Sports-Specific Training

Sports-specific training is a training regime geared towards developing the optimum physical condition in an athlete for peak performance in his or her particular sport. Sports-specific training can help an athlete improve flexibility, strength, stamina, speed, agility, and focus, depending on what the athlete’s sport requires, and on the athlete’s current conditioning.

So for example, a tennis player could do more strength training for the upper body than a soccer player might, since the tennis player requires significant strength and power from the upper body muscles and the core in order to drive the tennis ball down the line, or serve an ace. A soccer player, however, might work more on lower body strength and agility, given the nature of the sport. A golfer, on the other hand, would spend more time on core strength as well as flexibility, both of which could improve the power in the golfer’s swing.

To be effective, sports-specific training requires comprehensive knowledge of the technical and non-technical aspects of the sport in question. This way, the training can be tailored to the correct pace and specifications in order to hone your body into the ideal shape and condition for the particular sport. The major components of sports-specific training include strength, nutrition, endurance, flexibility, speed and functional training.

A number of professional exercise instructors still prescribe standard whole-body exercise programs for athletes, without tailoring the program to different athlete’s needs. The same intensity, frequency, and types of exercise are used for athletes in different sports. The trouble with this is that there is no standard program for athletes in different sports, and no standard program for athletes in the same sport. Each individual is unique.

When an athlete appears to lack the strength, speed or stamina required for his or her sport, it is likely that his or her coach is putting the focus on the wrong capacities for the sport in question. Initiating a sport-specific training routine will help improve the athlete’s performance.

Sports-specific training is “simulating your sport in a controlled environment, breaking the entire sport into segments and strengthening your approach to each segment”. With sports-specific training, athletes will be prescribed exercises that mimic different components of the sport. This ensures that the athlete is training the muscles and skills (e.g. agility or focus) that are needed for the typical movements and maneuvers seen in the sport. Sports-specific training will also ensure that the athlete has the flexibility and the range of motion to perform the movements flawlessly for maximum performance. Skill acquisition in sport specific training is very important, adding the right skill(s) to each segment is absolutely essential.

The Microfitness athlete program can provide sport-specific training for athletes involved in a variety of sports, including soccer, American football, basketball, golf, weightlifting, hockey, swimming and many more. If you are keen to achieve peak performance in your sport, Microfitness can help you. The benefits to athletes participating in Microfitness include an evaluation to discover your strengths so that they can be used to your advantage in your sport, an assessment of your weak points so that a specific program of exercises can be prescribed to help you improve, regular ongoing performance evaluations to measure the results of the program, and nutritional advice tailored to support you as you engage in your specific sport.

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