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Medicine balls provide a unique opportunity, enabling athletes to accelerate until the very finish of the movement—something traditional resistance training cannot achieve. Whether for increasing outputs in rotational, linear, or lateral movements, most of us throw medicine balls with our athletes to become more explosive, leading to higher movement velocities. Yet I often see implementations of this training method without the detailed look it deserves.

Okay, give me 3×10 rotational throws is a common prescription found all the way up to the highest realms of athletic training. But what kind of rotational throw is the coach referring to? Do they always have just this one specific throw in mind that they always use? When the athlete seems to be getting stronger, do they then just give them a heavier med ball to throw? I don’t know—but I do know that we are still far away in most sports in terms of the best use of this amazing training tool.

Med ball throws can be used as a bridge between the weight room and our sport-specific work, enabling us to work the ability to transfer momentum through kinetic chains in three dimensions. Share on X

In my experience, medicine ball throws can be used as a bridge between the weight room and our sport-specific work, enabling us to work the ability to transfer momentum through kinetic chains in three dimensions. I have often asked myself if there are any untouched areas in terms of progressing medicine ball throws and their intensities, apart from only increasing the weight. Doing only this might lead to submaximal results (adaptations to stimulate neural drive and motor unit recruitment), as movement velocities are slowed down, as well as increase injury risks in susceptible tissues (think of rotator cuff tendons and the like) and possibly interfere with optimal sequencing and movement rhythm.

Unsurprisingly, the ultimate goal of this article is to lay out a straightforward way to progress the intensity of throwing a medicine ball by using what I call “momentum-based intensity techniques” (MBITs) to achieve higher athletic abilities for those we train.

Momentum and Impact

Momentum and impact are two of the most important terms in sport science, stemming from Newton’s Second Law (specifically the Impulse-Momentum Theorem), which basically states that:

The change in momentum of an object equals the impulse applied to it

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Momentum is the product of an object’s mass and velocity, whereas impulse is the product of the net force acting on an object and its duration. This means that if we want to throw a medicine ball faster, we need a larger impulse acting on it. This can be achieved either by:

1. Increasing the duration that we act on the ball (see graph below: red impulse)
2. Increasing the net force (while keeping the duration the same: grey impulse).

The first is possible when using a larger range of motion, the second by being able to produce a higher force faster (rate of force development and maximal strength). Although theoretically correct, the assumptions made must be taken with a grain of salt in terms of the reality of what we see happening.

In reality, if an athlete increases mean force, the duration of their actions on the ball will be shorter, as acceleration is faster. Thus, the duration will only be the same when the mean force increases if the ROM of the movement is increased in the same fashion. Nevertheless, I think the graph and described theory help us understand the fundamental relation.

But this is only one part of the story. Why? Because in sports, we commonly need to act upon an object—whether it is our body or an implement—that is moving in a countermovement action.

Think of a player who needs to make a complete 180-degree change of direction. Their net impulse needs to be comparatively larger than the one when they start from a standstill, as they need to overcome the momentum their body has built up before executing the COD task. The same must be said about throwing a medicine ball, with or without performing a countermovement, which is used to stretch the tissues that are asked to produce and transmit the necessary impulse on the implement and initiate the concentric part of the movement at a much higher ground-reaction force.

Momentum doesn’t just go ‘anywhere,’ but in a specific direction—and via our impulse, we want to redirect it to achieve the goal of our movement task. Share on X

We must remember that momentum is a vector quantity, where mass is a scalar and velocity is a vector. This basically means it is a quantity that has a direction and magnitude. Therefore, we should always remember that momentum does not just go “anywhere,” but in a specific direction—and via our impulse, we want to redirect it to achieve the goal of our movement task.

To successfully turn their momentum around, the athlete must have sufficient technical and physiological qualities. If the “negative” momentum surpasses the athlete’s ability to redirect it—perhaps because the weight of the ball is too high in symbioses with the produced acceleration via the countermovement—then the ball’s exit velocity will drop. This is despite the coach initially thinking that by implementing a countermovement, the exit velocity should be higher due to the build-up of elastic energy in connective (endomysium, perimysium, and epimysium, as well as tendons and ligaments) and muscular tissues (titin) in addition to the stretch reflexes. If our only strategy to counter such a situation would be to lower the weight of the ball, we might lose out on what we are trying to achieve: building athletes capable of dealing with increasing amounts of momentum as they develop athletic abilities.

Stemming from the argument above, the foremost question should be: how can we logically increase momentum—of the whole body and the ball—by using variations of a specific throw? Based on this question, I propose a progression regarding training for output that not only addresses increasing the weight of the ball but also the fact that a better skilled and developed player can perform tasks that are more challenging in terms of the height of momentum they face.

MBITs: Techniques to Increase Intensity by Using Momentum

There are many ways to ask more from the athlete than simply increasing the weight of a medicine ball. I would even argue that increasing medicine ball weight as the only means to increase intensity is not optimal when the goal is to increase movement velocity via neural and structural adaptations—particularly since the weight of the implement an athlete deals with in sports like tennis and javelin remain the same, while advanced players (in comparison to those of lower levels) increase their exit velocities by efficiently transferring built-up, whole-body momentum into their implements.

Increasing medicine ball weight as the ONLY means to increase intensity is not optimal when the goal is to increase movement velocity via neural and structural adaptations. Share on X

This also holds for athletes in sports not dealing with implements but just their bodies. Elite athletes have unique abilities in terms of using their momentum to create acceleration and output by near-perfect segmentation and sequencing of their body parts. Imagine a highly capable soccer player using two to three steps to accelerate their whole body, effectively blocking forward momentum via their plant leg to kick the ball with a very high velocity. To do this, they must learn how to manage momentum optimally.

Video 1. A progression of rotational throws from a stationary, concentric-only throw to a “shock” and run-up variations.

Based on this reasoning, a much better way to increase intensity when training for movement velocity is to use methods to build momentum the athlete will need to deal with, as this will differentiate the great from not-so-great athletes: the ability to produce and deal with large momentums via impulse generation. Think of an athlete running to a COD task being able to create a higher impulse than their opponent, leading them to be faster out of that turn. Or a javelin thrower being able to use a faster run-up, which has been shown to be one of the most important KPIs for throwing distance.

To exemplify my method of increasing intensity, the graph below shows the MBITs that I use to increase rotational movement velocities. They can be used in nearly every throw variation, such as overhead and scoop throws, as well as chest pass tosses.

The easiest throw is concentric-only—the athlete does not need to deal with any negative momentum; they only need to produce an impulse on the implement. This throw is great for beginners, as they can work on the basics of technical aspects such as hip-shoulder segmentation and the sequencing of body parts. I believe hip-shoulder separation, in particular, is something many of us try to work on intensively with most of our athletes if they play a rotational or overhead sport. The fewer components novice athletes have to deal with, the more they can concentrate on specific elements of the technique they want to work on. This is not to say that learning a movement as a whole is not useful, but depending on the context, breaking down complex movements into different parts can be of great help.

A first progression to increase momentum from the concentric-only throw would be letting the athlete use a countermovement. A countermovement while standing can be further differentiated if the athlete is allowed to move from the ground up while using their feet or if they are instructed to keep their feet relatively stable. This removes the possibility of producing more significant momentum by engaging larger ranges of motion around the ankle, knee, and hip joint via rotation of the tibia and the femur.

Adding in a pre-step is the next logical progression when using a rotational throw. The athlete can effectively load their back leg, using it to produce a much higher momentum of the whole body, which needs to be blocked by the front leg and efficiently transferred up the kinetic chain to the ball.

In this progression, what Verkoshansky termed the “Shock Method” will lead us to another increase in intensity if the athlete moves with the highest possible intent (a prerequisite of the whole progression). Reversing the momentum of a ball that is thrown to them can—depending on how fast the ball is passed—immensely intensify the negative momentum the athlete needs to redirect. The “shock” in this method comes as the body collides with an external object, leading to a sharp increase in muscle tension—which can increase impulse generation (if the momentum is not too high for the athlete to handle). You can combine this MBIT with a number of the other MBITs, such as the countermovement, a pre-step, or even a run-up.

What you must keep in mind when combining MBITs, though, is the technical level the athlete displays: the more “noise” due to variables affecting the athlete (running up, catching the ball, etc.), the less likely they will produce the highest possible outputs if their technique is not advanced enough. (This is somewhat comparable to strength outputs on unstable surfaces in traditional resistance training exercises like squats and deadlifts.)

The last step (at least relative to this example) is using a run-up into a rotational throw. This increases the momentum of the whole body a great deal. Think of a pre-step that increases the velocity of the entire body to around 3 m/s and a run-up leading to twice the velocity. This would mean a difference in whole-body momentum of 240 kg x m/s when the athlete weighs approximately 80 kilos. The athlete would need a good blocking action of their front leg, bracing it hard to conserve the momentum and allowing it to travel through the kinetic chain, finally reaching the implement. If the blocking leg cannot stay stiff upon contact, the momentum will partly vanish, and exit velocity will drop.

Building on this, the run-up leads to an even stronger collision that the athlete needs to go through, and it requires producing a large impulse on the block leg to stay stiff, while also having great movement skills and technique. Without the latter, forces arising from the collision vanish and cannot be used to increase the exit velocity of the target movement. As mentioned earlier, momentum is a vector quantity—thus, the management of masses and their direction need to be fine-tuned. An effective block is great, but if the athlete cannot funnel masses into the desired direction, forces dissipate, leading to suboptimal exit velocities.

We must be very aware of the kinds of momentum our athletes have to deal with. Share on X

We must be very aware of the kinds of momentum our athletes have to deal with. Some sports (and movements within sports) don’t require a countermovement, such as starting from blocks in sprinting. In these cases, it could be better to use a different progression model than the one proposed due to higher similarity with the target movement, muscle actions, and timing. Thus, a progression model should always be specific to the sport, the movement, and the individual athlete.

Specificity of Throwing Variation and Intensity Techniques

The chosen throwing variation should reflect the needs of an athlete or group of athletes. However, not only do the throwing variations (e.g., rotational, scoop, overhead, chest pass, etc.) need to be selected but also the MBIT the coach implements.

Think of the difference between building up the momentum of the whole body, which is possibly already heading in the right direction, and reversing a negative momentum built up by the ball via a countermovement or having to catch the ball. While the need to brace your front leg might be specific to some sporting movements, such as a tennis forehand into which the athlete can accelerate, other movements fit better with using the shock method to increase the intensity. As I work with tennis players, this could be the moment a tennis player is on the run and merely able to reach the ball, hitting it while in the air. In this instance, they need to keep their hip stable, serving as a post (I often coin it “anchor”) for the upper body to rotate around.

Thus, the coach should be familiar with what the athlete needs to work on and how to achieve that in training while not using progressions that are too “heavy to handle” in terms of momentum.

When Is the Athlete Ready for a More Intensive Progression?

A coach has multiple options to use to establish how good an athlete is in dealing with momentum. Data should be your friend here—if you have an effective sensor (e.g., the Output or, depending on the throw, the Vmaxpro), you can measure exit velocity and acceleration of your throw (Output) or movement velocity (Vmaxpro). Another option would be to use a radar gun or measure the distance the athlete can throw in each variant. (Bear in mind that measuring distance is quirkier as more variables than just exit velocity, such as release angle, determine the outcome in the case.)

I use the Vmaxpro to determine movement velocities while performing medicine ball throws, even though it is not originally intended for such use. Share on X

I use the Vmaxpro to determine movement velocities while performing medicine ball throws, even though it is not originally intended for such use. Simply attach the sensor to the wrist of the athlete and look for an exercise similar to that of the throwing variation you use.

For example, I have measured vertical unilateral scoop tosses by setting the exercise in the App to “Curl Scott.” This worked well for me and gave me interesting insights. Moving from a concentric-only to a countermovement and, finally, to a shock version of the throw, the sensor showed that the shock-version led to around 20% higher eccentric peak and average velocities compared to the countermovement throw. This is a strong increase in what an athlete’s kinetic chain on the back of their body—most importantly, the hamstrings—must deal with in terms of momentum and being able to redirect it efficiently.

Video 2. Scoop throws.

Let an athlete run through a progression and see when they begin failing to use the momentum they build up or that the ball has. Let’s say you use the cheapest way of measuring—throwing distance—and your goal is to increase output via neural adaptations in their backhand motion since they are a tennis player, and you want to add velocity to their stroke. You let them throw through the following progression, and these are the results:

The results would indicate they can deal with a pre-step, but they are not able to convert the momentum built up by running into the throw. The problem might be technical or physiological, which is up to the coach to determine via their coach’s eye and other data, such as raw strength levels and RFD measurements. Carl Valle has written about that in several articles on medicine ball training for SimpliFaster: Output is one thing, but how it was produced is another.

