones I wrote a special secret program for. It was the three athletes who continued training and were with me the longest.

Programming on paper feels great. It’s systematic, objective, and easy to say, “We did more than last time.” However, as you’ll learn with coaching more and more sessions, rarely does it go 100% as planned. Athletes come in a little beat up from practice, some miss sessions with outside injuries, and sometimes a long day of school completely destroys all their focus for the day. So being able to take a step back and ask, “What is the least I have to do today to cause improvement (minimal effective dose)?” and “How do I get my athletes to do that for as long as possible?” creates a long-term mindset that sets up both you and your athletes for the most success.

There are plenty of other examples I could share about athletes not setting PRs all summer, then they go on vacation for a week or two and finally PR because they’re actually recovered, or athletes leaving for 3–4 months then hitting PRs because puberty just gave them a little more size and strength…but I don’t want to run this point into the ground. Just understand that what you put on paper is the minimum for good training, so focus on the intangibles, like the environment you create and the relationships you develop to ensure that training becomes long-term.

What you put on paper is the minimum for good training, so focus on the intangibles, like the environment you create and the relationships you develop to ensure that training becomes long-term. Share on X

Lesson: What really causes change is good, fundamental training done over a long period.

Mistake #3: Believing My Athletes’ Expectations About Training Will Always Align with Mine

There was a high school athlete who had trained with me for well over a year, during which time I got to know him pretty well. His priority was definitely to enjoy himself but also to work hard when the time came. I was skeptical about his big plan and athletic goals, but hey, it’s his life to live and not mine.

His goals changed from making the high school baseball team to just wanting to work out consistently, and one day his energy was lower than usual, and he wasn’t talking as much. The workout had an incredibly slow pace, and I started to get paranoid that we wouldn’t get through the training, which would cause him and his parents to feel like they didn’t get their money’s worth.

Long story short, this athlete just went through a breakup, so we ended up sitting and talking for 30 minutes. I was still paranoid about our lack of work when my athlete said, “I’m really glad I can come to work out, and we can talk, and you’ll listen. I feel much better about everything.” I’ve been seeing that athlete ever since, and honestly, the quality of workouts has also improved.

I describe it like this: every session you coach, you typically have 2–3 expectations of what will happen, and your athlete also has a list of 2–3 expectations. Here’s a standard list of three for coaches:

1. Your athletes will work hard.
2. Your athletes will actively pursue their goals.
3. Your athletes will have a great time doing so.

Those are definitely my top three as a coach for most of my sessions, and they probably cover a majority of the day-to-day coaching. But the thing is…your athlete’s list won’t always align with yours. This list could range from “I’m going to have a great time and hang out with my buddies,” to “This workout will get me out of the house and help me work toward my first fully healthy season,” to “I’ll become one step closer to earning a college scholarship.” Coaches run into issues when they automatically assume their athlete’s list does and should align 100% with theirs. And this is something I learned the hard way—it won’t.

You typically have 2–3 expectations of what will happen, and your athlete also has a list of 2–3 expectations. Your athlete’s list won’t always align with yours, says @CoachBigToe. Share on X

Going back to the story above, what would’ve happened if I only cared about the workout and projected my own expectations on him at that moment? Probably a lot of frustration for both of us, and who knows how long our time training together would’ve continued?

Now, let me address some concerns you might be having—this is not to say that you can’t hold athletes accountable or are not allowed to work hard. And this is not to say that your athletes will never have athletic goals that inspire you as a coach to do your best. But they won’t align 100% of the time. And sometimes, the solution is as simple as asking, which I have done before because it’s obviously not fair to expect the same list from a fifth-year bench warmer who just wants to be healthy compared to their teammate who’s a future draft pick.

Save yourself the headache and frustration: ask them what they want to get out of each training session and their goals, and ask yourself, “How do I give my athlete what they need today?” The great coaches understand that, almost always, the answer is more than just giving them a really good workout.

Lesson: Effective, long-term training relationships compromise between meeting your athlete where they are and creating a higher standard to help them achieve more than they thought they could.

There’s No Lesson Like Experience

Some of these lessons you may have nodded along with, and they made sense in theory, with the anecdotes helping drive the point across—but as much as I’d love to do the learning for you, you’ll need to experience these things yourself. Nothing would make me happier than if my crash and burn off Mount Stupid makes your fall a little easier. It’s a quick climb up and a quick fall down, but then a long trip ahead.

I’m very excited about all the smaller Mount Stupids I’ll climb along the way and the cool stories they’ll give me. Having an awareness of these lessons and how they can manifest in everyday training could make you better able to recognize them and adapt while on your own journey.

Since you’re here…
…we have a small favor to ask. More people are reading SimpliFaster than ever, and each week we bring you compelling content from coaches, sport scientists, and physiotherapists who are devoted to building better athletes. Please take a moment to share the articles on social media, engage the authors with questions and comments below, and link to articles when appropriate if you have a blog or participate on forums of related topics. — SF

Navigating the intricate world of Olympic weightlifting? It’s about more than just strength—mobility plays a crucial role too! This comprehensive guide sheds light on the importance of mobility and its impact on performance, injury prevention, and longevity in the sport.

For those struggling with limited mobility, this read could be your game-changer.

What Is Mobility in Olympic Weightlifting?

Mobility in the realm of Olympic weightlifting refers to the body’s ability to move through its complete range of motion without pain or restriction. This athletic discipline necessitates a broad range of complex and dynamic movements, each requiring a blend of strength, coordination, and, yes, mobility.

In Olympic weightlifting, two key lifts are executed—the snatch and clean & jerk. Both lifts demand that athletes hoist heavy weights from the ground to overhead, involving every major muscle group and joint in the process. Mobility comes into play as a fundamental aspect that makes these lifts possible.

In Olympic weightlifting, two key lifts are executed—the snatch and clean & jerk. Mobility comes into play as a fundamental aspect that makes these lifts possible. Share on X

The notion of mobility extends beyond mere flexibility. While flexibility relates to the ability of your muscles to lengthen, mobility is more holistic. It’s the capacity of your joints to move freely and fully in a controlled manner, integrating muscle flexibility, joint range of motion, and the nervous system’s ability to coordinate and control these movements.

Why Is Mobility So Important in Olympic Weightlifting?

Olympic weightlifting is a powerful display of human strength and agility, and mobility lies at the heart of this sport. Mobility is important in Olympic weightlifting because it enables the following:

1. Performance Enhancement

Improved mobility acts as a catalyst for efficient performance in Olympic weightlifting. When your joints can move freely, your body mechanics become more fluid and precise. This increased freedom translates into seamless, powerful lifts requiring less brute force and more calculated strength.

As a result, athletes with superior mobility can better their lifting techniques, reducing the undue strain on muscles and, ultimately, allowing them to lift more weight securely and proficiently.

2. Injury Prevention

Given their dynamic nature, Olympic lifts necessitate a full range of motion. This range puts considerable stress on joints and muscles, especially if mobility is compromised.

When mobility is limited, the body tends to compensate by overloading certain muscles and joints while underusing others. This imbalance can lead to strain, overuse injuries, or worse, acute injuries like sprains and tears. Therefore, prioritizing mobility mitigates these risks, fostering healthier, safer workouts.

3. Longevity in the Competitive Sport

In the realm of competitive Olympic weightlifting, longevity is often closely tied to an athlete’s commitment to mobility training. Regular mobility work maintains a healthy range of motion, reducing the wear and tear on joints and muscles that can accumulate over time.

In competitive Olympic weightlifting, longevity is often closely tied to an athlete’s commitment to mobility training. Share on X

This proactive approach not only aids in preserving your body’s physical health but also ensures that your performance doesn’t wane prematurely. In essence, superior mobility could mean the difference between a fleeting career and a long, successful tenure in the sport.

4. Posture and Balance

A lifter’s posture and balance are fundamental to safe and effective weightlifting. Good mobility fosters the maintenance of an upright, balanced posture, particularly under heavy loads. This upright posture is essential during Olympic lifts to distribute the weight evenly and prevent undue stress on the spine.

Moreover, balance, a critical aspect of successfully completing a lift, is augmented with good mobility. This is because the body is better equipped to make the minute adjustments necessary to stay stable when it’s not restricted by stiffness or immobility. Therefore, enhancing mobility directly contributes to better posture and improved balance, which are crucial to Olympic weightlifting.

The Seven Best Olympic Weightlifting Mobility Exercises

Mobility exercises are like the unsung heroes of Olympic weightlifting. Here are seven exercises that can bolster your mobility, helping you become a more robust and efficient athlete.

1. PVC Pipe Pass-Throughs

This exercise is incredibly straightforward yet highly effective in improving shoulder mobility, a key aspect for both the snatch and clean & jerk lifts in Olympic weightlifting. To begin, hold a PVC pipe (or a broomstick if a pipe isn’t readily available) with a grip wider than your shoulders.

Start with the pipe in front of you at waist level. Keeping your arms straight, gradually lift the pipe up and over your head, continuing until it reaches behind your waist, thus completing a full circle if your mobility allows it. The goal is to make the circle as wide as possible while maintaining a straight-arm position throughout the movement.

Video 1. PVC frontal rotation.

This range of motion not only enhances shoulder flexibility but also strengthens the muscles around the joint, providing a solid foundation for successful lifts. Remember, the exercise isn’t about speed but control and precision. Take it slow, focusing on the smoothness of the movement. With regular practice, you should see an improvement in your lifting posture and performance.

2. Deep Squat Prayer Stretch

This powerful mobility exercise focuses on increasing flexibility in the hips, groin, and ankles, all of which are vital in Olympic weightlifting. Start by adopting a deep squat position with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and your toes pointing outward. Now, bring your palms together in a “prayer” position, and use your elbows to gently push your knees outward.

This increases the stretch in your hips and groin. Keep your back straight and chest up, and try to sink your hips lower while maintaining your balance. Remember, the goal isn’t about going deep quickly but progressively increasing the depth of your squat over time while ensuring proper form.

Regular practice of the deep squat prayer stretch will not only enhance your lower body mobility but also contribute significantly to the stability required in Olympic lifts.

Video 2. Deep squat stretch with plate.

3. Deep Goblet Squat

This highly beneficial exercise is an excellent tool to improve hip, ankle, and lower back mobility, which are critical for executing lifts in Olympic weightlifting.

To perform a deep goblet squat, you begin by holding a kettlebell or a dumbbell close to your chest. Your feet should be shoulder-width apart, with your toes pointing slightly outward. Engage your core and maintain a straight back as you lower your body into a squat. Aim to go as deep as your flexibility allows, ideally until your thighs are parallel to the floor or even lower.

Keeping your heels grounded throughout the squat is crucial to maximize mobility benefits. As you descend, push your knees out slightly to accommodate your torso, and maintain your balance by keeping the weight close to your chest.

By practicing deep goblet squats regularly, you not only enhance your lower body mobility but also strengthen your quads, glutes, and core, thus facilitating improved performance in weightlifting. Always remember to perform the movements slowly and in control, prioritizing form and depth over speed.

4. 90-90 Hip Rotation

This particular exercise, named for the 90-degree angles you form with your legs, is an excellent method to increase hip mobility and flexibility, which are essential components for effective Olympic weightlifting.

Begin by sitting on the floor, setting both legs at 90-degree angles—one leg in front of you and the other to the side. Your front knee and ankle should both be at 90 degrees, as should your back hip, knee, and ankle. Maintaining a tall spine, gently lean forward to feel a stretch in your front hip.

Then, slowly rotate your body to switch which leg is in front, rotating at the hips. This hip rotation should be done slowly and deliberately, focusing on maintaining the 90-degree angles.

Video 3. Regular practice of the 90-90 hip rotation will significantly improve your hip mobility, aiding in the execution of lifts and reducing the risk of strain or injury in these critical joints.

5. Supported Side Lunge Mobilization

This exercise is a valuable tool for enhanced mobility in Olympic weightlifting, particularly targeting the hips and inner thigh muscles.

