A lot came to mind when this blog topic came up.
In my experience athletes have either too much non sports specific strength training, or none at all. Of course there is a need for strength training in young athletes not only to prevent injury but increase athletic ability. I think it is safe to assume that in a lot of cases in the area people who are holding a "coaching" position are more like experienced supervisors; though in some cases just simply supervisors. It is common and necessary for programs to hire someone outside of a direct sports related field to cover coaching positions. We bank on coaches to have the skills to coach, train and teach the sport in a positive manner, and this is usually the case, but I could not agree that this is the same when we add resistance training to the equation. Most programs simply do not have the resources or the knowledge to safely implement such activities.
Non sports specific resistance training holds potential to many positive effects for an athlete. Including but not limited to increased ability to perform without fatigue and injury prevention are two examples I would like to focus on. Note though that these two specific examples hover over a fine line of being positive or negative to the athlete.
No one can argue that increased strength and muscular endurance are both results of resistance training, nor can it be argued that with too much resistance training injury and muscle fatigue come into play. It is extremely necessary to have a program to follow and to execute the movements properly. this means someone with a good understanding of strength training should write and go over if not execute the plan with the athletes.
Having a plan will aid the athletes in gaining the strength and endurance they need to perform at their best ability. It can increase the power to kick or throw a ball further, rotational power and correct movement patterns for lateral moving sports movement, jump higher and so much more. It really is beneficial in every sport. Most importantly it can give you the strength in minor muscles to prevent injury, it can be used as a tool to create muscle balance in sports that are heavy on certain areas, and increase stability for explosive movements found in most sports.
This plan also guarantees that overtraining does not occur. If a player is pre fatigued then they increase the risk of injury. Overtraining can also lead to burnout something none of us want to see our athletes experience.
It is my strong belief that coaches should be good at coaching- administrative duties, teaching, sports specific skills training, team management ect. resistance training should be left a strength coach.
Finally I am going to conclude with a guiltless plug, if you know of a team or someone who needs non sports specific resistance training I know a guy, more importantly if you would like me to touch on a specific sport in the future I would be happy to. If it could help one athlete or team I would be happy to shed more light on the importance of resistance training in athletes.
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