INTEGRATING SPORT BIOMECHANICS AND EXERCISE PHYSIOLOGY FOR TRAINING COLLEGIATE ATHLETES DURING A COMPETITION SEASON

Abstract

Sport specificity training involves the design and implementation of strength training and conditioning programs tailored to a specific sport with the goal of optimizing performance. When training collegiate athletes during a competition season there is an even greater emphasis placed on optimization. This is because the NCAA places time restrictions on collegiate athletes that effectively limit the volume of training that any one athlete can participate in per week. As a result, coaching staffs need to maximize time devoted to skills based training while still ensuring sufficient time is allocated for developing an athlete to peak physical conditioning and rest (Marques, et al., 2006). The goal of this paper is to present a framework for integrating sport biomechanics and exercise physiology within the design of sport specific training programs. Research from both fields has direct applicability to sport specificity training and integration is often an implicit dimension to such research. Yet, comparably few studies have been explicit about how to best integrate biomechanics and exercise physiology within the context of sport specificity training. Although this paper specifically uses Women’s Collegiate Volleyball as a case study, the intent is to initiate discussion regarding the need to explicitly integrate sport biomechanics and exercise physiology when developing strength training and conditioning programs for collegiate athletes.