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In the pursuit of athletic excellence, it’s easy to assume that performance is built primarily through external instruction, coaches providing cues, drills, and corrections to shape technique. While external guidance plays a role, much of human movement learning actually arises from within.
This natural process, known as self-organization, refers to the body’s ability to coordinate and refine movement patterns through internal feedback mechanisms, without the need for constant external direction. Understanding this concept is fundamental to how athletes adapt, develop, and ultimately master motor skills. What Is Self-Organization? Self-organization is the body’s innate capacity to find efficient solutions to movement problems. When an athlete performs a new task, the body undergoes a process of trial and error, experimenting with different movement strategies until it discovers one that achieves the desired outcome with greater efficiency and precision. This is not random. It’s a deeply intelligent process driven by the interaction between the individual’s unique physical characteristics (such as structure, force potential, elasticity, and coordination), the task being performed, and the environment in which it occurs. Over time, the body “self-organizes” around these interacting constraints, producing more stable and effective movement patterns. The Role of the Sensory System At the heart of self-organization lies the sensory system, the body’s internal feedback network. When learning or refining a skill, athletes rely on a range of sensory inputs:
This sensory feedback forms a continuous loop: action, feedback, adjustment. Each movement provides information. Each repetition fine tunes perception. Over time, these micro-adjustments accumulate into more coordinated and smooth movement solutions. Adapting Through Exploration One of the most powerful aspects of self-organization is its adaptability. Because it’s not dependent on one fixed technique, the system can continuously adjust to new demands, whether that means a changing environment, a different opponent, or new task constraints. This is why the most skillful athletes often appear “fluid” and adaptable, they’re not simply reproducing a learned technique; they’re responding dynamically to what’s happening around them. When coaches provide athletes with opportunities to explore movement variability, different speeds, directions, surfaces, or constraints, they create the conditions for this adaptability to emerge. The goal isn’t perfection in one pattern but proficiency across many. Efficiency Through Emergence As the system refines itself, movement becomes more efficient. Self-organization naturally seeks the path of least resistance, the most effective way to accomplish a task with minimal effort. Once this efficiency is achieved, the underlying movement principles often transfer to related skills. For example, the rhythm and timing learned in a jump may later support sprinting or cutting actions. This adaptability highlights the interconnectedness of athletic movement, the same coordination patterns can be reorganized and applied across different contexts. Coaching Implications: Creating the Space for Discovery From a coaching perspective, understanding self-organization reshapes how we design learning environments. Instead of overloading athletes with cues and corrections, we can guide through design, manipulating constraints that invite exploration and self-discovery. Effective coaching:
By doing so, they allow the athlete’s own system to take over, to solve, refine, and stabilize movement solutions that are truly individualized. Conclusion: Let the Systems Work Self-organization reminds us that the human body is not a machine to be programmed, it’s a dynamic, adaptive system capable of solving complex problems through interaction and feedback. When coaches and athletes embrace this principle, development becomes less about replication and more about discovery. Movement becomes more smooth, adaptable, and resilient, not because it was taught perfectly, but because it was learned naturally. The key is to create the space for that process to happen. Let the body explore. Let the system organize. Let movement emerge.
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One of the guiding principles in our programming is complementarity, organizing training elements so they communicate with each other. Every movement should serve the broader objective of athletic transfer, not exist in isolation.
