QUALITY TRAINING MATTERS

I was getting into some of my "to read" file yesterday and came across an Eric Cressey blog where he talks about a firefighter study and how it has huge implications on performance training.

Here's a summary of it.

- 52 firefighters split into 3 groups

- Group 1 was movement based fitness who received a training program and coaching

- Group 2 was conventional fitness who received a training program only

- Group 3 was a control group that received nothing

- Before and after the 12 week program they were all tested on the usual strength/fitness qualities (strength, endurance etc)

- They also used 5 whole body tasks that were not actually trained at during the 12 weeks and looked specifically at spine and knee motion to gauge movement quality under various conditions of movement

- The movement based fitness group improved in spinal and frontal plane knee control

- The conventional fitness group exhibited less control in spinal and knee motion

- Only the movement based fitness group received positive changes through improved control  after the 12 weeks and fewer negative changes were also noted as well

So what does this all mean?

QUALITY TRAINING MATTERS

Training without coaching does not have as much upside as with caching and has more incidences of lower adaptation (i.e. actual results).

Actual performance results are so much more about just a good training program and/or a great training environment - it's about hammering home loads of consistent high quality reps of whatever it is you need to to get better, which greatly enhances your chances of positive movement quality adaptation.

Skill development is exactly all of the above and it might make sense to somehow break up your players into some form of "skill abilities" and have them practice kicking at their level.

Otherwise what you're left with is players trying execute skills in a drill, environment or at a speed that they are simply not ready for and they will never improve until they are given a situation they can thrive in.

Once an adequate level is reached then they can shift up a level and so on.