LEVEL 1 - General Physical Preparedness (GPP)
* Speed - Often this is
the bottom-line, ultimate goal, holy-grail objective for any athlete. In the past, it was believed that each fitness quality
could be developed separately and thus called upon in competition to produce improved speed. Unfortunately, it's not that
easy. Speed is fed by training a variety of different factors simultaneously: strength, external conditions, motor coordination,
muscle endurance, quickness, reactive ability, ability to relax, and the stretch-shortening processes.
* Strength/Power - As an essential component of all human performance, a focused effort on strength development can no longer
be neglected in the preparation of any athlete at any level. Strength is defined as the ability of a given muscle or group
of muscles to generate muscular force under specific conditions. "Successful strength conditioning depends on a thorough
understanding of all processes underlying the production of strength by the body" (Siff, 2003). By varying weight
percentages of an athlete's one-repetition training maximum in any given exercise, you are sure to continue developing
starting-strength, acceleration-strength, and explosive strength.
* Endurance - Research indicates
that VO2 max is not a reliable predictor of performance. For example, top level middle-distance runners during the 1940s had
the same VO2 max as today's elite athletes. However, as world records are broken year after year, there are major differences
in performance. This means that strength training must be implemented in distance runners' programs to push progress forward
once their VO2 max stabilizes. Research shows that endurance improvements are associated more with enhancing the ability of
the muscles to utilize a higher percentage of the oxygen already in the blood; rather than with increasing the amount of oxygen
in the bloodstream and improving the oxygen supply to the working muscles (Ekblom, 1969; Rowell, 1971; Saltin, 1974).
LEVEL 2
* Coordination - Reactive ability parallels the dynamic effort method
in development. As reactive ability increases, a variety of change of direction drills (cutting, starting methods, flexibility)
including plyometrics are introduced to further this effect.
LEVEL 3
* Ability to display explosive force - Essential to those sports requiring explosive power, rate
of force development must be trained via the dynamic effort method. This means using submaximal weights to train at maximum
velocity. Doing so helps the body tap into its fast-twitch fibers (Type IIb). When at this level an athlete is able
to demonstrate producing the greatest possible muscular tension in the shortest amount of time over a certain path (they're
faster!). "If you want to be fast, you have to train fast!" - Tim Kontos, VCU Head Strength and Conditioning Coach.
* Specific Endurance - Differences in movement patterns produce significantly different results even though the
muscle groups involved may be the same. Therefore, well trained athletes must be sure to train movements specific to their
sport to improve this type of competitive endurance.
LEVEL 4
*
Structure of Special Physical Preparedness (SPP) - While GPP focuses on the general factors of a basic fitness foundation,
SPP concentrates on sport specific skills. Level 4 training places an increasing emphasis on sport specific skill development,
speed-strength, flexibility-strength, static endurance, and dynamic flexibility. It is important to realize that the development
of GPP and SPP often coincide and are essential in reaching full athletic potential.
