What
other factors need to be considered when speaking about functional sports
conditioning? One of the most cohesive,
comprehensive methodologies was developed by Juan Carlos Santana, of the
Institute for Human Performance in Boca Raton Fla.
It
is Santana’s observation that activity takes place in 4 Pillars of Human
Movement:
Standing & Locomotion
Level Changes
Pushing & Pulling
Rotation
In designing a conditioning program for a
specific sport, it is important to understand the interplay of the movements
within these 4 pillars. The next step is to determine what energy system is
used in the sport, aerobic or anaerobic. Assessing the strength component of a
specific sport is crucial, since strength has a direct relationship with speed.
At this point, it becomes crucial to bridge the gap between functional and
absolute strength. Someone may be able to lift a considerable amount of weight
when using exercise equipment, but they may be much weaker when they are
working wit constraints of a machine or weight belt.
Since acceleration is an important
aspect of sport performance, it can be helpful to perform some sports
conditioning exercises at a higher speed than one would use for traditional
weight training. Obviously, when working at higher speeds, use a lighter weight.
While acceleration is important, deceleration fine-tunes athleticism.
Unfortunately this is often neglected. Cutting edge trainers are now exploring
different ways to add deceleration into the conditioning routine.
If an athlete is
involved in “throwing “ sports, or activities such as golf, it is crucial that
they are not given loads that are inappropriate for their grip strength, even if
their muscles can handle it. To do so can cause hand injuries. Some trainers
such as Paul Chek, will actually substitute the handgrips on a pulley machine
for the opposite teams rugby jersey, when training rugby teams. This obviously
adds an interesting psychological component to the training!
If you are already
following some sort of fitness program, use these guidelines to tweak your
routine, in order to make it sport specific!