Philosophy

The philosophy of VSU speed/strength & conditioning program is to utilize a variety of training exercises, techniques, tools and programs performed with the proper techniques to prepare the body for the physical demands of the sport to prevent injuries and increase the chances of success in sport and in life.  This philosophy is based on several sport and person development performances principles:

1. Character – It is the mission to bring out the positive qualities in each athlete who joins our program. We emphasize sportsmanship, honor, commitment, dedication, hard work, sacrifice, unity, fun, competitiveness, accountability, the ability to overcome adversity, selflessness and leadership.  These traits are the keys to be and have a successful program, athletic career and life.    
2. Sport Similar Training – The only sport-specific training is actually participating in the sport. You can train sport-similar to movements and metabolic demands in a sport using equipment and training devices that will help simulate the sport movements and metabolic demands with more resistance.  By training in this manner, athletes will develop the appropriate energy systems, promote muscular adaptations that will help lead to them to superior sports performances, and decrease the risk of injury.
3. Multiple Joint Exercises – During sport performance, no one body part is working as an isolated movement. The body is working together in an integrated, synergistic approach utilizing preceptors, joints and muscles to move through movement patterns quickly, efficiently and powerfully. Any motion in sport requires proper training in multiple joint movements, so proper timing of muscular recruitment patterns may occur. Thus, training the athlete in this manner by utilizing exercises that promote multi-jointed movements helps to maximize the functional and athletic performance of that athlete.
4. Multi-plane Movements – With the exception of some sports, most are preformed in three planes: linear (forward/backward), transverse (up/down) and sagittal (side-to-side). Developing a training program that utilizes these movement patterns will be help the athlete agility and quickness in their sport. Only free weights have the ability for the body to move through these patterns.  Thus, incorporating agility training on top of straight sprinting will have a greater impact on sports performance.
5. Ground Base Movements – The key to any training program are exercises and drills performed with feet on the ground.  Examples are squats, Olympic lifts, agility drills, plyometric drills; these are all ground based movement s that will increase speed and power production. 
6. Explosive training – Most sports require quick and explosive movements that are multi jointed and ground based. Training the athlete to generate this type of explosion requires the recruitment of fast twitch muscle fiber motor recruitment.  Training the athlete in this manner will improve the recruitment of these muscle fiber motor units and increasing the athlete’s performances potential.
7. Periodization – Is the scientific and systematic way of training the body using percentages, volume and progressive overload to achieve the optimal training program for that sport and individual. 
8. Nutrition and Recovery – The lack of understand by young athletes is the need for these two important factors in a training program.  With out these two factors performances and improvements will suffer.  It is the job of our staff to educate the athlete on proper nutritional diets and sleep for their sport and health. So the athlete can reach their full potential in their sport performance.