Concepts of Functional Training
Function: Integrated, multidimensional movement that requires acceleration, deceleration and stabilization.
Functional Movements: Integration of all primary and synergistic muscles to include rotational movements and diagonal patterns in addition to flexion and extension movements of the core and extremities.
Functional Strength: The ability of the neuromuscular system to perform dynamic eccentric, concentric, and isometric stabilization actions upon demand in a smooth coordinated fashion.
Functional Training: Training with a target activity and purpose in mind. In other words, training groups of muscles and body areas to work in the same fashion as they are used in activity. This type of training has been around a long time but we as coaches are now truly understanding its meaning and applying it into our training philosophy with great results!
Gravity: Gravity is a very important to training is it is always producing torque around all joints of the body. It is the basis for body weight and resistance training so we must take advantage of it in all training conditions.
Planes of Motion or Multi-planer: Human movement occurs in three different planes of motion. It involves tri-plane movement between the limbs and the torso. The different planes of motion include; sagital (dividing the body into right and left), frontal (dividing the body into front and back) and transverse (dividing the body into top and bottom).
Progression: Progression is based on the results of our initial baseline testing of various fitness parameters such as strength, speed, agility, power, flexibility and endurance. This is not based on an arbitrary timeline, but based on performance and subjective feedback from the coach and objective feedback from the athlete performing the activity. The progression is typically basic conditioning > basic skill > advanced conditioning > advanced skill. Should an athlete progress to quickly or beyond their current level, improper technique will occur leading to bad habits and possible injury.
Proprioception: The ability to sense and self-regulate your body's posture and movement through receptors imbedded within joints, tendons and muscles. This translates into the body's ability and its systems to react and respond to a controlled instability in order to regain stability. The unstable demands placed on the athlete may come from such devices as foam rolls, stability balls or balance boards to name a few.
Safety and Motivation: This is one of the most important training principles we strive to uphold. The training must be safe and fun for the athlete. With close supervision and working in functional patterns and movements that are closely related to the sport, the training will be fun and motivational as the athlete will strive to reach the next goal of training.
Speed and Amplitude of Movement: Traditionally, the approach has been to utilize slow and controlled movements, especially in strength training. We know that all movement in sport does not occur slowly; therefore the goal of functional training is to gradually progress the speed by controlling the movement. If the activity is multi-joint based, increased speed is safe and effective.
Sport Specificity: The purest form of any activity is the actual activity itself; therefore it is crucial that functional training include activities that compliment the sport being trained.
Strength: The ability of the neuromuscular system to produce internal tension and exert resistance against external force.
Training Age: This refers to the number of years an athlete has been involved in a formal program. At younger training ages, the overall training demand should be kept low. As training age increases, the volume, intensity and complexity of activity increases accordingly.
References:
Drabik, Jo'zef, PhD, Children & Sports Training, Stadion Publishing Co., Inc., Island Pond, Vt., 1996.
Gambetta, Vern. The Gambetta Method, Gambetta Sports Training Systems, Inc., 1998.
Gray, Gary. Chain Reaction Plus, Wynn Marketing, Adrian, Mich, 1994.
Kurz, Thomas, Science for Sports Training - How to Plan and Control Training for Peak Performance, Stadion Publishing Co., Inc. Island Pond, Vt., 1991.
