Power Developmentfor GolfScot D. Morrison, PT, DPT, CSCS1 and Eric J. Chaconas, PT, DPT, CSCS2

1Washougal Sport and Spine, Washougal, Washington; and 2Department of Physical Therapy, University ofSt. Augustine, St. Augustine, Florida

Supplemental digital content is available for this article. Direct URL citations appear in the printed text and are providedin the HTML and PDF versions of this article on the journal’s Web site (http://journals.lww.com/nsca-scj).

A B S T R A C T

GOLF IS A POPULAR SPORT

ATTRACTING PARTICIPATION

FROM ALL AGE GROUPS. THE

STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING

PROFESSIONAL WILL OFTEN

ENCOUNTER GOLFERS WHO ARE

LOOKING TO IMPROVE THEIR

GAME THROUGH ROTATIONAL

POWER DEVELOPMENT. BY GAIN-

ING A SOUND UNDERSTANDING

OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF ROTA-

TIONAL POWER IN THE GOLFER,

THE EXERCISE PROFESSIONAL

WILL BE BETTER ABLE TO

ADDRESS THIS NEED. THE PUR-

POSE OF THIS ARTICLE IS TO

DISCUSS POWER DEVELOPMENT

PRINCIPLES, ADDRESS GOLF-

SPECIFIC POWER DEVELOPMENT,

AND GIVE SOME SPECIFIC EXER-

CISE OPTIONS THAT CAN BE

IMPLEMENTED.

INTRODUCTION

Golf is a sport that can be playedby almost anyone regardless ofage, sex, or skill. Worldwide

there are an estimated 35 million golferswith approximately 26.5 million partic-ipants in the United States alone (16).With the wide appeal of this sportcomes unique demands that must bemet for the golfer to be successful.

During the normal full golf swing, highlevels of force are required to acceler-ate the club into the downswingand then again to decelerate during

the follow through (21). The golf swingis considered to be a sequential move-ment with power development begin-ning with ground reaction forces(GRFs) in the lower extremity andpeaking at club head impact (9,14).Hume describes the kinetic chainsequence as initiated by the “legs andhips followed by movement of thetrunk and shoulders, and finally thehands and wrists” (9). Elite golfers doa better job of this summation ofpower, which is one of the reasonsfor their greater club head speed (14).

The literature has established strongsupport for the use of physical trainingin the sport of golf (1,8,13,20,24).Because of the nature of the sportand the correlation between measuresof power and club head speed, animportant focus of training is on thedevelopment of power (18). Althoughthe golf swing is a unique movement, itis important to approach the develop-ment of power in a golfer the same wayone would develop power in othersports. There are basic principles thatapply to power development and theseshould be adhered to while alsoacknowledging the unique demandsof golf.

TESTING FOR POWER

Power for golf can be measured witha variety of jump tests and medicineball throws. The seated medicine ballchest throw, standing rotational throw,squat jump, and countermovementjump have been found to correlate wellwith club head speed (5,18). Club head

speed is an important means of assess-ing the intervention’s effect on the golfgame. With all other aspects beingequal, an increase in club head speedof 5.3 km/h has been shown to result in10–15 m increased carry distance fromthe tee (23). The role of the lowerextremity in the golf swing is to gener-ate force and transfer it through thefoot into the ground. The force push-ing back on the foot from the groundis usually described as the GRF. Theability to load the rear foot and thentransfer this GRF from the rear foot tothe lead foot during the downswing issomething that skilled golfers do betterthan novices which results in increasedclub head speed (9,10). In addition tothis weight shift, highly skilled golfersdemonstrate better stability andincreased transfer of force at impact(14). The initial assessment of a golfershould include these tests of power andthey should be retested regularly totrack progress. A complete descriptionof the tests mentioned in this sectionhas been discussed elsewhere in theliterature (5,18,22).

