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For decades, strength and conditioning has leaned on a structured, linear mindset: identify an exercise, build a progression, and scale it up or down through regressions. It’s clean, organized, and easy to coach across large groups. But as our understanding of movement, learning, and individual variability evolves, so too must the way we design training.
The question is no longer just what’s the next step? It’s what does this athlete need, right now? The Traditional Model: Progression–Regression The progression–regression framework is built on predictability. Coaches map out a sequence:
On paper, it works. It creates structure, ensures exposure to foundational patterns, and provides a clear roadmap for long-term development. But in practice, it assumes something that rarely exists in real environments: Uniformity. Athletes don’t arrive as blank slates. They come with:
When everyone is pushed through the same pathway, even with regressions available, training can become less about solving problems and more about fitting into a system. The Limitation: One Path, Many Athletes The issue isn’t that progressions and regressions are wrong, it’s that they’re often too rigid. They tend to:
In a dynamic system like the human body, fixed pathways can create bottlenecks. Two athletes might perform the same “progression,” but arrive there through entirely different needs, or be held back by entirely different constraints. The Agile Programming Model An agile approach shifts the focus from pre-planned pathways to real-time decision making. Instead of asking: “What’s the next progression?” We ask: “What is this athlete showing me today?” Agile programming is built on four key considerations: 1. Structure Anthropometrics, joint architecture, and physical makeup influence how an athlete organizes movement. Not every position or pattern will look the same or should. 2. Action Capabilities What can the athlete currently produce, manage, and control? Force, velocity, coordination, timing, these qualities fluctuate daily and evolve over time. 3. Rate Limiters What’s holding them back right now? It could be speed, strength, perception, or even confidence. 4. Enhancers What gives them an advantage? Leveraging “strengths” is just as important as addressing the limiters. From Pre-Planned to Adaptive In an agile system, training is not locked into a rigid sequence. It becomes fluid and responsive, allowing for:
The goal isn’t to eliminate structure, it’s to make structure adaptable. Built-In Autonomy: The Missing Link One of the most powerful aspects of the agile model is training autonomy. Athletes aren’t just following instructions, they’re:
This creates a different type of engagement:
And ultimately, that leads to more “sticky” learning, skills and qualities that transfer beyond the weight room. The Weight Room as a Dynamic Environment In an agile system, the weight room becomes less about executing perfect reps and more about navigating constraints. Instead of: “Everyone moves from A > B > C” It becomes: “Here’s the task. Find a solution that works.” This doesn’t mean chaos. It means guided variability:
Bridging the Gap This isn’t about choosing one model and abandoning the other. Progressions and regressions still have value, they provide reference points. But they shouldn’t become rails that limit movement. Athletic development isn’t linear. It’s adaptive, nonlinear, and deeply individual. When we move beyond rigid pathways and start designing for the athlete in front of us, not the template on paper, we unlock something far more powerful: Training that evolves as the athlete does.
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High-speed movement isn’t just about moving faster, it’s about how force is produced, directed, and timed. When coaching speed, one of the most useful lenses is identifying the type of mover in front of you.
Not every athlete solves sprinting the same way. Some rely more on muscular strategies. Others express more elastic qualities. Neither is wrong, but each requires different coaching inputs to unlock their best performance. Type of Mover: Muscular vs. Elastic Muscular Movers (“Pushers”) These athletes rely heavily on force production through longer ground contacts. They tend to “push” the ground to create movement. Common Characteristics:
Coaching Focus: Ground Interaction For these athletes, the ground is everything. Effective guidance:
You’re trying to improve:
The goal isn’t to eliminate their strength, it’s to refine how they use it. Elastic Movers (“Floaters”) These athletes rely more on stiffness, elasticity, and quick ground contacts. They appear to “bounce” or “float” across the surface. Common Characteristics:
Coaching Focus: Off-Ground Action Here, what happens in the air drives what happens on the ground. Effective guidance:
You’re trying to enhance:
The goal is to maximize elasticity without losing control. Why This Distinction Matters Most coaching errors come from giving the same cues to every athlete.
Instead, match the guidance to the strategy. Pushers need optimal direction and effectiveness of force. Floaters need better timing and rhythm of elasticity. Teaching high-speed movement isn’t about forcing one “ideal” technique. It’s about recognizing how an athlete naturally organizes force, and then guiding them toward more effective solutions. In training, we often chase perfect reps. But performance isn’t built on perfection, it’s built on development.
