Have you ever seen a spring that can’t stretch?
Tight & compressed springs are great for resisting a change in shape, but they’re not very elastic, which means they cannot store as much energy as a more elastic spring. Since these tight & compressed springs cannot store much energy, they won’t be able to release much energy.
An athlete with connective tissues like these tight springs, can smash the ground with their foot, but they may not get off the ground much, & their body doesn’t have much movement potential with each ground contact.
Springs are elastic objects that store energy when force is applied and release energy in the opposite direction when that opposing force is removed.
So if we are trying to become the most powerful athlete, we will want to optimize our ability to both STORE, & RELEASE energy so that we can move our body more effectively through space.
Do you need a stiffer/thicker spring or a more elastic one?
If you are somebody who needs more elasticity in your stiff springs, drills like this below can help you store & release more energy!
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In this drill, as I go down from the box I am compressing down towards the ground like the spring when force is applied, and because I am absorbing the energy from momentum, gravity, and the weight in my hands, I am able to release more energy and move effectively in the opposite direction, up & onto the box just like when the spring releases the ball above.
BUT...
What if you need more stiffness in your springs?
Drills like this below can help you!
Watch the original training video (opens in a new tab)
In this drill the band is going to assist a quick release of energy in the opposite direction, coming back towards its attachment point. This reduces the ground contact time thereby assisting in creating a spring better able to create enough stiffness to reduce too much shape change when force is applied!
To BOLD/T Performance, it's very clear that athletes all have different needs, this is why all our programming is completely individualized. Simply changing the parameters of a low box drill like in these examples above can dramatically change the outcome for an athlete.
Please email drewcobin@boldtperformance.com to schedule your training consultation today!