Over the last two decades, we have seen an increase in the use of strength building to support performance in sports, ensuring we have the movement and strength to support the sporting skill makes complete sense.
If we delve a little deeper into this, we can better understand how increasing both movement and strength can improve and unlock performance and skill.
For example, a swimmer diving off a starting block requires strength in their legs and hips to leave the block, their skill level can be near perfect, however if they lack maximal strength the distance travelled will be less than their full capability.
By increasing this strength, we can travel further, by having control over our muscles (holding the correct shape) we can capitalise on the strength, both increasing performance and allowing the skill to be delivered to its fullest potential.
It also gives us the chance to look at the shapes that are made during the activity, the forces that are placed on the body, whilst we are not here to coach the mechanics of the sport (sport specific coaches have these covered) we can provide the exercises that compliment and improve the underlying muscles used for these.
A good example is a tennis player, when lunging for a return shot, 3-5 times the player’s body weight will be placed through the foot and in turn the ankle, leg and hip. Strengthening these will reduce the injury risk, ensure the action is repeatable, and allow for faster recovery/return ready for the next shot.
Understanding how these components fit into a training regime/competitive season is crucial to allow optimal performance.
We need movement to deliver strength and strength to deliver skill, and if we are seeking the best performance possible, we need to ensure we are doing more than paying lip service to them.
To be able to improve these we must understand where we find issues, what shapes/movement paths are less comfortable and then work backwards to understand why this occurs, only then can we improve these areas.
To find out how we can help you improve your performance, contact a Team SF member – info@spikefitness.co.uk