Omniathlete

Sport science has a recurring habit of giving new names to ideas that already exist. A concept that has been discussed and applied for years reappears under a fresh label, acquires momentum through conference talks and social media, and is presented as though it were a discovery rather than a restatement. The most recent case is microdosing.

One of the most important reframes a strength and conditioning coach can make is to stop thinking of plyometrics as a goal and start thinking of them as a tool. Plyometrics are a method — a highly effective one — but the outcome must come first. Before selecting any training modality, the question to answer is: what physiological objective are we pursuing right now, within this block of the periodized program?

After nearly four decades working at the highest levels of track and field and professional sport, one misunderstanding stands out as the most damaging and pervasive in high-performance coaching: the conflation of strength and power. These are not the same quality. They do not respond to the same training. And if you confuse them in prescription, you will systematically fail to develop the athletic attribute that determines performance in virtually every dynamic sport.

Coaching change of direction is not primarily a biomechanics problem. It is a human problem. Before any technical model can be successfully delivered, a practitioner must first establish the conditions under which an athlete will actually want to change, engage, and take ownership of the process.