The decision on how to help the athlete able to bear a run-up is, again, up to the coach. Perhaps they might use a pre-step as a more volume-intensive approach, while slowly building in run-ups to prepare the athlete to deal with higher-momentum intensities. Whatever the approach, constantly measuring output via distance or movement velocities holds the athlete accountable, shows progress, and ensures they use the right way of implementation.

Constantly measuring output via distance or movement velocities holds the athlete accountable, shows progress, and ensures they use the right way of implementation. Share on X

MBITs are basically comparable to the premises of Verkoshansky’s research on how to choose the right box height for drop jumps, the falling height of weights (in a machine that was built for an exercise like an MB chest pass), and an over-challenging situation when momentum becomes too high to handle for the athlete, leading to sub-maximal outputs. While slight “over-challenges” might be needed in terms of stimulating adaptations, constantly hammering an athlete with over-challenging situations might deteriorate performance while at the same time risking injury.

As with every other training modality, as trainers, we walk the fine line between enhancing performance and negatively affecting our athletes in the near term and long run. In simple language: It wouldn’t be wise to only program supramaximal-eccentric heavy back squats with an athlete struggling to even perform a technically sound bodyweight squat.

Building Your Own Progression Using MBITs

As humans, we can’t escape what Newton described in his laws, but we can help our athletes by enabling them to overcome, redirect, and manipulate the momentum they face in their sports and daily lives. This is where MBITs in medicine ball training can serve a great purpose as the base of sound progression models to enhance adaptations made from this amazing training tool.

By using momentum as a starting point for building your own model when chasing higher athletic ability, you can effectively intensify specific throwing variants without resorting to only using heavier balls. If this article contributes to helping you build better athletes, I will be more than happy.

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 the saying goes, the only constant is change itself. Change merely for the sake of change is foolish; innovation as the result of new information and acquired experience, on the other hand, is the foundation of progress in any field. This requires both curiosity and humility. Having a genuinely inquisitive mind and a steadfast desire to get it right—as opposed to being right—have largely served me well.

Looking back and reflecting, I now find brutish and downright cringeworthy much of what I valued when I first began my coaching journey. The process is always incomplete, and God willing, I will be saying this same exact thing 15 years from now in reference to current training practices. Throughout this entire process, efficiency has been the one steady, driving influence. Getting more from less has led me to omit more than add: distilling training down to what is necessary and nothing more has led to broad shifts in my views on the fundamentals of athleticism and how they specifically relate to soccer.

Distilling training down to what is necessary and nothing more has led to broad shifts in my views on the fundamentals of athleticism and how they specifically relate to soccer, says @houndsspeed. Share on X

Quite simply, soccer players must play soccer to get better at playing soccer. Consequently, this has forced me to adopt a supplemental approach to performance work in developing attributes that soccer players would otherwise not acquire through play alone to ensure athletic balance and, ultimately, long-term sustainability. This requires constantly confronting ability as opposed to inability and progressing or regressing accordingly.

As a result, I am constantly reminding myself that my athletes’ immediate needs care not about my predetermined plans for them. For instance, well-planned speed work after an impromptu technical training session earlier in the day often means quickly pivoting to a less-stressful alternative, such as power or strength. Higher performance then comes as the natural by-product of aggressively pursuing health. As a result, these are how my thoughts on speed, power, and strength have evolved over time, with changes in my beliefs specifically on agility and conditioning likely warranting an entire article of their own.

Speed

Soccer is primarily an acceleration-based sport—only very infrequently do soccer athletes have the opportunity to truly demonstrate top-end speed within the natural confines of a game or training. In my coaching infancy, I leaned heavily on nothing but acceleration development as a result: starts from different angles, resisted accelerations with mixed loads, and med balls were my favorite tools.

This was effective…but only to a point.

Athletes would quickly improve and just as quickly stagnate. Over time, building a more holistic approach to speed by including traditional maximum velocity work with timed flys, wickets, and floating sprints has contributed to more consistent, continued speed development. In fact, despite being counterintuitive, more maximum velocity and less acceleration has shown to be most effective at improving speed with the soccer athletes I have worked with.

I believe this is in large part due to an athlete’s need for a constant, subtle variance to sustain improvement regardless of desired adaptation. Soccer athletes accelerate frequently in training and in games, and staying true to the narrative of supplemental skill development, max velocity work provides the necessary outlet to liberate growth, as it is similar enough but not completely congruent.

Top-end speed teaches soccer players how to sustain momentum and rhythm. Doing so necessitates a more efficient acceleration to achieve max velocity. Also, it is important to note that what initially allowed me to stumble upon this revelation was, in fact, the pursuit of greater health. Attempting to push back at clichéd Nordics for injury prevention, I began doing fly-in wickets with an emphasis on coordination under velocity from about 30 to 60 yards to inoculate hamstrings under more realistic conditions. Without fail, after two- to three-week mesocycles of top-end speed emphasis, acceleration times would improve. As it stands, for every acceleration-based session, I also do 2–3 max velocity sessions for the soccer athletes I train.

Power

As it relates to rate of force development, my initial training inclinations mirrored that of a traditional strength and conditioning template designed for a skill-position football athlete. To be clear, this was wildly successful at developing performance for soccer athletes both youth and pro alike, because it filled a glaring strength and power hole that existed in the athletic repertoire of most soccer players.

For individuals who were inherently agile and fit because of the specific demands of the game, integrating basic progressive overload with a barbell via back squats, front squats, deadlifts, and cleans went a very long way. Analogous to speed, however, this was only effective to a point. Time and experience then gradually led me to question the overly vertical nature of those previously mentioned movements, as well as the singular response nature of well-known power tests such as the vertical jump.

I began to value efforts that demonstrated an athlete’s ability to sustain HORIZONTAL movement as a better barometer of relevant athleticism for soccer, says @houndsspeed. Share on X

Soccer is primarily horizontal—and certainly more continuous than football—so I began to value efforts that demonstrated an athlete’s ability to sustain horizontal movement, such as consecutive broad jumps, alternating bounds, and even the flying sprints as a better barometer of the relevant athleticism for soccer. Currently, to better develop horizontal displacement, I gravitate to sleds, hills, bleachers, and plyos for distance more than their “up and down” power cousins.

Strength

Perhaps my biggest philosophical change has come regarding my view on strength as it relates to soccer. As stated above in reference to power, my initial training templates looked very similar to something that would be effective for a skill-position football athlete, which in turn meant a disproportionate amount of absolute strength development. Again, at first great, but lacking the nuance necessary for better sustainability in soccer. In the beginning, there were two important distinctions between soccer and football that I failed to account for:

1. First and foremost, soccer is continuous, and football is start-stop. This creates the biggest difference between soccer and football: soccer is a contact sport, and football is a collision sport. In fact, this puts football in a league of its own, even when compared with other very physical sports such as rugby and hockey.

The continuous, flowing nature of soccer mitigates forces upon impact with other players. The start-stop nature of football lends itself to far more violent collisions. Quite simply, the actual mass of a football player is more valuable than that of a soccer player. If velocity is then considered, we arrive at momentum—which is defined as mass multiplied by velocity (p=mv). Momentum matters in all sports because it takes into account both size and speed, but in my estimation, it is more important for a football athlete because of the direct role added mass plays in allowing an athlete to both deliver and handle violent collisions more effectively.

2. The second fairly obvious distinction I failed to factor in was the innate fitness differences directly reflected in the total duration of play and the distances traveled, and as a result, the slightly muted intensities for a field player in soccer when contrasted with a football player. Field players in soccer play a continuous 90 minutes that requires both offensive and defensive responsibilities.

I recognize that in youth football many players do play offense, defense, and special teams, but for the most part, as a football athlete rises in competition level, they likely specialize in either offense or defense. Added mass to a soccer athlete can become a burden throughout the entirety of a game, so the trick is building a bigger engine without changing the mass of the chassis for a soccer athlete.

Over time, the natural correction of the two initial oversights regarding the mass of an athlete and the intensity-duration relationship of the two games has led me to greatly value relative strength much more so than absolute strength. Relative strength demonstrates how effectively an athlete can move their own body weight, favoring the velocity part of the momentum equation with an intrinsic fitness quality as well. Specifically, I have yet to encounter an athlete who has improved their relative strength metrics and simultaneously got less fit. Yes, the concession is absolute top-end power, and that is quite all right.

Efficiency is everything to me, so developing multiple attributes with limited exercises is optimal, says @houndsspeed. Share on X

I prefer soccer players to be a “jack of all trades” as opposed to a “master of one” when considering all athletic qualities. For a track and field analogy, I liken the more diverse athletic attributes needed for soccer athletes to the skill sets necessary for heptathletes and decathletes. Building absolute strength will always be necessary, but the frequency of top-end strength sessions and the intensities within those sessions are now much lower than when I first began. I now build more around calisthenics exercises such as chin-ups, pistols, and dips, while squatting and deadlifting slightly less has ironed out the subtle differences necessary to better meet the mass-energy needs. To this point, it is very important to note that calisthenics should not be so quickly dismissed as a subordinate option to weighted resistance, as they successfully marry relative strength with both core stability and flexibility.

As stated earlier, efficiency is everything to me, so developing multiple attributes with limited exercises is optimal. For instance, as proficiency grows beyond a standard of 10 pistol squats, 10 chin-ups (full hang), and 20 strict push-ups (full lockout), advancing into concepts such as L-sits, muscle ups, planches, front levers, handstands, and dragon flags, etc. is necessary to push intensity as opposed to volume. Completely analogous to the Olympic lifts, there is still great value in even regressed variations and derivatives of these movements, and it truly is relative to the ability and willingness of the individual athlete to expand their skill set. This does not mean I am suggesting soccer players become gymnasts, but rather that there are ways to achieve more desirable, nuanced strength beyond that of a barbell and dumbbell.

Reflection and Revision

Performance training for soccer athletes is truly a unique puzzle. The diverse athletic skill set combined with a demanding intensity-duration relationship means there is much to be prepared for. I have been actively trying to refine this process for the past decade and a half, so hopefully this has provided insight into what I currently find most effective and, more importantly, how it came to be.

Years of daily reflection, on both objective data and subjective markers, have driven constant, subtle corrections that over time have led to larger philosophical changes.  The trick is remaining patient and resisting the urge to do too much too fast.

Years of daily reflection, on both objective data and subjective markers, have driven constant, subtle corrections that over time have led to larger philosophical changes, says @houndsspeed. Share on X

The origins, albeit suboptimal, may be good starting points in themselves for those looking to begin, as I would be foolish to dismiss what has brought me to this point. I do vehemently implore you that, when dealing with your athletes—particularly the youngest—you aggressively pursue health first by supplementing what they are lacking. In doing so, performance will organically follow.

Lead photo by Justin Berl/Icon Sportswire.

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

Even a cursory understanding of good breath mechanics can help focus the mind, coordinate the body, and reduce pain. Due to the nature of the adaptations that come with exposure to sport environments—combined with early specialization and a general lack of cultural free movement play—movement intelligence and freedom get limited in general, and breath mechanics does not escape this fate. Dysfunctional breath mechanics accompany, contribute to, or outright cause problems such as aerobic inefficiency; back, neck, and shoulder pain; negative autonomic and behavioral feedback loops; and more. Conversely, skilled breathing can be a Swiss Army knife for performance, resulting in coordinated movement, pain management, and enhanced focus.

Skilled breathing can be a Swiss Army knife for performance, resulting in coordinated movement, pain management, and enhanced focus. Share on X

While I enjoy seeing more and more coaches and athletes taking an interest in the benefits of breathing techniques, many are doing so without understanding the basic skills involved. Breath mechanics are the actual muscular skill of breathing techniques themselves, but you don’t have to learn to levitate like Himalayan yogis to get it right. Simple constraints and cueing will achieve an effective enough outcome for most performance environments. However, there is a deep, deep well of opportunity for those who would send the bucket all the way to the bottom.

There are two issues I’ve seen with the instruction of breath mechanics in performance environments:

1. Too much jargon. Coaches and athletes have enough skills to learn and tools to integrate into their respective disciplines without adding another seemingly complicated endeavor to the list. Confusing and hypertechnical jargon provokes an adverse reaction in coaches and athletes alike.
2. It can be tough to learn and integrate. The proprioceptive component of skilled breathing is subtle, and the way it’s often taught is too slow and myopic for use in environments that move fast. Performers need tools and heuristics that allow for rapid feel and focus and deliver a palpable difference in performance outcomes when executed.

My goal for this article is to give both coaches and athletes simple cues and tactics to quickly integrate skilled breathing into their total arsenal, so they can avoid problems down the road and be more efficient and effective in their pursuit of high-performance longevity.

Ideal Breath Mechanics

Before we address ideal mechanics, it’s not as if your athletes don’t breathe a certain way that they’ll drop dead on the field in a heap of failure. Not at all. That said, mechanics do matter.