POWER DEVELOPMENTPARAMETERS

The 3 main components that interacttogether allowing for maximal powerare: muscular strength, rate of forcedevelopment, and the amount of force

KEY WORDS :

golf; power; exercise; rotational power;club head speed

Copyright � National Strength and Conditioning Association Strength and Conditioning Journal | www.nsca-scj.com 43

that can be developed at high veloci-ties of movement (6). In each of thesedomains, the specific exercise, the loadused, the velocity by which it is per-formed, sets, repetitions (reps), restperiods, sequencing, and frequencyare all parameters that are importantto consider. A full description of howto manipulate these variables is beyondthe scope of this article and the readeris referred to the article by Haff andNimphius (6). However, in general,the load will be submaximal and therest periods will be long enough toallow for complete recovery.

For power development, a mixedmethods approach is often recommen-ded (3,6). This approach combinesheavy resistance training with ballistictraining to maximize the training effectto the individual demands of the sport.A mixed methods program trainspower production across its entirespectrum compared with strengthtraining or ballistic exercise alone.

ROLE OF STRENGTH

Strength is closely correlated with theathlete’s capacity to rapidly producehigh levels of force (2,3,6). A founda-tion of strength must be in place for thegolfer to develop significant levels ofpower (3,6). Strength development canbe sufficient to develop power withoutthe addition of any specific work (15)and a stronger golfer will respond to theaddition of specific power-based exer-cises more optimally (2).

It should be noted that strength isrelative to the individual and sport.Observed increase in power resultingfrom strength work is assumed tocome from increased muscle cross-sectional area and changes in neuraldrive (3). General guidelines forstrength development suggest thatnear maximum resistance levels shouldbe used (.80% of 1 repetition maxi-mum) with lower repetition rangesand longer rest periods (19). Exerciseprescription for strength must take into

account a multitude of variables, butgeneral guidelines suggest significantgains in as few as 2–3 sets performed2–3 times per week (3,8,11,19).

ROLE OF BALLISTIC TRAINING

Ballistic training is the second aspect ofthe mixed methods approach. Thisform of training allows the golfer toaccelerate throughout the entiremovement (6). This is in sharp contrastto an exercise such as a bench presswhere up to 52% of the total durationof the exercise has been shown to con-sist of deceleration (3). The full impor-tance of training at high velocity hasbeen discussed in depth in prior reports(6). When looking to train for highvelocity, it is important that the loadsused for the ballistic exercises are lowenough that the golfer is actually ableto perform the movement at highspeeds. Winchester et al. (26) lookedat 8 weeks of ballistic resistance train-ing performed 3 times per week at

Figure 1. (A) Medial/lateral jump initial position: The golfer stands to the side of the box and goes into a single-leg stance on theoutside leg. The jump is initiated by dropping down on the right leg and then driving into triple extension to jumptoward the box. (B) Medial/lateral jump end position: The athlete will land on the opposite leg from the one that wasjumped off of. The landing on the box should be quiet and controlled with no loss of balance noted. The athlete willstep down and repeat.

Power for Golf

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loads between 26 and 48% of 1 repeti-tion maximum and found increasedpeak power and rate of force develop-ment compared with a control. Theobserved increases in the rate of forcedevelopment are caused by adaptationsin neural drive, the rate of activation,and intermuscular coordination (3).Both the intent to move rapidly andthe actual rapid execution of the exer-cise have been shown to have a largeeffect on training outcomes (3). Insur-ing that the golfer maximizes velocityduring the execution of the movement,while using a load that allows for attain-ment of these high velocities, should bea component of the training program.When performed in this manner,ballistic exercises allow the athlete totrain at or near performance speed witha large power output and high rate offorce development that can lead toincreased power at game speed (3).

EXERCISE SELECTION

The development of lower-bodystrength and power is a key compo-nent of golf-specific training (25). Golfis similar to other striking and throw-ing sports in that the golfers’ powerdevelopment originates in the lowerextremities and the resulting GRFsare expressed through the trunk andupper extremity into the golf club.The inclusion of exercises that empha-size extension through the hip andknee is therefore important. Exerciseselection should be specific to thedemands of the sport with a focus onthe specific muscles, movements, andenergy systems that are required by thesport. Lower-body power and upper-body strength are correlated with allspecific golf performance measures,most notably distance and overallscore (25).

