Top 5 Sports Power Training Goals

Bigger, stronger with more Power! That's the combination you want....improving your speed strength will also make you faster.

Power and dynamic balance are the two best physical predictors of athletic success. Power is defined as the ability to exert maximum force in the shortest amount of time (rate-of-force production).

Sports power can be trained for and improved. There is a point at which increasing strength will not result in an increase in power.

Here are my Top 5 Sports Power Training Goals:

1. Improve the excitability, sensitivity and reactivity of the neuromuscular system.

2. Improve the rate-of-force production.

3. Increase motor-unit recruitment.

4. Increase motor-unit firing frequency.

5. Increase motor-unit synchronization.

Sports power training teaches you how to activate the right muscles (prime movers and synergists) at the right time. Sports power training also provides you with optimal neuromuscular efficiency.

It doesn't help you to continually get stronger if power development is not there also. Power, or speed strength (how fast your muscles can produce force) is one of the best physical predictors of success in sports.

Plyometric exercises help you to increase leg power and arm power. Traditional barbell and dumbbell strength exercises do not allow you to move at the speeds necessary to improve power. Strength training gives you the muscular and nervous system development needed to develop optimal power.

So how does plyometrics work (Integrated Performance Paradigm)? Primarily through the use of two components: 1) elasticity of the muscles and 2) the stretch shortening cycle.

Plyometric exercises always follow the same order: a landing phase, an amortization phase and the take off. The landing phase starts when the muscles start an eccentric contraction. The rapid eccentric contraction stretches the elastic component of the muscle and activates the stretch reflex.

A high level of eccentric strength is needed during the landing phase. Inadequate strength will result in a slow rate of stretch and less activation of the stretch reflex. The amortization phase, the time on the ground, is the most important part of a plyometric exercise.

It represents the time between the landing and the take off and is critical for power development. If the amortization phase is too long, the stretch reflex is lost and there is no plyometric effect. The take off is the concentric contraction that follows the landing. During this phase the stored elastic energy is used to increase jump height and explosive power.

Plyometrics represent high intensity training, placing great stress on the bones, joints, and connective tissue. While plyometrics can improve an athlete’s speed, power, and performance, they also place her or him at greater risk of injury than less intense training exercises.

It is important to perform the exercises correctly before implementation of full-speed exercises. Jumping and landing techniques should be mastered by the athlete. Exercises should also be performed on safe surfaces such as rubber mats, sprung floors, grass or sand. Concrete or other similar hard surfaces expose the athlete to injury.

The athlete should have good core strength and lower body strength to enhance the plyometric effect and reduce chances of injury.

The training exercises should mimic the movements in your sport (mechanical, physiological and metabolic similarity).

Training progressions should follow this path:

1. Simple to Complex
2. Stable to Unstable
3. Body Weight Exercises to Resistance Exercises
4. Low Loads to High Loads

Signs of over-training include:

1. Prolonged foot contact with the ground
2. Lack of control
3. Decreased vertical height or horizontal distance
4. Longer rest periods are needed by the athlete

Safety concerns during plyometric training are:

1. Proper footwear for the athlete
2. Proper training surfaces (hard surfaces should be avoided)
3. Program design and supervision by a fitness professional

There are literally dozens of plyometric drills and exercises that can be tailored to your sport and position played. Bigger, faster and stronger! Every athlete wants this to happen. Don't rush the strength and power building process!

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Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
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10 Minute Sports Fitness Workouts

Get more fit for the sport you are playing. You will enjoy the game more and perform better.....who wants to be out-of-shape, slow and cramped up?!

Use my Free 10-Minute Strength and Power Workouts to improve your explosive power. Short, effective workouts are better than long, tiring workouts. Its important to do these exercises at full speed when you are fresh.

If you have weak structures supporting your ankles, knees, low back, hips, elbows and shoulders, your power potential will suffer. And, you are headed for avoidable injuries.

