Evolutionary Athletics

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A very prominent and highly debated topic in the field of Physical Preparation is if the use of Olympic lifts & the associated variations are applicable for a means of developing Explosive Leg Strength &  Power for various Sporting Disciplines (a la American Football, Baseball, Basketball, Volleyball, etc.)

Here are two articles, both of a conflicting opinion to an extent, on the implication of Olympic lifts for General development of Explosive Leg Strength and Power. One is by Jim Wendler of Elite Fitness Systems and the other by James Smith of Power Development Inc.

http://elitefts.com/documents/olympic_lifts.htm

http://www.elitefts.com/documents/olympic_lift.htm

If you have read or are familiar with either of these two articles you will understand that there is no definite answer to solving the problem of whether Olympic lifts should be implemented or not.

To solve the problem, one must have a greater schematic view of the Sport Training Process, and look at a broad list of background information regarding the individual and their specific Sport.

Take into account the holistic considerations of the individual & their sport.

Ask Who am I training (male, female, biological age, level of qualification, specific position of the sporting game etc.)? What are we training to develop (in this case Explosive Leg Strength and Power)? When & Where is this training place in the annual cycle of the sport (in-season, off-season, etc.) Why have I selected this exercise, jump, throw, lift, etc. specifically as the OPTIMAL method of developing (in this specific case) Explosive Leg Strength and Power? How am I going to utilize all this background information to properly construct the best plan in hopes of developing the athletes Explosive Leg Strength and Power. This is just the tip of the iceberg of the holistic considerations, the thought process must be much more in-depth and extensive than what is presented. Specifically these could be orthopedics of the athlete, height, weight, relative strength levels, etc.

Once a careful collection and analyzing of the information has been executed, then the coach can make the best decision to select what is optimal for the athlete in hopes of further developing Explosive Leg Strength and Power.

Now lets consider a few specific groups of athletes with the thought of implementing Olympic lifts for their general development of Explosive Leg Strength and Power.

Examples of those with reasons for not using Olympic lifts (based of a very minuscule and general consideration of information) would be those with improper  technical/tactical execution of the Olympic lifts, Baseball Pitchers, American Football Quarterbacks, Athletes who have poor bio-mechanical leverages for these lifts, those who have improper mobility or flexibility of the muscles surrounding the trunk, lower back, knees, ankles, or hips, and other athletes with individual pathology to the shoulder, arm, and wrist.

Examples of those who can/could/should utilize Olympic lifts, athletes with good leverages for performing the lifts, proper technical & tactical execution of the Olympic lifts, American Football Linebackers, Running Backs, and Defensive Backs, those with sufficient mobility or flexibility of the muscles surrounding the trunk, lower back, knees, ankles, or hips, and other athletes with no pathology of the shoulder, arm, and wrist.

For the first group of athletes, those who for one reason of the other should not utilize Olympic lifts as their method of developing Explosive Leg Strength and Power, there is still a plethora of other methods of developing Explosive Leg Strength & Power, which will be discussed below.

Development of Explosive Leg Strength & Power can also be achieved via various jumping exercises, be it vertical jumps, horizontal jumps, jumps with a prior counter movement or run up, throwing medicine balls, plates, or other implements in a variety of ways, simple bounding, sprints w/ a sled, etc. etc. Some of these exercises most notably vertical jumping & OH Throws, from an anatomical and bio-mechanical stand point achieve the same movement as Olympic lifts (a la extension of the three joints of the lower body, being the ankles, knees, and hips, along with respect to human movement, in a vertical plane.)

There is no study or research to my knowledge that deems Olympic lifts as a better way of  developing Explosive Leg Strength & Power compared to other Methods such as Jumps & Throws, or in contrast Jumps & Throws better than Olympic lifts.  Until a study or research proves one to be more optimal for General development of Explosive Leg Strength & Power for sporting disciplines that require this ability, it lies in the job of the coach and/or athlete to take into consideration the individual trainee (holistic, orthopedics, training background, etc.) and the sport discipline (Football, Basketball, Baseball, etc. & the specific position of the game), to make the best educated decisions on selecting a method of development.

Caveat Emptor,

Ryan