When used in conjunction withstrength training, plyometrics havebeen shown to be beneficial forimproving club head speed in golfers(1). Research suggests that powerdevelopment is specific to direction(22). Exercise selection, to some extent,should therefore emphasize thosemovements that mimic the same

patterns of movement that are seenin the sport. Because golf is largelya sport of frontal plane motion trans-lated into rotational power, the inclu-sion of exercises that develop thisfrontal power is warranted.

MEDIAL/LATERAL JUMP

The medial to lateral jump is per-formed with the athlete jumping ontoa box in the frontal plane as describedin (Figure 1A and 1B and see Video,Supplemental Digital Content 1,http://links.lww.com/SCJ/A141). Thisexercise aids in the development ofexplosive power generation from thehips that can be helpful in the rapiddevelopment and transfer of GRF fromthe rear foot to the lead foot during

the downswing. To avoid excessiveloading through the lower extremity,the athlete is instructed to step downfrom the box after each repetitioninstead of jumping down. The athleteshould be instructed to perform anexplosive movement from the groundand land in a controlled manner. Asgolf is a sport that is asymmetrical innature, it is important to perform anequal number of reps to both sides.

MEDICINE BALL THROW

The medicine ball throw described inFigure 2A and 2B and SupplementalDigital Content 2 (see Video, http://links.lww.com/SCJ/A142) is a funda-mental power development exercise.The medicine ball is one of the most

Figure 2. (A) Medicine ball rotational throw start position: The golfer stands in anathletic stance grasping the ball with both hands and holding it to the sideof the right hip. (B) Medicine ball rotational throw end position: The throwis initiated with powerful double extension of the knees and hips witha weight shift from right to left while simultaneously rotating through thetorso and throwing the ball toward the wall.

Strength and Conditioning Journal | www.nsca-scj.com 45

versatile exercise tools that allows forpower development at a velocity sim-ilar to sport-specific speed. The rota-tional throw has been shown to beclosely correlated with club head speed(18) and programs using various rota-tional throws have been shown toimprove club head speed for golfers(4,20). The rotational medicine ballthrow reproduces the characteristicsof the golf swing by creating power

from the lower extremity that isexpressed in a rotary throwing mannerboth in the backswing and downswing.It is important to use a weight that islight enough to allow for high move-ment velocity. The strength and condi-tioning professional should also avoidinstructing the golfer to attempt to imi-tate their golf swing with this exercise.The goal is not to interfere with theswing motor program but to develop

general rotational power. Appropriateverbal cuing would include a phrasesuch as “try to throw the ball throughthe wall.”

Kettlebell Swing

The kettlebell swing (Figure 3A and 3Band see Video, Supplemental Digital Con-tent 3, http://links.lww.com/SCJ/A140)has been shown to develop power andstrength and has been suggested asa viable alternative to more traditionalmethods, such as the power clean,when looking for exercise programvariety (12,17). Inclusion of the kettle-bell swing offers the strength and con-ditioning professional an alternativemeans of lower-body power develop-ment that may be easier for the golferto perform at home or while traveling.The kettlebell swing is executed withan emphasis on flexion at the hip, oftencalled the hip hinge, which biasestoward the use of the posterior chainfor the execution of the exercise. Thisemphasizes powerful hip and kneeextension similar what is found duringthe golf swing. Verbal instruction in-cludes “hike” the kettlebell betweenthe legs on the downswing and “snapthe hips forward” on the upswing.

EXAMPLE PROGRAM

An example program is provided in theTable. This program would be imple-mented as the foundational componentof the golfers program and likely wouldfollow-up a block that has emphasizedstrength development. The warm-upand accessory exercises added to theprogram would be specific to the needsdemonstrated by the athlete. The pro-gram would be followed for 4–6 weeksas a power-specific training block andemphasis should be placed on progress-ing the intensity of the exercises per-formed without excessive variation inthe specific exercises.

