THE NEEDS ANALYSIS

What is a needs analysis? A process of determining what qualities

are necessary for an athlete, a sport, or an individual.

It considers:The needs of the sport/position/situationThe athlete/individual

Why is the needs analysis important? Helps to focus training Separates the “need to do” from the

“want to do”

Considering the event, sport or situation What are the needs? Is there a model? What kind of testing best meets the

needs? What is the competition schedule for the

event/sport?

What are the needs of the event/sport/situation?

What major muscle groups are involved?What muscles are involved in performance?How are those muscles used?

○ Does performance involve exerting force against the ground?

○ Does performance involve unilateral or bilateral work?

○ Does performance involve rotation?

What are the needs of the event/sport/situation?

What energy systems contribute?How long does the event last?How much time is actually spent moving?How much time is spent resting? What is

the nature of the rest?Is only one energy system involved? Does

more than one contribute?If more than one contributes, how

significantly?

What are the needs of the event/sport/situation?

What is the speed of movement? Does the athlete play a position that has

specific needs?For example, line vs. kickers vs. quarterback

Are there joints that are more frequently injured?

What are the needs of the event/sport/situation?

Examples:100 meter sprinterShot putterBaseball pitcherMiddle-aged exerciser losing weightElderly exerciser

100 meter sprinter Major muscles involved:

Abdominals and low back Gluteus maximus Gluteus minimus and medius Hamstrings Adductors Quadriceps Plantarflexors Dorsiflexors

Period of time when only one leg on ground

100 meter sprinter This event will probably last 10-12

seconds, depending upon ability Majority of energy from ATP/CP Bulk of training should focus on ATP-CP

system with some lactic acid focus

100 meter sprinting

Speed of movement:Very fast.Stride frequency may range from 4.2

strides/second to 5 strides/second in an athlete who runs 100 meters in 10 seconds (Kuznyetsov, et al., 1983).

100 meter sprinter, specific needs Speed: faster leg

turnover without sacrificing optimal stride length

Leg strength: clear blocks, force against ground

Contribution of each phase of 100 meter sprint to the outcome Reaction time: 1% Block clearance: 5% Acceleration: 64% Maintenance of

maximum velocity: 18% Lessen degree of

acceleration: 12% (Gaffney, 1994)

100 meter sprinter

Muscles/joints that are more frequently injured in 100 meter sprinters: hamstrings

From:bad techniquemuscle imbalance

What do we know about 100 meter sprinters and their conditioning requirements?

Muscles of the trunk, hip, and knee are important Muscles need to be developed in a way that

enhances the ATP-CP energy system Muscles must be trained in a way that enhances

speed Leg strength will be needed to help with the start and

force application One-legged strength and power necessary Special strength training should reinforce good

sprinting technique The hamstrings will need to be developed in terms

of eccentric strength

Shot Putter Major muscles

involved, “Glide”QuadricepsHip Flexors/ExtensorsGlutesCalvesAbsErector SpinaeUpper Body

Major muscles involved, “Rotation”QuadricepsHip Flexors/ExtensorsGlutesCalvesAbsErector SpinaeUpper Body

Shot Putter

Delivery takes between 0.15 and 0.18 seconds

Long rest periods between throws Energy from ATP-CP breakdown

Shot Put, specific needs

The shot put begins with a one-legged squat, involved exerting force from that position

Requires a blocking action with one side of the body

Unilateral work will need to be done

What do we know about shot putters and their conditioning requirements? Muscles of the entire body need to be developed

in a way that involves exerting force against the ground

Abs and lower back have to become strong and explosive in rotation

Muscles must be developed in a way that enhances the ATP-CP system

Muscles must be capable of great speed One-legged work is necessary for the start and the

block. Dumbbell movements (snatch, clean, jerk) and split-style lifts will be helpful for this.

Baseball Pitcher

Muscles Invovled:Lower body is responsible for the leg drive,

limb velocity in throwing is dependent upon this leg drive

Trunk rotation contributes approximately 50% of the force in throwing (Weatherly and Schinck, 1996)

Deltoid and rotator cuff muscles are necessary for throwing the ball and decelerating the arm

Baseball Pitcher

Series of short-duration, maximal intensity efforts

May last as little as 2 seconds ATP-CP system Perform these maximal efforts 100-120

times a game

Baseball Pitcher

Speed of movement?Very fast. According to Panariello (1992):

○ Cocking phase: 1.5 seconds○ Acceleration phase: 0.2 seconds○ Follow through (deceleration): 0.4 seconds

Acceleration and Deceleration very important

Baseball Pitcher, Specific Needs

Conditioning to be able to decelerate the arm after the pitch. Use high-speed training (medicine balls) and eccentric training (PNF exercises).