The reason for any mechanical movement standard is to optimize innate anatomical leverages to achieve a movement outcome more efficiently and effectively. As an easy example, we can all run hard and long to some degree, but that’s not the same as spending time with a good track coach to optimize our running mechanics. You can, of course, go out and pound the pavement for hundreds of thousands of reps with no problem until the wheels come off, but why not use those reps as constructively as possible?

Failing to address breath mechanics at all leaves free money on the table. Share on X

Failing to address breath mechanics at all leaves free money on the table. As we start to explore the place of proper breath mechanics, especially in the context of sport, let’s establish a clear framework that includes the presence of an ideal as well as reasonable expectations in regard to achieving our outcomes. Ideal breath mechanics use primary breathing muscles to do most of the work because they have much better leverage to move the rib cage. It’s not bad to use accessory muscles per se, but it is bad to use mostly accessory breathing muscles—especially if it becomes a habit that carries outside of acute stress.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

For our purposes, ideal breath mechanics will represent those expressed without additional structural stress outside of posture in gravity and without added metabolic or psychological stress—all of which have an immediate and measurable effect on breathing.

When we breathe, the diaphragm and external intercostals ideally do the lion’s share of the work during inhalation, expanding the size of the rib cage so the lungs can inflate. The circumferential attachment of the diaphragm expands the lower rib cage, while the intercostals open the space between individual ribs. For this reason, these muscle groups are called the primary breathing muscles. Next time you chow down on some succulent barbecued ribs, know that you’re eating cow intercostals—that’s some top-of-the-food-chain shizzle right there.

When these primary breathing muscles work in concert, we more effectively control airflow into and out of the body, stabilizing trunk pressure and mitigating fatigue of the breathing muscles themselves. If not, respiratory metaboreflex can shunt blood from the extremities to the trunk as the diaphragm fatigues. The ancient Greek name for the nerve that innervates the diaphragm is the phrenic (nerve), which means “mind.” The ability to use the diaphragm, especially under stress, will help divert athletes from a cycle of over-arousal to a state of relaxed focus. Just a coincidence, I’m sure. While the breath wave, as I’ve described above, is not always available, as much of your ideal breath mechanics as possible should be preserved across training and sports environments.

Training the primary breathing muscles purposefully will reduce the stress load on more sensitive tissues in the spine through pressure regulation (an easy example is the Valsalva maneuver, often used when lifting heavy) and by decreasing the workload on accessory breathing muscles. Some postural orientations negatively affect breathing efficiency. For example, anterior pelvic tilt can create rib flare, limiting diaphragm excursion and rib mobility. Conversely, a stiff and kyphotic thoracic spine shuts down posterior and lateral rib motion, which is especially important for athletic pursuits when the abdominals are hard at work stabilizing the trunk.

Focusing on the ideal infrasternal angle, hypertonic scalenes, and apical breathing is great stuff, but it should not be your first concern in the training hall or on the field. Genetics, movement history (including injuries), and sports environment all play a part in how all movement compensations form; breath mechanics are no different. For coaches, in particular, it’s generally a better use of time to move athletes toward the ideal as simply as possible and outsource specific roadblocks to specialized professionals.

So what are we supposed to do, give up sports unless we can play with a perfectly aligned pelvic floor and ideal breath mechanics? Of course not. Mitigate what you can and understand the limitations of your athletes’ innate structures and the environment they’re playing in. If they play in pads like in hockey or football, these can affect access to the ideal.

There are clearly opportunities in both training and competition where using good breath mechanics can reset the mind and body in a way few other tools can. Share on X

While it’s not in the scope of this article to get deep into the weeds on the numerous compensations and dysfunctions that can occur with breathing mechanics, it does help to have some context around them. Life and sport do not exist in a bubble, and so ideal breath mechanics rarely, if ever, occur—unless your athlete is seated or lying down. There are, however, clearly opportunities in both training and competition where using good breath mechanics can reset the mind and body in a way few other tools can.

Get Them Moving

Get the ribs to move. All cues, techniques, tools, and interventions should focus on getting athletes to feel and move their rib cages better. It can be damn hard to feel and train breath mechanics because so little sensory information comes from there. Why? Because the stuff down there is mainly meant to work on autopilot (the autonomic nervous system). So when athletes have trouble training their diaphragm, it does not automatically indicate dysfunction in the truest sense of the word.

Our lungs are inside the rib cage. Let me say that again—our lungs are inside our rib cage. The obvious has to be said because breathing interventions are so often taught without reference to, well, the ribs. Focusing on moving the rib cage as a functional system provides a more accessible image and allows for a broader application later in sports-specific contexts, which means athletes can use it under stress. That is not unimportant!

Rather than getting all mixed up in correcting all breathing problems, first, just feel and move the stuff when and how we want to. Let’s start with some simple cues and tools that can help increase the feel for the athlete.

1. Fill the bucket. The cue “fill the bucket” is just a cue. It is not a detailed description of ventilation kinematics. Just get your athlete thinking and moving in the right direction, and as my good friend Coach Danny Yeager says, “start the conversation.”

When you fill a bucket with water, it goes from the bottom to the top and out to the sides evenly and equally. Imagine your torso is a big five-gallon bucket from Lowe’s or Home Depot. As you inhale, fill the bucket from bottom to top and out to the side. As you exhale, slowly pour the water back out of the bucket. Don’t expect to go full zen monk on your first try. It’s a skill.

Keep it simple and practice. As you and your athletes get it, apply it in various situations to enhance mental clarity and grab hold of the autonomic nervous system. Also, pay attention to where and when you/they cannot be filled. This can give you insight into other movement problems (especially scapula mechanics).

2. Feel/move the ribs. If you can’t feel it, you can’t change it. Having athletes simply place their hands on their rib cage can help compensate for the lack of sensory input in the area by using the nerve-rich tissues in the hands. This gives an external feedback mechanism to bounce the signal through and creates an immediate “feel” for what’s moving. Good times to introduce this are during warm-up, during cooldown, and between training evolutions.

The strap of a heart rate monitor is another great way for athletes to cue into their breathing. Simply cue them to “fill the strap with air” or combine it with “fill the bucket” from above. By getting these breathing tissues to act in better symphony, stress is distributed through the torso more evenly and with reduced energy consumption.

3. Keep your mouth shut whenever possible. Controlled nasal breathing provides 5x the airflow resistance of mouth breathing and so requires the diaphragm to work more effectively, especially when combined with slight closure of the glottis. I’ve found success with using a simple three-count inhale and three-count exhale through the nose during low-intensity warm-up drills. Athletes tend to get warmer faster (because of the increased CO2), and their breathing muscles get some work done too. Using this technique during work especially can go a long way to enhance focus, improve conditioning, and build solid breath mechanics.

For more information on this topic, check out the article I wrote for SimpliFaster, “Nasal Breathing for Athletes.”

Other Common Cues

You may have noticed that I have not mentioned “belly breathing” during this article. That’s because you don’t breathe with your belly—your lungs are inside your rib cage. In truth, it’s an “anti-cue”: it moves you away from the unwanted behavior of overusing accessory breathing muscles.

The belly moving is an artifact of increased diaphragm activity at rest and with a reduced load on the muscles of the trunk. As such, it’s often not universally applicable for athletes, especially under the stress of load, training, or competition. In my experience, getting athletes to think about moving their ribs reduces confusion between how they breathe when things are controlled in the training room and when things get real on the field.

Getting athletes to think about moving their ribs reduces confusion between how they breathe when things are controlled in the training room and when things get real on the field. Share on X

Another cue that recently got some attention is placing the hands on the knees for improved ventilation during recovery in athletic events. A study found that this bane of coaching existence actually increased breathing tidal volume because of the involvement of the pec major in particular. I don’t see any issue with athletes using what is essentially a natural position in which we mitigate the effects of fatigue. However, I would not and do not teach it.

For one, I work with lots of folks in the tactical arena, and the habit of putting your hands on your knees when you’re tired is a no-no. Second, if improved breathing efficiency is a goal, how many situations does this position apply to? What other benefit comes from its use? What state of mind does it put the player in, and what does this posture communicate to the opposition?

K.I.S.S.

There are so many interesting and creative ways to learn and optimize breath mechanics. It’s a deep rabbit hole full of nuance that can be incredibly rewarding both on and off the field. The nuance, though, should be primarily reserved for organic discovery by the athletes themselves.

The above suggestions are designed to get athletes to engage with the process simply and effectively, not turn them into free divers or have them float away on a lotus blossom. The goal should be to introduce this powerful practice into the toolkit in a way that is easy to implement and creates a discernible effect on performance. Make it easy, get them to feel something, and get more advanced when the questions come.

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

References

Kolar P, Sulc J, Kyncl M, et al. “Postural Function of the Diaphragm In Persons With Chronic Low Back Pain.” Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy. 2012;42(4):352–362.

Kipp S, Leahy MG, Hanna JA, and Sheel AW. “Partitioning the Work of Breathing During Running and Cycling Using Optoelectronic Plethysmography.” Journal of Applied Physiology. 2021;130(5):1460–1469.

Herrero JL, Khuvis S, Yeagle E, Cerf M, and Mehta AD. “Breathing above the brain stem: volitional control and attentional modulation in humans.” Journal of Neurophysiology. 2018;119(1):145–159.

Welch JF, Archiza B, Guenette JA, West CR, and Sheel AW. “Effect of Diaphragm Fatigue on Exercise Tolerance in Healthy Men and Women.” Journal of Applied Physiology. 2018;125(6).

Michaelson JV, Brilla LR, Suprak DN, McLaughlin WL, and Dahlquist DT. “Effects of Two Different Recovery Postures During High-Intensity Interval Training.” Translational Journal of the ACSM. 2019;4(4):23–27.

Mahler DA, Shuhart CR, Brew E, and Stukel TA. “Ventilatory Responses and Entrainment of Breathing During Rowing.” Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 1991;23(2):186–192.

What I’ve learned over the years is that there is seldom a best way. Even more rare is a right way. And, almost never, is there an only way.

Like most coaches, I struggled to fully understand that early in my career. When you first jump into an industry, you’re eager to prove yourself, show your worth, and earn the respect of your peers by trying to convince others you have the best, the right, or the only way to do something.

As you quickly find out, it doesn’t work like that. This is why I love to operate in those gray areas. This profession is all based on a continuum—we have extremes in every topic. Sure, the extremes will work for some, but not all. The conservative route will also work for some, but not all. Finding the balance between those extremes is what is going to help the most athletes possible, which is what we all want to do at the end of the day.

Finding the balance between those extremes is what is going to help the most athletes possible, which is what we all want to do at the end of the day, says @JustinOchoa317. Share on X

One gray area that I operate in is blending skill training with general performance training, a combination that many frown upon or outright avoid. It’s often said to keep the sport the sport and keep the training the training; but again, there are some coaches who can do both at a high level and why would we not want to help the athlete in as many ways as possible?

In this article, I’ll share my personal journey of how I now view this gray area and how it has changed in the past decade, as well as dive into some methods that have worked well for me. Although my perspective is from a basketball lens, these principles can be applied to all sports and training.

Defining Skill Training

For a general working definition of what skill training is, I define it as training dedicated to enhancing the technical and tactical skills of the sport. This would include:

• Technical skills, which are the exact movements and physical tasks an athlete needs to compete in the sport.
• Tactical skills, which are the strategic, decision-based demands an athlete needs to compete in the sport.

A simple example of a technical skill in basketball would be the ability to deliver a bounce pass or chest pass to an open teammate. An example of a tactical skill in basketball would be knowing when to perform a bounce pass instead of a chest pass, and why.

Skill development is a crucial piece of the total athletic development puzzle for all sports. This is the foundation an athlete can build on, but also the repertoire that an athlete can constantly refine for the rest of their career.

Defining Performance Training

On the flip side, we can define performance training (aka strength and conditioning) as the general physical preparation of an athlete. This training is dedicated to equipping an athlete with the physical qualities demanded of them by their sport. This training is not only for performance enhancement, but also can serve a role in the mitigation of certain injuries and overall health and safety of an athlete.

Again, this is also a vital piece of an athlete’s development and it is equally important for the athlete’s long term success.

Stay in Your Lane

As coaches, it’s ingrained in us to work within our scope of practice. Strength coaches don’t diagnose medical conditions, athletic trainers don’t conduct a lifting program, physical therapists don’t perform surgery.

As coaches, it’s ingrained in us to work within our scope of practice, says @JustinOchoa317. Share on X

Sure, some individuals have the knowledge to cross these lines—it was never meant to be about the ability to do so, but rather the liability to do so. Each profession is set up with their specific services because that is what they are licensed and/or insured to perform.

I agree with this line of thought, because it keeps the safety of our athletes at the forefront. Somewhere along the lines, we associated scope of practice with staying in our lane. And to me, those are not the same thing.