Here are some general steps to take to improve your explosive power:

1. Bodyweight and dumbbell exercises are great for stabilizing your joint structures and core. For example, if your right leg is significantly stronger than your left leg, you cannot compensate for the weaker leg.

It will be forced to "catch up in strength" to the right leg.
These exercises will also prepare your body for heavier weights and intense plyometric and speed exercises.

2. Plyometrics and sport specific exercises are important but only if you have enough strength and joint stability to make these more risky exercises work effectively for you (to improve explosive power).

3. The core muscles are very important in preventing low back pain and stabilizing the shoulder girdle and hip structures. A strong and stable core will maximize your extremity strength (limbs) and explosive power. If your core is weak, you will not effectively transfer power from your legs to your upper body.

A core strengthening program involves using many muscles in a coordinated movement. Rather than isolating specific joints as in most weight lifting exercises, core stability exercises focus on working the deep muscles of the entire torso at once.

4. You can improve the ankle's joint proprioception (position sense) and dynamic joint stability with balance training. Doing one-legged balance exercises will accomplish this goal.

One-leg balancing on foam pads or disks for 4-5 minutes (each leg) is a great exercise. Other great exercises are lunges, single-leg squats, step ups and medicine ball rotations on one leg.

5. You will need to strengthen your knees and ligaments around them. Having strong, stable knee structures will influence how high you can jump. The deep knee bend exercise is good for this purpose.

Work hard and smart to succeed in your sport!

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Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
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Football Lineman Squat Jumps Improves Speed and Power

Football linemen need powerful legs to ignite a power surge. Squat jumps will help you improve your explosive power and speed. Football linemen usually play the game in a 5-15 yard area. So, explosive power in tight spaces is critical, especially for defensive linemen.





You can train to improve your power and speed acceleration. Squat jumps (bodyweight squat jumps should be mastered first) will start you on the right path to improve your power surge. Just descend into your squat, swing your arms back and forward, jump straight up explosively and repeat for the required repetitions.

While sport-specific plyometric training improves power, non-specific power training should not be ignored. Researchers from Canada found that athletes who performed better with weighted squat jumps were the best accelerators at 10 meters. Therefore, concentric force development (jumping power) is critical to improve sprint acceleration. The first step from a stand-still (or near stand-still) position requires concentric muscle power.

It is important to learn proper jumping and landing techniques before doing squat jumps. Read this post about jumping and landing techniques.

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Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
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Football Lineman Long Jumps Improves Power

Football linemen should do the standing long jump to improve explosive leg power surges.





The NFL Combine uses the standing long jump as one of its test for athletes. Football linemen usually play the game in a 5-15 yard area. So, explosive power in tight spaces is critical, especially for defensive linemen.

Use a soft athletic surface such as grass, astro-play or rubber floor to perform the long jump.

1. Stand behind a marked line.

2. Swing your arms back and bend your knees to propel your take-off.

3. Use a 2-footed take-off and landing. Jump as far as you can and land without falling backwards.

Your jump is measured from the take-off line to the nearest point of contact which is the back of the heels.

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Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
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Football Lineman Speed Acceleration

Football linemen need speed acceleration during short distance sprints. Football linemen typically run 5-15 yards during a play. So, the sprints must be explosive and powerful. And, the big fellas are often blocking and pushing against each other! Speed acceleration and leg power is critical.



Football linemen will often use blocking sleds to practice explosion against resistance. Short, unresisted sprints (10-20 meters) should also be used to train linemen. Training with towing sleds would come later.

Speed acceleration training with towing sleds is not the place to start when training for acceleration.....it is an advanced training method that can cause more harm than good if your body is not ready for it.

Speed acceleration is important because you rarely reach maximum running speed during a game. So, the lineman who can accelerate the quickest will make the plays or blocks that win games.

Greek researchers found that athletes training with towing methods (sleds, tires, etc.) improved their running velocity over the first 20 meters (i.e. acceleration) but that overall maximum speed did not improve. The researchers found that unresisted sprint training techniques improved maximum speed velocity more.

