Posted by C.J. Easter in Sports performance on October 6th, 2014
In the PSTI athlete development model, there are 4 stages to speed development:
1) Movement, 2) Strength, 3) Power, 4) Speed
If you missed the analysis on “Stage 1: Movement”, check it out here.
Stage 2: Strength
After a solid base of movement is developed, the next stage of the PSTI athlete development model is to progressively overload these movements to build strength. An athlete’s strength determines the amount of force that they can create, so strength to body weight ratio has a high correlation to their speed. And probably more importantly, strength also determines the amount of force that an athlete can safely absorb, so strength is a huge factor in injury prevention.
None of the stages of this model are mutually exclusive. Proper movement mechanics and strength should be developed simultaneously because many movement issues come down to lacking strength through the full range of motion.
There are 3 planes of movement/strength that we develop in the PSTI model:
1) Sagittal planar movements
These are mainly your up and down and straight ahead movements. Progressively overloading movements such as squats, deadlifts, and lunges develops strength in this plane. Strength in this plane is commonly reflected on the playing field in an athlete’s vertical jumping ability or straight line sprinting.
2) Frontal planar movements
These are mainly your side to side movements. Progressively overloading movements such as lateral lunges develops strength in this plane. Strength in this plane is commonly reflected on the playing field in an athlete’s ability to change direction.
3) Transverse planar movements
These are mainly your rotational movements. Progressively overloading movements such as medicine ball throws develops strength in this plane. Strength in this plane is commonly reflected on the playing field in an athlete’s ability to throw or swing an object.
There are also 3 phases of strength that are important to develop:
1) Concentric strength
Concentric strength refers to the force exerted by a muscle as it shortens. Concentric strength largely determines an athlete’s ability to create force or speed up, so it is a major factor in skills that require rapid force production such as sprinting, jumping, or swinging/throwing.
2) Eccentric strength
Eccentric strength refers to the force exerted by a muscle as it lengthens. Eccentric strength largely determines an athlete’s ability to absorb force or slow down, so it is a major factor in deceleration, change of direction, and injury prevention.
3) Isometric strength
Isometric strength refers to the force exerted by a muscle to maintain a certain length against resistance. Isometric strength largely determines an athlete’s ability to maintain a position, so it is a major factor in contact sports in which an athlete must maintain leverage against an opponent leaning in or pushing into them.
If you are looking for a proven development model for your athlete to get faster and stronger, check out our 6-Week Complete Athlete Development Program today:
https://fittraccoaching.com//6-week-complete-athlete-development
PS- Stay tuned for part 3 of the “4 Stages of Speed Development”… (coming soon)
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