🦾 You can still Maintain and even improve certain metrics while in your Fall Season. How you do it will matter of course. Without getting geeky, you have to be consistent with your training frequency, tackle sleep as best as you can, and try to eat well. I catch myself overthinking on how to do this with my athletes that come in 1-2x/week during the fall season. TIPS: 1. What metrics do you want to keep at or around what it was ending the summer? 10 or 20 yd dash? Approach Vertical Jump? Broad Jump? Squat? Trap Bar Deadlift? Upper Body presses or pull ups? 2. Understand that just like other times of the year, when you focus harder for lets say 2-4-6-8 weeks on certain metrics and athletic traits, you'll have to ease up on the volume in other areas. For example, right now I am looking to maintain speed when I train my girls in San Antonio, but I also want to maintain if not improve their Vertical Jump so they are entering club practices after Thanksgiving higher. To fit into their time with me, we will still do Explosive movements from medicine balls to sprints and so many different Plyometrics, BUT we will ease off the time and volume spent on those. Doing this we will have just enough done to preserve these areas, while still working on our Jump Technique, Jump Volume, and attacking the Vertec for their approach jumps. Not only do I want to get another 2-4" for them, I want to get rid of costly mistakes done in that approach that might not be addressed from their coaches. For strength, 2 lifts we are tackling is Trap Bar Deadlift and Front Squats. 4 sets 4 reps is where we are at, gradually we will work into something like 6 sets 1-3 reps. Every 2 weeks we are changing something to help us progress beyond just adding weight. 3-5 Second Eccentrics, then 3-5 Second Isometrics, then Fast Concentric output. Maybe a little less weight for more speed maybe about the same weight if the speed output can be hot. We'll still throw in Unilateral positions on the lower body and/or when we do Upper Body. Reps will stay at 8 at the most.

Single-Leg Strength: Why Athletes Need More Than Just Squats – Athleticism requires unilateral lower-body strength. For athletes aged 13 and older, developing speed, strength, power, vertical jump, and overall health is essential for maximizing their performance in competitive sports. Incorporating unilateral strength training, plays a pivotal role in achieving these goals. Speed Development Unilateral exercises enhance coordination and balance, both of which are vital for quick movements and acceleration. By training one leg at a time, athletes can improve their neuromuscular connections, leading to faster reaction times and improved sprinting mechanics. Exercises such as single-leg bounds and lateral hops can enhance speed by promoting explosive movement patterns. Strength and Power Building strength through unilateral exercises allows athletes to develop more functional power. Single-leg deadlifts and step-ups not only target the major muscle groups but also engage stabilizing muscles that are often overlooked in bilateral movements. This improved strength translates into greater power output during sports-specific actions, such as jumping or sprinting. Vertical Jump A strong vertical jump is crucial for many sports, particularly basketball, volleyball, and track and field. Unilateral strength training, especially through exercises like single-leg squats and plyometric movements, enhances the explosive power of the legs. Training one leg at a time helps athletes develop a more balanced and powerful jump, reducing the risk of injury and improving performance. Injury Prevention Athletes often experience muscle imbalances due to repetitive use of one leg over the other, leading to injuries. By focusing on unilateral training, athletes can identify and correct these imbalances, strengthening weaker muscles and improving joint stability. This proactive approach reduces the likelihood of injuries, ensuring that athletes remain healthy and can train consistently.

Good afternoon and Happy May Sports Families and Athletes. I would like to introduce myself again and I would like ya'll to introduce yourself to others as well. I'm Coach Jim Swift. I am a Strength and Nutrition Coach based out of San Antonio, TX. I have been coaching athletes for 13 years now, 10 as a Business Owner. I have Coached over 500 athletes down here, 60+ have gone off to College to continue their Sports Dream. Currently I train almost 50 volleyball players. I've always had football players but Volleyball has exploded the last 3 years and I have been embracing the Sport and Journey of these girls. I love helping them navigate the weight room better, talking nutrition and I enjoy all their unique personalities. With this I am branching out of San Antonio and into the Online space in hopes of helping even more Athletes and Parent's become more educated in all things Speed, Strength, Vertical, Injury Reduction and Nutrition.

The Foundation of Strength & Power Mastering intra-abdominal pressure improves strength and protects the spine. Intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) is the hidden force behind almost every major lift and athletic movement. It’s not just about how much weight you lift—it’s how well your body stabilizes under that load. When you breathe and brace correctly, you create a strong 360° cylinder of support around your spine, helping transfer force efficiently while protecting your low back from injury. Top strength coaches emphasize that breathing and bracing are essential—not optional—for performance. Without proper bracing, energy leaks occur during movement, and the spine is left vulnerable under heavy loads or dynamic actions like sprinting and jumping.

You’ve been lifting weights for awhile and have made great progress. You’ve earned strength and muscle. You typically like to push weight at 10-20 reps and a handful of sets. But you notice in various lifts for major muscle groups you’re stuck. Aka plateaued. You can’t do past a certain weight for your beloved 10-20 reps. Instead of being inefficient and just doing even more sets, even more exercises each day, and more days a week…. Perhaps you should work at bigger load % and more sets at lower reps on a handful of lifts. You’re not breaking your with your beloved, overdone 10-20 rep sets, you’re just “On a Break” with it certain lifts.