As discussed in a previous article, there are several factors that are considered vital to high levels of sporting performance. The importance of each of these factors is related largely to the actual sport or activity being performed. While the factors of power, speed, strength, agility and coordination have been addressed in the earlier article in this series, the following factors are also considered critical to sporting performance.
Quickness
Ok, so quickness is a very general name for this skill and perhaps not the best one, however quickness should be considered different from speed. While it does encompass speed in its complex definition, it also covers a person's reaction and movement time. Quickness refers to how soon an athlete reacts to a situation or stimulus, how soon they make a decision if required (which draws on elements of expertise), and how quickly they are able to actually activate their muscles and move in order to respond to the stimulus. Sounds quite complex right? Well it is, especially when you start adding things like anticipation into the mix! Anticipation itself might be hugely valuable, as some exceptional athletes are able to read the cues of their opponent and know what they are going to do before it has actually been performed.
Muscular Endurance
Muscular endurance refers to the ability to repeatedly perform a skill to a high level. Within this definition there is the implication of the ability to resist fatigue in the muscles and joints needed to execute the skill. Muscular endurance is important in sport as many sports actually require skills to be repeated an incredible number of times. You only have to think how many times a basketball or volleyball player jumps during a game, or how many times a cyclist pedals through the course of a single race. Such as the case for a volleyball player, many sports need maximal effort which usually required anaerobic activity. It is therefore critical that the skill be performed repeatedly with very little drop-off in performance, such as that caused by fatigue. Many modern day training programs try and address muscular endurance at their core, especially in elite level athletes.
Flexibility
Flexibility is the ability to move your limbs, joints and muscles through a desired range of motion. The range of motion required amongst different sports is hugely variable, and as such the difference in flexibility between athletes is also highly variable and sport specific. There are hundreds of different stretches used to improve flexibility in specific body parts, however they are almost always used to have an impact on the following two factors: injury prevention or improved performance. When deciding on how to train your flexibility you should consider the type of adaptation you want, such as an improvement in range of motion or a reduction in hamstring tension and select a method and exercise accordingly. For example, proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (or P.N.F.) stretching is widely considered to be a great method to improve your flexibility.
Cardiovascular Endurance
The final factor is cardiovascular endurance (or aerobic capacity), which in general terms is the ability for a sportsperson to perform for relatively long periods of time. Obviously the aerobic capacity of a marathon runner is highly developed, while the capacity of a weight lifter might be quite low. As such, the importance of this factor is, as with many of these factors, largely dependent on the activity or sport. It is generally accepted however that almost all sportspeople have at least some elevated level of aerobic endurance when compared to the general population.
There you have it, 4 more factors considered important to achieving high levels of sporting performance. If you haven't already, it might be worth reading the first article in this series to find out more about the other five factors and use your new found knowledge to adjust your training.
Alexi has studied and worked in the health and fitness industry for over 10 years and specializes in health, lifestyle and fitness topics. Alexi has a number of websites that provide valuable information on equipment that helps you get the most out of your training sessions. You can read all about weight lifting gloves for men at his website on Harbinger Gloves.
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