The term power has come to have many meanings. It is probably due to the popularity of powerlifting in which heavy weights are lifted at a slow speed. In the eyes of many coaches, such lifts have come to mean power. The more weight you lift, the greater the power you exhibit.
Technically this is a partial truth but it is not the power that is seen in most sports that requires speed and quickness. Nor does it exemplify the definition used in biomechanics and physics. In these sciences power is related to the amount of work done in relation to the time involved. The quicker and action is executed the more power that is exhibited — all other factors being equal.
For greater accuracy, rather than using a term such as power, it may be more useful to use a term that the Russians coined — speed-strength; strength exhibited with speed. In essence, you overcome a resistance or perform a skill as quickly as possible. When dealing with the body, force can only be produced by the muscles or more specifically the strength of the muscles. When coupled with speed, you exhibit power, i.e., speed-strength.
Close examination of most sports shows that speed and quickness play a major role in attaining success. Execution of almost all athletic skills entails a combination of speed and strength. The only sport in which success is determined by pure strength (at a slow speed) is powerlifting and perhaps sports such as arm wrestling. Even weightlifting events, which includes the clean and jerk and snatch, are executed at maximum speeds. For example, the jerk is executed in approximately 0.2 seconds.
Because most sports skills require speed or quickness together with strength, the use of the term speed-strength appears to be quite apropos to describe the requirements of most sports. This is why the Russians use this term and their exercise and sports training programs revolve around the development of these two qualities separately and coupled together.
The Russians have done many studies showing the relationship between increased resistance in a strength training exercise and speed of execution. They were able to determine when you are developing more strength and less speed or if you are developing the same amount of strength and speed or more speed with less strength in any particular exercise. In this way, they are guide the training program to develop the abilities needed in the particular sport.
For more information on developing power and the Russian system of training athletes read Secrets of Russian Sports Fitness and Training. Also see back issues of the Soviet Sports Review, later the Fitness and Sports Review International.