Begin by assuming a wide stance and using a sturdy support like a rack or pole for balance. Bend one knee and sink into a side lunge, keeping the other leg straight. This movement increases flexibility in the hip joint and strengthens the surrounding muscles, contributing to a more secure and effective execution of weightlifting exercises.

Video 4. Regular practice of the side lunge can significantly improve lifting performance.

6. Cat-Camel Stretch

Get on your hands and knees. Begin by arching your back, pulling your belly button toward your spine (the cat position). Then, lower your belly toward the ground and lift your chest and tailbone toward the sky (the camel position). This stretch increases the mobility and flexibility of the entire spine, including the thoracic region.

7. Thread the Needle
Start on all fours, then slide one arm under your body toward the opposite side, rotating your upper body. Try to reach as far as possible while keeping your lower body stationary. This exercise enhances thoracic rotation and stretches the upper back muscles.

Video 5. Kneeling deep chest opener.

The Best Times for a Mobility Routine in Olympic Weightlifting Training

Identifying the most beneficial time to engage in a mobility routine is a multifaceted consideration largely contingent on the individual athlete’s daily schedule, personal body responses, and specific training regimen.

Despite this subjectivity, it is possible to delineate three primary junctures during which mobility exercises can be seamlessly incorporated into an Olympic weightlifting routine and yield fruitful results.

1. Before a workout

The pre-workout phase is a strategic opportunity to integrate mobility exercises. Serving as an excellent warm-up routine, these exercises help prime the muscles and joints for the intensive lifting session that lies ahead.

This preparatory stage entails raising the body temperature to optimize muscle performance, enhancing joint lubrication to ensure smooth movement, and expanding the range of motion to facilitate the execution of complex lifting techniques.

As a result, incorporating mobility exercises before a workout helps reduce the likelihood of injuries and enhances overall lifting performance by readying the body for the strenuous activity it is about to undertake.

2. During a workout

Integrating light mobility exercises amidst the sets of a weightlifting workout can be advantageous for the athlete. This strategy, often termed “active recovery,” allows for maintaining the warmth and mobility of the joints and muscles without inducing fatigue or overexertion. The brief respite that the body experiences between heavy lifting sets can be effectively utilized to perform light mobility exercises, keeping the body active while subtly aiding its recovery. This continuous movement prevents the muscles from cooling down or stiffening, ensuring the body remains ready for subsequent sets.

The brief respite that the body experiences between heavy lifting sets can be effectively utilized to perform light mobility exercises, keeping the body active while subtly aiding its recovery. Share on X

3. After a workout

The period immediately following a workout is a prime opportunity to concentrate on mobility exercises. Post-workout, the muscles are already warm and, therefore, more receptive to the benefits that stretching and mobility exercises confer.

Engaging in mobility work after an intensive lifting session assists in the cool-down process, which is vital for returning the body to its resting state. Additionally, it encourages recovery by promoting blood circulation, which delivers nutrients to the muscles that have been exerted during the workout.

It also plays a role in alleviating post-workout muscular tightness and helps mitigate delayed onset muscle soreness, enhancing overall comfort and readiness for future training sessions.

The Importance of a Rest Day

Beyond these primary workout phases, some athletes may find additional benefits from dedicating entire sessions to mobility work on their rest days. These sessions can serve as an active recovery day and help enhance overall flexibility, joint health, and mobility without the added stress of weightlifting.

However, the crucial factor to remember is consistency. The benefits of mobility work compound over time, and it’s the regularity and commitment to this aspect of training that yields significant improvements.

The benefits of mobility work compound over time, and it’s the regularity and commitment to this aspect of training that yields significant improvements. Share on X

Prioritizing mobility in your routine, no matter when you choose to do it, can contribute substantially to enhancing your performance and prolonging your longevity in Olympic weightlifting.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is mobility in Olympic weightlifting?

Mobility in Olympic weightlifting refers to the ability of an athlete to move their body through a full range of motion without restriction. It involves both the flexibility of the muscles and the freedom of movement in the joints. Good mobility is essential for performing the snatch and the clean & jerk with correct form and efficiency. It aids in performance enhancement, injury prevention, and overall lifting longevity.

How often should I do mobility exercises for Olympic weightlifting?

Mobility exercises should ideally be a part of your daily routine as an Olympic weightlifter. You can incorporate them into your warm-up before training sessions and your cool-down afterward. Also, consider dedicating specific sessions to mobility work on rest days. Regular and consistent mobility work is key to enhancing performance and reducing the risk of injuries.

How can I improve my hip mobility for Olympic weightlifting?
Improving hip mobility for Olympic weightlifting involves the regular practice of targeted exercises. These can include deep goblet squats, hip circles, 90-90 hip rotations, and supported side lunge mobilizations. Always remember to perform these exercises with correct form and control, focusing on gradually increasing your range of motion over time. Consistency is key to seeing improvements in hip mobility.

Prioritize Mobility

Having a mobility routine is an integral part of the Olympic weightlifting training process. It’s not just about enhancing performance but also about ensuring safety, longevity, and overall athletic well-being. So, make mobility a priority in your training regime.

Now, over to you, weightlifters. Share your experience in the comments below—what mobility exercises have helped you the most in your Olympic weightlifting journey?

Since you’re here…
…we have a small favor to ask. More people are reading SimpliFaster than ever, and each week we bring you compelling content from coaches, sport scientists, and physiotherapists who are devoted to building better athletes. Please take a moment to share the articles on social media, engage the authors with questions and comments below, and link to articles when appropriate if you have a blog or participate on forums of related topics. — SF

As coaches, we’re constantly searching for ways to help our athletes get the absolute most out of their time in the gym. One of the most effective ways we can do this is by implementing a readiness testing protocol into our programs—this helps us manage athlete load and stress and individualize programming and autoregulation methods. It can also play a role in limiting risk factors related to overuse injuries in athletes.

Sounds like such a no-brainer, right? And with the tools and resources we have access to today, this is easier than it’s ever been.

Or…is it?

Sure, the amount of technology we have to test and monitor outputs is at an all-time high, but with that also comes the much harder part of the equation—managing that data. After all, data alone is just a bunch of numbers with no context. It’s worthless without the time or knowledge to actually manage and analyze it.

The amount of technology we have to test and monitor outputs is at an all-time high, but with that also comes the much harder part of the equation—managing that data, says @JustinOchoa317. Share on X

We’ve seen a massive emphasis on the data management side of the sports performance industry. Most professional and high-level collegiate sports teams now have sports scientists on staff who are solely responsible for interpreting athlete data and communicating findings to the athletes and staff. It is no longer enough to simply collect data or track progress; you have to know what it means, why, and what to do next.

That alone can be a full-time job on top of all the other hats performance coaches wear. I fell victim to this issue early in my career—I tried to test and track everything. I tested and tracked so much that I couldn’t even analyze what I was collecting. Trying to influence athletes to get wearables for the RHR and HRV, trying to get athletes to fill out daily questionnaires with clarity and honesty, trying to use VBT data to create my own RPE scale that would determine the athlete’s workload, trying to combine all of the above and more in the name of athlete management…you name it, I probably tried it for at least three months. The result was a lot of wasted time, a lot of wasted money, and potentially leaving results on the table due to majoring in the minors.

I had to turn to the old adage—addition by subtraction—and throw out things that weren’t delivering a substantial bang for my buck in terms of return(s) on investment: time, money, or attention.

One assessment I kept and continue to find value in is measuring athlete readiness via jump testing. No, it’s not perfect. It has pros and cons, but it delivers high-quality info for coaches. Even at first, it was a daunting task that almost didn’t make the cut because I made it way harder and more complex than it needed to be. I also made a huge mistake in how I conducted my readiness testing. In this article, I want to share some best practices for readiness jump testing and hopefully give you takeaways to utilize in your own environment.

One assessment I kept and continue to find value in is measuring athlete readiness via jump testing. It has pros and cons, but it delivers high-quality info for coaches, says @JustinOchoa317. Share on X

What Is Readiness Jump Testing?

If you’re not familiar with the concept of readiness testing, it’s not as fancy as it may sound. And it’s certainly not proprietary to the performance field: readiness testing is simply a way to measure and monitor how prepared an athlete is to perform the given tasks at hand. In most cases, that would be a workout, a practice, or a game.

Coaches can use a test or series of testing protocols to develop readiness standards for their athletes and then compare the results of each session to the baseline to determine how “ready” that athlete is for that day’s tasks. They can then alter the plans appropriately if the situation warrants it.

Aside from jump testing—the actual topic of this article—a few other methods that I won’t go too deeply into include:

• Wearable tech: Oura Ring, Whoop Band, FitBit, Apple Watch, HRV products, etc.
• Questionnaires: How did you sleep? How is your mood? What have you eaten today?
• Other training data: VBT data, force plate data, RPE post-session, etc.

All these are great options, but jump testing delivers the best results with a reasonable investment of time and money combined with higher compliance from the athletes and coaches involved. These tests provide valuable data on an athlete’s neuromuscular system, power output, and reactive capabilities.

All jumps and jump testing I talk about throughout this article will refer to jumps on a jump mat. I use the SkyHook Jump Mat. Other popular options include the Plyomat, the Just Jump mat, the Swift EZ Jump, and the Jawku Vertical Jump Tester. These tests can also be performed on force plates or with a Vertec system.

Types of Jump Testing

Keep in mind that I am trying to simplify jump testing and get it down to the most necessary components possible. There are dozens of jump-testing options out there—especially when it comes to force plate data—and some rabbit holes we can dive down (for better or for worse). This article will not cover an exhaustive list—I’ll be detailing my three most used, most repeatable, and most valid ways to test on jump mats.

1. Countermovement Jump (CMJ)

The CMJ—aka a regular ol’ vertical jump test—has been one of the most utilized and reliable testing methods for not only measuring athlete readiness but also force and power outputs. It’s time-sensitive, affordable, repeatable, and, most of all, objective.

Video 1. Countermovement jump using the Skyhook contact mat: “Step on the mat, jump as high as you possibly can, and land safely on the mat.”

The higher the vertical, the more we can assume about that athlete’s power production potential. Additionally, the more we can assume about some of their other athletic qualities, such as relative strength and sprint speed.

On our CMJ tests (and all jump tests), we let athletes use their own unique jump technique with little to no cueing. We correct potentially dangerous movements, which are rare, but other than that, I want to see the athlete use their own strategy to produce the jump. Our training programs can address all of the other factors not relevant to measuring the athlete’s readiness on that given day.

We correct potentially dangerous movements, which are rare, but other than that, I want to see the athlete use their own strategy to produce the jump, says @JustinOchoa317. Share on X

As it pertains to the readiness of an athlete and their CMJ performance, we use a “stoplight” system to help autoregulate that athlete’s program if needed.

• Green means go, proceed as normal, maybe even push it.
• Yellow means proceed with caution or slow down to reassess the situation.
• Red means stop and reassess the situation, possibly changing some programming.

We also use the athlete’s baseline testing with statistical values such as standard deviation and coefficient of variation to help get that daily testing number down to the true performance change. This helps influence conversations and programming decisions based on how much that performance has dropped compared to their baseline. I’ll cover that process and scale in-depth later in the article.

2. RSI Pogo Jump

Another jump test I absolutely love for training and readiness purposes is the RSI pogo jump test. I use a 4/2 method; others use a 10/5 method. Tomayto, Tomahto.

The reactive strength index, or RSI, measures an athlete’s ability to utilize the stretch-shortening cycle efficiently. This not only represents an athlete’s elasticity and reactive ability, but it can indicate neuromuscular efficiency as well. RSI can also help drive programming decisions in terms of which end of the force-velocity curve an athlete needs to tailor their training toward.

Video 2. RSI Pogo Jump: The measurement itself, although it’s kind of unclear what unit of measurement RSI actually is, is calculated by dividing jump air time (or jump height) by ground contact time.