The strength exercises chosen compli-ment the power work that the golferwill be performing. Sufficient hip andknee flexion while performing thesquat is important with deep frontand back squats producing greatertransfer to the squat jump (7), whichis highly correlated to club head speed

Figure 3. (A) Kettlebell swing bottom position: Set up by standing with the feetslightly past shoulder width apart with the kettlebell set an arms lengthin front and on the floor. The swing is initiated with the golfer pushingthe hips back while reaching forward to grasp the bell. Flexion at theknee is minimal but should be enough to allow for a neutral spine. Thekettlebell is then pulled from the floor and swung back between thelegs to load the hips for the swing. (B) Kettlebell swing top position:From the loaded position extend the hips crisply to swing the kettlebellup. At the top of the swing, the golfer will be standing tall withoutexcessive hip or lumbar spine extension. The downswing is initiatedwhen the kettlebell reaches the peak of the swing. At this point, theweight is actively pulled down and back between the legs. It isimportant to keep the arc of the swing close to the hips to minimize theload through the lumbar spine.

Power for Golf

VOLUME 36 | NUMBER 4 | AUGUST 201446

(18). The inclusion of an upper-bodypressing and pulling exercise is indi-cated by the correlation found betweenstrength in these movements and golfperformance (25). In addition, the sin-gle arm format trains the core musclesbecause of their increased stabilizationactivity. A comprehensive programwould include additional exercises thatfocus on other aspects of performanceoutside the scope of this article. Basicprinciples of periodization, load selec-tion, rep ranges, and rest periodsshould be observed in the implementa-tion of these and any other exercises.

CONCLUSION

The integration of power developmentinto the golfer’s exercise programshould include both strength and bal-listic training principles. Followingthese training principles and usingexercises that combine the variouspower training methods will allowthe strength and conditioning specialistto design a program that will increasepower in the golf swing which canpotentially result in lower scores.

Conflicts of Interest and Source of Funding:The authors report no conflicts of interestand no source of funding

Scot D.

Morrison a phys-ical therapist andstrength coach atWashougal Sportand Spine inWashougal, WA.

Eric J.

Chaconas is anassistant professorin the Depart-ment of PhysicalTherapy at theUniversity of St.Augustine, St.Augustine, FL.

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TableExample exercise program

Exercise Sets/repetitions Load Rest

Medial-lateral jump 3 3 6 Body weight 60–90 s

Rotational medicineball throw

3 3 6 Light enough thatexercise is performedat high velocity

60–90 s

Kettlebell swing 3 3 8 Heaviest weight thatcan be lifted whilemaintaining hipspeed

2 min

Front squat 3 3 5 85% of 1RM 2–3 min

Single leg deadlift 3 3 8 75% of 1RM 60–90 s

Single-arm bench press 3 3 5 85% of 1RM 90–120 s

Single-arm standingcable row

3 3 5 85% of 1RM 90–120 s

1RM 5 1 repetition maximum.

Strength and Conditioning Journal | www.nsca-scj.com 47

between golfers of varied skill levels. Int J

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Mikat RP, Allen BK, Kline DE, and

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Exercise Selection toDevelop OptimalExplosive LungeMovements forWorld-Standard SquashGraham Turner, MSc1 and Keith Barker, MSc21Department of Sport Health and Nutrition, Leeds Trinity University, Leeds, England, United Kingdom; and 2EnglishInstitute of Sport, Manchester, England, United Kingdom

A B S T R A C T

IN WORLD-STANDARD SQUASH,

THE ABILITY TO PERFORM RAPID

ACCELERATION AND DECELERA-

TION OVER SHORT DISTANCES IS

ESSENTIAL TO SUCCESS. THE

EXPLOSIVE LUNGE REQUIRES A

COMPLEX COMBINATION OF

BOTH LOCOMOTION AND STABIL-

ITY IN RESPONSE TO MOVEMENT

DIRECTION AND DISTANCE FROM

THE BALL, AT THE TIME OF SHOT

SELECTION. THIS ARTICLE DEM-

ONSTRATES THE METHOD OF

FUNCTIONAL EXERCISE PRO-

GRESSION USED AT THE ENGLISH

INSTITUTE OF SPORT TO OPTIMIZE

EXPLOSIVE LUNGE MOVEMENT TO

SUPPORT WORLD-CLASS PER-

FORMANCE AT THE 2013 SQUASH

WORLD TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS.

