Specificity

The Law of Specificity states that changes to a system will be directly related to the stimulus applied to the system.  Put simply, this means that you must train what you want to change.  If you want to improve your balance, then you must perform exercises that challenge your balance. 

With this in mind, it is imperative that you ensure that your training protocol is directly related to your sport or activity or everyday life.  Remember, life is a sport and you should train for YOUR life just as a football player trains for a football game. 

Seems obvious, right?  Then why is it that we see so many athletes training in fashions that do not replicate the movements and actions required for their specific sports? 

It is paramount that we, as trainers remember the concept of specificity, and ensure that the workouts we design are appropriate to the athletes – and the functions – we train.  Imagine the shortcomings of training a football player by only performing exercises in one direction of movement. Football players (as with most athletes) constantly move in all different directions in random order.  It’s imperative that these athletes are prepared to adjust to the constant changes of course by training in all directions. 

Ultimately, the most important consideration when designing a training plan for any athlete at any level is that the core of the workouts imitates their sport and continuously progresses them towards their goal.