You can get to a really good RSI score by having a lot of air time with minimal ground contact time—producing large amounts of force in a very small amount of time. You can alter your score, whether positive or negative, with a change in either one of those components.

The 4/2 method, which is built into the SkyHook Jump Mat that I use, is performed by hopping onto the mat and then completing four pogo jumps in a row before landing safely on the mat. Each jump has its own recorded air time and ground contact time. The software will take the best two of those four jumps to produce the athlete’s RSI score. The PlyoMat also provides this exact method. A slightly different version is featured on the Just Jump mat, where the athlete jumps four times, and it takes the average across those four jumps to produce the RSI score.

The 10/5 jump is a similar concept that I used in the past before switching from IMUs to jump mats. This test is a series of 10 pogo jumps, with the RSI calculated from the last five of those 10 jumps.

In my opinion, all of these test options can be useful. As a coach, you know your setting and athletes best, so ultimately, it’s up to you to choose the best method for your environment. What device you use could also play a role in which methods you choose. I chose to go with what is built into my device to help me save time and guarantee consistent testing protocols.

3. Drop Jump Test

This is also a measurement of RSI, but in a less repetitive method in terms of the athletic outputs. Rather than multiple jumps, the drop jump involves stepping off a box or platform (onto a jump mat) and immediately performing an explosive jump upon landing.

Similar to the 4/2 RSI test, this drop jump test emphasizes an athlete’s ability to rapidly switch from eccentric to concentric, making it a great training tool that also serves as a test: both “tests” are also common plyos that most athletes do some variation of in training.

Video 3. In testing, it’s crucial to ensure that the box or platform athletes drop from is always the same height. In training, we’ll progress the height of drops, but in testing, we don’t want to tarnish our test validity by jumping from various heights and comparing apples to oranges.

Making a Test Part of Your Routine

Again, these are not the only tests available for readiness testing, but they are the ones I have the most confidence in—they are easy to coach and execute, athletes enjoy them, and they can all be performed on a jump mat.

My test of choice is the RSI 4/2. We do it daily. I would suggest choosing one test and making that the test. Sure, you could test all three because they technically showcase three different force production strategies, but then you would be right back at square one: data overload. Simplifying things is the name of the game here. So, choose one, roll with it, and master it.

I would suggest choosing one test and making that THE test. Simplifying things is the name of the game here. So choose one, roll with it, and master it, says @JustinOchoa317. Share on X

We have our testing baked into the warm-up. All of our warm-ups feature breath work, mobility work, some dynamic stretching, and rudimentary plyometric drills before each athlete breaks off into some personalized “daily vitamins” in their warm-up.

The final piece of our warm-up always includes some sort of nervous system excitement in the form of a jump or throw; then, we follow that up with our testing for the day. It doubles as a readiness test but also another explosive drill for the athlete to prepare them for whatever may be next in their session for the day (i.e., sprints, lifting, skill work).

The method allows us to test the athletes when they’re feeling as ready as possible for that given day, and it also builds some routine into the process to help the athlete feel comfortable with the tests.

Readiness Jump Testing Protocol

Ok, I’ve rambled long enough about the prerequisites—now it’s time for the main course. (But then I may go back to rambling for a bit, so please stick around.)

This will be the most important section of this article because it corrects the mistake I made during the first five years of readiness jump testing in my own program. It wasn’t until I read “Establishing the Reliability & Meaningful Change of the Drop-Jump Reactive-Strength Index” (Beattie & Flanagan) that I realized I was making a huge mistake in my readiness tracking.

The mistake was that I was not accounting for the completely normal fluctuation in results that may occur, not only between trials but also within the same day, due to various factors. And what Beattie & Flanagan proved in their research is that we must take those fluctuations into consideration during baseline testing to build in a “zone” or “range” of what’s normal since normal is a moving target.

Not including this method can create a phenomenon of crying wolf—not by the athlete, but by the coach. Failing to account for the variance of what is normal can create a false-negative, leading to the coach overcorrecting, overanalyzing, and making far too many unnecessary changes to the athletes’ programs when they likely could have let them train as normal and keep those valuable reps.

You know the phrase, a strength coach’s first job is to do no harm, right? Well, do no harm was starting to feel like do no work. My readiness testing was starting to feel like I was in search of reasons to autoregulate the programs and “keep them fresh,” but really, I was just taking away good opportunities to impose some stress on a fully ready and able young athlete.

When I reflect on that brief time in my career, I loved the results the athletes got, but I also wonder: “Could we have gone harder?” “Could I have pushed them a little more?” “How much better would those athletes be if I did?”

The reality is that since jump mats give us fractional results, this concept posed a legitimate issue for me because the jump results are not on the inch or the half inch; they are presented in tenths of inches. This makes it very common to have three very similar-looking jumps that are not the exact same result. For example, it’s not uncommon for a trial of three vertical jumps to look like this:

• Attempt 1: 29.73
• Attempt 2: 30.12
• Attempt 3: 28.83

I have never seen an athlete perform three identical jumps on any jump mat system. I have never even seen two of the three jumps be identical. By not accounting for this, I was making my testing inaccurate and inconsistent—thus, rendering it invalid.

What Beattie & Flanagan discovered was that to establish a readiness test’s reliability, we need to get statistical techniques involved to determine the true change in performance. That’s where the mathematical terms you haven’t heard since high school come into play: standard deviation (SD) and coefficient of variation (CV). And for a guy that lived by the “C’s get degrees” slogan throughout college, this absolutely blew my mind.

What the heck do those two terms even mean, though?

• A standard deviation is a measure of how dispersed the data is in relation to the mean. A low standard deviation means data is clustered around the mean, and a high standard deviation indicates data is more spread out.
• The coefficient of variation is the ratio of the standard deviation to the mean. The higher the coefficient of variation, the greater the level of dispersion around the mean. It is generally expressed as a percentage.

So, the kicker is that to find the CV, we must first find the SD because the equation is:

100 x (standard deviation/mean) = coefficient of variance (CV)

This is so crucial because if we use jump testing to determine an athlete’s readiness, we need to account for the subtle differences between even their healthiest, best, and most “ready” jumps.

If we use jump testing to determine an athlete’s readiness, we need to account for the subtle differences between even their healthiest, best, and most ‘ready’ jumps, says @JustinOchoa317. Share on X

If we go back to the example jumps I used above—29.73, 30.12, and 28.83—that’s a mean of 29.56, an SD of 0.54, and a CV of 1.83. That CV of 1.83 represents that any change in performance less than 1.83% is entirely normal for that athlete.

This data is powerful because it allows you to truly track meaningful change in performance and alter your programs, or not, based on that.

My general rule used to be that if an athlete’s readiness test drops by more than 10%, then we go on an autoregulation program to alter volume and intensity for the day. Not accounting for the CV, I probably stripped athletes of perfectly fine opportunities to train the program as initially planned.

Keeping the same hypothetical athlete numbers used above, let’s say they jump a 26.5 on their readiness test. That’s more than 10% off their baseline mean (10.35%). But the true change in performance is only 8.52% because we know that they could have a 1.83% variance on their testing on any given day. The math there is the 10.35 deviation from the mean, minus the built-in CV of 1.83, to equal 8.52. So, instead of cutting them off from training that day, they’re green as long as no other red flags are apparent.

With the power of friends who actually paid attention in math class, Google Sheets, and YouTube, I created a template here that coaches can use to do all of the math shown above in less than three seconds. With that template, you can duplicate the sheets for each of your athletes and quickly input their daily readiness test results.

The sheet will show the true change in performance based on their baseline testing data and give you a red, yellow, or green cell to indicate how a coach should move forward with that athlete in the program.

I currently have it set up to stay green—meaning no intervention is needed—when the true change in performance is 0%–9.99%. It will display a yellow—meaning potential intervention is needed—when the true change in performance is between 10% and 14.99%. And finally, it will display red—meaning intervention is needed—when the true change in performance is a 15% drop-off or greater.

Readiness Testing Best Practices and Benefits

By now, I hope you’re all-in and excited about the concept of readiness jump testing, but if you need to be persuaded a little bit more, below is a quick overview of just a few of the many benefits that readiness testing can bring to your programming.

First, readiness jump testing enables coaches to establish an athlete’s baseline performance level—this is crucial for the daily readiness piece, but it also sets a baseline for performance metrics. By assessing the athlete’s jump height, power, and RSI, you can gain insights into their current physical capabilities and monitor those daily for readiness and long term for program results. This information serves as a foundation for setting realistic goals and designing personalized training programs tailored to the individual athlete’s needs.

Coaches can also gain valuable insights into an athlete’s specific strengths and weaknesses. Athletes with a high vertical and low RSI may be effective at using sheer force to produce athletic outputs and could benefit from gaining elasticity through training. Athletes who are very fast but have a low vertical jump may lack general force production qualities and could benefit from exposure to that in training. Testing vertical or RSI daily for readiness could double as extra reps at whatever end of the force-velocity curve an athlete may need.

Another key benefit is the ability to see real-time training progression and results without having to have a classic “testing day.” Regularly implementing readiness jump testing throughout an athlete’s training program allows coaches to monitor the progress that they’ve made day-to-day or week-to-week and share that feedback with the athletes. We can see small weekly increases in vertical jump or RSI simply by having that as a part of the athlete’s program. By comparing data from previous assessments, you can track improvements in power output, explosiveness, and reactive strength. This information allows for targeted adjustments to training protocols, ensuring continuous progression and preventing performance plateaus.

Another key benefit is the ability to see real-time training progression and results without having to have a classic ‘testing day,’ says @JustinOchoa317. Share on X

Last but not least, the main reason we would want to utilize this testing method is to ultimately improve an athlete’s performance. The test is designed to measure readiness to train, meaning we want to make sure that our athletes constantly get the optimal doses of training volume and recovery methods to support that. After all, we want them to train. We don’t want to search for reasons for them not to train but rather, program work that allows them to get results, feel good while doing so, and transfer those results to their sport.

It’s a major benefit to be able to show an athlete all of the things above and do so in as little as five minutes a day. The return is well worth the investment of both time and financial resources.

All of this is great in theory, but implementation is the name of the game. Here are some best practices that have helped me make readiness jump testing a valuable asset to our program over the years.

1. 1. Establish a clear objective for your system. What do you want to get out of the testing process? Define the purpose and objectives of daily readiness jump testing and how this will (or won’t) positively impact your program. What tests do you want to perform, and why? What devices and tools will you use? How will you store, track, and manage the results? This is different for every coach, but starting with a clear why is always a great move. If you ever get off-track or don’t like the way the testing process is going, you can turn back to that and see if you’re still in alignment with the reason you started in the first place.

 

1. 1. Standardize the testing and tracking procedures. This includes consistent warm-up routines, testing equipment, measurement techniques, data management, and instructions for athletes. This also includes retesting and re-establishing the baselines for each athlete. As athletes improve, there will come a time when they need to set a “new normal” to account for those gains. Standardization ensures reliability and minimizes variability in the testing process. All that being said, we work with humans in a gym and not robots in a lab. Don’t beat yourself up if you run into minor imperfections. It’s a marathon. Just try to keep it apples to apples as much as you can.

 

1. 1. Seek athlete feedback. It’s often said that athletes don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. Ensure that athletes understand the purpose and benefits of readiness jump testing and that it is a function of maintaining their well-being. Educate them on how the testing results will be used to optimize their training and performance. Encourage athletes to actively engage in the process by providing feedback and sharing their observations regarding their readiness and recovery. Make it as interactive as possible. Monitor their compliance and address any barriers or challenges they may encounter.

 

1. 1. Remember that testing is just a tool. We can use these testing methods to make informed decisions regarding training adjustments, recovery strategies, or individualized interventions. But don’t become so over-reliant on the tests that you forget the human element of coaching. Consider contextual factors. Integrate the testing results with other assessment tools and subjective feedback from athletes to form a more comprehensive picture of readiness. Use this as a tool, but know that you, the coach, make the final decision.

