STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING

vault, the sprints coach not teaching correct body position during the first few steps out of the block, leg recovery during sprinting, or the hitch kick in the long jump? It is hard in fact to argue a case for any coach not wanting to develop ‘correct’ technique in his/her performers from the outset of learning a skill. We have yet to work with an athlete that couldn’t execute the correct technique on the clean or snatch after proper instruction (14). How quickly they learn the technique depends upon the individual as well as the experi- ence and ability of the coach. This is not simply a discussion about technique for competitive weightlifting, It is far more fundamental than that for practitioners working with athletes from any sport. The DKB allows a greater force to be transmit- ted more effectively, greater transfer of training effects to other sports and also it is a safer lift with less potential risk to the back. Therefore the way the coach teaches the athlete to perform these pulling move- ments in training should lead to the correct (double knee bend) execution of the lift from the onset of learning the lift, otherwise they are doing their athletes a disservice.

THE AUTHORS ■ Clive Brewer MSc, CSCS, is a director of the UK Strength & Conditioning Association and in charge of sportscotland’s athlete development programme. He is registered as a BOA Strength & Conditioning specialist and BASES sports scientist and has worked with international performers from a diverse range of sports including rugby, tennis and bobsleigh. Clive is a widely published author, has presented at conferences world- wide and has just completed his first book on training methods for games players.

BOX 2 - KEY POINTS

■ Rate of force development is a crucial factor in force generation and can be a deter- mining characteristic in generating superior athletic performance. Most crucial aspects of sports performance occur in time frames that are less than <250ms.

■ Achieving greater forces in the shortest possible time frame can produce greater accelerations, and therefore velocities .

■ Training to improve for sports performance should encourage the incorporation of rapid stretch-shortening cycles into training movements to enable the athlete to produce maximal forces. This occurs in plyometric actions where the amortisation phase (see Glossary) is as rapid as possible.

■ The multi-joint, multi-muscle snatch and clean weight lifting movements that form the basis of sports training programmes can be maximally beneficial in improving sports performance if a stretch-shortening (plyometric) movement is incorporated into the lifting action. This is achieved if a DKB lift technique is taught.

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■ Mike Favre MEd, CSCS is the co-ordinator of strength and conditioning at the US Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He was formerly a Scottish Institute strength and conditioning coach and has coached athletes at the collegiate, professional and elite international levels over a diverse range of sports including

American football, wrestling, judo, baseball and athletics. ■ Linda Low BEd is the coaching (education and quality delivery) programme manager for Developing Potential in sportscotland. She is a former international athlete (javelin and hammer), and plays an active role in delivering strength and conditioning coach education for a number of National Governing Bodies. She has also worked with performers in rugby, athletics and swimming.

References 1. Wilk KE and Reinold MM. Closed-kinetic- chain exercises and Plyometric activities in WD Bandy and B Sanders (Eds.) Therapeutic exer- cise: Techniques for intervention Baltimore, USA: Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins 2001 2. Durstine JL and Davis PG. Specificity of Exercise training & Testing in ACSM Resource Manual for Guidelines for Exercise Testing & Prescription (4th ed) New York: Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins 2001 3. Stone MH. Muscle conditioning and muscle injuries. Medicine and Science in Sport & Exercise 1990;22(4):457-462 4. Stone MH, Plisk S and Collins D. Training Principles: evaluation of modes and methods of resistance training - a coaching perspective. Sport Biomechanics 2002;1(1):79-104 5. Brewer C and Jevon M. Breaking the gain line: The role of interdisciplinary sports science in elite rugby union. Keynote presentation: First International conference of science and coaching in rugby Brisbane, Australia Oct 2003 6. Schmidtbleicher D. Training for power events in P.V. Komi (ed) Strength and Power in Sport, Blackwell Scientific Publishers 1993 pages 381-395 7. Stone MH, Moir G, Glaister M and Sanders R. How much strength is necessary? Physical Therapy in Sport 2002;3:88-96 8. Stone MH. Training principles & theory. sportscotland National Strength and Conditioning Conference, Inverclyde National Sports Centre, UK, May 2004 9. Brewer C. Functional training for elite sports performers. UKSport World Class Coaching Conference, Belfrey, UK November 2003 10. Garhammer JJ. Power production by Olympic weightlifters. Medicine & Science in Sports and Exercise 1980;12:54-60 11. Favre MW. The First Pull: Technique Considerations. sportscotland National Strength and Conditioning Conference, Inverclyde National Sports Centre, UK, May 2003 12. Favre MW. The first pull in weightlifting movements. International Society for Biomenchanics in Sport 2004. Available through the sports science coaches information service http://www.coachesinfo.com/catego- ry/strength_and_conditioning/322 13. Bartonietz KE. Biomechanics of the snatch: towards a higher training efficiency. Strength & Conditioning 1996;18 14. Brewer C (under review). Fitness for games players. Coachwise Publications, Leeds, UK

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