Why are only a select few athletes standing out so predominately today? What’s their secret? The answer is
FUNCTIONAL TRAINING…the next level of performance enhancement for sports.
Fact: In baseball and softball, 90% of all athletes only ever utilize 60% of their total power output!
This statement implies that most athletes, from the batter who cannot seem to hit the ball out of the infield, to the pitcher with average velocity, to the clean-up hitter who leads the team in home runs, have large amounts of power potential untapped, and yet to be developed. Traditional training has evolved into new pinnacles of possibilities for the athlete. The athlete, coach or program who fails to recognize this new pinnacle will be limited. There’s more power in every individual, stored, yet unconnected to its source, and once found, this power potential can elevate the athlete to superb performance. Functional Training is a revolutionary way to release and train previously dormant potential. This is true for all sports requiring complex skill and athletic prowess.
The Tradition
Many coaches and athletes often train what they see occurring, rather than what the entire body is actually doing during movement. A pitcher with a great arm for instance, has much more than just a “great arm“. They must also have excellent weight transfer and rhythm, total body balance, a good source of leg strength and support, a dynamically strong and rotational core, a stable rotator cuff and good decelerator muscles of the low back and legs. Why then should the arm take all of the credit for a total body effort? If any of these components are left out, the same pitcher would be mediocre. Consequently, within training, all of these components need to be addressed if a pitcher is to develop more velocity. If all of the attention is given to the arm in training, the athlete will end up severely limited, frustrated or believing the old adage “you either got it or you don’t”.
Athletes who are “giving their all”,in training and preparation, are doing so according to their current knowledge, which has been based on traditional training principles. The utilization of traditional training philosophies alone, include single plane movements, often isolated and often seated. Training isolated muscles during exercise, at slow speeds, and without specific task related movements, has, and still will get the athlete to a certain strength level. This is the norm; the level which has most athletes making use of only 60-65% of their maximum muscle recruitment during play. The reason no one questions this norm is because EVERYONE is used to the same maximum, and 90% of all players are operating in this chasm today. If a better way to train was discovered, and it could produce more strength and ability than previously thought, then it could revolutionize sports performance an break all previous barriers. It’s Here!
The Enlightenment
In every era, human nature only progresses to the highest perceivable image, until someone or something challenges that perception. Once a perception is challenged and overcome, a great enlightenment comes to mankind’s benefit. For example, the cell phone and internet have forever changed the way we communicate and do business. In the case of sports performance and training, such enlightenment causes great feats and new records; even achievements previously thought to be impossible. The fortunate few, who see the light and catch onto it early reap the most rewards. These are the select few who, while making exceptional performance look easy during competition, behind the scenes, train in the most efficient ways known to modern sports medicine. The latest years of sports medicine research, have unveiled scientific breakthroughs in obtaining maximum potential, by constantly challenging and elevating traditional training methods. As a result, there are a few athletes at every level, who are standing head and shoulders above the competition. Functional training has been the culprit, implemented behind the scenes with athletes, whose dynamic performance reaps notable attention and consistency. The elite, the 10% of the athletes, hungry enough to break barriers and fortunate enough to engage in Functional Training, are the ones who pull out the marvelous, yet previously hidden 40% of their potential.
What is it?
Man and Electricity
Athletes have a certain brain-to-muscle wiring, similar to an electrical current’s connection to an appliance. The athlete’s muscles, and the appliance each require the correct amount of energy and current, to accomplish a task. Imagine attempting to run a heavy duty air-conditioner on a limited 110 voltage line. The air conditioner would not operate at maximum, and would possibly overload the circuit. For the athlete, a similar difficulty would occur when trying to complete a task, such as driving a baseball deep, or attempting to score quickly from second base to home, yet not having the correct circuits wired to produce maximum energy. Both the body and the air conditioner need sufficient energy coming from a specific source. Functional training, helps to reprogram the brain-to-muscle wiring, sending the correct amount of electricity to all of the appropriate muscles, required for a specific movement or goal. Muscles that previously were inactive or operating at less than maximum ability during movement, become integrated and consequently produce more force! The outcome is more power with the same effort, better energy efficiency and greater performance at every opportunity!
