Sport Specific Training

One term thrown around far too much in the strength and conditioning industry is “sport specific training”. Reason being, that people see anything about any sport specific programs and believe this is exactly where they need to train because if the program is “hockey specific” then they must really know hockey players!

Now yes, sometimes people running these programs will know the sport, whether it be through a playing background, time spent coaching the sport, or even… strength and conditioning experience. However, the fact that they run a “hockey specific” dryland program means squat. What are they going to be focusing on in this program to improve performance in hockey? Hopefully if they have ANY strength and conditioning knowledge / experience at all it will be some combination of strength, speed, and power. I don’t know if it’s just me… but that looks an awful lot like what a football player might need in their strength and conditioning work… or a basketball player… or a rugby player… you get the picture.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with putting together a program for a specific sport. Teammates, or athletes that compete against each other can come in to train together and the comradery displayed is usually awesome! Where I draw the line is the programming. Yes, generally athletes of a similar sport and similar age could have similar programs. Key word there is SIMILAR. If you tell me you have a “hockey program” and the entire group is coming in and doing the exact same thing day after day, week after week, month after month, be honest… are you providing them with the best you can?

Programs can have the same focus for multiple different athletes, but as a strength and conditioning coach, our job is to be creating optimal programs for each INDIVIDUAL athlete we work with. This means putting thought and effort into each individual that is putting their trust in you. If an athlete is struggling with a certain physical quality, they may need more time focused there then others. Focus on the training needs of each individual and not only will you see improvements in your own coaching, but significant improvements in the results your athletes are seeing as well.

So remember… Sport specific training is done in practice. Your strength and conditioning work should be ATHLETE specific.

Thank you again for taking the time to check out my blog. Would LOVE to hear your thoughts. Shoot me an e-mail or follow the social links on my website and tell me what you think!

kenny@coachdusseault.com