I was playing tennis the other day when it happened again. I overran the ball and missed the shot.
Countless reps in the gym have translated to a quicker first step, more energy, and more endurance on the tennis court. But I won’t be winning Wimbledon any time soon. I can get to the ball all day long but I still occasionally overrun it.
When you’re lifting, you’re probably more worried about getting the weight up than you are in controlling its descent on the way down. Or if you’re doing a box jump, you’re thinking about exploding upwards and getting on the box (and not whacking your shins) instead of how you’re going to land. But focusing solely on the positive (concentric) contraction of a movement without regard to what happens during the negative (eccentric) in the gym means you’ll end up doing what I did on the tennis court. You’ll overshoot your target and miss the shot.
Being stronger or faster doesn’t mean very much if you can’t control your newfound strength or speed. This video of Chicago Bull Luol Deng working out illustrates the importance of body control (around the 7:15 mark). In my gym, we use sports-specific movements and full body exercises to increase body awareness and coordination between the upper and lower body.
It’s like the old coaches’ adage: you play like you practice. If you only practice half the movement, you’ll only be able to perform at half your potential.