Many coaches preach to stay in your lane, but the problem is that this is a very subjective line to draw in the sand. How do we even define what our lane is?

My aha moment was that my lane was never about one service to provide, but a solution to provide. My lane is basketball development. It wasn’t only strength training for basketball players. It wasn’t only speed and agility training for basketball players. It wasn’t only skill development for basketball players. It wasn’t only coaching a basketball team.

It is pure, holistic, multi-faceted basketball development.

So, I decided to pursue that and ended up wearing all those hats for the betterment of my athletes. My hope is that reading this is resonating with you right now, especially if you have been holding yourself back from operating in this gray area.

The Methods

Since we defined performance training and skill training separately, let’s look at how we blend the two. This hybrid approach obviously requires some personal experience and background context in multiple facets of the sport in consideration, but by no means do you have to be a former professional athlete in any sport to turn into an effective coach in that sport.

The first box to check would be to make sure you’re continually perfecting your craft and refining your skills in all of the areas you’re coaching in. It’s easy to get comfortable with what you know about a subject and neglect furthering your understanding on a deeper level, especially if you’re having success in it. Lifelong learners are always going to find ways to add value, regardless of what industry we’re talking about. In fact, one of the best parts of the hybrid training approach is that we get to view athletes through multiple lenses, which will give us a range of new perspectives and learning opportunities along the way.

Lifelong learners are always going to find ways to add value, regardless of what industry we’re talking about, says @JustinOchoa317. Share on X

When you see an athlete in multiple environments, this can also provide a ton of usable coaching information. Even if you don’t use a hybrid training approach, it’s extremely beneficial to watch your athletes play their sport. I’ve previously written about how studying game film can impact programming for performance training, but seeing them play, practice, and train for their sport in-person is even better.

If you’re using a hybrid training model, what you see in sport can dictate some performance-based programming decisions for you in the weight room. On the flip side, what you see in general performance training sessions can help drive decisions for you on the sport side. After all, we want synergy between these two facets of training to give the athlete the most out of both. This is a major upside of the model because all of the info is consistent and streamlined by being run through a single entity.

As with any training, whether skill or performance, it’s always a great idea to begin with an assessment or some form of baseline. We need to collect objective data relevant to the athlete and their sport. We can also collect subjective pieces of info and feedback directly from the athlete. This is a critical step in the training process that many still ignore. I can’t stress enough how important it is to establish a starting point for measuring progress.

As with any training, whether skill or performance, it’s always a great idea to begin with an assessment or some form of baseline, says @JustinOchoa317. Share on X

For example, objective data for a college basketball player could look like:

Performance

• Vertical Jump
• 20 Yard Sprint (0-10, 0-20 and 10-20)
• Trap Bar Deadlift Load Velocity Profile

Skill

• Field Goal Shooting Percentage (in game or in training)
• 3-Point Shooting Percentage (in game or in training)
• Turnovers Per Game (in game)

We can test the performance portion and we can look at official statistics (or training stats) for the skill portion. These are all things that we can work to improve and objectively measure to see if that training had positive effects.

Examples of subjective data we can utilize could include:

1. The Eye Test: Can we see a difference in any technical, tactical, or performance qualities?
2. Athlete Feedback: Does the athlete see or feel a difference in any technical, tactical, or performance qualities?
3. Outsider Feedback: Do those in the athlete’s network (coach, parents, teammates, etc.) see a difference in any technical, tactical, or performance qualities in that athlete?

My advice is to have a general system in place with some one size fits all key performance indicators and leave some room for individualization that you can sprinkle in on a case-by-case basis, depending on the athlete in front of you. The moral of the story: have something in place and grow it as needed.

Just as a strength and conditioning coach would do after an assessment or a skill development coach would do after an athlete’s first workout, a hybrid coach develops a needs analysis for the athlete and programs for them based on that. The only difference is that a hybrid coach is going to program for both skill and physical preparation simultaneously.

And it’s really all the same.

We begin with the low hanging fruit, use progressions and regressions to get the adaptations we want, track progress, reassess, and repeat the cycle.

Need to improve an athlete’s lower body strength? A healthy dose of squat, lunge, and deadlift variations will do the trick. Need to improve an athlete’s jump shot? A healthy dose of shooting drills will do the trick.

It’s not easy, but it really doesn’t have to be overly complicated.

Below are three hybrid methods that have worked well for me in the basketball world which can be applied to other sports in their own right.

1. Sport Movement Data

One of the most powerful things I’ve used in this hybrid training model is quantifying sport skills or sport movements. This can be done in so many ways, depending on the tools you have.

I am an avid user of the 1080 Sprint, which makes it really easy for me to hook an athlete up to it and have them perform a dribbling sequence or some sort of acceleration-based basketball skill and get immediate feedback on their force, power, and speed outputs.

I’ve even talked to coaches and athletes who are utilizing these same concepts with wearable EMG garments. I’m not quite there yet either financially or, admittedly, in my understanding of the data, but it’s another option that can give really useful data.

Like I said, I love the 1080 Sprint, but it’s not exactly the most common thing to see around a facility. Don’t have one? That’s okay, you can still use timing systems to get a similar result. We’ve used Brower Laser Timers, the Freelap Timing System, Smart Basketballs, Accelerometers, and a good old-fashioned stopwatch to time drills.

Not only does this give us output data on specific, sport-related movements, but in-session it can also gamify things and really bring the intensity of the workout up a notch. It’s amazing to see an athlete’s competitive nature kick-in and turn what was already a really good session into one that gets talked about for weeks to come.

It’s amazing to see an athlete’s competitive nature kick-in and turn what was already a really good session into one that gets talked about for weeks to come, says @JustinOchoa317. Share on X

A few major things I look for are sport actions that can be quantified and linked with a training option that we can not only use to improve that sport action, but also quantify on its own.

For example, change of pace is a huge component of basketball. We don’t want our players to be flying around the court at top speed and completely out of control: rhythm, pace, balance, and control are vital.

If we want to help an athlete improve their change of pace, we use the 1080 Sprint to quantify that attribute in various attack moves. In training, we need to help them decelerate cleanly, learn to relax, and then turn that small moment of relaxation into violent re-acceleration. All things we can train in the weight room and in our SAQ work, as well as practicing the actual skill.

Video 1. I want to measure change of pace and track progress on it.

Programming may involve box squat variations to overload the eccentric phase. This can help improve an athlete’s deceleration qualities, as well as contribute to acceleration speed due to increased eccentric and isometric strength, which is massively important in early acceleration.

We may also include some box squat variations and concentric-only lifts like pin squats or dead stop trap bar jumps to help the athlete improve their rate of force development, another major factor in that re-acceleration phase.

From an SAQ perspective, we can sprinkle depth jumps, drop jumps, and resistance sprints when possible, based on the athlete’s total workload. On the court, we can practice a lot of hesitation and deceleration moves to fine-tune the pace we’re looking for.

Of course, this changes from athlete to athlete, but this is just a general outline of a potential thought process that you can apply to whatever sport skill you’re focusing on. I really love the system of quantifying a sport skill, finding ways to globally improve the physical qualities relevant to that skill, and then putting it all together with skill training.

2. Contrast Sets

Another concept we can carry from performance training into skill development is the idea of contrast sets. In the weight room, we utilize contrast sets to enhance central nervous system activation and neural drive of a given movement. Using a heavy compound lift followed by a violent ballistic or explosive movement of the same pattern gives us that potentiation effect to help the athlete produce more power. This potentiation can give the athlete both acute and long-term training adaptations, including improved motor unit recruitment, rate of force development, and power output.

Video 2. The idea is that we can load a basketball movement to create a high-intensity muscle contraction, then contrast that with the same movement without load.

I use a ton of contrast sets on the court as well—and these same principles can be applied to all sports. Same concept, different environment. We load a movement with cables, bands, weighted balls, etc. to perform a sport movement, then immediately perform the realistic sport movement to follow.

For example, we can use something like a VertiMax and heavy ball combo to load a jab series. This challenges the athlete’s mobility, control, and ability to perform the technique precisely. In contrast, we can work the moves in on a dummy defender in a drill setting to give the athlete that extra burst to keep all reps at game speed with extreme intent.

Another thing I’ve loved experimenting with is towing an athlete into a deceleration-based basketball movement using the 1080 Sprint. This applies a slight amount of overspeed to the movement, challenging their ability to decelerate and control the movement, as well as exciting the central nervous system. While observing the move immediately after, I noticed insane footwork and stopping on dimes to complete the move.

Note: I would not recommend using this method with a basketball player’s jump shot mechanics. Using a weighted ball to shoot is not going to give us the same training effect as in cuts, sprints, changes of direction due to the delicate nature of an athlete’s individual shooting form and may actually alter mechanics in a negative way.

We only work these in once or twice a week for about 20 total reps each time, but the feedback I’ve gotten from athletes regarding these contrast sets has been amazing. When an athlete says they feel the difference, that’s a huge win.

When an athlete says they feel the difference, that’s a huge win, says @JustinOchoa317. Share on X

3. Movement-Based Programming

I’ve started to use the phrase “Movement > Moves” a lot, meaning that if we can help our athletes move efficiently, we give them the tools they need for any move they want to do.

Lifting-wise, we don’t have a leg day, chest day, back day, etc. We have a push day, pull day, and multi-planar day. Or we have an acceleration-based day, top-end speed day, or change-of-direction day. The skill work we perform on the court is just another puzzle piece in the bigger picture, fitting in perfectly with the off-court work.

We want all of these training sessions to feed each other. Since some athletes may knock it all out in one session and others may split it into two separate sessions or days, we want there to be a common theme and training goal behind each drill, lift, and session.

Don’t get me wrong, I love to experiment and troubleshoot, too. Some days we get off the program and go rogue down a rabbit hole. It’s not a script, it’s just a template to keep us focused on the athlete’s goals.

Video 3. Speed and agility day on the court.

We’re not robotically practicing situations we hope happen in a game the same way they happened in training—we’re equipping athletes with the physical and mental qualities needed to use various concepts from their training in the game without even having to think about it.

We’re equipping athletes with the physical and mental qualities needed to use various concepts from their training in the game without even having to think about it, says @JustinOchoa317. Share on X

Lessons Learned

At the beginning of the article I stated that there is rarely a one way, a right way, or a best way to do anything. I have, however, learned some lessons the hard way. Through trial and error, countless failures, and just flat out being wrong about a lot of things, I’ve been able to put together a pretty solid recipe of things that have worked for me and may also work for others.

Here are the five most notable lessons that failure in the hybrid space has taught me.

1. The Importance of Load/Athlete Management

Yes, we know load management is a crucial element to any kind of training program, but I can’t emphasize this one enough for hybrid coaches. This is the biggest benefit of the hybrid approach, but it can easily be the biggest drawback if not carefully managed.

Rarely do athletes actually overtrain; what typically occurs is an athlete will under-recover. Big difference. Athletes must be taking nutrition, hydration, sleep, mobility, mental health, and all other components of recovery seriously for any of their training to truly pay off.

So while load management is absolutely critical, we can’t forget about athlete management. This means relationships. This means communication. This means we need to go deeper than lifts, drills, and readiness scores. We need to really get in tune with the humans in front of us and see them as people first, athletes second.

So while load management is absolutely critical, we can’t forget about athlete management, says @JustinOchoa317. Share on X

When we can help manage our athletes and the load or stress they’re under, we can really make our best decisions as to what training we need to apply and in what volumes or intensities.

2. Be Prepared for Push-Back

Bad news about hybrid coaching: you will most definitely get some push-back. People who view you as a performance coach will question your ability to coach the sport. People who see you as a sport coach will question your ability to be a performance coach.

It’s okay.

Many people won’t understand your vision. As long as you have a vision, it’s up to you to bring it to life. There’s no need to worry about what others think. Just become laser-focused on the athletes and people who you need to serve and the results will come.

And when the results come, then people will start to see the vision.

3. High-Impact of Individualization

Again, one of the major benefits of handling an athlete’s programming from sports skill to sports preparation is that you can manipulate so many variables to really fine-tune what the athlete needs. So much of training is general—which is perfectly fine, but the more individualized you can make a program, the better.

Individualization isn’t easy, but it can be simple. It doesn’t mean every single athlete must have a unique program from top to bottom, but rather each athlete can have certain variables adjusted to make their program more focused on their needs.

A common example I see with the basketball players I work with is how they produce force, power, or speed. Some athletes are elastic and bouncy, but may lack pure force production. Others are muscle-dominant and force driven, but lack elasticity. They could have similar RSI, vertical jump, and speed numbers, but their strategies to get there are totally different things.

These athletes can train together and even use the exact same exercise selection in some cases. However, their target bar speeds may be different, their volume may be different, their warm-ups or plyo work may be slightly different. The skeleton of the program doesn’t have to be completely turned upside down to still get really good results.

