In the process that an athlete goes through to improve performance there are many lessons to be learned. Most athletes go through a discovery process of how training and nutrition can lead to becoming a more competitive athlete. As I was coaching a group of kids at the high school I am contracted for right now one kid in particular has become very interested in the process.His main goal is too play college football and get his tuition paid for with an athletic scholarship. I told him that he is going to have to get bigger, faster and stronger to compete at the next level. After that conversation he has taken all aspects of his training very seriously. We had an agreement that he needed to make it to all his workout sessions and follow my nutrition manual carefully. So far he has done that. He brings me a food log every week so that we can monitor progress and is learning to work like a top-level athlete in the weight room.

The other day we had a lower body workout session and a vertical jump contest. I brought in my Just Jump vertical jump mat. This kid had the third highest vertical jump on the team at 27.1 inches. Two kids jumped higher but had less bodyweight to take up in the air. We talked about what that meant. For his sport of football it can mean a lot as far as hitting power goes.

The fact that he weighs 199 lbs. and jumped 27 inches compared to another kid that jumped 28 inches at a bodyweight of 151 lbs. means that in a close quarters type hitting drill he could have a huge advantage. His overall ability to generate force upward with a much higher bodyweight means he is producing more force at the point of contact. It also means that in a short area he may run just as well as the kid who weighs 50 lbs. less.

What does this mean? In basketball he may have a distinct rebounding advantage over the other kid who weighs 50 lbs. less because he can use his size and strength to get into a better rebounding position than the other kid. Then when both have to jump to get the ball, the heavier kid with just as much jumping ability will be able to reach for the ball, grab it and take it away from the smaller kid.

In football this means that if the two kids are trying to gain position in blocking or tackling the kid with more weight and the same amount of explosiveness will have a much better chance of imposing his will on the lighter kid with similar explosiveness.

This is due to generating much more force because 199 lbs. moving 27 inches in the air vertically takes more energy then moving 150 lbs. 28 inches in the air. When both forces meet at some point in time the heavier object moving at the same speed wins. This is true if both athletes us the most efficient hitting positions.

Tanner Galusha (Stevensville High School, Stevensville MT.) uses the hang snatch to transfer his newly built bodyweight and strength into explosive power. This lift is excellent for increasing vertical jump height and start times!

The reason the heavier kid is able to do this is because he has taken the time in the weight room to do exercises that make him heavier and stronger. The systematic training program he has been following at the high school has made him increase his speed, agility and jumping ability. Speed agility training can be enhanced greatly through weight training and effective nutrition.