Kennesaw State University Athletics

 
Mission Statement:  To provide student-athletes with an all-encompassing, safe, advanced, comprehensive program revolving around current scientific principles, research, and data in order to meet the demands of their given sport and reach their full genetic potential.

Philosophy:  The main goals of sport performance programs are to reduce the risk of injury and improve athletic performance.  This is done through utilization of the most current scientific research in the area of program design to create an all-encompassing training protocol and influence proper recovery in order to prepare the body for the demands placed on student-athletes in their sport.  This philosophy is based on several different principles:

1. Periodization Sport performance programs should be based on the physiological requirements of the sport.  In order to achieve this, scientifically based periodization must be used.  The goals of periodization are to reduce the possibility of overtraining and to reach peak performance during the major competition season.  Periodization is done through manipulating volumes and intensities within training cycles and selecting appropriate exercises within each cycle.

2. Injury Prevention (Prehabilitation) Prehabilitation involves both strengthening and mobility exercises in order to help reduce the risk of injury.  Prehabilitation programs should be personalized, consider needs specific to the sport, and target vulnerable areas of the body.  In a prehabilitation program, exercises and drills focus on the student-athlete’s weaknesses and the tissues that require the most involvement in on field competition.  Through screening processes and a comprehensive prehabilitation program it may be possible to reduce the incidence of the most common injuries by the systematic targeting of vulnerable areas of the body.

3. Increasing Body Awareness Increasing body awareness (kinesthesia) is important not only to improved athletic performance but also crucial in injury prevention.  Exercises that help develop neuromuscular control and increase functional joint stability aid in increasing body awareness.  Therefore, it is important to include activities that target neuromuscular control into training, conditioning, and prehabilitation programs.

4. Olympic Based Training Two of the most desired physical qualities in student-athletes are speed and strength whereas most sports require quick and explosive movements.  The amount of force student-athletes can apply to the ground will determine how fast they can run, how high they can jump, how quickly they can change direction, all of which are required in most all sports today.  Power lifting incorporates lifts that require heavy loads but lower velocity of movements while Olympic lifting uses loads performed at a much higher velocity.  As a result Olympic lifts and variations of Olympic lifts are better suited for developing strength, power, and speed due to the greater rate of force production.

5. Sport Similar Training “The only sport specific training is participating in the sport itself” (Doscher, M.).  It is, however, important to utilize similar movements and metabolic demands for a sport in order to train the energy systems, muscular adaptations, and needs for student-athletes in order to enhance sport performance and decrease risk of injury.

6. Multi-Joint and Multi-Planar Exercises All sports require compound movements in all planes.  No sport involves isolated single joint movement in a single plane.  Therefore, training should focus on ground based, multi-joint and multi-planar exercises.

7. Nutrition and Recovery Adequate energy sources are vital to athletic performance, to help assist in recovery, and build lean muscle.  Student-athletes need energy to function.  Limited supplies of stored carbohydrate exist in our bodies, but once these levels are depleted, exercise performance decreases.  The body’s sole source of stored protein and amino acids is lean muscle mass.  When a person’s diet is not providing enough fuel to offset the demands of training, muscle mass will be broken down.  Dependence on lean muscle is not an ideal scenario, which makes a diet with an adequate amount of calories important.  In addition to proper nutrition, adequate recovery is needed to meet the demands student-athletes face on a daily basis.  Appropriate levels, quality, and amount of sleep are vital to the recovery of student-athletes.  Lacking adequate levels of sleep may have negative implications on performance, recovery, and increase the risk of developing overreaching or overtraining. In addition, consumption of alcohol, caffeine, and hyper-hydration may disturb sleep.  Many student-athletes lack the understanding on the need and practices of proper nutrition and recovery.  Student-athletes should be educated on proper nutritional diet and sleep to reach their maximal potential in sport performance.