Are you looking at the training results achieved from your workouts and practices? Understand that in the long run, only training results, as they apply to competitive play, matter. Coaches may brag about their training program and extol its many virtues but in the end, it is only the results that are achieved in regard to competitive play or how well the athletes perform on the playing field that count.
Making good progress or having good training results in areas such as the weight room (strength exercises), are believed to automatically improve playing on the field. However, there is no substantiation for this even though there are cases to indicate positive results with the low-level athlete.
It is not a universal truth that increases in strength will automatically improve performance on the field. Merely becoming stronger does not necessarily equate to becoming a better athlete. When there is a direct correlation, it is usually with the young or beginning athlete, not the high-level athlete. Proof of this can be seen in professional football and baseball. They do not perform better after being on a strength training program.
Keep in mind that performing better on the field means that the athlete is more capable of executing the skills required of him. This means he may be, a better catcher, open field runner by being able to execute quicker and faster cuts,execute more tackles on a consistent basis,execute longer or quicker or more actually passes and so on.. These are the skills that matter, not how strong he is.
One of the reasons why there is no improvement in competitive play is that the strength gains are most often in general strength. As has been well documented, general strength is good for developing a base but it does not have a direct correlation to performance on the field. Only specialized strength exercises have been shown to correlate directly with competitive performance.
The bottom line is and always should be, how well you perform on the field. This means that you can execute the skills of your position effectively and successfully. Strategies are important but they are of no value if the players cannot carry out the specific functions they are given. Increasing your squat by 100 pounds is immaterial if you cannot jump or run or cut etc. faster or more effectively.
The increase of 100 pounds in the squat is great for a powerlifter but not necessarily for an athlete. An athlete must train to be a better athlete. His training should be different from that of a powerlifter, weightlifter or bodybuilder. It seems that sometimes strength coaches misinterpret the purpose of the training when we use some practices (or exercises) from other fields.
The training results achieved from doing the same type of strength training exercises and program are substantially different for the beginning or lower-level athlete in comparison to the results received from the training of a high-level athlete. Because of this the strength training for low-level athlete must be different from the training of a high-level athlete.
For the low level or beginning athlete developing a strong foundation should be paramount. This means strengthening all of the muscles and joints of the body and developing the basic coordination patterns for skill execution. The most effective program for this appears to be the 1 X 20 RM strength training program.
In this program you do over 20 different exercises to strengthen all the major muscles in all the major joints that are typically involved in execution of a multitude of sports skills. Doing this does not only develop a strong foundation, but enhances game play. And, there are fewer if any injuries..
Equally important is that in the 1 X 20 program you gain greater strength, muscular endurance, muscle mass and greater coordination than is possible in the typical high intensity multi-joint exercise program. Perhaps even more importantly, athletes experience fewer if any injuries in the weight room and in game play with the 1 x 20 program..
For the high-level athlete the strength training should consist mainly of specialized strength exercises that duplicate the muscle and joint actions seen in execution of specific skills. In other words, they develop strength in the same manner as it is used in execution of the skill. Developing greater general strength at this time does not equate to better performance on the field.
Note that some specialized strength exercises are also done with beginners and low-level athletes. However, the number is quite small and usually never goes above 20% of all of the strength exercises done. The specialized strength exercises are usually exercises that duplicate some the key joint actions involved in the main skills for that particular athlete.
For more information see The Revolutionary 1 x 20 RM Strength Training Program and Build a Better Athlete