 

1. Have a plan. Build out your system of what actually happens based on an athlete’s readiness testing results. I have a stoplight system of red, yellow, and green (as discussed above). If green is the program as written, yellow and red would slightly modify exercise selection, volume, and intensity. Having a set plan in place will make life easy and keep the flow of the sessions really smooth. Coaching can be hectic and stressful, but when a system is set up, and a plan is in place, it truly helps us make practical decisions on the fly because the hard work was done upfront.

Since jump mats are becoming more and more accessible, affordable, and popular in all settings of sports performance, I truly believe that readiness testing is a great way to get a return on your investment for the equipment.

The daily jumps are ingrained in the culture of our gym. It’s not even written or posted anywhere on an athlete’s program, but they know it will happen every day, and they embrace it as a challenge—not only against their training partners but against themselves from their last session.

There is no perfect system, and jump testing doesn’t give us all the answers, but it checks many boxes and delivers immense value, says @JustinOchoa317. Share on X

I love to hear things like “Remind me what I got last time” or “What’s my all-time best? I’m about to beat it” before a rep of daily testing. It shows me the athlete truly cares, and not only about their results. They believe in the process it takes to get there, with daily jump testing being an ingredient in their recipe.

There is no perfect system, and jump testing doesn’t give us all the answers, but it checks many boxes and delivers immense value. By implementing some of these methods, coaches can gather important athlete data to help make better decisions, deliver better training programs, and ultimately help athletes maximize their athletic potential through more intelligent training.

Since you’re here…
…we have a small favor to ask. More people are reading SimpliFaster than ever, and each week we bring you compelling content from coaches, sport scientists, and physiotherapists who are devoted to building better athletes. Please take a moment to share the articles on social media, engage the authors with questions and comments below, and link to articles when appropriate if you have a blog or participate on forums of related topics. — SF

Too often, I find myself watching cringe-worthy jumping at high school track meets. I see talented athletes not coming close to what they are capable of in the jump events due to dangerous or incorrect techniques and jump strategies.

Behind every poorly taught jumper is a track coach who has not studied the discipline or even done the bare minimum to teach the event safely. Unfortunately, in the state where I coach, the jumps are treated as second-class events compared to the sprints and distance events; this is further underscored when big competitions are held at tracks with damaged runways, unlevel boards, and neglected sand pits.

I encourage all coaches to start to film the jumpers on their team performing and later review the film with the athletes—I guarantee it will help you as much as it has helped with my team. Share on X

I have spent a lot of time researching and reading the writings of coaches and researchers who have put out information on the jumps, which has helped me immensely as a coach. More recently, I’ve been trying to figure out the next step in my career that would take my coaching abilities to a higher level. Reviewing films has been that next step. I encourage all coaches to start to film the jumpers on your team performing and later review the film with the athletes (or have the athletes film themselves)—I guarantee it will help you as much as it has helped with my team.

Improvements in Coaching

I do not have as good of a coaching eye as some other, more experienced coaches. I can typically focus on one, maybe two things on each jump…which leaves a lot more to be missed than to be seen. Filming practices and competition when appropriate has made me a much better coach. When you constantly watch film, you learn far more about each athlete’s strengths and weaknesses. I have also found errors in athletes’ techniques in places I would never have noticed had I not filmed and slowed the film down to watch it.

Watching jumping in slow motion or reverse opens the mind to how the athlete truly moves down the runway. I had the pleasure of coaching the long jump State Champion and New England Champion this past season. He started the season jumping 21’7” and ended up jumping 23’10¼” at the state championship, setting a state meet record. This improvement would never have happened if the athlete and I had not reviewed his film together.

Video 1. This was the first film session of our indoor season: the jump was 21’7”. A few weeks later, the athlete jumped 23’10”.

The best strategy for film review is to pick the most needed technical change that will give you the biggest return on investment. I thought the athlete above had a very solid approach run, but they over-lowered a bit on the penultimate step; however, this was not what was holding the athlete back from bigger jumps. The primary errors I identified that would give us the biggest ROI were the in-air and landing mechanics. The huge arch in the back is there to counter forward rotations (incorrectly), but it is so overdone that the athlete seems to create backward rotation. They then end up stabbing the sand with extended legs and crashing their thighs into the pit, which in my estimation, loses them at least 18 inches off their jump.

The best strategy for film review is to pick the most needed technical change that will give you the biggest return on investment, says KCPerformance_. Share on X

To improve the in-air and landing mechanics, we simply practiced jumping into the pit off of a short approach and ensuring that the head, spine, and hips were aligned in the air before landing. We also focused on cycling the arms and legs in a way that did not cause any loss of posture and set a rhythm for the athlete to prepare for the landing in time. Without fixing the posture as the athlete traveled through the air, we could not fix the landing. Most problems are caused by the part of the jump that preceded it.

We then moved on to the landing phase, timing the arm and leg action prior to landing and making sure the athlete was able to sweep his arms behind him as he extended his legs. Once the feet contacted the sand pit, the athlete was instructed to let his legs relax and bend into the landing. This allowed the athlete’s hips to pass over the feet, so there would be minimal loss of distance due to the landing. Not every jump will be perfect—sometimes old habits reemerge—but as the season progresses, these old habits should be seen less frequently and eventually totally eliminated.

Video 2. At Nike Nationals: When athletes are aware of their KPIs, sometimes you don’t even have to add notes—they already know what to look for.

Film Sessions

I always look to other track events and even team sports to see what programs and coaches are doing that make their teams successful. A recent idea I began using from American football was the idea of “film sessions,” aka breaking down game film. If you played football, at least at the high school level, this is nothing new or earth-shattering. Film sessions have always been a big part of many football programs and are usually held a day or two after a Friday night or Saturday morning game. There is usually film of the previous game, and coaches review or break down plays, formations, and the execution of game strategies.

This past season, I began filming our jumpers in practice and competition and later showing them the film of how they executed their jumps—filming the athletes jumping helped build buy-in and allowed athletes to become a part of the learning process. I discovered that if athletes can see what their jump looks like and are taught what they are doing well and what they need to improve, they understand the value of better technique.

If athletes can see what their jump looks like and are taught what they are doing well and what they need to improve, they understand the value of better technique, says KCPerformance_. Share on X

Budget-Friendly Video Editing

I specifically chose my words carefully and called the prior section “Film Sessions” rather than “Film Analysis” because I believe film analysis has more metrics and data that go along with it. I also do film analysis, but when it comes to breaking down film for my athletes, I think that adding ground contact times, flight times, and take-off angles is very heavy for practice sessions with high school athletes. The athletes I work with are very intelligent and creative; I’m sure they are very capable of learning about these metrics, but as of now, I keep an eye on these metrics and usually keep them to myself unless it is absolutely necessary to bring them to the athlete’s attention.

When I do perform film analysis (I use DartFish Express), it is very helpful for collecting certain metrics, but I feel it is limited for breaking down film and getting creative. I am not a very art-inclined person, but using video editing apps has helped unleash my creative side and also given me a great appreciation for video editing and production.

Video 3. Dartfish has very useful options, like the overlay function.

I used InShot video editor this past indoor and outdoor season and have really grown to enjoy it. You can download it from the Apple and Android app stores for free. Most people have a smartphone already, so considering the app is free, there really is no financial barrier to using this method.

My favorite uses of InShot are to slow video down, freeze frame, zoom in, and add notes directly into the video. I typically slow videos down and freeze them on certain parts of the video where important technical components exist (approach, transition phase, penultimate step, take-off step, in-air mechanics and landing). As the season progresses and technique improves, our points of emphasis shift, and we are usually more focused on certain technical aspects that may be lagging or some key performance indicators that the athlete and I have targeted for improvement.

For example, if the coach and athlete agree that a point of emphasis should be the last four steps of the approach, you can edit the video to slow it down and freeze it on that part of the jump in order to give feedback. It is one thing to tell an athlete they are doing a better jump—but actually showing improvements visually is a game-changer.

Video 4. Athletes love seeing their improvement, usually because a better technical jump is more visually appealing on video, and a personal best performance usually accompanies it.

Athlete Buy-In

Athletes really do become part of the process when you start sharing videos with them. Early in my coaching career, I struggled with getting kids to fully understand what they were supposed to do when jumping. I was never precisely on the same page with athletes until we started breaking down film together. Now, the athletes know exactly what the goal is and what they are doing to to try to execute their jumps. The kids are excited to see themselves jump, and if I don’t upload their videos within 24 hours, I usually receive texts from eager athletes asking when those will be uploaded.

If you do this right, athletes will look forward to film sessions, and those who really buy in will end up becoming students of the event. I truly see some jumpers actively trying to master their craft. Several of my veteran athletes learned so much from our film sessions that they ended up helping coach our less-experienced jumpers, which was awesome to see. Film sessions are there to support the athlete and offer positive, constructive criticism—they are not meant to nitpick and put someone on blast. At the end of the day, these events are tough to succeed in, and the athletes are giving their best effort, which is all a coach can ask for.

Film sessions are there to support the athlete and offer positive, constructive criticism—they are not meant to nitpick and put someone on blast, says KCPerformance_. Share on X

Sharing the Video Clips

The best way I’ve found to share videos with my team is by uploading the film to Google Drive. I organize films by creating folders for every meet, as well as certain practices. I share the film with each athlete and name each video so they know precisely what jump attempt from each meet the video contains. After one indoor and outdoor season, I have already built a decent database of jump videos. Watching the jumpers progress and compare their performances with the videos has been a game-changer for our program. Breaking down film has also been a great way to generate conversation about the meet in person or through text.

Film When It Makes the Most Sense

Inexperienced jumpers spend the better part of a season learning the event. I always tell my athletes not to worry about the distance they jump in practice. I work hard to create a learning environment because I want the athletes to focus on improving their technique in a way that feels natural and stress-free.

I do not immediately put a camera in the face of a newbie jumper and start showing them film of their every jump—beginners need more experience before I start breaking down film with them. For them, I greatly emphasize the fundamentals and not worrying about adding anything advanced. I believe forcing someone to watch themselves jump too early in their career can be very overwhelming.

For a new jumper, at first, I just want them to learn and have fun. Once they start developing a passion for the event, that’s when we can start breaking down film. The best way to introduce a film session with a new jumper is to let them ask you to film them and watch—if they initiate it, that means they are interested.

Video 5. This is a simple video with a lot of positive reinforcement early in the season.

Keep It Simple

I try not to overcomplicate the feedback I provide to jumpers—the best videos I create are the ones I keep simple, with minimal writing. Sometimes I struggle with giving too much feedback at certain points. It is something I am actively working on improving. I notice that the fewer words I use, the better and more understandable the feedback is.

I try not to overcomplicate the feedback I provide to jumpers—the best videos I create are the ones I keep simple, with minimal writing, says KCPerformance_. Share on X

At times, I’ve used a GoPro on a tripod stand with a remote to film—this is helpful, but I have also had a lot of success just filming on my phone. I sometimes film a jump and immediately show the athlete to give some instant feedback and let them see what happened. It’s important to know when it’s the right time to watch a film immediately with an athlete. I try my best not to be stuck behind my phone screen because I don’t like missing attempts.

Video 6. Breaking down film is helpful for even post-collegiate-level athletes.

Results to Back It Up

This past season I had five jumpers from our team qualify for the state championship in their respective jumping events. I also had three jumpers finish in the top 10 at the state championship, with one of them being the State Champion and New England Champion and state meet record-holder.

A big part of the success of our jumpers was because we broke down film, taught our jumpers to take ownership of their technique, and fostered an environment for people who wanted to master their craft. I hope this article has encouraged coaches to take the next step in their coaching journey and learn how to break down film. Use these tips to help guide you and watch your jumpers evolve!

