Focus on the Basics of Sports Performance
When discussing sports performance there seems to be some misconceptions about the necessity of having specialized coaches work with young athletes. I am not suggesting that there isn’t a time and place for having specialized coaches. The fundamentals of all athletics is very basic and is built upon a similar base of athleticism. The hierarchy of needs in regards to athletic performance doesn’t start with specialized coaching. The basics of Sports Performance start elsewhere.
The foundational base of sports performance is strength.
Why does strength matter so much? Strength matters because quite simply it is what keeps your athlete healthy. In a simplified version, if a strong athlete tackles a weaker athlete on the soccer field the weaker athlete is more likely to get injured than the stronger athlete.
The key to keeping your athlete healthy is building strength.
The necessity of Strength doesn’t deviate in any sport. Cheerleading – one of the most dangerous sports that high school and college athletes participate in – I am serious (google it). We have been fortunate enough to work with several high school cheerleaders and college cheerleaders and they all say the same thing. Strength helped keep them healthy & safe in their sport. Allowing them to perform stunts that without their strength they wouldn’t have been able to perform.
Why else would focusing on the basics of athletics be time and money better spent than utilizing specialized coaches?
Every athlete has only so much training time and so much sport specific time. This time is precious, but it can be maximized. If time is short, time is better spent building the base(strength) than spending time on a specialized coach.
The time spent in a program focusing on building strength carries over to every sport. If the athlete decides to participate in another sport they are better prepared as that strength carries over. However, specific coaching for a 12 year old on his golf swing isn’t going to transfer into tennis, for example. Yes, you could argue there is some transfer, but it’s not on the same level of comparison, strength will better carry over.
Don’t fall into the trap of thinking your athlete needs what a professional athlete needs/needed as a professional.
Why is training like a professional athlete when they were a professional a trap? Very plainly, you need to start with what made them a professional, not skipping by steps and expecting to replicate their current actions. Your athlete is not at their level and still has a long way to get to their level. The training that a professional athlete needs is going to vary greatly in comparison to a younger athlete. At the pinnacle of professional sports, they are fine tuning and adjusting their level of mastery, far past the building blocks, though still not ignoring the basics either.
Find a strength coach and a facility where strength is a priority. The basics of sports performance is that strength.
Focus on the basics and build from there. Specialized training, specialized coaching is important but only as a dessert to the main course that is strength training.
Interested in getting your athlete started in the OC Sports Performance Program? Book a consultation today!
OC Sports Performance is Bend, Oregon’s premier athletic training facility. Located in Bend, Oregon we have been training youth athletes in Central Oregon for 12+ years.
