Power Is The Function Of Strength And Speed

Power = Mass Moved (Force-Strength) x Distance Time

You know the saying. Speed kills! In all sport skills speed of movement is a desirable commodity. Along with the "feel for the game" and "mental toughness" sport coaches are in search of athletes with great speed. It is the duty of the strength coach to develop all athletic qualities, especially speed of movement. As you can see in the above formula an increase in speed of movement (decrease in time) results in an increase in power. This is important for the athlete due to his/her own bodyweight, gravity, opponent's resistance and weighted implements and other resistances that athletes must deal with in competition. Increasing speed of movement with the same mass lifted improves power.  Increasing mass lifted and maintaining the speed of movement will increase power. The less time it takes to move a mass a certain distance the higher the power output. By effectively using explosive lifts, squatting movements, medicine balls, agility drills, sled pulls, sled drives, bleacher sprints, kettlebells and speed drills you can greatly increase the potential for developing powerful athletes in sport. The power clean, hang clean, power snatch, hang snatch and jerk are the lifts with the highest potential for developing powerful athletes. No other lifts even come close. Olympic lifters, on average, have the highest vertical jumps of all other athletes (36"-42"), along with Olympic sprinters, and are the fastest of all athletes in a 25-meter sprint. The Olympic lifters perform predominately explosive lifts and deep front and back squats in their training.