We take a lot of things for granted. The tough thing, as Ken Robinson - a British speaker, intellectual notes, is that it is very hard to know what you take for granted. If you're a parent, a quick example may help you envision this. Do you have a wrist-watch on? Interestingly, many of you do. But most of your kids don't. The reason - well, it's a single-function device that doesn't really do much. Plus, I can use my Smart Phone to find the time as well as anything in the world on Wikipedia.
In athletic training we take a lot of things for granted as well. IF you notice most of the exercises done in the weight room, you will see that most of them are done relatively stationary. The objective is to lift the bar from Point A to Point B. Compound exercises use multiple muscle groups, but even lifts like the Squat and Hang Cleans are relatively stationary. In games, we are moving, using our mental abilities to attempt to see where the play is going, and when we do exert force, generally, it is not done just straight up and down, but at angles, off balance, etc. Hopefully you can see the picture I am attempting to describe.
We know that combines, for instance, are poor predictors of future success for NFL players. This from an article in the Wall Street Journal:
According to a recent study by economists at the University of Louisville, there's no "consistent statistical relationship" between the results of players at the Combine and subsequent NFL performance.
Why is this the case? I don't have scientific data on this, but I'd be willing to put my money on this answer: the 40 yard dash, the bench press, the squat, and the vertical jump are all tests that are, for convenience sake, simple to administer but not very game like. A wide receiver that can run a fast 40 yard dash but not catch the ball is worthless - the test obviously doesn't measure his ability to catch. The squat measures strength, but what about technique on the line or football sense?
What are the implications of everything I'm taking about? We need to stop taking for granted training methods which aren't the best. WE know that humans can innovate and change and that over time we ALWAYS come up with better techniques/methods. Today is the time to do this with athletic training. We want our players to become more athletic. How can you do this:
For example, you can have them do agility drills with their heads up and have them yell numbers according to certain commands by the instructor. Or you could have them run the 40 yard dash while making catches from 3 different passers along the way. Or you could design speed drills where athletes have to maneuver through each other, forcing them to keep their heads up just like the real games.
I don't know the answer exactly, but I do know we can always do better. Progress never stops.
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