Since you’re here…
…we have a small favor to ask. More people are reading SimpliFaster than ever, and each week we bring you compelling content from coaches, sport scientists, and physiotherapists who are devoted to building better athletes. Please take a moment to share the articles on social media, engage the authors with questions and comments below, and link to articles when appropriate if you have a blog or participate on forums of related topics. — SF

As strength and conditioning coaches, our job is to help create the adaptations we want in our athletes. Our choices of which exercises to use, how much volume to prescribe, and how to properly intensify training sessions all play a part in whether our athletes will achieve the desired adaption. This can be a difficult task since:

1. Many of the adaptations we train for require specific training parameters.
2. Most athletic teams have a wide variety of fitness levels and training ages.

Whether improving muscle mass, strength, power, speed, aerobic conditioning, glycolytic conditioning, or the ATP-CP system, we need to know how to do this for athletes of all skill levels.

This article lays out research, experience, and practical applications for improving hypertrophy in beginner, intermediate, and advanced athletes. With all of the qualities listed above, there needs to be a stress and a period of recovery to elicit specific adaptations. We cover how to optimally create the stress needed to accomplish the goal of muscle hypertrophy:

• What hypertrophy is.
• How hypertrophy is measured.
• How to improve hypertrophy in different levels of athletes (a beginner to building muscle, an intermediate, and an advanced athlete who already has a lot of muscle mass and just needs to find a way to add on a little more).

Mainly, in this article, we provide methods that coaches can implement with athletes at all different training ages.

What Is Hypertrophy?

Hypertrophy, as defined by Oxford, is the enlargement of tissue from the increase of the size of its cells. This is not to be confused with the ever-elusive hyperplasia, which is the enlargement of tissue from an increase in the number of cells. Muscle hyperplasia is a controversial topic in strength and conditioning (just like aerobic conditioning and back squats, for whatever reason), so we won’t touch on that topic today.

A free way to measure muscle growth is through girth/circumference measurements: wrap a tape measure around your flexed bicep, perform bicep curls for 8 weeks, remeasure & see if your arm is bigger. Share on X

The gold standard for measuring muscle hypertrophy is magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), but we are strength coaches and don’t work in a lab. Ultrasound machines have also proved to be effective, and DXA scans are excellent at measuring overall body composition changes—but, again, those need special, expensive equipment. A free way to measure muscle growth is through girth/circumference measurements: wrap a tape measure around your flexed bicep, perform bicep curls for eight weeks, remeasure, and see if your arm is bigger.

How Does Muscle Hypertrophy Occur?

There are two parts to any desired adaptation: stress and recovery. Let’s assume our athletes are recovering optimally—you know, getting adequate sleep, maintaining perfect macro and micronutrient ratios, and having lower stress levels. (We know it’s very unlikely, but let’s just assume.) So there needs to be a stressor, a signal to the system to tell the body to make the muscle bigger. The main process for this is through muscle protein synthesis, which is the body using proteins to build new muscle tissue. There seem to be three main ways to signal the body to increase muscle size:

1. Mechanical tension
2. Metabolic stress
3. Muscular damage

Muscular damage has fallen off a bit as a driver of hypertrophy. Studies out there have found that muscle damage does lead to more protein synthesis, but most of that protein synthesis is used to repair the damaged muscles, not grow bigger fibers.

So that leaves two options—mechanical tension and metabolic stress. Mechanical tension is lifting progressively heavier weights through a full range of motion. Metabolic stress is the “pump” feeling people get from lifting weights, which is the tissue being full of metabolites (lactate, hydrogen ions, etc.). Both lead to muscle protein synthesis, and both methods stress the tissue in a way that signals to the body that this muscle needs to get bigger to keep up with this type of work.

Science is still changing on muscle hypertrophy as we continue to learn what actually leads to muscle growth and what does not: “Conclusively identifying major hypertrophy stimuli and their sensors is clearly one of the big remaining questions in exercise physiology.”⁵ How do we do this with different levels of athletes?

Hypertrophy Adaptations for a Beginner Athlete

Oh, the glorious days of the newbie gains, where you can walk into your local gym, do anything, and get bigger. We worked with a 14-year-old baseball player who had put on over 10 pounds of body weight in the off-season, just focusing on the basics. We focused on proper form, being consistent as far as showing up and working out, and progressive overload.

1. Proper form. This is not new information to you coaches, but if an athlete does not lift with proper form, they won’t be an athlete very long. And, for hypertrophy purposes, they won’t be stressing the desired tissues you want to grow. We have all seen the back squat form that is growing bigger low back muscles than leg muscles. Hopefully, this is not a topic we must spend much time on.

2. Being consistent. We all know athletes do not work out one time and magically look like Ronnie Coleman. This is a long process, and studies show over and over again that a bad workout program done consistently will lead to more improvements than a perfect program that athletes do once per month. Yes, that means the workout they do in the garage with their uncle done consistently over time will be more beneficial than the workout program that you, Louie Simmons, and Charles Poliquin design for them that they do seven times over the summer. Make them enjoy the weight room and want to come in and lift. That’s a whole other article.

3. Progressive overload. This is really step one to building muscle, the story of Milo. Do an exercise for a certain number of sets and reps. The following week, do that same exercise for one more rep per set or with a little more weight. Do that for years, and you’ll have a freak on your hands.

There is no need for special rep schemes yet; we should know by now that 8–12 reps are great, but really anything done for 5–30 reps within a set should lead to the same amount of muscle growth as long as athletes push the set reasonably close to failure. The beginner does not even need to be that close to failure; leaving 3–4 reps in the tank will still lead to growth, all while being safe and doing the movement correctly.

Although your athletes need to be consistent, a newbie does not need to be in the gym every day. People progress by lifting one day per week, believe it or not. Two lifts per week is also great.

Although your athletes need to be consistent, a newbie doesn’t need to be in the gym every day. People progress by lifting one day per week, believe it or not, says @steve20haggerty. Share on X

Your new lifter is like a new tube of toothpaste—you can press anywhere on the tube, and toothpaste comes out. Push on the front, back, side—you can even push away from the hole, and toothpaste will come out. It’s when you get more and more advanced athletes that you need to start pressing harder, pushing in a certain direction, or even twisting, folding, and rolling up the tube to get a smidge of toothpaste. (I stole this analogy from Keir Wenham-Flatt.)

Hypertrophy Adaptations for an Intermediate Athlete

No more three sets of 10. Your athlete has been training consistently now for a year or so and maybe has even made a comment about not getting any bigger. They no longer just look at Muscle and Fitness Magazine and instantly grow.

With intermediates, it’s still essential to lift correctly, be consistent, and progressively overload—these things will never go away. But now it’s time to add in a little bit more specific work: focusing mainly on compound movements, progressing volume, pushing each set a little closer to failure, playing around with different rep ranges and lifting tempos, and starting to add in more lifting days.

1. Compound lifts. The magic of compound lifts such as squats (front, back, goblet, safety squat bar…I’m not married to any of these; they all work), deadlifts, bench presses, pull-ups, etc. is that they stimulate the whole body. Yes, the squat will work the legs better than the bench press will, but both lifts utilize many different muscle groups and stimulate growth across the entire body. As noted earlier, mechanical tension (load) is a huge driving force of muscle growth. No exercises allow for more load across many muscle groups than compound lifts do.

2. Progressing volume. As we see in the sample workout program, volume for a newbie can be relatively low, and they will still grow muscle. As a lifter gets more experience, they will need more volume to see the same level of growth. Bodybuilders may use four, five, or even 10 sets of 10 repetitions of an exercise. For the muscle to keep adapting, the stress needs to keep progressing.

Adding weight to the bar is great; adding sets and repetitions to an exercise is also great. For the number of sets per body part per week, science points us to 10–20 sets being optimal for hypertrophy. If you start your athletes with 10 sets of chest or upper body pushes per week, this gives you room to progress up to 20 slowly.

3. Closer to failure. While beginners can leave 3–4 reps in the tank per set and still see improvements in muscle size, your intermediate athletes will need to be pushed a little harder. Their body is used to lifting, and it’s not a big stressor anymore. The closer an athlete gets to failure, the more stressful it is on the body. Now they need to start pushing closer to 1–2 reps left in reserve per set. (As always, be safe with this. This should be done with experienced lifters, and failure should be technical failure—when their form starts to break down.)

4. Rep ranges and lifting tempo. As we said earlier, any set that is within 5–30 repetitions and taken pretty close to failure has been shown to elicit the same amount of hypertrophy. With a beginner, we stayed within that 8–15 rep range, but now we can start applying new stress to the athletes. Twenty repetitions on squats or five heavy deadlifts will be a completely new stimulus to your athletes.

“The body will not grow unless it has a reason to. And the way to do this is through progressive overload and changing the stimulus.” –Charles Poliquin.

Workouts are allowed to consist of different rep ranges. Sets of five squats to start, then 10 reps of DB rows in the middle of the workout, and finish with 30 reps of push-ups, for example. Lower reps create more tension, and high rep ranges allow for more metabolic stress.

Speaking of Charles Poliquin, lifting tempos within .5–8 seconds per repetition all seem to elicit the same amount of hypertrophic signal. Poliquin wrote about 40­–70 seconds per set, which I have not found any research on, but odds are, he was right as usual. So, if you have your beginners lift like an average person, where it’s about 1 second up and 1 second down per repetition, now is your chance to play around with slower eccentrics, slower concentrics (yes, your athletes are allowed to lift slow concentrically), and even isometric holds during a lifting repetition. This is a solid way to change up the stimulus and create more metabolic stress during a workout.

Play around with slower eccentrics, slower concentrics, and even isometric holds during a lifting rep. This is a solid way to change up the stimulus and create more metabolic stress during a workout. Share on X

5. More lifting days. Research shows that lifting three days per week is more effective for muscle growth than one.⁶ Spreading out the same amount of volume over multiple days (2+) helps the athletes use heavier loads on exercises compared to doing all of the volume in one day. Increasing the number of weekly workouts to three or four days will help with this.

Hypertrophy Adaptations for an Advanced Athlete

So now you have a few athletes who are advanced; they have several years of training at a high level and just need to put on a couple more pounds this off-season. This is a common occurrence with football players preparing for the NFL Combine—Tommy Tremble comes to mind. He arrived weighing 230 pounds and weighed in at pro day at 241 pounds. Along with all the performance goals that come with NFL Combine preparation, he also needed to gain weight to show he had the size of an NFL tight end.

With advanced athletes, you need to start adding in different angles and ranges of motion, utilizing mind-muscle connection and specialization training phases, and training to failure and beyond. Share on X

To accomplish this, all of the earlier rules still apply; those do not go away. With this level of athlete, you need to start adding different ranges of motion and angles, utilizing mind-muscle connection and specialization phases of training, and training to failure and beyond.

1. Ranges of motion and angles. If you want the athlete to keep adapting, you must continue enhancing or changing the stimulus. You enhance it with load and volume and change it with new ranges of motion and angles. I know; I know—a full range of motion is the way to go for many different reasons, including hypertrophy. I’m not suggesting half-squat PRs for Instagram. Think of a standing DB bicep curl, now seated on a bench with a 45-degree incline, now chest down on a bench with a 45-degree incline. All of these are bicep curls, and as long as the elbow extends at the bottom and fully flexes at the top, it is a full range of motion.

For all three exercise variations, the humerus is in a different position relative to the body, and the athlete would be in different degrees of shoulder flexion and extension. We all know that the biceps attach to the scapula; therefore, the more the humerus is behind the torso, the more the muscle is stretched, and the more the humerus is in front of the torso, the more the muscle is shortened. By altering the position, you change how stretched the muscle is throughout the range of motion of the biceps curl. This is a common way to change up the stimulus and increase the stress of the movement on specific muscle fibers.

I do not view these as progressions, as one is not inherently harder than another. I view them instead as variations—ways to stress the muscle in a novel way. This is not just biceps curls either: think of humerus positioning with different triceps extensions or stretch on the hamstring when doing back extensions, 45-degree back extensions, and RDLs.