The skeleton of the program doesn’t have to be completely turned upside down to still get really good results, says @JustinOchoa317. Share on X

We can use both sport assessment and performance assessments together to build a roadmap for the athlete. If the athlete can’t master a sports skill, maybe it’s due to lack of some sort of physical trait; we can train to enhance that, then apply it directly to the sport skill.

If it works, we know exactly why. If it doesn’t work, we still know exactly why. It’s a win-win.

4. Use a Scale of Specificity

A great deal of what we do as coaches can be measured on a continuum—in terms of the hybrid coaching style, the continuum or scale in this case can be how sport specific to make something, and when.

Do we want athletes turning everything into a sport-mimicking drill? No.

Do we want athletes only doing the 5/3/1 program for the big 3 lifts? No.

We probably want them in the middle somewhere depending on the athlete, the time of year/season, their goals, and their current level of athleticism.

Video 4. A sample of some of the programming decisions we can make when blending general to specific training.

I’ve turned to a scale of specificity to help me organize programming when dealing with athletes in the weight room and in their sport.

I’ve turned to a scale of specificity to help me organize programming when dealing with athletes in the weight room and in their sport, says @JustinOchoa317. Share on X

From bottom to top:

• General Speed or Strength
• Sport-Relevant Speed or Strength
• Targeted Drill Work
• Sport Skill

We want the bottom levels of the scale to feed the higher levels. This scale can help you properly program and dose athletes with lifts or drills that make the most sense for the stage or training or environment they’re in.

Starting at the bottom, with general speed or strength, this is exactly what it sounds like. These are the basics and fundamentals of speed or strength training that we can use to set a proper foundation for future training. Foundational movements in the weight room include the squat and hip hinge (as well as unilateral variants of both), upper body pull, upper body push, rotational movements, and carrying. On the speed side, we have sprinting, jumping, landing, cutting, shuffling, and throwing, although that could be more of a weight room movement as well.

General speed or strength work casts a wide net and allows athletes to reap numerous benefits of training before focusing too much on minutia and missing out on the low hanging fruit.

General speed or strength work casts a wide net and allows athletes to reap numerous benefits of training, says @JustinOchoa317. Share on X

Next on the scale comes sport-relevant speed or strength work. With a solid foundation set, we can now start to sprinkle in variations of those foundational movements with a little bit more focus on exactly how it can transfer to the sport. Some of the variables that can be altered to make a general exercise more sport-relevant include posture or body angles, duration of activity, overall volume or intensity, target bar speed, equipment or devices used in the exercise, and training environment or surface just to name a few.

Whether it be strength, power, speed, or even conditioning, the goal here is just to build upon that general baseline and add elements of the actual sport to the program.

Next we can add in specific drills that we think fill any gaps that may exist after the first two layers of training. It could be a purely sport-driven drill, a completely physical preparation drill, or a hybrid of the two.

And then, finally, comes pure sport skill. Just practicing the sport. The most sport-specific training that exists.

The goal is to build a holistic plan that allows the general to feed the specific.

5. Invest in Your Education

Lastly, continue to invest in your continued education. This doesn’t always mean investing financially, but also investing your time and energy into your education in outside-the-box ways. We can get a ton of information from clinics, courses, and certifications, and obviously those are great options for continuing education.

Don’t let those be your only forms of education though—other great forms of continuing education are less formal options such as networking, experimenting on yourself and…I can’t believe I’m about to say this…social media.

Networking and communicating with other coaches, athletes, and professionals in all industries is one of the best ways you can extract successful behavior and apply it to your own life.

Experimenting on yourself is great because you can then scrap all of your bad ideas and protect your athletes from them; the bad news is you may have to deal with the negative consequences of those bad ideas, but that’s okay, it’s kind of heroic in a way.

Experimenting on yourself is great because you can then scrap all of your bad ideas and protect your athletes from them, says @JustinOchoa317. Share on X

In all seriousness, it’s very important to practice what we preach as coaches. Sure, the levels of intensity or activities will change over the years, but at least having some relevant skills similar to the athletes you work with can make a huge positive impact on their buy-in.

And, lastly, social media. This ties into communication and networking, and there’s a ton of great info out there—but also I want to look at the flip side. The most underused benefit of social media is using it to view examples of what you shouldn’t do.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been scrolling through my feed, saw a video, and immediately thought, “Wow, I don’t think I would ever need to do that.” That goes into the mental Rolodex and honestly helps create a better organization system for when I go through those experimental phases with new exercises.

Never get comfortable. Never get complacent. Strive to master your skill set and fine-tune it daily so that you and your athletes can have the best experience possible.

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

Despite decades of ambiguity and lack of understanding, we are starting to see a new light shine on the fascial system. Our collective understanding of the fascial system has started to expand. From strength and conditioning coaches and physical therapists to researchers and sport scientists, this rise of interest in fascia applies to multiple human performance disciplines.

It’s important to recognize that acknowledging the presence of fascia does not negate the conventional anatomy we’ve all learned. I believe a part of the hesitation we see in coaches who are slow to embrace fascial concepts is rooted in that material being presented in a way that disregards conventional anatomy and dissuades them from learning more. Rather than seeing this as some sort of biological division, I like to emphasize that the constructs of fascia are more so a change in perspective or observation than a change in principles or practice. In other words: it is possible to appreciate and understand the fascial system without denouncing conventional anatomy.

It is possible to appreciate and understand the fascial system without denouncing conventional anatomy, says @danmode_vhp. Share on X

While the revolutionary findings of fascial research are exciting and help to better shape our approach to injury restoration and sport performance, we should remain mindful that there is still an abundance of unknowns regarding the human body and performance optimization. Not only are fascial concepts still largely overlooked in strength and conditioning, but there is still disconnect among experts and governing bodies. For instance, how fascia should be properly defined, what its functions are, and how significant fascia may be in performance are all still being debated and determined.

In this article, I’d like to cover a base understanding of myofascial meridians and how this realization has profoundly influenced my approach to training and my perspective of human movement.

What are Myofascial Meridians?

Myofascial meridians are anatomical descriptors that have been broadly defined as continuous bands of fascial tissue spanning across and throughout the body.¹ The term meridians, specifically, is one of several terminologies used by prominent modern day fascia researchers. This group of researchers includes:

• Luigi, Antonio, and Carla Stecco
• Robert Schleip
• Jan Wilke

Myofascial meridians are anatomical descriptors that have been broadly defined as continuous bands of fascial tissue spanning across and throughout the body, says @danmode_vhp. Share on X

There are other schools of thought, however, that use different terminologies. For instance, another prominent fascia researcher, Tom Myers, uses the term “trains” to classify these fascial vectors. For all intents and purposes, these terms (trains, meridians, lines, and chains) can be viewed as interchangeable and taken to broadly mean the same thing.

Along with the differences in terminology, there is also disconnect among precisely how many meridians or trains there are in the human body. Tom Myers and the Anatomy Trains organization have stated there are 12 identifiable fascia trains in human anatomy.² According to an investigative study conducted by Wilke et al.,³ however, they were able to confirm 3 of 6 fascial lines selected form Myers’ original proposed 12. As for the Steccos, along with several other prominent researchers, they typically recognize about 6 meridians in the body.

Although it is a bit unclear as to specifically why there is disconnect among these experts, a part of the difference in numbers may be due to dissection techniques (or skill) and how the tissue is extracted. Additionally, there is still differentiation between tendinous tissue, about which some researchers have different views on what is a part of the tendon proper and what is identified as fascial tissue.

Beyond the meridians themselves, myofascial unit (MFU) is another fascia-specific term that coaches should be adept with. Myofascial units are defined as regionalized compartments of the body that include a group of motor units that activate adjacent muscle fibers that move a body segment in a unidirectional manner.⁴ This also includes the joint, soft tissue, neurovascular components, and the connecting fascia.⁴ To simplify that, MFUs represent a localized compartment of the body (i.e., shoulder girdle, posterior hip).

MFUs represent a localized compartment of the body (i.e., shoulder girdle, posterior hip), says @danmode_vhp. Share on X

Myofascial units largely speak to the agonist–antagonist relationships, and intermuscular coordination of the muscles and structures in working proximity to coordinate multidirectional movements. And, according to the Steccos, there are 78 identifiable MFUs found in the body. These MFUs can then be broken down and organized into 14 body segments that move in 6 directions across 3 cardinal planes.

I see the myofascial meridians as vectors of kinetic continuity that represent empirical force channels promoting the most efficient pathways for force to be transmitted and directed. These meridians represent lines of chronic stress or critical load vectors whereby the meridians overlay specific regions of anatomy that are activated during common everyday life and sport activities (i.e., walking, twisting, and bending). I can’t reinforce enough that there is no separation between fascia and the musculoskeletal system—everything is working in tandem to produce outcomes.

However, when we modify the perspective from which we analyze movement, it can create an invigorating observation. A great example of this is watching a baseball pitcher throw, which is one of the most beautiful displays of human biomechanics. From the fascial point of view, we can see a sophisticated sequence of shifting center of mass, redirecting vectors, and a “dance” between compression and tension throughout the body.

Meridians & Trains > Cardinal Planes

The deeper I investigate into the fascial system, the more I see it as filling in the gaps where conventional anatomy seems to fall short. Moreover, I’m able to recognize the extreme sophistication of human anatomy and movement—and while oversimplification can be effective for introducing concepts, we cannot shy away from the depth of details. A common example of this reductionist nature can be found in the observation of movement through the lens of three cardinal planes. The body, segmentally and collectively, simply does not move in a purely linear fashion—there is rotation and angulation that makes it all seamless.

Applying this to the baseball pitcher above, make note of the anatomical relationships occurring, not only the independent components. Along with the angles and positions of the body, consider how momentum is transferred and the tremendous amounts of torque that are placed on certain joints. While isolated items like glenohumeral internal/external rotation ratios do have significance for a baseball pitcher, I would argue the kinetic function of the anterior/posterior meridians could be more relative to play and performance.

The fascial term for this collective integration is what’s known as biotensegrity. In a nutshell, biotensegrity can be understood as the complex balance of compression and tension forces throughout the body.⁵ This balancing act is predominantly undertaken by the global fascial net encasing the body, whereby changes in position, speed, or expressions of force alter the localized fascial compartments. Collectively, this distribution of force, although produced by the bones and muscles, is mediated by the global fascial net.

In a nutshell, biotensegrity can be understood as the complex balance of compression and tension forces throughout the body, says @danmode_vhp. Share on X

Perceiving the body from the biotensegrity viewpoint as opposed to the three cardinal planes has helped my coaching immensely. The way I observe and analyze movement has become more focused on a global framework, rather than emphasizing the body as being a summation of independent parts. This has helped prevent me from being unnecessarily siloed into one segment or specific joint, instead focusing on understanding the kinetic relationships of the area with the rest of the body. The biotensegrity perspective has also dramatically shifted my approach for exercise selection and training parameters. In a broad sense, this has evolved into more emphasis on global patterns, utilizing more omnidirectional movements, and emphasizing open chain variations with fewer constraints.

There can be an appropriate time and place for just about anything in training, so again, don’t mistake this for completely doing away with foundational lifts or using isolation exercises. However, these have become much less frequent options for me, and in my opinion do not have as much benefit as we’ve been led to believe. We need to be clear in understanding that the goals of performance training are ultimately to improve the athlete’s ability in sport and minimize the likelihood of injury occurrence.

It should not be an inherent priority to improve numbers on bench, squat, or clean just for the sake of doing so. Rather, we want to look at how we can improve force expression and tolerance across a wide spectrum of positions, vectors, and under varying speeds as they relate to sport.

Aligning Conventional & Contemporary Perspectives

Suggesting that our conventional framework for anatomy and biomechanics is incomplete does not imply we need to tear the whole framework down and start from scratch. But if we have been working from a model that has not been telling us the full story of human biology, I would argue it should put some sense of urgency on us to continuously evaluate our practice. The root of this belief stems from recognizing the process of cadaver research in America, which involves embalming the bodies and using an array of chemicals to preserve the body for research trials and investigation.

The embalming and chemicalization process for cadaver research dramatically changes the biological landscape as it is in living humans. Among these changes, and most prominent for the sake of this article, is the erosion of fascial tissue due to the presence of embalming fluid. As a result, the majority of cadaver research involves bodies that do not have intact fascial tissue, other tissues that have been dehydrated, and drained of most blood volume creating a biological environment that does not properly illustrate the reality. So again, the framework for our understanding of anatomy may be prudent, but it is still not giving us the full scope.

The embalming and chemicalization process for cadaver research dramatically changes the biological landscape as it is in living humans, says @danmode_vhp. Share on X

There will always be disconnect between coaches/practitioners regarding optimal human performance practices and applications: everything from academic background, formative development, and even just geographic location. Fascia concepts are a prominent example of this divide, and understandably so. I will be the first to admit these theories and concepts can be radical to digest, especially for those who have extensive experience in the field.

