If you would have to prioritize when you are training movement...What is more important, building on the strengths of the person or trying to weed out the weaknesses?Well, it depends...right?
But what if there was a general philosophy of focusing on one or the other?
We could look at the field of corrective exercise training and pretty much make an assumption that it aims at getting rid of weaknesses.
On the other hand if we look at performance training, we often end up training the strengths. What I mean is "if you are fast, you end up training speed more than the slow person, who probably wants to work on strength or endurance more preferably".
Athletic conditioning is of course much different based on its objectives than general fitness training or physical therapy...and the ratio between training strengths and weaknesses, if you will, is probably different.
We pretty much know that Youth Training should focus on building on strengths and not focus on weaker areas too much. We know that kids need to feel successful and build their confidence through positive experiences. We also know that children go through sensitive ages in their development and it is crucial to recognize those windows of opportunity and train the areas they absorb the best.
But from the physiological point of view, if the goal is to enhance performance in a given sport and pain/injury/contraindication is not an issue, should we focus more on the strengths of an athlete or the weak links in the chain?
It is a given that if an athlete has no core strength but but he is flexible, we shouldn't just focus on improving his flexibility. That makes no sense.
But if the athlete has a lot of power but not a lot of endurance, should we not train power anymore and just focus on aerobic capacity. Well of course not but I am just trying to bring myself to ask the right questions...
We can only affect the baseline we are given through genetics that much and we should probably be careful how much we mess with those areas. Is it better to be excellent in one area of physical movement than about average in all of them?
There has to be a balance in everything I think. It also depends on the goals you are using your skills for. A basketball player might need more versatile qualitites than a shot put athlete...or not...?
What if we would only try the improve the weaknesses that limit the growth of out strengths and only focus on them to the point where the limitation in the strength is removed?
What if the ultimate goal was always the strength? What if we had a movement analysis tool that would tell us exactly how much the weakness should be improved in order to "release the strengths and use them more optimally?"
Even so, even as training to weed out weaknesses we need to make the client feel successful in that area. I think it is very important to train a weakness in such way that the client sees his/her progression and feels constant improvement and success in that area. More important than bringing their focus on the weakness is to focus on the improvement. You obviously need to bring all the findings up with your client at the evaluation, but post-evaluation we should focus on moving forward physically and mentally in that area.
In that sense, it is like training children. You need to train success in order to become "good at success." Concentrate on putting your clients in situations where they feel successful.
This week I will try to map out 3 specific strengths that my clients have and see if I can find weaknesses that still limit the strengths. After that I need a plan...a big plan.
Yes, it is just like a basic evaluation but just from another point of view I guess.
Always expect success!
Tommi
PS: A true friend knows your weaknesses but shows you your strengths; feels your fears but fortifies your faith; sees your anxieties but frees your spirit; recognizes your disabilities but emphasizes your possibilities. Willam Arthur Ward
