University of Vermont Athletics

Here at UVM Athletic Performance, we hold ourselves to high standards within the field of performance enhancement.  We utilize a scientific approach, based on the latest research and trends in our field to design “practical” training programs that are implementable in a team setting.  Combine this approach with accountability, education, and a winning environment that fosters competition, and that’s what we strive for at UVM Athletic Performance.

The process of obtaining sports mastery involves balancing the development of all the physical, technical, tactical and psychological factors that are involved in the competitive sport.  As athletic performance coaches we can have the biggest impact on the physical part of the equation.  We aim to raise the student athlete’s level of physical preparedness as high as possible.  Far too often collegiate athletes are thrown into action in their sport even before their physical development is fully realized.  This can sometimes lead to injury and a relatively early peak in sport performance, with little room for improvement.  It is of utmost importance to guide the student athlete down the path that will allow them to optimize their talents and help them achieve their goals as a student, as an athlete, and as a person.  The following list of our core values emphasis the principles we feel are necessary to achieve this.     
 
UVM Athletic Performance Core Values
 
1. Injury Reduction – The primary goal of training here at UVM Athletic Performance is the reduction of joint and soft tissue injuries.  Unfortunately injuries in sport happen and all cannot be prevented, but it has been shown that the number of non-contact injuries can be reduced through proper physical development.  In collaboration with UVM Athletic Medicine we utilize pre-participation screenings to focus our attention to areas of weakness among our student athletes.  With this information we implement balanced training protocols that include strict technique standards, the ability to handle your own body weight before moving to external weight, training that targets deceleration and landing mechanics, a “joint by joint” approach to mobility and stability and unilateral training to eliminate structural imbalances.  This collaborative effort allows us to train effectively while addressing individual needs to keep our athletes healthy.

2. Transfer of Training – Enhancing athletic performance of our student athletes is the key to long term success in their sport.  Athletes tend to come into a collegiate program with a certain set of skills that allows them to play their sport at a high level, yet often lack an appropriate level of physical preparedness.  In order to be successful at the collegiate level, their level of athleticism must be developed.  As an athletic performance coach, this process is always evolving and can be challenging.  It is our belief that the focus of training must be placed on proper exercise technique, selection and progression.  It must also target the specific bioenergetics and biomechanics of each sport.  This will ensure that the strength, power and speed gains made during training are being transferred to their sport.  After all, our goal here at UVM Athletic Performance is to enhance sport performance, not weight training performance.

3. Fundamentals – Just like any sport or skill, mastering the “basics” is the key to success.  Here at UVM Athletic Performance we focus on training that is simple yet effective.  We look at the fundamental movement patterns of the human body and train these patterns often, coach them well and strive to have our student athletes master them.  When it comes to programming we keep the movements and progressions simple as long as they are producing the desired results before moving to more complex training methods.  This keeps the student athlete’s experience during training from being too overwhelming, while still enhancing their level of physical preparedness. 

4. Multi-year Development - Our goal is to increase athletic performance not only from season to season but throughout the entire career of the student athlete.  Many times strength programs look to enhance performance within a training year and then “recycle” similar methods of training or programming only to reach similar levels of performance the following year.  We adhere to the idea of “multi-year development,” which ensures that the student athlete is continually challenged throughout their career and continues to make improvements in athletic ability.  For this to occur the student athlete’s “training age” is taken into account.  This refers to the total time that the student athlete has been involved in a structured training program.  Inevitably as a student athlete advances in the training process, periods when little or no progress will occur.  This usually indicates the need for the introduction of more intense or complex training.  This scenario is most often seen near the end of a student athlete’s career, after they have been training for several years.  Under the right circumstances it may be appropriate for several different training programs to be utilized, sometimes within the same team, in order to continue progress. 

5. Accountability – It is our belief that no matter what, a disciplined yet positive environment must exist once the athlete steps foot in the weight room.  The student athlete must be held accountable to such things as being on time, giving full effort, being a good teammate, and being coachable.  The performance coach will create a positive, structured environment that will help transfer important knowledge and abilities to the student athlete.  Without accountability while training, a key element to success is missing and training becomes about what the athlete wants to do and not what the athlete should do to develop optimally.  During training the student athlete must be held accountable for both successes and failures that inevitably will occur.  This will make them aware of where they are falling short as well give them the chance to be praised when they are successful.  The training process must be tough but at the same time the student athlete must enjoy the process of making themselves better as an athlete and as a person.  It is our belief that without this mindset the athletic performance coach would be doing a major disservice to the student athlete both in sport and in life. 

6. Competition – Student athletes compete hard while playing their sport and this leads to success during competition.  We reinforce the same mentality during training.  It is our goal to create an environment that breeds motivation through competition and build a competitive mindset towards everything the student athlete does.  Competitions are not only important for motivation but they also teach the student athlete how to handle adverse situations.  The “competitor” mindset is something that cannot be overlooked during training.  Those who compete in everything they do tend to be successful; this attitude must be harnessed and developed during training sessions.  With competition comes failure, which is a part of sport as well as life.  Learning to deal with failure in a positive manner during training can carry over to the field of play as well as the real world.  Teams that learn to respond to adversity when it arises have a distinct advantage over their opponents.

