When we start working with a new athlete or team we will always look at their current training schedule/loads and look to fill the buckets that need it. More often than not the individual’s in question are getting plenty of sports-specific fitness through competition, training (often small-sided games for field/court sports) then often extra running is prescribed to increase fitness even further. Our problem with this is that most of the time the sports-specific fitness takes care of itself once competition & training are in full flow. The athlete or coach would have a better overall athlete if the focus was shifted to an emptier bucket, for example, the ones seen in this infographic. If these buckets can be filled the athlete’s would have a bigger work capacity, move better and have a much lower injury potential. Coaches and athletes often think the missing link is more fitness work, but when we break down & understand what’s involved for that specific sport, look at current training loads often it’s something else that is missing.
