Ask many coaches, parents and athletes and they will agree that there is a best way to hit, kick and throw. Because of this, athletes spend countless hours working on their technique or just the skill of their sport. They learn how to dribble with their left and right hand, bounce a soccer ball off their head, throw 5 different pitches, and bottle flip on every object imaginable (okay maybe that’s not formally practiced). Unfortunately, athletes do not pay the same attention to their running technique, relative body strength, change of direction, flexibility or nutrition. Without a good foundation in these important components of athleticism, sport success is going to be minimized. What makes you a good athlete is not just the sport specific skill, but how athletic you really are.
Running is a skill. Before an athlete ever worries about how well they hit or throw, they need to have proper running form and adequate strength and flexibility levels. Most athletes in America skip right past this stage of development and work specifically on the techniques of their sport. Although this may pay dividends at first, prolonged success is going to rely on what type of athlete you are, not your individual sport technique. Compare two athletes who have similar levels of skill, but one athlete is much stronger. Who is going to have the advantage? Who will have the advantage if they are faster? Have you or athletes you have coached ever competed against someone who is much faster? What was the result?
The NCAA hands out 7177 scholarships over Divisions I and II. That means about 1.3% of varsity players will have access to scholarship money over a four-year cycle. For many parents and coaches these statistics suggest that camps and single-sport focus is the way to maximize the chance of being in that 1.3%. While I am all for dedication to a personal passion, I have to respectfully disagree. This comes after years of watching coaches do things like mimic a golf swing with a 15-pound dumbbell or allow pitchers to throw year round. Collegiate sport coaches look as much for athleticism as anything else. They want their players to be athletes first and that is best developed by a wide range of sports and developing athleticism off the field. Early specialization can accomplish this but it carries the likely prices of burnout and overuse
injuries.
If you were faster, stronger, more flexible and ate better, would you be better at your sport? How much better? These two questions should demonstrate how important athleticism is to your future success. These are components that you should be working on at all times during your sports career to maximize performance and decrease the chance of injury.
There is a best way to run, stop, land, jump, and change direction. When you are working on these areas, you have a huge advantage over all of the athletes that are skipping that step. Over the years, many people ask us how we produce so many great athletes. The answer is simple: make them faster and stronger than their competition. When you are faster and stronger, you instantly have the edge.
Stan Skolfield is a Certified Athletic Trainer and a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist. He is the Manager of the OA Performance Center
as well as Athletic Training Services. He has over 20 years of experience of developing athletes from 6 years old to the pros.