In today’s competitive sports world, there is this constant drive for female athletes to be faster, stronger and jump higher.  Parents and coaches are always looking for ways to train their athletes for improved performance and to gain the competitive edge on their opponents.  There has been a shift in how we as performance coaches train the young athlete or an athlete that has not yet reached an elite performance level.  More emphasis is now being placed on improving the athleticism of an athlete and not just on sport-specific training.  Performance coaches want to elicit peak athletic performance from a smarter, more skilled body, or, in other terms, improve an athlete’s unique physicality.  In order to do this an athlete must develop the components of dynamic athletic performance.  The 5 critical components are: speed, power, agility, reaction and quickness, (SPARQ), (1).  Reaction speed and efficiency often determine an athlete’s success in beating a defender, preventing a move from an offensive player or even avoiding objects (as in skiing and snowboarding).  The ability of an athlete to read a situation, react and skillfully maneuver the body could decide the outcome of a game or sporting event.  Success in sports is based on the ability to move in multiple directions in a smooth and coordinated manner.  You, as the athlete, coach or strength training coach will not go wrong if you work on improving these components of dynamic athletic performance:

Speed:  The rate of motion, action, activity or performance.  How fast one can accelerate and cover a specific distance.  Explosiveness is closely related to speed.  Speed is seen as a key advantage in all team sports. The faster more explosive athlete always has a decisive advantage over a less athletic opponent.  Examples of speed training and testing are:  20, 30, 40 yard dashes, standing broad jump.

Power:  The capacity or ability to create strength, force or might.  A combination of strength and speed applied over a short period of time (as in plyometric drills).  A shot-putter has to train for power, speed and explosiveness.  Examples of testing or training for power are:  bench press, medicine ball throws.

Agility:  Is the ability to change direction without the loss of speed, strength, balance, or body control.  There is a direct correlation between improved agility and the development of athletic timing, rhythm, and movement.  Sports agility teaches the athlete the best method and techniques to move with the greatest speed and the greatest quickness, with the least amount of wasted movements and actions.  Agility is what often will separate the winning performances.  Examples of agility training and testing are: shuttle, compass drill and agility cone drill.

Reaction:  Your response to a stimulus or the condition resulting from such a response.  Baseball and softball players need great reaction skills.  An example of reaction training would be using a reaction ball.  The random bounces of the reaction ball improve coordination, reaction time and depth perception. 

Quickness:  Moving or performing with speed and agility.  It is thinking, understanding, or responding rapidly and easily.  A tennis player needs great foot speed and quickness to run down a variety of angle shots and drop shots.  A basketball player needs to make a quick move around a defensive player in order to drive to the basket.  Examples of training or testing for quickness include: dashes, shuttle drills and agility cone drills.

          Keep in mind that the development of athletic talent is a long-term process.  An athlete progresses to the highest level of his or her ability based on a well-designed plan over many years that allows for long-term improvements.  To reach an elite level (Olympic), scientists have concluded that it takes a minimum of 10 years and 10,000 hours of training for a talented athlete to reach elite levels.  In sports circles, this is referred to as the “10 year rule.”  You may not be able to put in this kind of time and your goal may not be to reach the Olympic level in your sport.  That is o.k., however, I would strongly recommend that you consider training your SPARQ, you will become more athletic, agile, strong and powerful.  And, more importantly you will be in better condition to compete at any level of competition with less injuries resulting in a longer, more enjoyable career in your chosen sport.

     Do you know your SPARQ rating?  Vern Gambetta, who is considered the father of functional fitness, developed the first-ever system designed to quantitatively measure the sport-specific athleticism of football, baseball, fast pitch softball, soccer, track and field and basketball athletes.  The SPARQ rating provides athletes and coaches with a tool to measure the athlete’s dynamic athletic capabilities and to sharpen the focus of training to maximize the athlete’s success on the playing field.  If you are interested in getting a SPARQ rating you will need to find a qualified trainer who can administer the tests.  Visit www.sparqtraining.com for all the details.

RESOURCE

1. Gambetta, V., SPARQ Rating. How to Measure Dynamic Athletic Performance. Desert Southwest Fitness. 2006.