Movements Vs. Muscles
BATTING EMULATOR
Functional training is strength training that can transfer directly from the gym to the actual sport or goal activity. The foundational principal of functional training is to train movements versus isolated muscles. During movement in sports requiring high skill, the entire body is viewed as one kinetic chain where every muscle is, at different levels, involved in the production, stabilization and/or the reduction of a force. Multi-coordinative movements should therefore be trained in order to achieve neuro-muscular efficiency and maximum sport output level (relative strength). As a results the athletes move quicker, perform higher skilled actions and functional training exercises also facilitate appropriate physiological changes within the muscles that increase strength and power. For example, the body is made up of both fast and slow-twitch muscle fibers. Genetically, we cannot change the amount or percentage of each. We can, however maximize what we have through proper knowledge and training. Fast-twitch muscle fibers can only be optimized by performing exercises at game speed intensities. Exercises performed too slowly will train the slow-twitch muscle fibers to dominate, while locking out the fast-twitch fibers. Excessive jogging for instance, unless combined with speed techniques and sprint training will actually slow a runner down, when the need for quick, explosive movements comes during a game such as beating out a throw to first base. With sound application, speed and explosive movements can be learned and developed by anyone.
FUNCTIONAL POWER PRODUCER
While there are many intricacies involved in a valid program, five key components are addressed and developed in the FT exercises:
1.Balance - The ability of the body to control it’s center of gravity during multi-coordinative movements. Because 70% of all body mass is in the core region (thighs, hips, and midsection), the ability to perform explosive movements and changes of direction with precision is directly linked to core strength and stabilization. *Core integration and strength is the key element of functional training.
Tree Principle- an athlete’s core is their tree trunk. It matters not how strong the branches are alone, relative to the trunk. With a weak trunk, a flock of birds or heavy winds would bow the entire tree. So it is with athletes, who place primary emphasis on the chest shoulders and arms, neglecting the core. Maximum power will not be obtained with this ideal. With a superior trunk strength, the stabilization and strength of the entire body can be possible.
2.Coordination - The ability to combine all of the necessary muscles involved for specific movements, with the proper sequences and timing.
Consider a piano student who begins very slowly, with only a few key strokes, yet eventually develops the ability to synchronize greater movements and rhythms, becoming a master. In each session, coordination is challenged, and increases with the proper application of exercises and progression. It is the same way in sports performance. The intricate muscles “learn” to work together.
3.Range of Motion- Necessary to effectively transfer strength from one movement to another. Because acceleration is speed increased over the distance of movement, an efficient range of motion must be implemented into training exercises.
There are times when either too great (laxity) or too little range of motion is present in joints for optimum performance. Qualified trainers and physicians are able to correctly diagnose appropriate ranges of motion and assign according exercises.
4.Type of Muscular Contraction - Whether the muscles during the specific athletic movement are creating, stabilizing or resisting force, these actions can all be dramatically improved when mimicked during training . The same force-velocity curves must also be accounted for and applied into the program.
5.Speed of Movement - It is important to train at the same speed as the goal activity. The fastest movements possible are when an implement is released such as a baseball, medicine ball, or one’s feet leaving the ground during sprinting or jumping. Without this release, premature deceleration is inevitable to maintain joint stabilization and balance. Overspeed training is another new and proven formula for breaking plateaus.
Several factors are considered when designing a functional program for an athlete or team, including past and current athletic condition, the physical attributes of the athlete, and the demands of their particular sport. The new paradigm is quickly sweeping through professional teams, top colleges and even early developmental ranks. Soon, functional training will be the norm for every athlete desiring to get to, and remain on top of their game.
This is the secret behind most broken records and these are the athletes getting the most benefits from their efforts.
Now the word is out… Get Ready!