Certain sports can be used during the off-season or preparation periods as a method of recovery or improving certain qualities such as fine motor control or explosiveness.
These sports should not be picked to simply add variation to an athletes training plan.
They should be periodized and thought out into a long term training programme.
Combinations of mainly cardiovascular activities such as distance running or cycling with powerlifting, wrestling or other strength sports may be ineffective since endurance could be increased with a loss in strength, size and speed.
Likewise, bodybuilding style training could be damaging to the endurance athlete, especially if functional relative strength is not enhanced.
Once periodization is understood and a long term training programme is created, it is then possible to pick out secondary sports to strengthen each phase of training for the main sport.
For example, lifting maximal loads during the late off season can enhance a rugby players ability to deal with great levels of physical and mental stress.
Dancing/Gymnastics can teach an athlete a lot about coordination and balance, swimming about breathing patterns, martial arts about reaction time and basketball about explosive leg drive.
Computer games can also aid in developing motor skills and reactivity.
It is important to note here that most machine exercises in gyms force the body along two dimensional lines and can interfere with the three dimensional characteristics of sports, under utilize the postural muscles and create muscular imbalances, so should not ideally be prescribed in any athletes programme.
When planning training, it is always important to ask yourself - Will this exercise or activity be helpful or hurtful to my sport or goal?