Nevertheless, I do believe we will be able to establish common ground in the near future. And as more definitive research continues to grow, the more likely we can come to terms with the symbiotic function of both fascial and conventional anatomy. But in the short term, I encourage you to simply suspend your disbelief. Give an honestly open window for being impressionable and see how these concepts make sense to you and apply to your setting.

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

References

1. Findley, T.; Chaudry, H.; Stecco, A.; and Roman, M. “Fascia research: A narrative review.” J Bodywork & Mvmt Thera. 2012;16, 67-75.

2. Myers, T. Anatomy Trains: Myofascial meridians for manual and movement therapists. 2^ND ed. Churchill Livingstone, Edinburgh, 2009.

3. Wilke, J.; Krause, F.; Vogt, L.; and Banzer, W. “What is evidence-based about myofascial chains: a systematic review.” Arch Phys Med & Rehab. 2016;97:454-461.

4. Maas, H.; Sandercock, TG. “Force transmission between synergistic skeletal muscles through connective tissue linkages.” J Biomed and Biotech. 2010.

5. Scarr, G. Biotensegrity: The structural basis of life. United Kingdom, Handspring Publishers, 2014.

6. Adstrum, S. Nicholson, H., 2019. A history of fascia. Clinical Anatomy, 23(7):862-870.

7. Krause, F. Wilke, J. Vogt, L. Banzer, W., 2016. Intermuscular force transmission along myofascial chains: a systematic review. J Anat., 228:910-918.

8. Wilke, J. Krause, F. Vogt, L. Banzer, W., 2016. What is evidence-based about myofascial chains: a systematic review. Arch Phys Med & Rehab, 97:454-461.

9. Myers, T. Anatomy Trains: Myofascial meridians for manual and movement therapists- 2^ND ed. Churchill Livingstone, Edinburgh, 2009.

Think back to those days in elementary school gym class. Chances are, if you had a good teacher, you probably did some form of the above pictured movement during class—it’s called the crab. Young children love doing novel crawling exercises like crab walks, but that’s not the only reason they are done so often in elementary P.E. Smart physical education teachers know that crab walks are a great activity to help develop coordination and total body strength. It’s unfortunate that this little gem of an exercise is not continued in middle school on through adulthood, because it serves as an effective exercise to improve many elements of athletic development and coordination.

It’s unfortunate that the crab walk isn’t continued in middle school and into adulthood because it serves as an effective exercise to improve many elements of athletic development & coordination. Share on X

This article will take a deep dive into everything involving the “crab” exercise. We’ll look at:

• What exactly the basic crab exercise is, including the well-known “crab walk.”
• The athletic benefits of the movement.
• The many variations that athletes can play with in a training program.

The Basic Crab Position

In my work as a youth athletic development coach, the crab is a staple in our programs. For some older athletes it may be a small part of a warm-up, whereas for younger athletes it may serve as a total body strength exercise. For even younger kids, crab work may come in the form of a game or challenge. As you can probably guess, the crab exercise has a wide range of uses for different ages and abilities.

Let’s take a look at the basic crab tabletop position and talk about why it’s a fantastic tool for the developing human/athlete. The basic crab position finds the athlete in supine (or facing up) position:

• Knees are bent.
• Feet are flat on the floor.
• Hands are on the ground underneath the shoulders and slightly behind the hips.

Prior to lifting the hips off the ground, we always cue the athletes to push their hands into the ground and squeeze their shoulder blades together. Then the athlete starts the exercise by lifting their hips all the way off the ground, so their hips are in line with the knees and shoulders—almost resembling a flat tabletop. We have the athletes hold this position for a certain amount of time, focusing on getting their chest and hips to “touch the sky.”

The crab walk finds the athlete in a similar position, with hips elevated a few inches off the floor. Instead of lifting the hips as high as possible, the hips stay a few inches off the floor, and the athlete then tries to walk on hands and feet in the desired direction. Athlete can walk feet first or hands first, and even sideways.

This basic exercise is highly valuable for today’s athletes—particularly based on the amount of sitting many of them do when they are not playing sports:

• Sitting in school.
• Sitting on their phones.
• Sitting playing video games.
• Sitting while driving to their next destination.

Lots of sitting with passive recreation. As physical therapist Todd Hargrove said: “Modern culture can make you forget that life has a physical dimension. Our attention is focused so often on computers and cell phones there is little left for our bodies.”

Lack of physical activity and the movement issues associated with sitting and being sedentary used to be an adult issue, especially in the older population, but now we’re seeing childhood obesity pushing almost 20%. Throw in a pandemic and a six-month lockdown, and it’s plainly obvious that when it comes to movement, many children are struggling right now.

Screen time and sedentary activity are way up, and overall general physical movement is way down. I’m seeing the negative effects of this even in so-called “athletic” kids. Many parents think that more sports is the answer, but the truth is that sports skills do little to arm the young athlete with appropriate levels of general strength, general mobility, and coordination needed to navigate the sporting environment. If the only physical activity a young athlete does is highly specific (for example, they just play basketball), it’s easy for the body to get used to moving in only those certain ways.

Strength and conditioning coach Pat Davidson said it best: “The human body is a marvel of energy conservation. It will always seek the path of least resistance. When you combine that with the modern world that doesn’t force you to go out and move a lot in a lot of different ways, you get habitually stuck in certain patterns and positions.”

Since return to play after the pandemic, there have been high numbers of youth sports injuries—many of these injuries stem from too much too soon on bodies that are not prepared. This why it’s important to always cover your athletic basics, even with the best athletes.

According to strength and conditioning coach Max Shank, some of the movement problems associated with extensive sitting are:

1. Decreased thoracic mobility (specifically excessive kyphosis, or forward curvature).
2. Decreased shoulder mobility (rounded forward and drawn inward).
3. Lack of shoulder stability due to lack of scapular movement.
4. Poor core coordination and hip strength.
5. Gluteal amnesia (the glutes stop working).
6. Head-forward posture (really bad for your neck).

In short, chronic sitting and lack of physical activity is an athleticism killer.

Video 1. Over time, too much sitting can really take away from being a highly functioning athlete. So, when I work with groups of young athletes, I try to nip this in the bud as quickly as I can.

The Antidote: Enter the Crab Hip Lift

At its most basic level, the crab hip lift does everything the opposite of sitting. Sitting is a passive, lazy activity with little or no movement. The crab, on the other hand, is an aggressive activity that involves the entire body.

At its most basic level, the crab hip lift does everything the opposite of sitting, says @JeremyFrisch. Share on X

Some of the benefits of the crab hip lift are:

• Strength and mobility through hip extension.
• Isometric strength of glutes/hamstring/low back.
• Scapular strength and stability.
• Shoulder mobility/arm strength.
• Core strength.
• Coordination with more advanced drills.
• Wrist strength and mobility.
• Static and dynamic balance.
• Spatial awareness.

This great movement challenges balance, stability, and coordination and develops strength from toenails to fingernails—particularly in the more advanced versions, when the athlete is asked to reach or rotate with their arms and legs in a variety of directions crossing the midline of the body. This crossing of the midline of the body is very similar to the act of crawling. “The closed chain crawling position uses bodyweight to stimulate the scapular muscles along with the abdominal wall and involves the stability of the spine with cross coordination when moving.” According to Vern Gambetta, crawling is the basis of reciprocal movement that underlies most sport skills.

Having covered what athletes need and why they need it, let’s look at the basic crab hip lift and its many variations.

Video 2. In this video, we can see the crab hip lift in its most basic form. The movement is very easy to learn and well-tolerated by most athletes.

I try not to give too much coaching on these movements because I want the athletes to feel them out. However, it’s okay to offer some suggestions. Usually, I encourage an athlete to get the hips to the sky or ceiling, and the other cue I tell them is to squish their shoulder blades together as hard as possible.

Progressing can be pretty straightforward. You can do straight reps up and down, then transition to short holds for something like 10 seconds on 10 seconds off, finally moving to the much more challenging long-duration holds, which can be done for 30 seconds up to a few minutes.

My friend and fellow coach Austin Jochum has some of his athletes attempt to hold this basic crab position for five minutes straight. For anyone who may think a five-minute crab hold is easy, I encourage you to give it an honest try and see for yourself. It’s a tremendous effort of isometric strength, endurance, and mental toughness to stay engaged.

A five-minute crab hold is a tremendous effort of isometric strength, endurance, and mental toughness to stay engaged, says @JeremyFrisch. Share on X

Moving a bit further down the rabbit hole, let’s take a look at some fun and challenging crab variations that require a bit more motor control, coordination, dynamic balance, strength, and spatial awareness.

Videos 3 & 4. I call these variations “crab reaches.” They are challenging because we limit our base of support by holding ourselves with three and then two points of contact.

The first version is a one-arm crab reach. We’re simply lifting the hips and reaching one arm straight up into the air. For you kettlebell fans out there, this may look very similar to the Turkish get-up. I would say that this is a great foundational exercise for learning the Turkish get-up without having to worry about holding a weight overhead.

For a little bit more range of motion through the spine and hips instead of reaching straight up, the athlete can also attempt to reach behind their body or rotate across their body. This gives the athlete quality rotation though the mid-portion of the spine—and that area is of particular importance because it is the rounded area we see when athletes are slumped over their cell phones.

Similarly, instead of reaching an arm, we can attempt to lift a leg up as high as possible. This obviously places more strain on the push leg on the floor, helping develop those important and often neglected muscles of the posterior chain.

Taking it one step further, we can have the athlete attempt to reach both an arm and the opposite leg at the same time. This is very challenging for the developing athlete because they will now find themselves balancing on two points of contact instead of three or four, increasing the balance component as well as the strength component (having to hold more body weight off the ground).

Video 5. My favorite version of this challenging variation is to simultaneously lift the hips while grabbing the foot with the opposite hand. This requires a nice combination of strength, mobility, and balance.

Crab Rotations

The next step in the crab progression is combining the hip lift with a reach and then a rotational component. Of all the crab exercises, this version is the most difficult to perform. Does the athlete have the strength and balance to hold themselves off the ground with one arm and one leg to control themselves as they slowly rotate their bodies around those two pivot points? This activity challenges even the best athlete’s spatial awareness, having to coordinate their limbs to move under control.

Video 6. Of all the crab exercises, this version if the most difficult to perform.

Crab Walking Variations

Although I use the in-place crab variations more often than crab walks, these definitely have their place in an all-around athletic development program. The best thing about crab walks is that they require virtually zero coaching: most young athletes can simply get on the ground and go without a lengthy explanation of the movement. It may look a little sloppy and awkward at first, but with a little practice, things tighten up nicely. Although they can be very difficult for bigger athletes, most people can handle 5–10 yards of a crab walk without a problem.

The crab walk is what I call a coordinated strength exercise. To move efficiently, the opposite arm and leg must work together. Since you have to hold yourself off the ground for the duration of the walk, the upper body—particularly the wrists, shoulders, and scapula—get some serious strength work at various awkward angles. The same goes for the glutes and hamstrings, particularly on the forward crab walk.

The crab walk is a coordinated strength exercise—to move efficiently, the opposite arm and leg must work together, says @JeremyFrisch. Share on X

While the glutes hold the hips off the ground, the hamstrings basically pull the body forward. This is great general strength work, while at the same time challenging the athlete to move forward in a rhythmic, coordinated manner. The crab walk can be done moving forward, backward, and side-to-side.

We make sure that we keep our movements efficient by doing crab walks for very short durations, usually 5­–10 yards. It’s not an endurance event or punishment—it’s training to be efficient, strong, and resilient.

Programming the Crab

The age group I most like to use crab walks with are athletes ages 5–12. Their smaller bodies move a bit more efficiently and don’t seem to tire as easily. Also, because it’s such a novel activity, kids tend to really enjoy it. Two of my favorite variations to use with kids are crab soccer and crab walks on planks.

Crab soccer is, as you might guess, exactly what it sounds like. We play 1v1, where each player is in an active crab position (hips off the ground). Both players try to kick a ball past their opponent’s goal. This is a fantastic warm-up activity that most kids love to play—five minutes of crab soccer and kids are warmed-up and fired up for the rest of the training session.

Plank crab walks are a great challenge for younger kids. The key is to elevate the 2×4 planks a few feet off the floor to provide that fear of falling off. This little trick works great, as the kids really have to slow down and concentrate on the movement. We often play a game where if you slip off, you have to to start over. The kids in our youth program love this challenge—once they make it across going forward, we try going sideways and backward.

Crab movements can be hugely beneficial for all levels of athletes—it’s one of those unique exercises that trains the entire body, from the toes to the fingers. The variations can allow for beginners all the way to advanced-level movement. They can be used as part of a prep/warm-up for older athletes, part of a youth athletic training program, or a novel challenge for kids.

