Athletic Developmental Hierarchy

“A pyramid can only grow as tall as its base.”  Louie Simmons, World Renowned Strength Coach

The goal of any athlete is to know his or her potential in their chosen sport.  As a young athlete moves through the competition ranks, the type and organization of training he or she engages in becomes increasingly important.  At the highest levels of athletic competition (college level and beyond), the athletes that perform best have not only the genetic predisposition to do so, but they are also better prepared physically and mentally than their competition.  This sounds like common sense; but it leads to many questions, of which there is no one right answer.  What is general physical preparedness (GPP) and why is it important?  What is the difference between special physical preparedness (SPP) and skill/sport specific preparedness (SSP)?  How and why should my training program change throughout the year?  Does any of this matter?  Can’t I just go play my sport to get better?!

Training Hierarchy Pyramid

Have you heard of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs?  It is often portrayed as a pyramid, with the largest and most fundamental needs at the bottom and secondary or higher level needs at the top:

Maslow’s theory suggests that humans are motivated by unsatisfied needs, and that certain lower level needs need to be fulfilled before higher level needs can be addressed.  It is a psychological model that many great companies and organizations use as a framework to help their employees or team members reach their performance potential.  Ok great.  What does this have to do with sports?

Failing to plan is the same as planning to fail.  How many athletes have a plan for reaching their potential?  Wouldn’t it be great if there were a training model similar to Maslow’s pyramid?  Well, we’re in luck!  Coach Scott Sonnen (CST – Circular Strength Training) has created a theoretical training hierarchy pyramid (THP) that illustrates the developmental stages of athletic performance:

According to this model, any deficiencies in lower levels of the pyramid will adversely affect the ability to maximize potential in higher levels.  But, before I dive into how athletes can use this framework to reach the highest levels of performance, allow me to define what constitutes each level:

1. General Physical Preparedness (GPP):

“GPP is intended to provide balanced physical conditioning in endurance, strength, speed, flexibility and other basic factors in fitness.  GPP may include participation in a variety of different physical activities which provide low intensity, all-round conditioning, with little emphasis on specific sporting skills.”  Mel Siff, Supertraining.

We cannot generalize which exercises or activities are considered GPP for all sports, since all sports require different skills.  GPP activities provide balance in fitness by filling in the gaps that are not trained through SPP or sport specific drills.  So, swimming might be included as GPP for a weightlifter, while weightlifting may be included as GPP for a swimmer.  In each case, the GPP exercise trains a physical capacity that is NOT required by the sport.  It is the general consensus among the most highly respected strength and conditioning coaches that GPP is important, and that this base is best built in the lower levels of the competitive ranks (youth, junior high, high school).  This is why many strength coaches recommend that athletes participate in a variety of sports at early ages.

2. Specific Physical Preparedness (SPP):

SPP concentrates on exercises which are more specific to a particular sport.  SPP exercises train specific physical abilities (strength, power, speed, balance, coordination, endurance, etc.) required by a sport, rather than sport specific movements (sport specific skills).  Again, SPP exercises will vary depending on the sport.  A football player may train the back squat to improve strength or explosive strength (a physical ability required by the sport); while a soccer player may train 100 meter sprint repeats to improve speed and anaerobic endurance.  Interestingly, if we combine the first two levels (GPP and SPP) for any given sport, we arrive at something that is known as strength and conditioning or base training.  As we move on, remember the quote at the beginning of this article:

“A pyramid can only grow as tall as its base.”

3. Sport/Skill Specific Preparedness (SSP):

Sport specific preparedness refers to movements or skills that are specific to a particular sport.  This is called practice! This level includes all skills and drills that are trained or practiced during sports practice.  This level focuses on the specific sporting activity, and it is where athletes have the opportunity to use the fitness gained through GPP and SPP (strength and conditioning, cross-training, whatever you would like to call it) to improve sports performance.

4. Mental/Emotional Preparedness:

Mental and emotional preparedness is the highest level of the pyramid, and this is where athletes of all sports distance themselves from the competition (assuming same physical preparedness).  Mental training exercises include visualization, mental rehearsal, self-talk, rituals, sports hypnosis, etc.  Many of these exercises can be practiced or performed before, during and after training, practice or competition.  Although mental preparedness sits on top of the developmental pyramid, clearly it can and should innervate the lower levels of preparedness.

Putting the Framework to Use

I started this article with the statement, “The goal of any athlete is to know his or her potential in their chosen sport.”  I’ve noticed some troubling trends in the sports community (particular junior high and high school levels) throughout my years as a competitive athlete and as a coach:

• Athletes and coaches don’t have a workable, developmental plan or framework.
• Athletes lack sufficient fitness (GPP/SPP) to maximize performance by a particular sport.
• Athletes compete too much in the off-season, never allowing their bodies and minds the opportunity to recover or become fitter.
• On the flip side, some athletes do little or no training/competing in the off-season, leaving them completely de-conditioned at the start of the next season.
• There is a general confusion of the difference between the 2nd and 3rd levels of the training hierarchy pyramid (SPP and SSP). This has led to coaches and athletes attempting to train special physical abilities by adding resistance to sport specific movements, which is a huge mistake IN MY OPINION.

These trends will lead to (at best) underperformance and (at worst) injury, fatigue or physical and mental burnout.  What’s the solution?  The solution will vary and be highly individualized; however, based on the ideas presented here, we can provide some general recommendations:

Post-Season:

Starting in the post-season, training should be comprised mostly of GPP exercises and activities.  This period should last between 4 and 8 weeks, depending on the degree in which an athlete needs to physically and mentally recover from the competition season.  Remember, GPP exercises and activities are low intensity and provide balance in your program.  These exercises should train physical abilities or energy systems that are NOT specifically required by the sport.

Off-Season:

Off-season training should increasingly become more special (SPP) and less general.  During the off-season, intensity of training should slowly and progressively increase, so that there is enough stress present to cause the body to adapt and become fitter.  Remember that SPP refers to training and practicing the physical abilities and energy systems required by a sport, rather than the sport itself.  A needs analysis for your sport will come in handy to help you decide which areas of fitness are most important to address (strength, power, speed, endurance, balance, coordination, agility, etc.).  It is fine and recommended to play and practice your sport (SSP) during the off-season, just don’t over do it.  “Over doing it” can be defined by the degree in which SSP activities interrupt potential base level fitness gains.

Pre-season:

During the pre-season, GPP training should all but disappear, while SPP training should be highlighted.  SSP should begin to increase, with an emphasis placed on refreshing and improving upon sport specific movement techniques.  It’s important to enter the competition season fresh, so I recommend a transitional period of one to two weeks of tapering or “de-loading” SPP type exercises and activities.

Competition Season:

During the competition season, SSP should constitute the majority of all training.  All GPP and SPP fitness improvements that were made during the off-season should be maintained during this period, but only to the extent where its training does not interfere with practice and competition.  Toward the end of competition season (tournament time!), mental and emotional preparedness should increasingly become part of an athletes training, while the intensity of sports practice tapers down.  This is how athletes peak mentally and physically at the most opportune times!

Conclusion – Sand or Stone?

This article was not intended to “down-sell” sports practice, competitions or technique camps, but rather to “up-sell” the importance of following a framework of development built upon a rock solid base of physical fitness.  Is your athletic “house” built on a base of sand or stone?  How big is your current base, and how tall can you grow your athletic pyramid?

Post thoughts or questions to comments!