INTRODUCTION

Agility is a context-specific ability,reliant on both physical andtechnical qualities (7). During

an elite squash match, each athlete mustperform frequent lunging and squattingmovement patterns with variable execu-tion and recovery (4,6,19). Effective courtcoverage relies on rapid and forceful

change of direction, and the lunge isa specialized movement component,critical to the movement repertoire ofthe squash athlete (3,9). The lunge pat-terns performed during squash competi-tion vary greatly in their direction,amplitude, velocity, mechanics, andkinematics (6). The extreme high-velocity lunge performed during world-standard squash is best characterized asan explosive bound or “jump lunge.” Thismovement differs markedly from the tra-ditional lunge pattern and requires theathlete to leap into unilateral hip exten-sion before playing a shot (Figure 1).

The jump lunge demonstrates specialistagility, underpinned by mechanicallyefficient, coordinated, and controlledmovement. Movement into and out ofthe jump lunge represents a movementsequence that depends on rapid forceproduction to maximize velocity (21).Effective application of impulse is criti-cal to success; therefore, conditioningmust emphasize maximum strengthand explosive training to enable thetrained athlete to continue to makephysiological gains (11,12).

KINEMATICS

Biomechanical analysis of a traditional“walk forward lunge (WFL)” and the

“jump forward lunge (JFL)” demon-strates that the quadriceps, hamstrings,and gastrocnemius remain activethroughout each stage of each move-ment and all 3 muscle groups performeccentric, concentric, and isometriccontractions (8). This underlines therequirement for program design to bebased around multi-joint and structuralcompound exercises, such as the squatand deadlift.

Examination of the force characteris-tics between lunge techniques oftrained athletes lunging with maximalexertion demonstrates that the JFLconsistently elicits higher muscle acti-vation, and so program planning mustalso ensure that exercise progressiondevelops specific movement dynamics.Contrary to common belief, the JFLdoes not elicit prolonged eccentrichamstring contraction. Electromyog-raphy data presented by Jonhagenet al. (8) demonstrate that eccentricactivity occurs during the approachphase of the lunge, but even at maximalexertion, the time spent in eccentric

KEY WORDS :

squash; agility; jump forward lunge;strength; power

VOLUME 36 | NUMBER 4 | AUGUST 2014 Copyright � National Strength and Conditioning Association36

hamstring contraction is short (18 68%) relative to the whole movement.

Hamstring muscle activation duringapproach is determined by the force/time characteristics of the movement,and analysis demonstrates that in theWFL, eccentric contraction is quicklyfollowed by hamstring lengthening.This contrasts with the pattern of mus-cular contraction found in the hamstringin the JFL where stability in stance re-quires a higher degree of muscular con-trol and underlines the need for goodform and posture. In the JFL, increasedforce correlates with increased eccentricactivation but instead of lengthening,the hamstrings then utilize an isometriccontraction to control the higher forcesabsorbed at foot strike. Analysis of mus-cle activation for both theWFL and theJFL demonstrates that at all speedseccentric contraction predominately

occurs in the gastrocnemius (61 6 3%during approach and 63 6 12% duringrecovery) (8).

Jumping into the lunge changes thekinematics of the movement and re-quires the athlete to control forcewhile using a greater range of motionat the hip, knee, and ankle. During thismovement, the length of the ham-strings is influenced more by the angleat the hip than the angle at the knee(5). In squash, world-class performancerelies on the ability of the athleteto combine explosive lunging withdynamic trunk flexion to support shotexecution. In these “jump lunges,” theathlete leads the movement with anextended knee before striking the floorwith the heel and rolling onto a fullfoot contact. Frequently in these move-ments, on striking the floor with theheel, the athlete then immediately

flexes at the hip to lower the trunk intoa position approaching horizontal toplay the shot (Figure 1B). After playingthe ball, the athlete is then required torapidly recover into a ready positionfor the next movement sequence. Thedevelopment of sport-specific explo-sive ability therefore necessitates anintegrated training program to under-pin dynamic correspondence for explo-sive exercise progression (16).

