On Solid Ground: Conditioning Your Athlete

by: Gregory “Graig\\
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When it comes to creating an athlete who can withstand the rigors of competing, there is an awful lot that goes into it. While being in the business since 1990 I have come to identify what I consider to be the 4 most important steps in getting this done. When done properly, the results can not be denied.

The Event (Step 1)

When conditioning for an event, many factors must be considered. The requirements can vary dramatically from sport to sport. Some of the things that must be thought about are what demands are made on the body, anaerobic, aerobic or both? Which muscles will be stressed? Which are the most common injuries? And the most important question is the conditioning protocol as efficient and effective as it can be? I hope that more coaches will take a closer look at their sports and get a better idea as to demands that are made on the bodies of athletes and plan accordingly.

Generally, in anaerobic sports quick starts, sudden stops and rapid changes of direction are called for. In a typical NBA game, the ball is in play 49.1 seconds during the first half followed by a rest of 35.3 seconds. In the second half; the average time in play is 35.7 seconds with a pause of 58.9 seconds. A top rebounding power forward on this level only jumped 27 times during a game. Of those jumps only a few were above the rim. So remember when you are conditioning, condition for crunch time! The play that determines the game will be decided by the player who uses his/her speed and quickness in spite of fatigue that comes from a high intensity game.

The Athlete (Step 2)

When conditioning for a sport, it’s always best to know and understand the athlete. What attributes do they bring to the sport? What is his speed quotient? What is his strength index? Are there any injuries that should be taken into account and most importantly what is driving the athlete?

The approach I have found to be most effective is to devise your game plan around the personnel than to try to force athletes into a system they may not be able to play. By having the system fit the athlete, you are also working with the strengths and weaknesses of the athlete. It’s always best to deal from a position of strength. From this position you will always feel like you are in a better position to compete.

The System (Step 3)

A system is a protocol for game and/or sport training. Coaches have systems and some have been honed through years of trial and error, while others have copied the systems of other coaches. One thing is true: without one the chances of success are slim. There is a question that is floating around athletic circles. Do athletes make the system or does the system make the athlete? I believe it’s a little of both. A great system with a great athlete can create an athlete that will dominate any and all opponents. The system that is becoming more and more prevalent is functional training. This can be defined as “a system that encourages the training of balance and the balance of training.” That statment is from Mike Boyle, Director of Performance for Athlete’s Performance in Los Angeles. Boyle goes on to say “Functional training is best described as a continuum of exercises that teach athletes to handle their own body weight in all planes of movement.” Understand that there are numerous systems available to you, take your time and research the one's you think may help the most and then just take it from there.

Testing (Step 4)

The need to track the progress of your athletes can not be overstated and testing is one tool that will help. “Testing also helps determine if a program is effectively achieving the desired goal.” That is one of the goals of Boyd Epley, former Director of Performance Enhancement at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. According to Epley: “Another area in which testing is beneficial is motivation. Many athletes, especially the younger ones, need positive proof that sports conditioning will benefit them before they are willing to put forth the effort to obtain maximum results.” First, decide what you will test, what type of results you want, and how the results will be applied. Keep this in mind: testing is not an end in itself. By that I mean there are athletes who perform well on tests but when it comes time to compete on the field their performance comes up short. A few years ago there was a young man who went to the NFL Combine and performed out of his mind. He worked his way into becoming a first round draft choice, but during his playing career he did little to reinforce the notion that he had the ability to justify his pick in the first round.

The methods you can use to test are varied; you could use time trials such as the 40 yard sprint or shuttle runs.You could use the bench press to help determine upper body strength and the standing broad jump or vertical leap to measure your explosiveness. The biggest thing to remember is to keep the test consistent so that you can keep an accurate record of all training exercises that you have done to that point and get a sense as to how effective they are. Always keep this in mind: the ultimate test of any training protocol is the actual competition itself.

The guidelines I have mentioned are not written in stone. There are people in the business who have concepts that differ greatly. That’s why it’s up to each individual coach to either create or find someone they can put their trust in to help navigate what some people might consider a headache of mammoth proportions. Once it’s done you will have created a blue print that will help establish a foundation which will keep your program on solid ground for years to come.

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