Will your strength program transfer power to the football field?
I ‘m sure that, for the majority of coaches, the answer to the above question is “yes.” This is the answer I receive most often but close examination of specific programs appears to indicate otherwise. Most strength training programs do not focus on developing better athletes; they focus on handling more weight in specific strength exercises.
For example, it is not uncommon to find many strength training rooms that have posters on the walls indicating how much weight each athlete is lifting in the different exercises. If all the athletes are not listed, then only the top scorers are listed for each exercise. These charts are also used as motivational tools to push the athletes to lift even more weight in the most important exercises.
Because how much weight you lift is looked at as an indicator of athletic success, most coaches use programs in which maximum weights are used. This includes bodybuilding, powerlifting and Olympic lifting. In bodybuilding, the athlete uses a weight training program to develop both mass and strength. The players use single joint and multi-joint exercises in a repetition range of 6 to 15 for three or more sets.
In powerlifting, the objective is usually to lift more weight to gain greater strength in three movements - bench press, squat, and dead lift. The increase in mass is most often a secondary consequence. In Olympic lifting, the object is to use various Olympic lifting exercises to develop not only strength but explosive power. To do Olympic lifts, it is necessary to have additional equipment such as lifting platforms, bumper plates and Olympic barbells. The athletes also need more time to learn how to do the exercises, especially the snatch.
Are these programs best suited to develop better athletes or, more specifically, better football players? Will they improve the players’ ability to perform on the field? Will the athlete be better prepared to execute the skills required of his position? Does the increased strength, mass or explosive power developed in any of these programs transfer directly to the athlete’s ability to perform on the field? Most coaches will answer yes to these questions but without any substantiation. Close examination shows that there is very little correlation between the gains achieved in the weight room and performance on the field.
Training as a bodybuilder, powerlifter or Olympic lifter is not training like an athlete, or more specifically a football player. A football player’s requirements differ considerably from the gains experienced in bodybuilding, powerlifting or Olympic lifting. Even the way certain exercises are executed is not specific to the needs of most football players.
For example, execution of the squat is different in each of these different sports. In bodybuilding, the athlete typically assumes a stance in which the feet are shoulder width or wider. In powerlifting, the sumo style squat is most often used in which the legs are spread apart much wider than shoulder width. In Olympic lifting, the feet are usually placed wider than shoulder width.
For a football player who must run, cut and jump, such as a wide receiver or safety, the feet should be placed directly under the hips in order to get maximum benefit from the squat. The reason for this is that in running and jumping, the feet are directly under the hips. In running, the feet are under the hips so that the forces generated in the push-off are directed into the hips in a straight line in the same direction as the run. In jumping, the feet must be directly under the hips in order for all the forces to go directly upward. Even linemen, when coming off the line have their feet under their hips when driving forward. In cutting actions, the feet can be found directly under the hips or out to the side. But rather than doing a wide stance squat, it is more beneficial to execute exercises such as hip abduction with the hips in motion, as for example, in the side lunge which more closely duplicates the cutting action.
With Olympic lifts, there is no question that the athlete may become more explosive. But there is no proof – in theory or in practice - that this explosive power will transfer to the execution of other skills. Transfer is very specific when it comes to execution of skills and is not specific to execution of most football skills. This has been well substantiated in theory and practice.
Because transfer occurs as a general factor, it does not apply to the execution of a specific skill. It is quite often the opposite. Only when execution of the skill duplicates what occurs in the execution of a particular exercise – in regard to neuromuscular pathway, type of muscular contraction, range of motion in which strength is developed, etc. – will there be a positive transfer.
In the case of Olympic lifting, that transfer can occur in a jumping action since the forces and direction of movement generated in the Olympic lifts, especially in the clean portion, duplicate what occurs in jumping. As a result, they can improve a player’s ability to jump.
However, all players who must run and cut may find little transfer or benefit from doing the Olympic lifts. They will get more benefit from doing specialized explosive leg exercises and plyometrics, especially the shock method, than they will from the Olympic lifts.
Most important for an athlete is to do exercises that are specific to the movements that he must perform in the execution of his position skills. Typically, this means doing exercises that are more specific to running, jumping, cutting, throwing or kicking. This is where the commonly used strength training programs such as bodybuilding, powerlifting and Olympic lifting fail. Because the athlete is now stronger does not automatically mean that he is now a better football player.
Increased strength should not be considered synonymous with improved performance on the field. This is a myth that has guided football training for the past 50 years. It does not mean that strength training is not important. Strength is very important and plays a significant role in improving athletic performance. However, the amount of strength needed, the strength exercises used and how the exercises are executed play the most important roles in relation to improving performance on the field.
In general, maximum strength is not warranted. If this were true, the strongest men in the world would also be the best football players. But all coaches, if they are honest in their appraisals, will be the first to admit that some of the best players are not always the strongest. In some cases, the athletes will not even be close to being the strongest players. This finding is also substantiated by many studies of the world’s best athletes.
Similarly, general strength exercises that are most often used to get the player in shape or in good condition are not necessarily the best strength exercises for the college or professional athlete. Such exercises are great for the high school player as they improve overall body development which has the greatest impact on playing performance in the formative years. General strength exercises create a good base upon which specialized strength exercises should be done by the more experienced athletes.
Understand that specialized exercises duplicate the neuromuscular pathway seen in the execution of the skill. In addition, these exercises develop strength in the same range of motion as it is displayed in the execution of the skill. As a result, they have the greatest impact on improving the player’s performance. Merely getting in good shape or in good condition does not mean that the player is capable of playing on the highest level or at least on a higher level than the previous year. This should be the objective of all strength training programs.
To fulfill this objective, it is important that collegiate and professional coaches closely examine each exercise and evaluate whether the exercise has a direct effect on performance on the field. If there is no transfer, the exercise may be good in the preliminary stages of training but not when getting ready for the season. Most, if not all, the exercises done in the last two to three months prior to the season should relate directly to how well the player performs on the field. Keep in mind that the most successful player is the one who is capable of executing the skills of his position most effectively. This is the bottom line for success - not how much weight an athlete can lift. p
About the Author: Dr. Michael Yessis is the President of Sports Training, Inc. and a Professor Emeritus at California State University-Fullerton. He can be reached at his email address – dryessis@doctoryessis.com – or his web site – www.doctoryessis.com.