The 3-Rep Approach is a simple framework that respects how athletes actually learn: through exploration, adaptation, and execution. Each repetition has a purpose, and together, they create a powerful loop that develops motor skills. First Repetition: Exploration The first rep is about discovery. This is where the athlete is introduced to the problem. There’s no expectation of perfection, only interaction. Mistakes aren’t just tolerated, they’re necessary. The athlete begins to reveal:
Every movement is information. They’re learning what works, what doesn’t, and, more importantly, why. This is where awareness is built. Without it, refinement has no direction. Coaching here is minimal and intentional. Let the athlete feel. Second Repetition: Refinement Now the athlete has context. The second rep is where adjustment begins. Based on the outcome of the first attempt, the athlete starts to search for optimal solutions. This is where you’ll see:
The key is that the refinement is informed. It’s not random, it’s a response. This is where coaching can step in more directly:
The goal isn’t to prescribe the “right” answer, but to guide the athlete toward more effective solutions. Third Repetition: Performance The third rep is about execution. By now, the athlete has explored and refined. They’ve felt the difference between ineffective and effective strategies. Now it’s time to own the solution. This rep should look different:
Success rates should rise, not because it was scripted, but because it was earned. This is where learning becomes performance. The 3-Rep Approach aligns with how skill is actually developed: 1. Perception - Understanding the problem 2. Adaptation - Adjusting based on feedback 3. Execution - Applying the appropriate solution Instead of chasing perfect reps, you allow athletes to take ownership. It also creates a training environment that:
Because in sport, there is no single “perfect” solution, only effective ones, chosen in the moment. Final Thought Three reps might not seem like much. But when each one has intention, it becomes more than volume, it becomes a process. Explore. Refine. Perform. In coaching, we often hear cues like “fix your posture” or “stay tall.” But there’s a problem, sport doesn’t happen in still frames. It happens in motion. And that’s where the distinction between posture and shapes matters.
Posture = Static Characteristics Posture is what a position looks like in a moment. It’s often defined by:
There’s some value here. Posture can give us a reference point. It can highlight inefficiencies or provide a starting place for teaching. But posture has limitations. Because the second the athlete moves, posture changes. And if we over-coach posture, we risk chasing stillness in an environment that demands constant adjustment. Shapes = Dynamic Solutions Shapes are how the body organizes itself through movement. They are:
Shapes aren’t something you hold. They’re something you move through. In acceleration, cutting, or responding to an opponent, athletes don’t hit perfect positions, they create functional shapes that allow them to solve the problem in front of them. A “good” shape isn’t defined by how it looks in isolation, but by what it allows the athlete to do next. Why This Matters If you coach posture, you coach appearance. If you coach shapes, you coach function. One is about:
The other is about:
Sport doesn’t reward stillness. It rewards adaptability. Athletes must constantly reorganize their bodies based on:
That’s shapes. Coaching the Shift This doesn’t mean posture is useless. It means it’s incomplete. Use posture as a reference, but don’t stop there. To develop shapes:
Instead of freezing athletes into positions, put them in environments where positions must emerge. The Takeaway Posture is static. Shapes are alive. And in sport, the athletes who succeed aren’t the ones who can hold the “perfect” position… They’re the ones who can find the right shape at the right time. In the world of athletic development, especially within field and court sports, one concept consistently shapes outcomes: space. How it’s created, defended, manipulated, or attacked often determines success or failure in any given moment.
At The U of Strength, one of the foundational principles we teach our athletes is simple, but powerful: Win the space. Space as the Real Battleground Every action in sport unfolds within space. Whether it’s an attacker finding a gap between defenders, a point gaurd creating a driving lane, or a defender closing down an opponent, the constant negotiation of space is what defines performance. Too often, training isolates physical qualities like speed, strength, or agility without fully connecting them to their purpose. But in competition, these qualities only matter if they help an athlete interact more effectively with space. Speed doesn’t matter if you can’t create separation. Strength doesn’t matter if you can’t hold or reclaim position. Agility doesn’t matter if it isn’t directed toward a meaningful objective. This is where clarity becomes essential. Offense vs. Defense: Clear & Simple Objectives To help athletes better understand and apply spatial concepts, we simplify the game into two core objectives:
This framework gives athletes an immediate reference point, no matter how chaotic or complex the environment becomes. For the offensive participant, the goal is to generate space, through movement, timing, deception, or positioning. For the defender, the goal is to deny it, by closing gaps, matching movement, and disrupting timing. These aren’t just tactical ideas; they shape how movement is expressed. Every cut, acceleration, deceleration, or change of direction becomes more purposeful because it’s tied to a clear intention. From Movement to Meaning When athletes understand why they are moving, their movement changes. Instead of performing drills for the sake of technique, they begin to:
Movement becomes less about appearance and more about effectiveness. This shift is critical. It bridges the gap between physical preparation and sport performance. Learning Through Emergence One of the most important aspects of our approach at The U of Strength is that solutions are not prescribed, they are discovered. We don’t script every movement or dictate every outcome. Instead, we design environments where:
Within these environments, athletes are encouraged to explore. They search for solutions, test different strategies, and adapt based on the feedback the environment provides. This is where real learning happens. Rather than memorizing patterns, athletes develop:
The environment becomes the coach. The Role of Constraint-Based Training To emphasize winning space, we manipulate constraints within training:
These constraints shape behavior without the need for constant instruction. They guide athletes toward discovering effective solutions on their own. For example, shrinking the playing area forces quicker decisions and tighter control of space. Expanding it encourages athletes to explore larger movements and timing-based separation. By carefully designing these conditions, we ensure that every repetition carries meaning. Building Smarter, More Effective Athletes The end goal is not just better movers, but smarter movers. Athletes who understand how to win space:
They become more than reactive, they become intentional. They recognize patterns, anticipate opportunities, and act with purpose. Bringing It All Together At The U of Strength, we believe athletic development should extend beyond isolated physical qualities. True performance emerges when physical capacity, perception, and decision-making are developed together. Winning on the field or court doesn’t start with a drill. It starts with understanding how and why to move. And ultimately, it comes down to this: Can you win the space? |
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.