Crab work is a simple and equipment-free bodyweight activity that can check a lot of boxes when it comes to all-around athletic development, says @JeremyFrisch. Share on X

We know that the environment many young athletes are growing up in today is not very movement-centric. Just because kids play a sport, that doesn’t necessarily mean they are getting exposed to enough movement variation that develops strength, resists injury, and improves performance. Crab work is a simple and equipment-free bodyweight activity that can check a lot of boxes when it comes to all-around athletic development.

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

References

Deen, JC. “How to Do the Crab Walk.” GMB Fitness. 3/22/22.

Gambetta, Vern. Athletic Development: The Art & Science of Functional Sports Conditioning. Human Kinetics: 2006.

Hargrove , Todd. Better Movement.

Hurst, Ryan. “Movement Checkup: 5 Fundamental Movement Patterns to Focus Training.” GMB Fitness. 11/5/19.

Shank, Max. “The 30 Second Mobility Cure.” T-Nation. 6/26/13.

I recently attended the National High School Strength Coaches Association national conference in Nashville, Tennessee—the first in-person conference I’ve attended since the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020.

During this three-day conference (coaches’ social included), I had the opportunity to hear and meet a phenomenal number of coaches from all ranks of performance enhancement—public school, private school, physical education teachers, and college and professional coaches. I’d had social media interactions with many of them but had never before met them in person.

One of the coaches I’ve had frequent interactions with via social media was the final presenter for the weekend: Cody Hughes, from Madison Academy in Alabama. Finally having the opportunity to speak with Cody in person during the coaches’ social, we touched on the topic of his presentation titled “Slow Down to Speed Up: Training Strategies for Robustness.” The underlying concept of Cody’s presentation, and our brief talk, was utilizing and extending time through movements (tempos) to improve the functionality, abilities, and durability of athletes by improving the physiological make-up of ligaments and tendons, which in turn will improve athlete health and availability for performance.

While all the scientific information he presented was great, the point he made that stuck with me the most was his last.

Paraphrasing Cody, if we as coaches are tasked with developing and coordinating plans that enable athletes to perform better, perform longer, and have the skills and information to live healthier lives, we too as coaches have to take care of ourselves: physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.

Prior to the week of the conference, I made a knee-jerk decision to remove all social media platforms (excluding YouTube) from my cellphone.

This article is about why I did it, and why you should consider it too.

“Comparison Is the Thief of Joy” – Theodore Roosevelt

As a young Black sports performance coach and small business owner, much of what I do via my social media presence is showing:

• What I do with athletes and clients.
• Why we do it.
• How it’s beneficial to performance (i.e., context).

I touched on this in a podcast I am grateful to have been a guest on, sharing my experience as a Black person in the fitness/strength and conditioning field. People have preconceived notions about what I do—cones and ladder “quick feet” drills, burpees, moderate-intensity long-duration cardio, etc.—in the name of sports performance.

With the opportunities I’ve had as an athlete and young coach, combined with the people I’ve been able to network with over the years, I’ve discovered that it is quite the task to get the average person to understand what actual strength and conditioning for sports performance is. More times than not, I’ve found myself in arguments and “debates” with those who don’t understand those concepts or contextual parameters.

Even worse, I’ve caught myself scrolling through social media comparing my business—and training strategies—to other coaches and trainers who have more followers, more athletes/clients, better equipment, etc.

“Why do they have so many athletes, and that’s all they do?”

“Where did they get the money for this space/equipment?”

“I would never do that with an athlete.”

“When would [insert drill] be useful for [insert sport]?”

“How do I reach [gym/trainers] athletes to get them in my facility?” 

“That’s not how this works.”

These are some of the thoughts and questions that regularly flooded my mind when I scrolled through Instagram, Facebook, and other social media outlets that physical preparation professionals occupied.

I made a conscious effort to avoid using my cellphone before getting to work in order to avoid creating any premature anxiety before accomplishing my morning routines and responsibilities. Share on X

I made a conscious effort to avoid using my cellphone—the outlet through which I consumed all social media—before getting to work in order to avoid creating any premature anxiety before accomplishing my morning routines and responsibilities. However, after my day’s work officially began, it was essentially a matter of just finding time between clients to get a fix. Any new engagements, new client leads, likes on an old tweet—anything.

That only did two things, neither of them positive nor productive:

1. It removed me from my current reality of what was already in front of me.
2. It created anxiety and drive to control something totally outside my power.

“Be Where Your Feet Are” – Scott O’Neil

As a business owner, it is my ultimate goal to help every individual I can. That being said, a realization I came to relatively early into my career was “you can’t save everyone.” In the area I work, there are currently nine elementary schools, four middle schools, and four high schools (one in the same city but a different county).

In and around my geographical radius, there are enough youth athletes (and adults) I can be of assistance to that I don’t need to become a “poacher” coach. I don’t need to look for ways to “compete” with or attempt to acquire (steal) the interests of other individuals or recruit teams to leave their current training situation to join mine.

Some athletes choose to come into my facility regularly and trust me to deliver strategies to improve their performance…and, in some cases, their lives. If I had continued to try to keep up with the Joneses or searched for ways to increase gym engagement, I could possibly have left these athletes feeling neglected, less valuable, or not worthy of my full attention.

If I had continued to try to keep up with the Joneses or searched for ways to increase gym engagement, I could’ve left the athletes in my gym feeling neglected or less valuable, says @KoachGreen_. Share on X

I have a senior client who possesses a wealth of knowledge and served in the United States Navy for several years. He has mentioned a shipmate who often said, “the best ship I’ve ever been on is the one I just left and the one I’m going to next.” This implies that their current circumstances are unsatisfactory, and the one they travel to next will likely be better—a “grass is greener on the other side” outlook.

This is an ugly lie we all face regularly.

Should we be complacent with where we are and what we have? Probably not.

Should we be content with where we are and what we have? Emphatically yes.

If you’ve read other articles I’ve written, then you know I’m a definitions guy:

Complacence: “The quality or state of being self-satisfied.”

Synonyms: conceit, ego, pride, self-importance, etc.

Content: “Having desires limited to whatever one has.”

Synonyms: happy, pleased, joyful, etc.

Having the mental and emotional ability to be fully satisfied where we currently reside, making it the absolute best we possibly can while simultaneously being willing, able, and ready to move forward (or backward) when possible—or necessary—is a skill and tool we should all develop.

The book Make the Big Time Where You Are by Frosty Westering rings true.

Control What You Can Control

In the same vein, it is a fool’s errand to try to compete with another coach or trainer who, at the end of the day, is essentially in business to do the same thing as I am business-wise—regardless of how misleading I believe their approach is to the overarching idea of sports performance.

The individuals and teams I work with choose my services for a reason, and the same can be said for those who choose other options. That’s a challenging part of the business. The customer (client) decides whose products and services they will invest in for a plethora of reasons: convenience, location, the information provided (or not), perception of need, reputation, familiarity, etc. There is a very limited amount of control I can wield over any of those variables. But for those things I can control, I must do so with passion, creativity, and transparency.

Twitter Fingers

As mentioned in the introduction, before June 2022 (since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic), nearly all of the networking, “talking shop,” and professional development I’d done had taken place virtually via social media—primarily on Twitter.

Since May 2020, my Twitter account has had a decent increase in engagement (negative and positive), and my following has grown accordingly.

Having some form of influence on the internet—being able to express my ideas, philosophies, systems, circumstances, and general personality—has an addicting effect, especially when it’s among your peers. And I fell victim to it.

Having some form of influence on the internet has an addicting effect, especially when it’s among your peers. And I fell victim to it, says @KoachGreen_. Share on X

Along with the potential for virtual addiction, the easiest thing to do on social media is to create or engage in a frivolous, out-of-context argument or debate with people you’ve never met (and probably never will).

Again, I’m guilty.

While I can honestly say I never began with ill intent, it is hard to ignore the thrill of engaging in online banter with someone for the sole purpose of “proving your point.” From Olympic lifts for athletes to off-season track & field practice for non-track athletes, I ran the gambit in the span of probably 18 months with multiple people of varying degrees of expertise.

These arguments did absolutely nothing in terms of self-improvement and didn’t help further the profession as a whole or my place within it.

What it did do, however, was enhance the desire to proclaim my values and opinions publicly and die on a proverbial hill despite the perception I may have given of who I am as a person and a coach.

While Twitter can be used as an extremely valuable professional resource, taking a step back and focusing on where my feet are—giving my full attention to those directly in front of me—has been one of the best decisions of my professional career thus far.

While Twitter can be an extremely valuable professional resource, stepping back and focusing on those directly in front of me has been one of the best decisions of my professional career thus far. Share on X

I had to take stock even in my personal life. I have a wife and a dog, and I realized in hindsight that I’d neglected both on many occasions. Ironically, I was introduced to both of them via social media.

I’m a relatively introverted person but had seen my (now) wife on almost a regular basis and would wave, smile, and give a quick “what’s up.” From those brief conversations during my first semester in college, she took the initiative and sent me a message on Facebook. That simple online conversation blossomed into a great friendship and, eventually, our present-day marriage.

After being engaged for a while, my wife and I started talking about getting a dog. Growing up, I never had a pet other than the occasional fish that would inevitably depart this life prematurely, but I always wanted a dog. Although Craigslist isn’t social media per se, it still has all the attributes of what social media has become. After several days of searching I found a new litter of “American Bully” puppies that turned out to be an “accident” after the seven-year-old son of the owners of an American Bully male and APBT female let them out together by accident.

And now we have a little family, all thanks to the internet.

Having just turned 30 this spring, I came to another recent revelation: I was born and raised in a time when the internet was barely a thing (let alone social media), but I’ve also been old enough to watch social media be born and raised.

Social media has been, for more years than not, a part of my life—for better and for worse.

And I honestly think that’s a problem.

The internet—and social media in particular—has manipulated the human experience through devices that haven’t even been in mass circulation for a full generation (30 years).

The use of the internet and social media may be a significant factor in the progression of the profession and distribution of information, but we can’t neglect our physical or mental selves. Share on X

As time goes on, it’s becoming more evident that the use of the internet and social media will be a significant factor in the progression of the profession and the distribution of information. But, as Cody Hughes mentioned in his presentation, we cannot neglect our physical or mental selves at the expense of another like or retweet.

Before my exodus from social media, there was a trend of young (younger than me at least) strength and performance coaches aggressively and obnoxiously bombarding more experienced and tenured professionals with all the newest data points and findings. These were not even attempts to prove themselves right, but seemingly, to prove a veteran coach erroneous and obsolete—to begin accumulating belt notches and battle scars.

Not only does that behavior detract from actual professional development, but it also continues the stereotype about “type A” egotistical strength coaches and coaches.

Red Pill

The Matrix (the first one) is one of the greatest movies produced in my lifetime, and just like in that movie, we must be cognizant of how our perspective and worldview are being skewed due to the nature of social media.

The social interaction and engagement with like-minded individuals, and the opportunity to reach out and communicate with coaches with whom I could have never imagined I would have the chance to converse, is such a remarkable thing to be able to do.

But if the virtual engagement becomes greater than, or equal to, that of being in the present moment…is it even worth it?

I don’t think so, in the slightest.

And that’s why I left social media.

I’ll return as @KoachGreen_ eventually—it’s mildly difficult to run a business without it—but until then, I’ll be enjoying what the real world has to offer.

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

Yes, sprinting at max speed is the most common use for timing lasers, but it’s not the only use—not every run with the systems needs to be at 100% effort/speed or in a straight line.

Timing lasers (such as Dashr, Brower, VALD, Swift, etc.) provide an objective, repeatable, and reliable way of measuring speed. Personally, I’ve found a lot of value in programming and coaching with the VALD SmartSpeed timers. With that simple premise of timing from when the athlete crosses through the first laser to when they cross the last one, there are a variety of valuable uses for multiple aspects of speed training.

Sprinting at max speed is the most common use for timing lasers, but it’s not the only use—not every run with the systems needs to be at 100% effort/speed or in a straight line, says @CoachBigToe. Share on X

I’m here to highlight a trio of uses for timing lasers that include all aspects of preparing for sport and game speed (not just sprinting):

• Timing any type of run you can imagine.
• Building into top-speed sprinting.
• Return to play. 

Timing Any Type of Run You Can Imagine

Going back to the simplicity of timing lasers, measuring how long it takes the athlete to run through the first laser and consequently the second one, anything done in between the lasers is up to you:

1. Example: curve running. Determine how big you want the circle’s radius, set up the cones/rope/whatever you want the boundaries to be, and tell your athletes to run fast. They’ll have extra motivation and objective feedback on whether the rep was better or worse than the previous one.

Video 1: Athlete performing a timed curve run of a full circle.