2. Mind-muscle connection. Those bro-science bodybuilders were right after all—it works. Science has caught up and found evidence that the mind-muscle connection is more effective for hypertrophy than not using it. Who would have guessed that when you involve the brain in being intentional with what you’re doing (feeling a muscle work), it enhances the effect? What a concept. (We will see more of this with building strength and power too.)

Science has caught up and found evidence that the mind-muscle connection is more effective for hypertrophy than not using it, says @steve20haggerty. Share on X

In all seriousness, getting the athlete to feel a muscle working, getting the brain to—dare I say it—activate the muscle better, will help stimulate growth in that muscle. This mind-muscle connection is best with isolation exercises, but it can be used with compound movements as well.

3. Specialization phase. The specialization phase is something we first heard of from Dr. Mike Israetel. Let’s say your workout program has a total of 100 working sets per week (four days per week, five exercises per day, five sets of each, for this example). In the specialization phase, you will allocate more of those sets to the body part you want to grow in your athletes and take some sets away from a muscle group you are okay with maintaining.

If their bench press is strong and they have enough anterior chain upper body mass, but you have identified that they need more hamstring size, take a set or two from bench and put it toward RDLs—or even take away an upper body press from one of your workout days and allocate those five sets toward their current hamstring regimen. A muscle needs a lot less volume to maintain size compared to growing; simply maintain a muscle group that is at an optimal size and spend more time stressing a muscle group that needs more growth.

4. To failure and beyond. Yes, I heard Buzz Lightyear’s voice when I typed this. We know for muscle growth that we need to be adequately close to failure. Newbies can have 3–4 reps left, intermediates can have 1–2 reps left, and for advanced trainees, we need to push them to failure more often. (Same caveats as always: be safe, not for every exercise, not for every set of every workout, etc.) If you want your athletes to continue growing muscle, you need to continue increasing their stress. Doing the last set of hamstring curls until they can no longer complete a full rep is a new and hard stress. As a coach, you can even push them beyond their limit with high-intensity techniques (a phrase stolen from John Meadows):

• Drop sets. They do as many hamstring curls as possible at full range of motion, then drop the weight by 20% and perform more.
• Partial reps. They do as many hamstring curls as possible at full range of motion, then continue doing repetitions at half reps.
• Rest pause. They do three sets of 10 on hamstring curls. On the third set, have them do eight reps, then rest for 20 seconds. They do eight more reps, pause for 20 seconds, and then complete eight final reps. This last set consists of 24 reps at the same weight they used for 10.
• Force reps. Have them do as many hamstring curls as possible at full range of motion, then assist them through a full range of motion for five more reps, giving as little help as possible to complete each rep.
• Mechanical drop set. This one is easier to think of with a DB incline bench. Doing three sets of 10 reps, on the last set, have the athlete do eight reps. Then move the bench to flat and complete eight more reps with the same weight. Next, prop the bench up on two bumper plates so it’s at a declined angle and complete eight more reps. With each set of this drop set, you move the athlete into a more mechanically advantaged position.

These are methods we have used with athletes of all age ranges and experience levels to help them continue to grow muscle over time. Some of these methods can be used sporadically just to provide a new stressor and keep training fun for the athletes. Give them a drop set of biceps curls or hip bridges for their last workout of the week, and see how much fun they have with that.

We are aware that we work with athletes, not bodybuilders. These are tools you can use to stimulate muscle growth through the training career of your athletes, says @steve20haggerty. Share on X

We work with athletes. We are aware that the goal is not to create bodybuilders. These are tools you can use as a coach to stimulate muscle growth through the training career of your athletes.

Since you’re here…
…we have a small favor to ask. More people are reading SimpliFaster than ever, and each week we bring you compelling content from coaches, sport scientists, and physiotherapists who are devoted to building better athletes. Please take a moment to share the articles on social media, engage the authors with questions and comments below, and link to articles when appropriate if you have a blog or participate on forums of related topics. — SF

Alex Roberts is the Strength and Conditioning Coach at R. Nelson Snider High School in Fort Wayne, Indiana. In this role, he’s responsible for the year-round athletic development of all student-athletes. Coach Roberts’ main responsibilities are teaching strength training classes during the school day, leading after-school training sessions, and running the summer strength and conditioning program. He holds a Master of Science in Kinesiology and is CSCS certified through the NSCA.

References

1. Krzysztofik M, Wilk M, Wojdała G, and Gołaś A. “Maximizing Muscle Hypertrophy: A Systematic Review of Advanced Resistance Training Techniques and Methods.” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2019 Dec 4;16(24):4897. doi: 10.3390/ijerph16244897. PMID: 31817252; PMCID: PMC6950543.

2. Schoenfeld BJ. “The mechanisms of muscle hypertrophy and their application to resistance training.” Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 2010 Oct;24(10):2857–2872. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0b013e3181e840f3. PMID: 20847704.

3. de Freitas MC, Gerosa-Neto J, Zanchi NE, Lira FS, and Rossi FE. “Role of metabolic stress for enhancing muscle adaptations: Practical applications.” World Journal of Methodology. 2017 Jun 26;7(2):46–54. doi: 10.5662/wjm.v7.i2.46. PMID: 28706859; PMCID: PMC5489423.

4. Calatayud J, Vinstrup J, Jakobsen MD, et al. “Importance of mind-muscle connection during progressive resistance training.” European Journal of Applied Physiology. 2016 Mar;116(3):527–533. doi: 10.1007/s00421-015-3305-7. Epub 2015 Dec 23. PMID: 26700744.

5. Wackerhage H, Schoenfeld BJ, Hamilton DL, Lehti M, and Hulmi JJ. “Stimuli and sensors that initiate skeletal muscle hypertrophy following resistance exercise.” Journal of Applied Physiology (1985). 2019 Jan 1;126(1):30–43. doi: 10.1152/japplphysiol.00685.2018. Epub 2018 Oct 18. PMID: 30335577.

6. McLester JR Jr., Bishop E, and Guilliams ME. “Comparison of 1 Day and 3 Days Per Week of Equal-Volume Resistance Training in Experienced Subjects.” Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 2000 Aug;14(3): 273–281.

In 2001: A Space Odyssey, a film released in 1968, astronauts on a spacecraft are able to call on HAL to assist them in their mission. HAL (which stands for Heuristically programmed ALgorithmic computer) is a sentient computer able to utilize artificial intelligence (AI) to carry out a variety of tasks. The crew considers HAL a dependable member of the crew, at least initially, as it can carry out a variety of tasks—including playing chess. Over the following years, AI was depicted in science fiction films in various ways, including R2-D2 and C-3PO in the Star Wars films, the various agents in the Matrix trilogy, and WALL-E.

While science fiction writers have long utilized intelligent nonhumans in their storytelling, it’s only in the last 50 or so years that AI has been within the grasp of use for humans in general. AI is commonly defined as machine behavior that would be considered intelligent if exhibited by humans, and it was initially developed as a series of “if, then” rules on what were, at the time, ground-breaking supercomputers.

Since then, AI has grown across a variety of subfields, moving from these simple initial rules to fields such as computer vision (where the machine can “see” and track various objects), machine learning, and deep learning. Alongside this enhanced AI and computing power, the concept of “Big Data” has developed, whereby vast amounts of data can be collected, processed, and analyzed to create information. In essence, as highlighted by a recent PwC executive report, we can view AI as technology that has the ability to learn, take in information, and respond appropriately.

These various subfields of AI usage have found utility across a wide range of industries, including medicine, technology (such as driverless cars), business, and the military. Many of us use AI multiple times a day, with virtual assistants such as Apple’s Siri or Amazon’s Alexa or even just predictive text on our smartphones.

Never a field to lag too far behind various innovations, sport is increasingly using AI across a wide range of areas, including elite sport, says @craig100m. Share on X

Never a field to lag too far behind various innovations, sport is increasingly using AI across a wide range of areas, including elite sport, officiating (such as the Virtual Assistant Referee in football), journalism, sports medicine, and even sports betting. AI has also been used to provide a virtual competitor, perhaps most famously in the case of IBM’s Deep Blue. This chess-playing machine famously defeated the chess grandmaster Gary Kasparov in 1997 after losing an initial match in 1996.

Current Uses for AI In Elite Sports Performance

Specifically in the field of high-performance sport, AI has been used to assist in aspects such as:

• Performance analysis.
• Injury risk assessment and management.
• Scouting.
• Training outcome prediction.
• Performance prediction.
• Decision-making.

While still relatively new to high-performance sport, over the last 20 years, AI usage has grown. A recent review, published in Frontiers in Sport and Active Living and authored by a group of researchers from Germany (led by Fabian Hammes), paints an interesting picture of how AI is used at the highest level within sport. The researchers identified 540 studies that examined the topic, with football (soccer) being the sport most likely to utilize AI. This is perhaps unsurprising. Football clubs, especially in Europe but increasingly in Asia and the Middle East, have large budgets. For example, in 2021, Manchester United’s operating budget was US $745 million—a sum significantly larger than most Olympic sports receive across a whole Olympic cycle.

Alongside soccer, other sports with the greatest AI research base are cycling, tennis, and basketball—all sports with a broad appeal at the elite and community levels, says @craig100m. Share on X

These increased budgets (as well as their reputations) give clubs the capacity to bring in experts with the knowledge and ability to develop effective AI systems and processes. As an example, Arsenal was famously able to hire a data scientist who had previously worked on developing the popular game Candy Crush. Alongside football, other sports with the greatest AI research base are cycling, tennis, and basketball—all sports with a broad appeal at both the elite and community levels.

In their study, Hammes and his colleagues identified four critical areas in which AI is currently being utilized in elite sport:

1. Machine Perception: This involves AI technologies being utilized for image recognition and computer vision purposes. These technology types have the potential to assist in understanding performance—both more rapidly and more deeply—then, in turn, quickly provide this feedback to the athlete and coach as a means of supporting performance. As an example, it is now possible to set up a static camera that views the whole of the long jump runway and use this in competition to provide key pieces of data to athlete and coach, including runway speed, takeoff angle, etc.

This then allows for almost real-time in-competition changes to be made by the athlete, hopefully improving their performance. In team sports, similar technologies are often used to track player positions and distances covered, allowing the coaching team to quantify what is happening. Finally, technologies such as Hawkeye utilize machine perception to determine whether a ball was out (in tennis) or a bowled ball in cricket would have hit the stumps.

2. 2. Machine Learning and Modeling: Recent developments in AI have also allowed for models to be developed that can utilize large amounts of data to learn patterns, an approach typically termed “deep modeling.” This approach can be used to identify aspects that perhaps don’t seem obvious at first sight and has been used to predict the outcome of competitions, identify sports injury risk, model training response, and optimize talent development.

 

2. 2. Planning and Optimization: Building on the use of machine learning models detailed above, AI technology can also assist in sports planning. This can include planning various training processes (e.g., periodization), as well as schedule optimization.

 

2. Interaction and Intervention: This aspect of AI usage in elite sport relates to technology that provides athletes with feedback as a means of improving their performance. This can be wearables (including smart clothing and smartwatches) and both virtual and augmented reality technologies—something I’ve written about before.

Overall, the results from the Hammes and colleagues’ study demonstrate an increased interest in the use of AI in elite sport—something I’m sure we can all attest to through experience. A second paper in Applied Sciences highlighted the increase in research interest in using AI in exercise training, going from two studies in 2006 to 22 studies published in 2019 alone. As such, it’s clear that the use of, and interest in, AI in elite sport is on the rise.

Future Applications for AI and Sports Performance

While the use of AI in elite sport is certainly growing, there are even greater avenues of opportunity for the future. Beyond the obvious aspects that require improvements—including increased validity, reliability, and usability, along with reductions in both costs and complexity—AI could revolutionize other aspects of elite sports performance.