So, resisted and unresisted training has a place in the overall speed training program. Finally, the researchers found that towing sleds that were too heavy forced the athletes to use bad running mechanics.

So, for developing acceleration speed in the first 20 meters, towing methods teach you to drive force into the ground, use arm drive and overcome gravity and ground forces.

If you use a tow sled that is too heavy, it will affect your running mechanics. Start with a sled about 10% of your bodyweight. As you progress, you can use heavier sleds as long as your running mechanics are correct.

What's the take home lesson? Experienced athletes with enough strength and power should use speed acceleration training with towing sleds.

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Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
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Football Lineman Core Strength Needs

A football lineman will not have a great power surge without adequate core strength. Show me a lineman with a weak core and I'll show you a lineman who is sitting on the bench.



If you have strong arms and legs, you will have a POWER OUTAGE because of a weak core.

Your body's core consists of the lumbo-pelvic-hip complex, thoracic spine and cervical spine. THE CORE is your body's center of gravity. Many football linemen have sufficient EXTREMITY STRENGTH (limbs), but few display sufficient CORE STRENGTH.

A strong and stable core will maximize your EXTREMITY STRENGTH and POWER.

The body's core is so much more than your "six pack" abs! A strong core will also maximize your speed. Since the core is your body's center of gravity and all movement begins with the core, it is essential to strengthen and stabilize it.

A strong core will allow you to handle heavier loads as your training progresses. You will also lessen your chances of injury.

A core strengthening program involves using many muscles in a coordinated movement. Rather than isolating specific joints as in most weight lifting exercises, core stability exercises focus on working the deep muscles of the entire torso at once.

The core muscles are also very important in preventing low back pain. Stability ball exercises, bridges, planks, low back extensions, etc. are great for strengthening core muscles.

Power exercises like high-speed medicine ball chops, medicine ball throws and weight training exercises will improve the football lineman's force.

Power is how fast your muscles can produce force. Because football linemen play in small spaces, POWER IS CRITICAL!

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Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
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Football Lineman Power, Agility and Quickness

Great football linemen excel with power, agility and quickness.



Football linemen need great change-of-direction speed to succeed in the trenches. Having great change-of-direction speed (agility with quickness) allows you to beat your opponent "to the spot" or recover from mistakes in positioning.

Linemen with "not great speed" can repeatedly make plays to help the team win. This is not an accident. You can improve your change-of-direction speed with proper training.

As with any athletic move, core strength is critical. Overall body strength is also important.

Before you begin to train for speed and power, the foundation should be laid with sufficient core and body strength. Failure to lay this strength foundation will lead you to certain injuries.

Body positioning is critical if you want to improve your change-of-direction speed. You will need dynamic balance. In many sports, it is not that easy to change direction and accelerate because you are often off balance.

To improve change-of-direction acceleration, you should have a shin angle of approximately 45 degrees for the first few steps. Your shoulders should also be slightly leaned forward. Your body lean should be at the ankles and not the hips. Having your feet just wider than shoulder-width apart will give you the most stable base of support.

This is not always possible during athletic competition. So, stability needs to be added by lowering the center of gravity. Change-of-direction acceleration could be laterally, at an angle or forward (when back pedaling) and will catapult you to near maximal speed quickly.

The first step in the change-of-direction is important. If this step is too long, you will over-stride and bring your shin to a vertical angle instead of 45 degrees. This will slow you down. So, the first step should be under your hips. Again, your body lean should be at ankles and not the hips.

Lateral change-of-direction technique is critical for football linemen. The shin angle remains important. Shuffles are often followed by sprints. You should use short, quick steps to decelerate and bring your body under control.

A "jump stop" can also be used to change directions. Your knees and hips should be bent with the shoulders aligned over your knees and toes.

Shuttle drills, lateral shuffle/cuts, crossovers, cariocas, tapiocas, ladder drills, etc. can all be used to improve change-of-direction speed for football linemen. You should perfect technique at half speed before progressing to full speed drills.

Work on your change-of-direction speed every day.

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Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
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