Sport Specific Strength Training has to develop the exact type of strength of the muscles that dictates technical proficiency in a given sport. Sport Specific strength exercises recreate the dynamic and spatial qualities of the sports technique but preferably with greater resistance. This can be accomplished by changing an athlete’s initial position for performing the movement.
Athletes of different sports cannot build sport specific strength using the same strength exercises regardless of their sport. Strength training for each sport is different. The type of exercises, number of reps and sets, amount of resistance and the number of workouts in a week all differ depending on training goals.
The strength training of powerlifters has different goals than that of grapplers, jumpers, kickboxers or runners.
If athletes of different sports did the same strength training with the same exercises, number of reps, sets and so on, they would all develop the same type of strength. If grapplers were using a powerlifters program, they would have insufficient medium duration muscle endurance (up to 5 minutes).
Apart from the type of strength that strength exercises develop, the athlete needs to be attentive to the form and timing of movement. What’s important is where (at which angle in the range of movement) and when (at which moment) they get stronger. The popular misunderstanding about strength training is believing that athletes exercise muscles and not movements. The brain directs movements. Only after a movement is arranged does the brain designate, without conscious control, which muscles will do what and when.
Another misunderstanding is that it’s not important what exercises are used as long as the same muscles are overloaded.
This may be valid for increasing muscle mass but not for sport specific or even movement specific strength. An example would be to look at Olympic Weightlifters workouts and see if they use any machines. If it did not matter whether they used machines or barbells, they would develop technique with broomsticks and strength with machines which is an easier option than barbells.
