Sports Specific Strength & Conditioning

The term “sport-specific strength and conditioning training” has taken on a new meaning, largely due to the fitness industry being hijacked by marketers and commercial gyms. Many have led us to believe that replicating or imitating specific sports skills in the weights room constitutes effective training.

For example, balancing on a Bosu ball or Swiss ball while squatting with a kettlebell in one hand and a rugby ball attached to a resistance band is not “sport-specific” training—it’s sheer nonsense!

In our view, “sport-specific” means tailoring training to one’s actual sport or activity. This involves engaging in deliberate practice to refine skills, which can only be accomplished within the context of the sport itself.

At RAWFIT, we focus on the **‘Seven S-Factors’ of Fitness**, popularised by the late Dr Mel Siff. These factors encompass:

1. Strength (GPP – general physical preparedness)
2. Stamina (general cardiovascular endurance and local muscular endurance)
3. Suppleness (flexibility)
4. Speed
5. Skill (kinaesthetic awareness, motor coordination, and control)
6. Structure (size and shape)
7. Spirit (psychological fitness)

Dr Siff was truly ahead of his time, and his approach to fitness inspires my own. I view fitness through the lens of:

1. Soft Tissue Quality (foam rolling, trigger point therapy, self-myofascial release)
2. Flexibility (soft tissue length, static, dynamic, ballistic, PNF)
3. Mobility (dynamic warm-ups)
4. Stability (isometric strength, core stability—anterior, lateral, and rotational)
5. Movement Efficiency (activation work, corrective exercises, motor control, balance, posture, strength balance, skill, technique, form, minimisation of energy leaks, and clean movement)
6. Hypertrophy (sarcomeric and sarcoplasmic, cross-sectional area)
7. Strength (limit strength, strength-speed, speed strength, starting strength, relative strength)
8. Power (explosive strength, rate of force development, neural drive, intermuscular coordination)
9. Agility (load vector-specific training, eccentric strength)
10. Reactive Ability (elasticity, plyometrics, ballistic training)
11. Linear Speed (sprint training, sled work, towing)
12. Quickness (reaction time, hand-eye coordination)
13. Conditioning (local muscular endurance, energy system development, general and specific physical preparedness)
14. Regeneration (nutrition, sleep, stress management, recovery therapies)
15. Mental Toughness (pain tolerance, motivation, adaptability, discipline)
16. Genetic Gifts (anthropometry, somatotype, body composition, fibre type proportions)

I know this may seem complex, but once you grasp how these components interact, you can create the optimal athlete!