[From 2015, a letter to three women’s club ultimate players to plan their offseason training. Notice how assessments, injury history, and sport needs come together as suggested work. Enjoy!
– Coach Dunte]
Breaking Down Performance Data
Ladies, the performance test results aren’t going to tell us something new and magical about you. In fact, you each already know exactly the conclusions I reached from your testing. The numbers just give insight into how we most effectively use the off-season. Think of this as measuring your athleticism before we decide what to get better at.
Typically, discussion of individual data happens in private. This time, I’m grouping the three of you together on this message because you each represent one of the athlete archetypes on this team. What you learn here can help almost everyone.
The numbers presented:
- ratio of front squat to body weight
- ratio of overhead backward throw to square of height
Using certain ratios is a way of normalizing performance, in order to compare athletes.1
I’m combining these numbers with what I know about your injury history, position on the field, and off-season goals to give you training recommendations.
First note before the analysis: these data are only measurements, they are not identities. What makes you great as an athlete will stay (and should be celebrated), while what is holding you back as an athlete will get addressed. So expect to see the numbers change over time!
Final note before the analysis: the weight room cannot and will not “solve” your deficiencies as an athlete. The weight room simply provides you with the physical capital to “buy” those solutions on the field.
- You have to run, jump, catch, and throw regularly.2
- You have to have a broad athletic base.3
- You have to prevent injuries.
- You have to be the best possible athlete you can be,
you have to maximize your strengths,
and you have to manage your weaknesses.4
Assessment Results
| Athlete | Front squat to bodyweight ratio | [100x] OHB throw to height [squared] ratio |
| Eva | 0.93 | 8.0 |
| Jen | 0.76 | 8.0 |
| Meg | 0.80 | 8.8 |
Suggested Training For Next Season
(Specific training advice omitted.)
Eva:
In a sentence: You are strong right now but could be much more explosive.
You have a high level of strength but do not utilize it effectively. Many of the first-step and short-field issues you are having are related to this.
Your training priorities are power exercises, jumps, and sprints.
Jen:
In a sentence: You are very explosive but not strong enough or flexible enough to support that power right now.
You very efficiently convert your available force (strength) into movement and power, but because your basic strength levels are low, it makes you injury-prone and you will fade quickly during play.
Your training priorities are basic strength (lots of it!) and flexibility work. Get ready to spend lots of time stretching during your rest periods.
Meg:
In a sentence: You are “bouncy” but unstable right now and would benefit from more strength overall.
You have a high level of reactive power, which is why your top speed and 3-jump and quick medicine ball throws are good but limited control around your joints set up some of this year’s injuries.
Your training priorities are eccentric and isometric strength and lots of torso work to improve your jumping any further. You eventually need more of Eva’s work, to improve your initial explosiveness.
Why Strength Training Will Not “Fix” You Athletically
If you read through everyone’s programs [omitted above], you will see how each caters to one person’s specific needs – but not necessarily their weaknesses. Let’s address those footnotes.
(1) How to normalize performance and compare athletes
The ratio front squat / body weight is a way of describing “relative strength,” which is your absolute force production ability per pound of body weight. Because this sport depends on lower body strength and power with virtually no focus on upper body strength and power, we choose a “pure” leg strength exercise.
The ratio overhead backward throw / square of height reflects the leverage advantage that a longer-limbed person gains in the throw – a higher launch point automatically improves throw trajectory. Squaring your height in inches creates a penalty, of sorts, for tall athletes, and makes throws more comparable.
While these are useful measures of how strong and powerful you are, they aren’t everything…
(2) Why you have to run, jump, catch, and throw regularly
Performing your sport skills is how you improve your sport skills.
By becoming stronger or more explosive, then performing your sports skills, you learn to use that new strength/power during the sport skills.
The only critical rule: don’t ever practice sloppy throwing or cutting. Ever.
Rest more, do fewer reps, or kill the session entirely, but don’t ever practice sloppy skills. Otherwise, you just learn to be powerful in a poor movement.
(3) What it means to have a “broad athletic base”
Can you dribble a basketball? What about a soccer ball?
Can you shuffle, spin, and accelerate in a court sport (tennis, racquetball, handball, badminton)?
Can you jump, dive, duck and roll (volleyball, dodgeball, gymnastics)?
Can you tumble (somersaults, cartwheels; maybe handsprings, tucks, and twists)?
Can you throw a variety of implements (baseball, softball, frisbee, football, skip a rock, bowl)?
Can you accelerate and brake, forward, backward, and sideways, off either leg?
Can you hop on one leg? Hop forward? Hop onto and off of curbs or boxes? Can you skip? Can you bound?
If the answer to any of these things is no, go learn to do it. Spend 2 weeks figuring it out, then go back to just your sport. It pays in the long run.
(4) What it means to “manage your weaknesses”
Weaknesses must always be evaluated in context.
Eva, you might never have a top-5-on-the-team top speed.
Jen, you may never have an extraordinary running vertical jump.
Meg, you may never excel on the mark against a super-powerful, short handler.
But these are not relevant weaknesses because your position on the field doesn’t depend on them. Further, even if you crushed those weaknesses, you wouldn’t play your current role much better.
Evaluate strengths and weaknesses this way:
- strengths that make me better than my opponents – work to improve these
- weaknesses that hurt my position – work to improve these
- strengths that do not impact my position – enjoy the opportunities, but don’t train these
- weaknesses that do not impact my position – take the easy gains, then ignore these
How To Measure Athletic Progress
So this is where we begin. You’ll build your strengths, attack your real weaknesses, then we’ll measure again in 6 weeks!