The definition of 'athlete' is: “a person trained or gifted in exercises or contests involving physical agility, stamina, or strength”
The definition doesn't mention jumping higher or running faster anywhere - so why is it that every athlete asks me how to jump higher and run faster? Is Lebron James a better basketball player because he jumps higher? Collegiate high-jumpers jump higher. Is Devin Hester great because he's fast? High school sprinters could beat him in a 100m sprint.
These athletes and others are great, not because of what they can do, but because of what they can do better. Acceleration is great, but acceleration alone is only helpful for sprinters. If you play soccer, basketball, hockey, or any other sport, you'll need much more than acceleration. The same goes for having a great vertical leap. (You can touch the rim - great! But can you run, dribble, and change direction at the same time?)
Too much time is wasted on how fast, how high, and how much (can you lift.) Heck, all the 'performance evaluation' tests are based on it! Run 40 yards straight, bench press 225 for maximum reps, jump as high as you can from a standstill... when do any of these happen in sports?
News flash! They don't.
When losing teams are interviewed, they don't say, "They were just stronger tonight." or "If we'd played a little faster." They say, "They were just the better team today."
Better.
That's what performance training is all about. Accelerate better, but learn to decelerate (slow down) enough to allow a change of direction. Learn to transition from rebound to dribble and sprint to spin and pass. How are you going to learn that jumping straight up in the air?
Listen. I may be a bit of a renegade, here, but I'll tell you this - if you want to go be a better basketball player, soccer player, hockey player... let me know - I'll refer you to someone else.
If you want to be a better athlete... come see me.