When it comes to speed development, that means aligning our plyometric work with the specific speed pattern we’re targeting. The goal isn’t just to “jump more” or “move faster,” but to help athletes feel and own the same shapes, pressures, and force vectors that are required for effective high speed athletic actions. When the drill and the plyometric speak the same language, the body listens, coordination sharpens, intent increases, and the adaptations actually stick. That’s how you drive meaningful transfer, not by rehearsing random or disconnected movements. The Complementary Framework We divide our plyometric work into two broad categories, extensive and intensive, and align both with the specific speed emphasis of the session: acceleration, max velocity, or curved sprinting. This structure allows the athlete’s nervous system to connect the dots between the sensations of jumping and sprinting, the shapes, the ground contacts, and the rhythm. Extensive Plyometrics (Used for rhythm, coordination, and force direction awareness) 1. Acceleration Emphasis:
Intensive Plyometrics (Used for high force production and elasticity under load) 1. Acceleration Emphasis:
Connecting It All This approach ensures that every plyometric task means something. Instead of stacking unrelated drills, we’re constructing an ecosystem of movement, where each jump, bound, and hop reinforces the same sensory and mechanical language as the sprint pattern it supports. The result? Athletes who don’t just practice speed but understand it through the way they move. They feel the ground differently, organize force more efficiently, and express the movement solutions their sport demands. Today’s modern-day athlete no longer experiences a true off-season. Whether it’s playing the same sport across multiple teams, back-to-back seasons, travel tournaments, showcases, or exposure camps, most youth and high school athletes spend the entire year bouncing from one competitive environment to the next. The result? Very little time with no competition, no pressure, and no physiological “reset.”
This reality changes the training conversation. It has to. If an athlete is competing 10–11 months out of the year, we cannot pretend we’re operating in a traditional offseason, preseason, in-season model. Training must reflect the actual demands placed on today’s athletes, not the outdated calendar that once existed. Why Volume Becomes the First Variable to Control When competition never stops, fatigue is no longer a temporary phase, it’s a constant threat. Games, practices, skill sessions, travel, and emotional stress all drain from the same systems that training draws from. Something has to give. This is why the primary parameter we manipulate is overall volume. Not because volume is “bad,” but because athletes already accumulate significant workload from the sport itself. Stacking high-volume training on top of high-volume competition is a fast track to:
Most athletes don’t need more work. They need smarter-placed, smarted-timed, and smarter-dosed training. Our Rule of Thumb: Cut the Volume in Half At The U of Strength, our approach is simple: Whatever workload seems “normal,” we reduce it by roughly 50%. This can be done by manipulating:
Low volume does not mean low quality. In fact, reducing volume allows us to raise intensity, attention, speed, intent, and technical precision. We train the qualities that matter, without draining the athlete for what they must do tomorrow. The Goal: Stimulate, Don’t Accumulate Especially in a relentless competition calendar, the mission of physical preparation is to:
Our lens shifts from “How much can we do?” to: “What is the minimum effective dose that moves the needle?” Because sustainable progress, not temporary exhaustion, is the real metric of success. The Modern Standard for Long-Term Development If an athlete rarely stops competing, then the weight room must be a place that restores, refines, and prepares, not just piles on more stress. When volume is managed, athletes can:
This is long-term athletic development in 2025 and beyond. Low volume isn’t a shortcut. It’s a necessity. And in today’s landscape, it’s one of the most powerful tools we must protect the athlete and evolve their performance over time. One of the most important, yet often overlooked, aspects of a youthlete’s training program is patience.
Skill adaptation is a non-linear process. No two individuals progress the same way, and results don’t unfold according to a preplanned timeline. Each youthlete learns at a unique pace, and the goal is not to rush development, but to nurture it with a long-term mindset. At the core of this process is helping each individual appreciate and refine their own movement signature. Rather than forcing everyone into a rigid model of “ideal” technique, training should recognize that every individual’s journey is different, and that growth happens through exploration, not perfection. Navigating the Maturation Process During maturation, the body and brain are in a constant state of change. Height, weight, limb proportions, force capabilities, and perceptual awareness can all shift dramatically within a short timeframe. This means that each day, the youthlete must learn to re-coordinate and recalibrate solutions for familiar movement problems. What felt smooth one day may feel foreign the next, and that’s part of the natural process of growth. Instead of expecting perfect replication of a “correct” technical model, coaches should guide youthletes to adapt and experiment, to find new solutions that fit their evolving structure and stage of development. Moving Beyond the Technical Model One of the most common mistakes in youth training is placing too much emphasis on fixing exact positions. This approach often leads to frustration and limits the ability to explore movement variability, something essential for long-term skill development. Our approach is different. We emphasize a principles-based model that respects individual constraints and focuses on decision-making, perception, and adaptability. Technique is important, but it’s always context-dependent, shaped by the environment, the task, and the individual. When youthletes are encouraged to explore within these boundaries, they build a deeper, more adaptable foundation for performance. Trusting the Process Developing the youth requires patience, adaptability, and trust, from both coaches and athletes. True progress isn’t about fitting into a rigid model or hitting milestones on a fixed timeline. It’s about helping each individual learn to solve movement problems in ways that reflect their unique body, their stage of development, and their evolving skill set. With time, guidance, and consistency, patience becomes the most powerful tool in long-term athletic development. In nature and engineering, few shapes are as reliable as the triangle. Unlike squares or rectangles, which can deform under pressure, triangles are inherently stable. Their shape cannot be altered without changing the length of one of their sides. This stability makes the triangle one of the strongest and most efficient structures for force transfer.
