Ahhh yes…the ole power vs strength debate. There is a big difference between the two…however, both are needed.
In regards to power training, there are a few things that we need to note:
In sports, things happen in the blink of an eye. You do not have time to generate maximal force like you would when you are breaking back trying to hit a new deadlift PR. In the sports performance world, we have to learn how to create force quickly. This is referred to as rate of force development (RFD).
In order for us to develop power, we have to understand the relationship between force and velocity. This curve highlights the inverse relationship between weight and force…no duh, John. At the far left we have maximal, or absolute strength. At the far right we have speed, or ballistic training. The heavier the weight gets, the slower it is going to move. If we live in the middle of the curve, we can move things really fast and increase the RFD. Simple enough, right?
Plyometric training, jump training, agility work, olympic lifts are all things that can work the above curve at different parts. Training for power is something that is a culminated effect. One thing alone will not make you a D1 athlete…instead, doing an audit or constantly assessing your athletes to make sure you are putting the bulk of your efforts in the right place is very important.
My last thoughts…when developing power or using any of the modalities listed in the former…remember, quality over quantity. These things are extremely taxing on the nervous system and it may seem cool to do 40 box jumps…but, injury will be peaking around the corner. You are useless to your team if you hurt yourself like doing something stupid in the weightroom.
