Every athlete needs to develop certain areas to make themselves successful. Without one of these areas the athlete could be vulnerable and never reach their full potential.
The first areas that an athlete needs is a proper and correct warm-up: The reason for this is to get the body ready for competition, and to help prevent against injuries. Too many athletes just jump right into a workout with out getting the mind and body prepared for what it needs to do to be successful. Even with strength training, going through a good and sound warm-up routinue will help prevent against soreness and strain that may occur when working out. Doing Dynamic or movement stretches will help prevent many problems that may occur.
Second area would be the development of Speed. The saying goes Size hurts but Speed Kills. This is true when discussing this with an athlete on how you can become a more dominate player. You need to develop a sound program of running mechanics and speed drills to improve your performance.
Third area is strength training. Having a good solid strength program that focuses on developing muscles to aid in your performance is key. Just lifting to lift should not be the goal of an athlete. You need to develop a strength program that will take and enhance your performance on the field. Finding a quality trainer who understands how the body is suppose to move and work for each sport is the key. Just moving a lot of weight does not quarantee success.
Fourth is a good fundamental core program. Most people dont know exactly what the core is. I hear it all the time I got to work my core. When you ask them what that means they usually just think the ABS. That is only a small part of the core region. The core region is made up of not only the Abs, but the obliques, the hips, low back, and especially the glutes. The glutes are so important to helping an athelte excel but they are usually very week in most individuals. Having a program that address these areas is a must for each athlete to perform at their best.
Fifth area would be power and explosion. Each sport requires you to generate power while performing . If you watch a sporting event you can see power/explosion in every play. For example baseball requires power from the pitcher to throw the ball and the batter to hit it. In basketball when a player drives to the basket that requires power or to dunk that is power. You need to develop this area to make yourself a well rounded athlete.
Sixth area is you should always cool the body down. Do not just pack up and leave. Make sure you get your body ready for the next day or next workout by returing it to a relaxed state. Make sure you stretch out with static or hold each position for a certain amount of time.
Do not fall into the trap of getting big. Obtaining more muscle is great, but it must be done the correct way with a sound program that focuses and covers all of these areas. If you are not receiving this from your current program then do something about it. NOT ALL PROGRAMS ARE CREATED EQUAL.
Unleash Your Potential to become a dominate force.
Dave Brixius
Explosive Sports Performance