What is sports performance training?
Sports performance training is a comprehensive program aimed at improving your strength, power and speed, while also preventing injuries. At The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus, Ohio, we customize our training programs to be sport-specific, focusing on core strength, stability and proper movement.
We are the only medical center in Ohio offering a sports performance training program.
What are the services offered?
Our certified sports performance trainers in Ohio State Sports Medicine are focused on three goals:
- Injury reduction – To condition the energy systems for your particular sport and prevent injuries, core strength is our focus. Strength and power exercises are sport-specific, mirroring the balance, stability, movement patterns, agilities and flexibility of your activity.
- Performance enhancement – To prepare for the demands of competition, we use an evaluation and movement screening to pinpoint our training focus, to safely progress you to the next level of explosive jumping, powerful speed, quick directional changes and body control.
- Education – To foster motivation and the self-esteem necessary for success, we don’t just make you breathe and sweat hard. We educate you on why we train the way we do, connecting the training methods to the results you will see on the field and in your game.
Who is a candidate for this program?
Our program is ideal for anyone who wants to improve their level of performance in a various sport, recover efficiently from injuries or learn how to better prevent injuries.
What are the benefits of our sports performance training program?
Sports performance is more than strength training from strength coaches. It’s comprehensive injury prevention that leads to enhanced performance because it's backed by a variety of studies on the mechanisms and prevention of, as well as recovery from, orthopedic and other physiologic injuries and illnesses.
All of our sports performance coaches are certified through the National Strength and Conditioning Association, USA Weightlifting, National Academy of Sports Medicine or The National High School Strength Coaches Association. Many of us have advanced degrees in addition to holding certifications in specific areas of interest.
We’re also part of an internationally known Sports Medicine department, and you’ll have easy access to various other Sports Medicine treatment, injury prevention and performance programs.
Our techniques
Since most sports are played in the standing position with force applied to the ground, athletes must use muscles, tendons and joints throughout the body in multiple directions and in a coordinated and explosive manner to reach their potential. We design our sports performance training accordingly, which may include a variety of techniques:
- Athletic evaluation/movement screening
- Conditioning (energy system development, work capacity)
- Injury prevention/rehab
- Joint stability/balance/posture
- Linear speed (start, first step quickness, acceleration, absolute speed)
- Mobility/flexibility
- Multidirectional speed (footwork, direction change, agility)
- Plyometrics/elasticity
- Reaction
- Reconditioning/return from injury
- Recovery/regeneration
- Strength/power (focusing on the core)
What is a Functional Movement Screen?
To determine your risk for athletic injury, we offer the Functional Movement Screen (FMS), a standardized assessment that evaluates functional movement and determines structural limitations and asymmetries (imbalances). The Functional Movement Screen can identify and resolve weak links that may be negatively affecting the way you move and jeopardizing your body. Based on your FMS score, personalized corrective exercises can be implemented to target your specific limitations.