2. Example: change of direction test. Besides the standard pro-shuttle/pro-agility/5-10-5 (can we figure out an official name for it, please?), how else do you assess your athlete’s ability to change direction? Below is an example of what you could do if the setup is precise and consistent. Sprint 5 yards, unilateral cut using left foot turning to the right, sprint 5 yards, unilateral cut using right foot turning to the left, sprint 5 yards, bilateral cut touching one foot on the line to turn around, sprint 10 yards through the finish.

Video 2: Athletes performing a 180-degree cut test to assess change of direction bilateral cutting.

Here’s another example of a change of direction test you can do. The 180-degree cut test uses a simple premise: the athlete crosses the beam to start the time and has to cross it again to stop the time. The athlete starts at the 0-yard line, runs and touches their foot 10 yards away, and runs back, with the laser on the 5-yard line.

Building into Top-Speed Sprinting

Athletes getting back into top-speed sprinting after extended time off can make coaches nervous (not because it’s immediately dangerous, but if done haphazardly, it can be). Using timing lasers can help objectively guide the progression from time off back into max effort sprints.

For example, here’s how you could build up to top-speed sprinting over the course of multiple weeks. Let’s say the athlete’s best fly 10 is 1.00 seconds:

• Session 1: Fly 10s with a 20-yard build-in at 90%, should be around 1.10 seconds.
• Session 2: Fly 10s with a 25-yard build-in at 90%, should be around 1.10 seconds.
• Session 3: Fly 10s with a 25-yard build-in at 95%, should be around 1.05 seconds.
• Session 4: Fly 10s with a 30-yard build-in at 95%, should be around 1.05 seconds.
• Session 5: Fly 10s with a 30-yard build-in at 100%, should be around 1.00 seconds.

If you know an athlete’s best, you can calculate the percentages and give them something to shoot for to drive progress objectively. But coaching with percentages like that can be challenging for some athletes to understand. With the example above, if the athlete is sprinting their fly 10s at a 1.20 pace, will that prepare them for 100% in the following weeks? Probably not.

Is the athlete actually at 90% of their previous best? Is the following session of 95% faster than the previous session at 90%? How else do you know if they’re hitting the speed they’re supposed to hit? Say the athlete’s “90%” is actually 80% speed and you need them to add some speed and intensity. Or, your athlete is excited, comes out at 1.04 when it should be a 1.10, and you need them to dial it back a little. Either way, it’s easier to do so with objective justification and being able to SHOW them their speed. Even if it’s telling them to hit the same speed again, it adds that much more reassurance to the athlete with the numbers to back it up.

Return to Play

Besides progressing through the typical return to play rehabilitation protocols—and eventually regaining the ability to sprint at 100% effort—how else do you evaluate progress? Timing lasers are an effective way to get objective feedback about how an athlete is progressing through rehab. I’ve used objective measurements like this by prompting the athlete “sprint 10 yards as fast as you feel comfortable” and tracking it over time. It might not always be pretty, and it might not be near their best speed pre-injury, but it’s another tool you have to provide even more information about an athlete’s progress.

Timing lasers are an effective way to get objective feedback about how an athlete is progressing through rehab… It’s the most direct way to compare if they’re at 100% of what they used to be. Share on X

Rehab can be a long, frustrating, and discouraging process. But how impactful would it be to show your athlete that they’re making improvements in the right direction toward their goals, even if those improvements aren’t drastic? How impactful would it be for you to justify calling an audible and modifying your protocols if progress objectively stalls after multiple sessions/weeks? Are athletes done with rehab because they progressed through the exercises or because they can consistently hit the same times as they could pre-injury? It’s the most direct way to compare if they’re at 100% of what they used to be.

Assuming you regularly time sprints in your speed training, you should take “pre-injury” or “baseline” data for your athletes. It’s not the timing lasers themselves but what you do with them and what they help justify that takes your return to play to the next level.

Bonus: Motivation

Not everything that is timed needs to be written down, and sometimes timing lasers can just be used as motivating feedback. You can make up a drill on the spot and instantly draw out more effort just by setting up timing lasers. Make it competitive, make it fun, and watch your athletes run that much faster.

Be creative in new applications of your timing lasers to level up your coaching. This is a different way to think about a tool you might already have to complement what you’re already doing. Whether it’s supporting drawing more effort out of your change of direction drills, helping build back into sprinting more safely, or helping your return to play process and decisions, the only limit is your imagination.

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

At bigger schools with large staffs, the strength coach with only two or three teams is available to attend staff meetings and work practices and competitions. And they can usually find time to meet regularly with coaches and athletic trainers without much trouble. But how can strength coaches at smaller schools with smaller staffs provide similar high performance value? When three of your teams are practicing at the same time that you’re lifting another group, it can be tough to stay on top of the daily goings-on for any given program.

Here at Lee University, my assistant and I work with about 300 kids. Between team lifts and open-hours sessions where we roll kids through seven half-racks (not to mention typical administrative work), unfortunately, we don’t have the ability to regularly attend as many practices or sports staff meetings as we’d like. To approximate a high-performance model in our context, we use technology to track some key performance indicators to create athlete data profiles that give actionable information to sports coaches, athletic trainers, and the strength staff.

This past fall, I used women’s volleyball as the guinea pig for our new Vitruve VBT units since it was the team whose practices I could attend the most. (The first few weeks were busy, as I was elevated to the head role just prior to school starting. I tried to average about one practice a week during the back half of the semester.) Being able to watch your team practice is such a benefit for the strength coach. You learn:

• What positions do they regularly find themselves moving into and out of?
• Can I learn some of the lingo to link our training with the language of their sport?
• What is the practice tempo—sure, reverse-engineering the work:rest ratios of competition is important, but they have to get through practice to make it to game day.

During breaks, I ask our coaches and athletic trainer how the girls have been looking, and it’s a good chance to quickly discuss how training has recently translated to the court. Luckily, with this team, our coaching staff is at every single lift. Some strength coaches may be wary of that, but I truly appreciate it—their presence shows that the weight room is important and keeps us connected as a staff since I can’t be at every practice. Regardless, a little face time at practice (and games, especially) goes a long way—you can pretend to care, but you can’t pretend to be there.

The kids and coaches eat it up when you can link your training exercises to a drill from practice or a sport-specific scenario, says wla_21. Share on X

As much as possible, maintaining a presence outside the weight room walls is also one of the easiest ways to get buy-in from administrators, coaches, and athletes. The kids and coaches eat it up when you can link your training exercises to a drill from practice or a sport-specific scenario. And the relationship factor obviously gets them to trust you quicker and more deeply. Often, the most effective staff meetings can occur in informal situations, like during practice breaks or passing by each other in the dining hall.

Technology Used

We use Google Sheets, TeamBuildr, the Just Jump mat, and the Vitruve VBT unit as our main pieces of technology.

To begin each session, the girls enter their body weight into TeamBuildr, and early into the lift, we get a four-jump RSI score and a vertical jump as a readiness method, both of which they enter into Google Sheets on one of our two laptops. A short questionnaire in TeamBuildr on stress, sleep, and nutrition reminds athletes of their ownership in “the other 20 hours” and can paint a picture for S&C and athletic training as the stresses of the in-season phase pile up. Fortunately, the Vitruve app is synced with TeamBuildr to automatically record tonnage, velocity, and power for selected lifts.

Peak power is the primary key performance metric we track for our weight work in-season—obviously, you have to move yourself with some suddenness to meet and contact the ball out on the court effectively. Grinding heavy weight for the sake of heavy weight doesn’t make much sense when factoring in mid-week games, travel, school stressors, etc. If a player’s power is slipping over the course of the semester, you need to manipulate your tonnage schemes, as power loss will show during competition.

There’s a balance: last year, our single leg power dropped a bit despite our other lower body metrics improving. I may have gone a little light in our weight selection there, although we only had one session for that lift in November, so the data is limited compared to the other months.

The athletes’ lift numbers are tracked each session, so we can compare them across time to their position group and team. Again, peak power is the figure I’m most interested in, and you can also prescribe lifts within velocity ranges if you’re so inclined.

In Google Sheets, the data validation function allows you to select an athlete from a drop-down menu, enabling us to rotate through each player’s profile quickly; all the numbers are copied from TeamBuildr into a separate “Roster” sheet that is referenced within the data profile sheet formulas. That “Roster” sheet also tracks changes over time for the assessments, while the data profile serves as a snapshot of a given testing week. In the future, we’ll be able to compare any given point of the season to the same point in time from previous years. Likewise, we can see the typical peak power for a particular position. With Vitruve and TeamBuildr’s combined tracking, I can get an idea of how set, rep, and tonnage variables affect power on both the micro and macro scales.

With Vitruve and TeamBuildr’s combined tracking, I can get an idea of how set, rep, and tonnage variables affect power on both the micro and macro scales, says wla_21. Share on X

By the end of the semester, I logged all their peak power numbers that Vitruve and TeamBuildr saved—I chose to track hang power cleans, squat, a split squat, bench press, a 1-arm landmine press, and split jumps. This range of exercises shows a total body, lower body, and upper body effort, as well as unilateral lower and upper body efforts. This weight room data is referenced in the master “Roster” sheet, which is then referenced to build their player profile. Color-coded charts show their (hopeful) growth as the semester progresses.

Varying your exercise selection allows you to improve the athletes’ KPIs with more specified lifts (e.g., moving from full to half to quarter squats, a strict landmine press to a push press to a jerk, etc.) without the training growing stale and progress stalling as you build a tolerance to exercises that don’t change. Did I try to cheat the system with my exercise selection choices to make our power trend upward as the season progressed? Absolutely—that is the entire point of periodization and hoping to achieve something of a peak in the team sport setting.

For example, the coaching staff felt that blocking was the skill that improved the most through the season; the vertical jump average increased 1.3 inches for our frontline rotation girls from August to November. The coaches and girls all felt that they were also striking the ball harder as the season progressed.

Integrating with Coaching Staff and Athletic Trainers

Comparing key sports statistics alongside the weight room numbers can provide good talking points with your coaching staff. Do a player’s stats match up with their athleticism? That question can start a conversation on the Four Coactive performance model (physical, tactical, technical, and psychological factors).

Might an explosive player be too slow reacting to visual patterns on the court? Are there any limiting factors keeping a girl with a high volleyball IQ from expressing it on the court?

Assessment lets us know exactly how each player compares to their teammates physically and in competition. If any area needs addressing, we know what we can work on. Particularly in team sports—where it can be tough to empirically quantify the effect size of drills/exercises/etc.—why guess in the few instances where you do have the ability to assess some factors?

Particularly in team sports—where it can be tough to empirically quantify the effect size of drills/exercises/etc.—why guess in the few instances where you do have the ability to assess some factors? Share on X

And we can’t forget our athletic trainers! Since we track their athleticism numbers, ATs can have a baseline for return-to-play protocols. We might not have GPS/heart rate monitors or force plates lying around, but knowing an RSI jump or a 5-10-5 time gives us a reference for criterion-based reconditioning when making sure kids are ready to return to full-intensity drills. If a cluster of injuries pops up randomly, the acute:chronic ratio could be a good place to check.

In the past, we’ve done some questionnaires and monitored acute:chronic ratios by combining practice duration and RPE with tonnages in the weight room, but we’re gotten away from these more subjective measures in favor of tracking power throughout. Accounting for the systemic load of accessory movements can be challenging, and starting every session on the jump mat serves as a quick readiness test, anyway. It can be interesting to compare the kids’ practice RPE to a coach’s RPE, though—if the range is always wide, that can lead to some questions.

Obviously, a coach may think that a given practice should feel easy, but players could feel otherwise if it involves a lot of time on their feet or lots of landing at the wrong time of the year. Much like we periodize our workouts, coaches can mix factors like time, intensity, skill drills versus scrimmaging, etc., to keep practices productive and efficient.

At the start of every practice, the girls mark on a whiteboard how they’re feeling physically and mentally; this is an excellent way for our coaches to holistically see how both the team and individuals are doing daily. There’s a trust factor required on both ends. For the players—do I believe I won’t get punished if I say I don’t feel so great today? For me—can I trust what my team wrote on the board? If they say they’re fresh, then we can practice as scheduled.

Smaller schools, or those with smaller budgets, may have to get creative to implement a high-performance model, but it can be done. If our job is to support our coaches and athletes, we need to use everything at our disposal to make a positive impact, no matter our budget.

If our job is to support our coaches and athletes, we need to use everything at our disposal to make a positive impact, no matter our budget, says @wla_21. Share on X

Choosing to train during the competitive period only makes sense if we’re increasing KPIs and giving the players a better capacity to express their sports skills. Tracking our power and trying to manipulate it upward through the season is a good way to feel confident that our training positively impacts performance. Technology can be a great supplement to the power of the conversations and the coach’s eye in a high-performance model.

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