Force Distribution A triangle distributes applied force evenly along its sides, preventing stress from concentrating in one spot. This balanced distribution is why triangles are foundational in architecture, bridges, and even natural formations. When a triangle is in place, energy is managed instead of wasted, ensuring stability and durability. The Foot’s Three Arches This same principle exists in the human body, specifically in the foot. Three natural arches create a triangular structure that supports and distributes forces during movement:
Together, these arches form a dynamic base that balances stability with flexibility. They allow the foot to adapt to different surfaces, absorb shock, and efficiently transfer energy into the ground. The Foot as a Tripod One of our top priorities in athletic development is teaching awareness of all three arches. When the foot functions as a tripod, anchored through the medial, lateral, and transverse arches, it becomes a more adaptable and resilient platform for force exchange. This tripod setup improves ground contact, enhances balance, and maximizes the ability to produce and transfer force effectively. Closing Thought The triangle may be one of the strongest structures in nature, but in athletic development, it’s also one of the most overlooked. By connecting the foot’s three arches and reinforcing this natural triangle, athletes unlock a stronger, and more resilient foundation for movement. |
AuthorJamie Smith is a proud husband and father, passionate about all things relating to athletic development and a life long learner, who is open to unorthodox ideas as long they are beneficial to his athletes. Categories
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*By accessing this website and/or purchasing or utilizing the articles, emails, programs, images, videos, services and/or products, you are agreeing to this disclaimer in its entirety. The content on this website and the educational products sold within are the intellectual property of The U of Strength, LLC and may not be replicated, reproduced, or sold without prior written consent from The U of Strength, LLC. Website, social media and product content provided is for informational purposes and meant to be utilized by athletes, sport coaches, and fitness professionals at their own discretion. It is not meant to substitute advice or guidance from qualified medical experts, and misuse of the information can result in serious injury. Any fitness program should be administered under the discretion of qualified professionals who take into account individual differences in health and ability. While our programs have found success with the athletes who train at our facility, individual results vary and we do not guarantee any specific results. The U of Strength, LLC assumes no liability from the misuse of the content provided or products purchased. Users assume all risk when implementing our ideas in theirs or their clients’ real life training experiences.
Email: [email protected]
*By accessing this website and/or purchasing or utilizing the articles, emails, programs, images, videos, services and/or products, you are agreeing to this disclaimer in its entirety. The content on this website and the educational products sold within are the intellectual property of The U of Strength, LLC and may not be replicated, reproduced, or sold without prior written consent from The U of Strength, LLC. Website, social media and product content provided is for informational purposes and meant to be utilized by athletes, sport coaches, and fitness professionals at their own discretion. It is not meant to substitute advice or guidance from qualified medical experts, and misuse of the information can result in serious injury. Any fitness program should be administered under the discretion of qualified professionals who take into account individual differences in health and ability. While our programs have found success with the athletes who train at our facility, individual results vary and we do not guarantee any specific results. The U of Strength, LLC assumes no liability from the misuse of the content provided or products purchased. Users assume all risk when implementing our ideas in theirs or their clients’ real life training experiences.