Could you pass the Beckham test?
 
First of all, what is the Beckham test? David Beckham is arguably one of the most
famous and recognizable athletes in the world, having graced the stage for the likes of
Manchester United, Real Madrid, LA Galaxy, AC Milan, and Paris St. Germain.
 
Upon finishing his athletic career, Beckham has taken up a number of roles, one of which was the BBC TV program “Into the Unknown,” where he travels to the Brazilian Amazon, ending up with the remote Yanomami tribe, to whom he desperately tries to explain the beautiful game.
 
This is the test: Imagine you have to describe your favorite sport to someone that has no idea about the concept of sport, never mind the actual sport you are describing. As a strength and conditioning coach, this is a superb analogy to reflect upon and seek to identify why I coach, what I coach, and within those themes, the who and the how.
 
Within the current sporting/coaching landscape, this takes the form of a mental model. A mental model is a coach’s vision at simplifying the complex nature of sport, addressing the performance problems,  and developing a personalized set of performance solutions.
 
Take basketball, for example. You may break the game down into attack and defense. Within attack you may look at keeping possession, supporting the ball handler, advancing the ball, penetrating, and scoring. Defensively you might look at pressuring the ball, denying passing opportunities, and protecting the basket, all within the context of the rules of the game. Within each of those aspects, the coach will then develop strategies and methods of how they will achieve them.
 
A trait common among almost all high-level performance coaches is the constant search to maximize effectiveness, and this usually comes in the form of challenging their own practices, thoughts, and ideas in order to form a robust framework in which to deliver.
 
This professional attitude enables the high-performance coach to:
 
• Present a personal, reasoned explanation for their strategies and goals
• Explain and provide reasons for the actions they take to meet their goals
• Evaluate the personal and collective effectiveness of their strategies
• Identify the performance problems and solutions of their chosen sport
 
Olympic weightlifting techniques and their derivatives play a large part in my philosophy as an S&C coach to enhance physical/athletic performance in relation to sport. The following report is a mental model I have created on the use of Olympic lifting and its derivatives to enhance athletic/sporting performance.

The first component is the movement pattern. One of the main considerations an S&C coach must apply is the transference of training to sporting performance. If you think about sporting movements, acceleration, change of direction, jumping, tackling... they all involve patterning where the ankle, knee, and hip coordinate through extension, a key similarity to the movement patterning found in the Olympic lifts and their derivatives. This allows the practitioner to be extremely athlete centered/focused in their approach and with regards to the relationship the movements have in relation to the athlete’s sport.
 
The following diagram can be considered an “operational” aspect of the mental model, identifying key sporting movements for that sport and position, the force-velocity profile of those actions and the exercises you may use to enhance those movements.
 
The second component, the framework, explores the technicality of the lifts. While the coaching and application of the lifts may vary, the mechanics do not. The Olympic lifts and their derivatives can be broken down into specific elements, such as the first and second pull, transition, catch, etc. These can be taught as specific lifts or as a holistic approach to the full lift. For example, hang clean, mid-thigh pull off blocks, as each individual segment has distinct characteristics such as the start and end positions, the movement through the phases. Although there can be no “textbook” method due to individual biomechanics (height, limb length, body proportions, etc.), basic principles do apply.
 
One of the primary aims of the S&C coach is to reduce the likelihood of injury through the enhancement of physical qualities. Teaching correct exercise technique and execution is paramount in the daily role of the practitioner. It is readily apparent that novice lifters and those new to the Olympic lifts have difficulty learning the techniques, especially the full lifts from the floor. Time is of a key concern with S&C coaches who often suggest that they do not have enough time to coach the Olympic lifts, and I’m sure that is an argument for another time, but the term “coach” is in my job title, that is what I am there to do, and it may be better for strength coaches to introduce the clean and snatch from the hang position (or from boxes) so that the technique is simplified and lifters still take advantage of the second pull phase, a key portion that transfers kinematically and physiologically to sport. My preferred method of coaching is a top-down approach, teaching the catch first, then moving to second pull and adding layers of complexity (transition, first pull) once the catch and second pull phases are at a sound technical competency. This is where a contextualized portion of the model comes into play.
 
This contextualization, I believe, allows for the identification of key stages of competency in which you can develop and enhance the athlete, and monitor and record progression from a number of variables. These variables are driven by the technical, physical, and psycho-social makeup of each participant.
 
The third aspect of the model is force-velocity characteristics. Force-Velocity [F-V] profiles have become a staple of athlete monitoring or profiling. The Olympic lifts and more specifically their derivatives fall across the full breadth of this curve/graph, allowing the movements to be incorporated across periodized planning (macro, meso & micro) cycles.
 
Each sport will require different combinations and varying degrees of these qualities, and this allows the variety of exercises, forces, and velocities inherent in the implementation of the Olympic lifts to match specific demands. The development of F-V profiles for athletes will assist in the needs analysis of the individual and allow a greater focus of training through structured and progressive program design.
 
The use of derivative lifts with non-competitive weightlifters has a number of key benefits. Pull only derivatives produce a reduced technical demand allowing for the possibility of quicker learning due to the reduction of technical complexities.
 
The mental model allows the practitioner to identify the specific needs of the athlete and sport through analysis of the movement patterns and force-velocity requirements of those actions. Then, they can apply a framework of competency at an individual level, which allows for the recording of progression.

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