7. Education – Our Athletic Performance coaches have a relentless pursuit for knowledge about all things pertaining to our field and continually search for new and better ways to enhance athletic performance.  Knowledge is power.  Our goal is not only to better ourselves but also to empower the student athlete with the knowledge that will allow them to achieve their goals.  We make it a priority to educate the student athlete through consistent coaching and to provide them with instruction that will help them understand why we do what we do during training and how it can help them be better at their sport.  The more educated the student athlete is on training, recovery, nutrition, etc., the better they will be at making decisions about their training during times when they are on their own.

8. Evaluation – At UVM Athletic Performance we intend to seek out the training protocols that get the best results with the least expense of time and energy and realize that this process is always evolving.  In order for us to find the most appropriate training protocols we critically evaluate our current training programs.  We do this by pre and post-testing various performance variables such as speed, agility, power, strength, mobility, conditioning, etc.  These results are used to determine if the student athlete is positively or negatively adapting to the targeted training variables.  These results can be used as both a motivating factor for the student athlete and an opportunity for us to critically evaluate our training programs.  
 
UVM Athletic Performance System of Training
 
The Concurrent Training Method
The concurrent method of training “involves the parallel training of several motor abilities, such as strength, speed, and endurance, over the same period, with the intention of producing multi-faceted development of physical fitness.  At UVM Athletic Performance we use this system because it allows us to focus on concurrently developing several physical abilities at the same time.  This keeps the student athlete ready for competition no matter what time of year or training period they are in.  We have evaluated the pros and cons to this approach and it is our belief that this is the best system of training collegiate athletes.  This system allows us to place a larger emphasis on different motor abilities depending the time of year as well as the training age of the student athlete.   

PROS:

CONS:

 
UVM Athletic Performance Methods of Training
Research has shown us that several types of strength exist and must be trained in order to take the gains made in the weight room and transfer them to competition.  We utilize several methods to develop these different types of strength “concurrently”. 

MAXIMAL EFFORT (ME):

DYNAMIC EFFORT (DE):

SUBMAXIMAL EFFORT (SE):

REPETITIVE EFFORT (RE):

UVM Athletic Performance Sequence of Training
Throughout the year different “phases” of training are used that emphasis certain training variables more than others.  This allows for the athlete to progress in a logical manor in line with their academic and competitive schedule.  The time of year and the length of time spent in each phase depends of a multitude of factors including, the sport, season length, athletes, etc.

UVM Athletic Performance Training Phases

    OFF-SEASON                                                                                    IN-SEASON 
 

Goals of each phase
Phase 1 (Rejuvenation Phase):

Phase 2 (Developmental Phase):

Phase 3 (Developmental Phase):

Phase 4 (Competitive Phase):

Conditioning (Energy System Development)
The term conditioning refers to how well an athlete is able to meet the energy demands of their sport.  For this reason each sport as well as each position within a sport many have different energy system requirements.  When creating conditioning programs we look closely at the bioenergetic demands of each sport (and sometimes position) to make them more effective.  We recognize and understand the need to develop both the aerobic and anaerobic energy systems and that neither of them is being utilized independently at any one point in time.  There must be well balanced development of all energy systems or the others will never fully develop.
 
In the weight room we place an emphasis on work capacity or general physical preparedness (GPP).  Having greater work capacity or GPP is the foundation of higher levels of conditioning.  “A pyramid is only as tall as its base”.  Meaning if “sport specific conditioning” is at the top of the pyramid and work capacity or GPP is at the bottom, the more we develop GPP, the taller the potential for the peak of sport conditioning.  We develop this quality by the structuring each training session so that the pace of the workout is high but at the same time give the appropriate time needed for optimal recovery between sets.  We also use team challenges or finishers that involve sled pushing, wall sits, burpees, etc., to build a sense of teamwork and mental toughness.  Next we take higher level of general conditioning and make it specific to the energy system demands of each sport.

“Sport specific conditioning” must involve the optimal development of all energy systems, but especially those involved in that particular sport.  In order for this to happen, there must be a balance between energy production and energy utilization.  Overall conditioning will be determined by how much energy you are capable of producing (capacity) and how fast you can produce it (power), along with how effectively you can utilize it.  Team sports rely heavily on the ability to produce a high intensity effort and do this over and over throughout the course of a game, with little drop-off in performance.  The end result of all conditioning for team sports is to enhance this characteristic.  For these reasons we utilize different forms of high intensity intermittent protocols to specifically target things such as aerobic capacity, anaerobic capacity, anaerobic power and repeated sprint ability.  The volume of each will depend on the specific sport and the time of year, and each characteristic will build on the other in a logical manner to optimize results.