STRENGTH DEVELOPMENT FORFUNCTIONAL TRANSFER

In squash, the loser of the rally will usu-ally cover more distance than the winner(18). During performance, fatigue willinduce changes in lower limb muscleactivation and muscle co-activationratios that threaten to compromisemulti-joint coordination (13). Strengthand conditioning coaches must thereforeprioritize functional loading, to ensurethat physiological capacity is developedin synergy with motor competence, tosupport technical performance (2).

Examination of lunge forces and tech-nique reveals that more experiencedsquash players learn the ability to sup-press impact loading forces followingcoordination of high initial impactforce. Kinematic analysis of the tech-nique of developing players demon-strates that in comparison, juniorplayers tend to land with a slightlystraighter leg, causing foot placementto produce a flat foot strike in advanceof knee flexion (20). Performanceenhancement therefore necessitatescoaching that emphasizes motor con-trol as the athlete learns to exert andabsorb greater force (10). Exercise pro-gression must be underpinned by safeand effective movement competence,and the Y Balance Test offers a validatedmovement screening protocol to objec-tively assess dynamic balance (14).

THE EXPLOSIVE LUNGEDEVELOPMENT EXERCISECONTINUUM

The explosive lunge development exer-cise continuum (Figure 2) presents anevidence-based model for functionalexercise progression that has been dem-onstrated to be effective in the support

Figure 1. (A) Example of a squash jump lunge. (B) Squash jump lunge end position.

Strength and Conditioning Journal | www.nsca-scj.com 37

and development of world-class squashperformance.

The continuum dictates that explosivetraining is preceded by strength trainingwith exercise selection and loading deter-mined by individual needs analysis. Dur-ing general preparation, low speed-highforce exercise predominates, whereasduring specific preparation and compe-tition phases, increased emphasis isplaced on high speed-high force move-ments. Exercises on the continuumincrease in velocity (low to high: leftto right) with the correspondingincrease in musculoskeletal stress indi-cated by progression through coloredzones, from green through amber tored. The green zone contains lowspeed-high force program componentsused to enhance muscle force produc-tion and develop movement-specificstrength. Exercises in the amber zoneemphasize mechanical specificity to trainpeak power, rate of force development,and acceleration. The red zone containsexercises for speed strength training thatuse ballistic muscular actions to promotesuccessful performance adaptation. Exer-cises from the red zone must be usedselectively and programming requires

careful periodization, integrated planning,and qualified supervision (17).

PERFORMANCE PROGRESSION

The following section presents 4 lungepattern exercises from the explosivelunge development continuum to exem-plify how exercise selection supportsprogram design to enhance sport-specific movement mechanics, forceproduction, and velocity. Used withina periodized program, the featured ex-ercises target the neuromuscular factorsinvolved in strength production to effectperformance adaptation to developexplosive lunge performance (Figs. 3–6).

TRADITIONAL (WALK FORWARD)DYNAMIC LUNGE

The traditional gym-based WFL(Figure 3) requires the athlete tomaintain an upright trunk, and theknee of the lead leg is flexed on contactwith the floor. This exercise can providerelatively high external loading at moder-ate movement velocities. Requiring theathlete to drive up and out of the lungeas explosively as possible increases thesport specificity of the movement in rela-tion to perceptual and decision-making

factors, velocity, and neuromuscularrecruitment (15). The moderate move-ment velocity, flexed knee on groundcontact, and upright trunk mean thatfor squash, this exercise is best suited tothe general preparation phase of training.

EXTENDED DYNAMICFORWARD LUNGE

When the squash player is challengedto perform an extended dynamic for-ward lunge over an increased distance,the coach should instruct the athlete toextend the knee of the lead leg towardground contact (Figure 4A–C). Thisexercise targets both the amplitudeand the mechanics of sport-specificmovement dynamics to develop high-velocity lunging ability for squash.Unlike the traditional WFL, progres-sion requires that external loading onthe bar is reduced and amplitude andvelocity of movement are increased.