One area of increased potential is that of wearable devices. Wearables such as wristwatches (for example, an Apple Watch) provide data; this data is then utilized to quantify aspects such as training load and physiological stress, providing key insights. This can be useful as an overall training monitoring tool but may be even more helpful in aspects such as sports injury rehabilitation, where overall load—or even load on a specific body area—needs to be carefully managed.

Wearables can also assist in quantifying body position, which in turn assists with things such as biomechanical analysis and the position of the athlete on the field of play, which can aid with performance analysis aspects such as quantifying tactical behavior. For wearables to become increasingly adopted in elite sport settings, they will need to be cost-effective, comfortable, easy to use, and able to collect valid and reliable data—all aspects that are currently a challenge.

Another major opportunity for the use of AI in elite sport is through its ability to make the vast swaths of data regularly collected in high-performance sport settings actually usable. Some of the data routinely collected in elite sport include wellness and well-being markers, competition performance and performance variables, various “key performance indicators”—such as physiological, biomechanical, psychological, and tactical markers of success—and other metrics, including climatic conditions.

A major opportunity for the use of AI in elite sport is through its ability to make the vast swaths of data regularly collected in high-performance sport settings actually usable, says @craig100m. Share on X

Such disparate data sources can be difficult to analyze, particularly in relation to each other, making the gathering of meaningful insights challenging. Added to this, AI technologies, such as video machine learning and pose estimation, further increase the size and type of data that can be collected; as technology in other areas develops, even further aspects could be added. For example, if genetic testing can increase its overall validity, it may become more commonplace in guiding training program design and identifying injury risk.

As a result, decision-makers in elite sport—which includes the coach—will have a plethora of data available to them.

The opportunity here is to make the collected data useful, something that can be driven by AI-supported technologies such as data mining techniques. AI-supported machine learning models can then analyze this data, allowing for more effective utilization of the data collected on a regular basis. In addition, such advanced statistical techniques will enable us to understand whether any data that is gathered is not useful, helping data collection to become more refined and targeted in the future.

This is a somewhat similar approach to that of precision medicine. Here, different data sources are analyzed to create more precise—and, in some cases, individualized—treatment regimes. For example, in 2018, a group of researchers utilized whole genome testing, along with a machine learning program, to identify individuals with an increased risk of coronary heart disease. To do this, they utilized 6.6 million data points per individual from over 120,000 participants. This is a staggeringly large amount of data, and such analysis would not have been possible without the assistance of AI. However, similar breakthroughs in elite sport should allow for a movement from the basic collection of data and information—the lower levels of the wisdom hierarchy—toward true wisdom.

Practical and Ethical Challenges for AI and Sports

There are, however, some barriers to the effective implementation of AI in elite sport. One such barrier is related to the last opportunity I mentioned: the use of data. Many of the potential AI-supported aspects that may enhance practice in elite sport either produce data that needs to be collected and/or stored or require a lot of data for analysis. This collection of multiple pieces of data can be subject to a variety of protections and ethical challenges, with many governments (state, federal, and international) developing legally binding frameworks and legislations that govern the collection, use, and storage of data.

An obvious example of this is the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation—commonly termed GDPR—which influences the data that organizations can collect, along with how they use and store it, with significant financial penalties possible in the case of a data breach. Along a similar vein, a recent report from the Australian Academy of Science highlighted that in many professional team sports, sufficient thought and appreciation are not given to the risk-reward ratio of the data collected and how this might negatively affect an athlete.

A further example of this is the collection of genetic information. On the surface, such an approach is attractive: our genes play a large role in determining who we are, so better understanding them should assist in guiding our approach to athlete development, particularly with regard to aspects such as future performance or training adaptation. However, the use of genetic testing and genetic information in elite sport is rife with ethical issues.

As an example, there is a common genetic variation in a gene that affects the development of collagen, a critical structural component of ligaments and tendons. Variation in this gene has been linked to an increased risk of injury. Is it ethical to use this information to select or deselect an athlete for a talent program? What is the burden on the organization for testing for this variant?

For instance, what further investigations are required if genetic screening uncovers a serious medical issue? Where would this data be stored, how secure is it, and who would have access? What happens if an athlete doesn’t consent to their genetic data being collected—can they actively be deselected on this basis? Can Under-18s even provide informed consent for the collection of their genetic information?

These questions all highlight some of the issues around data collection, the quality of which underpins the effectiveness of using any AI in elite sport.

The ethical and safety questions surrounding data collection, storage, and use may also impact the development of effective AI, says @craig100m. Share on X

The ethical and safety questions surrounding data collection, storage, and use may also impact the development of effective AI. To test that any data-oriented AI system is useful, it typically has to be “trained” to identify patterns on large data sets; this allows the AI (for example, a machine learning program) to determine which aspects of the data might serve as valid, reliable, and relevant predictors. To be effective, this requires large data sets; given the concerns discussed earlier, such large data sets may not be readily available. This causes a further issue; the limited number of available large-scale data sets are then used by multiple AI statistical models—which limits the “learning” capability of any given technology, along with issues around how generalizable such a model may be across domains.

A similar issue is that of “black box” algorithms (so called because the data goes in and an answer comes out, but we don’t know what happens in the middle) and the wider ethical and usability concerns of such models. Many data-oriented AI models utilize tools such as neural networks, which can be difficult to interpret and understand, especially for the typical lay sports scientists. If we’re unable to fully understand how learning models make their predictions, we can’t fully assess—at least not accurately—the outputs of such models.

The models also become highly prone to bias. This happens because data points can be labeled as predictive in such statistical models but may be non-causal in nature—the model then uses this data type to make predictions, becoming biased in the process. There are many examples of this, and interested readers should check out Cathy O’Neil’s excellent book Weapons of Math Destruction.

A real-world example of this is AI used within the justice system that uses race as a causal factor, leading the AI model to become biased against people of color. More benignly, an AI model trained to differentiate between wolves and dogs in photographs did so based on the color of the background; if the background was white (i.e., snow), the model labeled the animal a wolf. This is because most of the photographs of wolves it was trained on were taken in snowy environments; however, when the model was shown a photograph of a wolf with a non-snowy background, it labeled the wolf incorrectly as a dog. This issue can be further compounded when AI algorithms are proprietary, making a full and accurate assessment of their validity and bias challenging. These problems are not unique to elite sport and relate to the broader Explainable AI movement.

Other issues affecting the uptake of AI in elite sport include overall usability and cost. On the first issue, the key question for us to ask is, “Does AI technology actually provide useful outcomes in an efficient manner?” As an example, computer vision technology struggles if the focus of the image (e.g., a player or athlete) is obstructed in some way. This means that in busy competition situations—such as a soccer match with 22 players on the pitch—a large volume of data may become lost and unable to be analyzed. Even a relatively simple task, such as identifying the numbers on player’s kits (used for post-match analysis), could end up becoming so corrupted that it is essentially useless.

In sports where total spend is highly regulated—like in F1—the cost of AI technologies may limit their effective use, says @craig100m. Share on X

While cost is not typically an issue for elite teams in financially attractive sports (e.g., soccer, American football), it becomes an increasingly large issue for sports with smaller economies of scale (e.g., individual sports) and those from less economically developed nations. This, in turn, widens the gap between the haves and have-nots, skewing the playing field. In sports where total spend is highly regulated—like in F1—the cost of AI technologies may limit their effective use. This creates a further issue if organizations scrimp on the cost of adequate storage and security for the data they collect, creating further ethical challenges.

In their review article, Hammes and colleagues identify a further five key challenges around the use of AI in elite sport:

1. Challenges in data collection (e.g., is the data fed into the models both valid and reliable?)
2. Transferability of general AI research into the field of elite sport (e.g., how does new AI knowledge and technology become integrated into a relatively niche area?)
3. An overall discomfort with machines “making” decisions—especially important ones (e.g., how do we use the data from machine learning and other models in the correct context?)
4. Explainability of results (e.g., how do we explain the process used by the AI in coming up with the output?)
5. The robustness of predictive models (e.g., can we move away from the current ability of AI to explain what happens to actually predicting it—and what is an acceptable error rate?).

Finally, there is a well-founded and genuine concern about an over-reliance on data and technology in elite sport. These concerns are typically based on the following:

• A blanket utilization of new technology without consideration of the performance outcomes.
• An over-reliance on data at the expense of context and practitioner expertise.
• An inability to capture all relevant information harming the ability to make fully informed decisions.

Where Does This Leave Us?

It’s clear that the use of AI in elite sport has huge potential, with the technology having the ability to both increase the depth of information collected and make this information useful to assist in decision-making. However, as outlined in this article, several key hurdles—scientific, ethical, and practical—need to be overcome before AI can be fully integrated, with utility, into elite sport contexts. These include issues around reliability and validity with both hardware and software and ethical issues around data storage and the use of black-box algorithms.

AI technology has the ability to both increase the depth of information collected and make this information useful to assist in decision-making, says @craig100m. Share on X

Finally, the technology is currently quite costly (in terms of both purchase price and having staffing expertise to utilize it) and not currently able to live up to its potential (due to issues with, for example, video capture if part of the image is obscured). However, if—and likely when—these issues can be improved on, the potential use of AI in elite sport is large, as are the potential performance improvements, making it a worthwhile area for future exploration within elite sport.

Since you’re here…
…we have a small favor to ask. More people are reading SimpliFaster than ever, and each week we bring you compelling content from coaches, sport scientists, and physiotherapists who are devoted to building better athletes. Please take a moment to share the articles on social media, engage the authors with questions and comments below, and link to articles when appropriate if you have a blog or participate on forums of related topics. — SF

It’s amazing to think about how far the game of basketball has come since I transitioned from a player to a coach and trainer. It’s equally as amazing to look at the growth of the strength and conditioning industry in that same timeframe. As someone who operates in that “gray area” developing athletes both in the weight room and on the court, I view basketball development through a pretty unique lens.

I’ve written previously about this gray area and received some awesome feedback from coaches out there who view training the same way and, honestly, solid feedback from coaches who completely disagreed with my stance. These conversations led me to dig even deeper into my training philosophy and develop even more clarity around how I coach, program, and see movement.

Right now, I’m really into “deconstructing” sports movements and building them back up based on the precise physical qualities we can enhance through training.

Right now, I’m really into ‘deconstructing’ sports movements and building them back up based on the precise physical qualities we can enhance through training, says @JustinOchoa317. Share on X

The goal is not necessarily to mimic those sports movements under load, although sometimes it may appear that way. I won’t have athletes shooting medicine balls or trying to dunk while strapped to a VertiMax.

This is more about determining what actions lead to effective basketball movements and finding ways to enhance those actions with as much bang for the buck as possible. If we need to improve our defensive slide, how can we do that besides just performing the same poor defensive slides we already have? We may look at lateral strength and power. We may need to enhance hip internal and external rotation. And then, we can plug in lifts, drills, and exercises that enable us to enhance those qualities.

Likewise, if an athlete has a flat jump shot because their release point is low, we may uncover that their release point is low due to a lack of shoulder mobility. So it’s not that their form is bad; they just cannot physically replicate consistent shot form because of their lack of shoulder flexion. If we deconstruct that, we can potentially give them more access to a range of motion, strength in that range, and shot reps in that range, which could lead to a more consistent jumper with a release point that allows them to improve their shot trajectory.

I use those overly simplified examples because they revolve around the two most important skills of the game—defense and shooting. But the examples I want to cover here are based more on attack moves and different ways to create separation from a defender.

One of the core principles of training that I think we can all agree on is moving from general to specific and finding ways to progressively overload stress for the athlete in front of you based on where they are and what their goals are.

I throw that disclaimer out there just to set the record straight that this approach is most useful for advanced or specialized basketball athletes or individuals who plan to become one very soon. I don’t think this is the best plan for a 14-year-old first-year student who is probably in dire need of general strength, speed, and skill training.

So let’s break down three of the most basic and common basketball moves, analyzing the goal of the move, how the athlete can successfully achieve that goal, and what qualities we can train to help this process.

