Most athletes do strength training to “get in shape” and to get stronger. This is especially evident on the collegiate and professional levels. However, it is also happening with increasing frequency on the high school level with both boys and girls.
This is great to see as strength training and general conditioning create the foundation needed for athletes to play their best. However, to make the strength training most effective, it must be differentiated by the different athletic levels and according to each athlete and his or her development.
For example, if you are a novice and have never weight trained before, then it matters little exactly how many sets and repetitions are involved. Simply doing a variety of strength exercises and some aerobic activities will get you stronger and in better physical condition. This should be considered your base training.
As you continue your training and have an established strength base, then training should become more specific. At this time, the exercises, sets and reps begin to play very important roles as to the development that you will receive.
In other words, the way you train will give you specific results in relation to that strength training. Results from the strength exercises at this time will produce the greatest general strength gains and in many cases improve speed and explosive power
To enhance your playing performance even more it is necessary to make the strength and conditioning programs even more specific to your sport. The main exercises done at this time should be highly specialized. This means that each exercise should duplicate the same technique (i.e., same neuromuscular pathway as seen in execution of the skill or a portion of the skill).
In other words, the strength exercise should have the same motor pathway as seen in execution of the skill. In this way you develop strength in exactly the way it is used in execution of the skill. This is a very important feature that general strength exercises do not have.
Specialized strength exercises can be used by athletes on all levels after they have developed a strength and fitness base. This base serves as the foundation on which athletes prepare a very specific manner for competition.
When the athlete performs specialized strength exercises he will see immediate improvement in his skill execution on the field, ring or court. These exercises are extremely effective in improving player performance. The reason for this is simple: they imitate what you must do on the field.
The benefits of specialized strength exercises are much greater in relation to improving player performance on the field than any benefits received from more general strength and fitness training, regardless of the volume used. And the positive results are seen very quickly.
For more information read Build a Better Athlete and Biomechanics and Kinesiology of Exercise.
For more examples of sport specific exercises see the explosive sports series. This Includes: Explosive Running, Explosive Basketball Training, Explosive Golf, Explosive Tennis: The Forehand and Backhand and Women’s Soccer: Using Kinesiology to Improve Speed.