500 Words a Week - Individualizing training, a simple approach to force-velocity profiling
Something I know I need to improve on is using our testing data to individualize training. This blog post will focus on something I’m doing with the current athletes I’m working with. Force-velocity profiling can be intimidating stuff when you read certain articles, as with a lot of complicated things, when we feel we can’t do it to the intended level/ detail, we just don’t do anything. However, with the situation we are currently in, we have had to switch from what is ideal for what is practical. As you know, from previous blog posts I’m a big fan of embedded testing, we measure what we are training to drive intent and provide feedback. I’ve been guilty of not actively using the data to further individualize athletes training, which is something I’m trying to improve on.
For the past training block, we have performed the following potentiation jump drop set:
Despite the name I have given to this training modality sounding fancy, we are doing this with the simple intention that each jump will potentiate the subsequent jump, ultimately resulting in new PB’s once athlete’s hit their bodyweight jumps.
What this drop set also gives us is an opening into the realm of force velocity profiling. In a very simple version, we are jumping with something heavy, then something kind of heavy, and then only with our bodyweight. Jumping with 40kg is ~50% BW for some of our players, so it does provide a satisfactory indication of the force side of the f-v curve. We are using Z-scores to determine where the players sit compared to the team averages and from this we will provide individual training alterations.
Jump Profile Example 1
With the athlete above, we can see his bodyweight jump is lower compared to his other scores. There will be a focus around bodyweight plyometrics and how to better use the force he can produce in unloaded movements.
Jump Profile Example 2
With our second athlete, we will focus on jumping with load.
What is important to note, is that what is described above will only guide one part of the programme not determine the whole programme. The bulk of the programme will still look similar (apart from the already present differences due to training age) with allotted slots where the athletes will perform slightly different work based on above.
To go a step further, what we are exactly going to do for one part of the programme, is that whichever section any athlete is weakest on, they will perform jumps with that weight/ body weight. Each athlete will perform 2 sets, with no recommended reps but a 10% drop limit, if they hit under 90% of their max, the set is finished. However, there will be a cap of 6 reps. As with some of the agile concepts laid out in the previous blog post, we will run this for 3 weeks and then measure across the 3 jumps to see what (if any) changes occurred.
Some of this was heavily inspired by the staff at Elon University.