1. Jab Steps

The jab step is one of the most basic but effective options a ball handler can use out of a triple threat position, with or without a live dribble. It has several variations and progressions, but today we’ll look at a classic hard jab step.

If you want a master class on using an effective jab, most will agree that Carmelo Anthony is the gold standard for this move. Kobe Bryant and Deron Williams were also masters of this move.

The primary goal of a jab step is to do one or more of the following:

• Disrupt the rhythm of the defender.
• Cause your defender to get off balance.
• Relocate your defender.
• Set up your own predetermined countermove.

The jab creates the illusion of a potential drive in the direction of the jab, so the defender must react to that accordingly. And as an offensive player, you can read the defender and attack based on that.

Sometimes the defender will shift back, giving you space to shoot. The defender may shift to the direction of the jab, giving you space to drive opposite. The defender may shift late, giving you space to turn the jab into a true drive in that direction. The possibilities are truly endless in this game of chess, not to mention some of the additional moves an offensive player can add with pump fakes, eye fakes, and other misdirection options.

So, what are the elements of a great jab step? The key factor is the intent behind the move. The offensive player must sell the jab; it can’t be lazy or submaximal. It is crucial to make the jab step believable, meaning it looks like the offensive player is actually going to move their body through space in some way.

What are the elements of a great jab step? The key factor is the INTENT behind the move. The offensive player must sell the jab; it can’t be lazy or submaximal, says @JustinOchoa317. Share on X

Another critical factor is the angle or projection of the jab step, which can vary based on the situation. The angle of the jab will determine where the defense shifts or reacts, which is critical to the next read as a ball handler. It’s important for an offensive player to understand that their jab step must make sense geographically on the court. Jabbing to where the help defense is already set up or toward a straight-line drive out of bounds isn’t going to put pressure on the defensive player. It’s usually best to use angles that invade the defender’s space or sell a drive because this will cause the defender to reposition themselves, leaving the next read up to the ball handler.

Next, balance is a critical component to a great jab—this will help avoid travel violations, sell the move, and, most importantly, get to the next movement efficiently. Jabbing forcefully into one direction without the balance or strength to decelerate that momentum will make the subsequent move slow and delayed or cause the pivot foot to be inadvertently moved. Another component of balance to consider is that if an offensive player is going to shoot out of the jab fake, they must return to a balanced position for that shot to have any chance to go in.

Intent, angles, and balance are not the only components at play but are definitely the most important from a physical preparation aspect. We can enhance these in the weight room and our on-court training with athletes.

For intent, a lot of improvement can be made as the athlete’s basketball IQ increases. Physically, we can implement rotational training that requires the athlete to improve their ability to powerfully rotate, as well as the decelerative qualities needed to put the brakes on their rotational movement.

Two general movements I’ve had significant success with include a rotational med ball throw and a half-kneeling plate or band chop.

Video 1. Medicine ball throws with a rotational component are an excellent way to help athletes improve that propulsive aspect of rotating with max intent.

Video 2. Half-kneeling chops are great for doing the exact opposite. Whether done with a plate or a band, they allow the athlete to start to use the entire core system to decelerate some of those rotations, which we know is crucial for the athlete to ultimately stay on balance within the jab.

If we inch closer to the line of specificity, we can use some drills that are a little bit closer to those sport actions we see in a jab step. One of my favorites is this “walking throw” with the Tidal Tank.

Video 3. This incorporates elements of momentum moving in similar angles to a jab step but in a much more dynamic environment. The movement forces the athlete to now link their torso up with their footstrike to propel themselves in a new direction.

To go completely specific, we can start to use weighted balls to hit the exact jab step pattern on the court or use band tension to apply overspeed or resistance to the jab movement, then contrast those reps with moves on air or within a drill.

Video 4. Like contrast training in the weight room or during speed work, we can apply the same concept to the court.

Here are some great examples of various other contrast methods. We can incorporate these loaded movements to excite the central nervous system, then contrast those reps to get the ultimate intent and precise movement we want, and help the athlete feel what they have unlocked in the process.

2. Side Steps/Step Backs

Side steps and step backs are now an essential fundamental skill for a hooper to have. At one point, they were considered advanced or “fancy,” but they are undoubtedly a part of the game now that every single player needs to have access to. Being able to shoot out of a step back or side step is just as essential now as a catch and shoot, layup, or floater.

Being able to shoot out of a step back or side step is just as essential now as a catch and shoot, layup, or floater, says @JustinOchoa317. Share on X

It would be hard not to crown James Harden the “King of the Step Back,” but props are also due to players like Steph Curry, Luka Doncic, and Damian Lillard. Speaking of Damian Lillard, he would probably take the cake for the best side step in the NBA in today’s game, with players like Jayson Tatum and Brad Beal as other notable masters of their craft.

If you want to watch someone with both of these moves in their bag at the most elite level, look no further than the WNBA’s Arike Ogunbowale. She is one of the best scorers on the planet in basketball, period.

The primary goal of both a step back and a side step is to do one or more of the following:

• Create separation from the defender to get a clean look at a shot.
• Force the defender to contest the shot too early or too late.
• Relocate your defender or force them off balance (or sometimes fall).
• Set up your own predetermined countermove.

These moves work so well because they are rapid changes of direction that allow the ball handler to get into their shot quickly. The threat of a drive to the basket makes the step back lethal because many defenses are predicated on keeping ball handlers out of the paint. With shutting down paint touches being a high priority for defenses, drives can be turned into step-back jumpers to give the offensive player an extremely clean look at a high-percentage shot. Similarly, the side step uses misdirection concepts and alters the defense’s rhythm and/or timing to get into the shot. Side steps are usually more subtle and cover less ground but work equally as well because of the disruption they cause to a defender’s balance and ability to anticipate movement.

Since these are technically two separate moves that I’ve grouped together for the sake of this article, we will look at what generally makes an effective step back or side step. One of the biggest factors is the athlete’s ability to change direction, which, in this case, requires multiplanar strength and power. Driving downhill and turning that into a step back requires a great deal of linear deceleration and also single-leg power to be back to reaccelerate back into the shooting position. A side step can also be added to a step back for even more separation from the defender, adding another layer of change of direction.

Believe it or not, mobility is another essential ingredient to make a good side step or step back: athletes get into some crazy positions during these moves. Coaches would look at some of these positions and call them “bad” or “dangerous,” but they are just naturally occurring postures that the game of basketball requires.

Video 5. For teaching athletes change of direction, there are a million-and-one ways to get great results. From a general strength approach, I really like the use of eccentric-focused training. I am a big fan of the Exxentric kBox because we can get the benefits of overloaded eccentric and overspeed eccentrics, both of which have a great deal of transfer to the decelerative qualities needed.

Videos 6 and 7. I also use simple basics for general changes of direction, like multidirectional jumps, speed cuts, and sprints with controlled decelerations to a lunge.

To start bridging the gap toward sport-specific skill, we can use multidirectional rhythm bounds and rapid bound backs to get into the angles we typically see in the step-back or side-step moves.

Videos 8 and 9. Lateral bound with vertical jump and ViPR rhythm bounds.

Finally, to bring it all together in the most specific application, we can add resistance, instability, or overspeed elements. I like to tow athletes forward in a linear sprint dribble and really emphasize the decel, which then turns into resistance on the reacceleration into the step back.

Another contrast concept we can use with these moves is incorporating overcoming isometric holds in specific force vectors we want to enhance. Similar to the concept mentioned in the jab step series, we can use immovable objects as our anchor point to put maximal force into the ground and then recreate those footstrikes in the move to create massive separation and effectiveness of the move. Here’s an example of what that may look like in a training setting.

3. Hesitation Moves

For the third and final common basketball move I’ll deconstruct, we will look at a hesitation move: “the hesi.” When it comes to the hesi, I think of vintage Jamal Crawford. His ability to float the ball, relax, explode, and then attack out of the hesi is pure art. The beautiful part about the hesitation move is that it can be the move, but it can also be used to set up another move or series of moves.

The beautiful part about the hesitation move is that it can be THE move, but it can also be used to set up another move or series of moves, says @JustinOchoa317. Share on X

The hesitation move is so important and common to basketball players that it’s honestly sometimes an unconscious movement that occurs just as a part of the athlete reading the situation or trying to gather their own rhythm.

The primary goal of a hesitation move is to do one or more of the following:

• Force the defender to relax or misstep based on your position.
• Set yourself up for a subsequent move or series of moves.
• Regain your balance or rhythm as a ball handler without retreating from the defense.
• Change your pace or level of play, or allow the play to develop around you.

The hesitation is such an easy move to master because there is truly no wrong way to do it. Everyone will put their own sauce on it and make their own unique version within the principles or goals listed above.

The number one must-have piece of the puzzle when it comes to an effective hesitation move is having a change of pace. A hesitation move is named as such because it does exactly what it sounds like. While the ball handler hesitates or delays their next movement by floating the dribble, their defender also hesitates and often has to wait until the next move to know precisely what they need to react to. That is why it is so important not just to relax but also to reaccelerate rapidly for the most drastic change of pace possible. Here’s a great example of how we try to manage and quantify change of pace.

Another complementary part of a great hesi move is to change levels. Similar to a change of pace, this throws off the defender’s timing and ability to read the next move. Just like going from slow to fast is tough to defend, going from tall to low is equally difficult. And the best part is that slow to fast and tall to low usually go hand-in-hand. Tall is relaxed is slow. Low is accelerating is fast.

The underlying attributes that can enhance both of these things are ultimately rhythm and coordination. Hard to measure but very easy to see: both rhythm and coordination are very fun to incorporate into training.

Video 10. Sprint-relax-sprint run.

From a general approach, we can teach change of pace with sprint-relax-sprint runs, in which athletes do exactly what it sounds like—sprint 10 yards, jog 10 yards, and sprint 10 yards. This helps athletes learn how to turn it on when they need to step on the gas and how to control that speed when they need to dial it back a little bit, then turn it on again.

Video 11. Kettlebell rhythm switches.

Contract-relax rhythm drills are another great general approach. I don’t even have a name for these; they just are. Drills like these help athletes find their rhythm in an environment that forces them to contract and relax rapidly over and over under load.

Some more specific ways to get better at hesitations are to add an element of reaction to the move itself. I love to drill these into training with verbal cues such as commands, colors, numbers, or other words that indicate what the athlete needs to react to. We can have the athlete pull up into a jumper by using a hesitation move, but at the last second, call out a command like “drive” to make them drive instead. Or “blue” could be drive left, and “red” could be drive right. No command could mean shoot as planned. The possibilities are endless.

Videos 12 and 13. Adding verbal commands to hesitation moves.

Deconstructing moves is not just about the move itself but also about the residual effects of the training. As mentioned, I still believe that a progression from general to specific with progressive overload in various ways is a cornerstone for any program.

Deconstructing moves isn’t just about the move itself but also about the residual effects of the training, says @JustinOchoa317. Share on X

Improving the Whole

Nothing mentioned in this article is solely effective for the move itself. We covered components of general strength, general speed, mobility, posture, awareness, rhythm, and coordination—all of which I think every athlete can surely benefit from. These all pay dividends to the moves we want to enhance but also the development of the athlete.

The specificity comes into play to add more relevant context to the training and help the athlete connect the dots between training and live play.

Many coaches opt to keep the sport and the athletic development training for that sport separate, but I think the more we can blur those lines, the more we can uncover that there are incredible opportunities to help athletes reach new levels that we never thought were possible before. All it takes is an open mind, an eye for the game, and the imagination to experiment in search of constant improvement for your craft.

Since you’re here…
…we have a small favor to ask. More people are reading SimpliFaster than ever, and each week we bring you compelling content from coaches, sport scientists, and physiotherapists who are devoted to building better athletes. Please take a moment to share the articles on social media, engage the authors with questions and comments below, and link to articles when appropriate if you have a blog or participate on forums of related topics. — SF