REAR FOOT ELEVATEDSPLIT DEADLIFT

In this exercise, the ascent of the rear footelevated split deadlift (Figure 5A–C) isexecuted by extending the knee of thelead leg before extending at the hip. Todescend, this sequence is then reversed ina smooth controlledmovement. The ath-lete should maintain a flat back withshoulders retracted throughout themovement. The benefit of this exerciseis that it provides loading in an extremelyrelevant position in relation to trunk for-ward lean and disassociation at the hip.Coaches should recognize, however, thatthe relatively low velocity of the move-ment and the position of partial hip andknee extension attained at the top of theexercise may also threaten to limit func-tional transfer. This example underlinesthe need for coaches to integrate a bal-ance of exercises in program design toensure that each of the neuromuscularfactors involved in strength productionis targeted.

EXPLOSIVE FORWARD BOUNDTO REBOUND

The forward bound to rebound(Figure 6A–C) provides an extremelyspecific stimulus for training to improvehigh-velocity lunging in squash. The

Figure 2. Explosive Lunge Development Exercise Continuum 5 SL; single-leg.

Explosive Lunge Movements for World-Standard Squash

VOLUME 36 | NUMBER 4 | AUGUST 201438

athlete is instructed to leap as far as theycan from one foot to the other, beforerebounding back toward the start

position. Coaching emphasizes activepre-activation around the ankle, knee,and hip to brace the landing and thus

enable the athlete to rebound backtoward the start position as quickly aspossible. Contact time at the extent of

Figure 3. (A–C) The traditional walk forward lunge.

Figure 4. (A–C) Extended dynamic forward lunge.

Strength and Conditioning Journal | www.nsca-scj.com 39

the movement should be minimized.This exercise exemplifies the perfor-mance of sport-specific power and

explosive ability, demonstrating highvelocity—high force movement, aug-mented by strength development.

Explosive rebound to rebound repeti-tions can be used to successfully pro-mote performance adaptation through

Figure 6. (A–C) Explosive forward bound to rebound.

Figure 5. (A–C) Rear foot elevated split deadlift.

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VOLUME 36 | NUMBER 4 | AUGUST 201440

an overload application that conditionsthe athlete, to mitigate fatigue-inducedreductions in performance (13,21).

PROGRAMMING

Squash players who, according to theLong Term Athlete Developmentmodel (1), are still within the Train toTrain stage must learn to perfect coor-dination of strength and movement tocontrol impact landing (6). Program-ming to develop the JFL must thereforebe supported by a range of reducedforce exercises. The same exercises areused by the elite squash player to com-pliment high-force work undertaken tohelp improve JFL performance. Ratherthan having a strength or poweremphasis, these “assistance” exercisesprovide the athlete with either a stability

or range of motion (mobility) challengeto elicit a positive impact on the overallperformance of explosive lungingmovements. Examples of relevant assis-tance exercises are provided in Table 1.

CONCLUSION

When working to develop the abilityof the squash athlete to perform high-velocity lunges, the strength and con-ditioning coach must take a strategic,need-based approach underpinned bya clear understanding of the direction,amplitude, velocity, mechanics, andkinematics of the lunges performedduring competition. Maturation,movement competence, training age,and phase of training should all beconsidered when selecting exercisesto support and develop explosive

lunge movements. The explosive lungedevelopment continuum (Figure 2)presents an evidence-based model forfunctional exercise progression, whichin careful combination with assis-tance exercises enables the strengthand conditioning coach to select rel-evant exercises, to support perfor-mance progression to attain andsustain world-class performance.

Conflicts of Interest and Source of Funding:The authors report no conflicts of interestand no source of funding.

Graham Turner

is a senior lec-turer in theDepartment ofSport, Healthand Nutrition atLeeds TrinityUniversity.

Keith Barker isa senior strength& conditioningcoach with theEnglish Instituteof Sport, andNational LeadStrength & Con-ditioning Coachfor EnglandSquash.

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