Due to wear and tear, take it easy on upper body work (e.g. bands, etc.).

What do we know about pitchers and their conditioning requirements? Pitching velocity is dependent upon lower

extremity strength, trunk strength, and shoulder health.

Pitching takes place quickly, but is repeated often during a game.

Attention must be paid to eccentric strength and the ability to decelerate the arm.

Care needs to be taken with shoulder/upper body training.

Middle-Aged Exerciser Losing Weight Muscles involved? Energy systems? Speed of movement?

Elderly Exerciser

Muscles involved? Energy systems? Speed of movement?

Is there a model for the event/sport? Models give performance parameters.

They may consist of:Performance of the actual eventAnthropometric dataPhysical preparation data

Performance Model, 100 Meters(Kuznyetsov, V.V., et al., 1983)

Total Starting Time 10 m 20 m 30 m 40 m 50 m 60 m 70 m 80 m 90 m 100 mTime (sec) 0.39 1.8 2.9 3.8 4.7 5.6 6.5 7.4 8.4 9.2 10Avg. Speed (m/sec) 7.2 10.2 10.4 10.6 10.9 11.6 11.4 11.6 11.4 10.9

Performance Model, 100 meters, Trends

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

10m

30m

50m

70m

90m

Avg.Speed

Sprinter should be accelerating through 60 meters

Sprinter should be maintaining or slowing minimally for the rest of the race

How does our athlete compare?

Height/Weight Model, Weightlifting (Medvedev, A.S., 1989)

Weight Class (kg) Average Height (cm)52 149 +/- 356 153 +/- 360 159 +/- 3

67.5 164 +/- 375 168.5 +/- 3

82.5 172.5 +/- 390 176 +/- 3

100 178 +/- 3110 181 +/- 3

110+ 185 +/- 3

Physical Preparation Model, Sprinters (Tabatschnik, B., 1983)

Tests 10-12 years 13-15 years 16-17 years60m (sec) 9.0-8.6 7.6-7.4 7.2-7.0100m (sec) - 11.8-11.6 11.3-11.0200m (sec) - 24.0-23.7 22.8-22.530m crouch start (sec) 5 4.6-4.4 4.3-4.230m flying start (sec) 4 3.3-3.1 3.1-3.0St. triple jump (in) 21'4"-21'3" 24'3"-25'7" 26'3"-26'11"

Physical Preparation Model, Trends By 17 the athlete should already

possess a great deal of speed After 17 it may not be possible to

improve speed that much (11 seconds to 10 seconds)

Other Standards?

Are there other standards that may be imposed?

Example:Be able to bench press body weightBe able to squat double body weightEtc.

Applying the models

How does our athlete’s performance compare to the model?

What does that tell us about the athlete’s needs?

Applying the models, cont. Our athlete’s

average speed is not high enough

Our athlete is having trouble accelerating to 10 meters

Our athlete is unable to accelerate into 60 meters

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

10m

40m

70m100m

ModelAthlete

Applying the models, cont. Based upon the model and the athlete’s

performance, we know he/she needs to focus on:StartsAccelerationSpeed-endurance

What kind of testing best meets the needs of the event/sport?

Strength: 1-RM, 3-RM, 5-RM, 10-RMBench PressBack/Front SquatPower CleanPower Clean + JerkPower SnatchDeadlift

Testing, Cont. Endurance: timed,

5-RM, 10-RM, reps to failureBench PressBack SquatLeg PressDipsPush-UpsPull-Ups

Sit-UpsCrunches

Testing, Cont.

Flexibility: sit and reach, shoulder, trunk Acceleration: 10, 20, and 40 yard sprints Maximum Speed: 40+ yard sprints Speed Endurance: 400+ yard sprints Anaerobic Conditioning: sport-specific

(300-yard shuttle) Aerobic: 1.5 mile run, 12-minute run,

etc.

Testing, Cont.

Agility:T-testL drill

Power:Vertical JumpStanding Long/Broad JumpTriple Jump

What is the competition schedule? This will determine the training

schedule. Things to consider:

What days of the week are competitions?Are all of the competitions equally important?Are all of the competitions going to be equally

difficult?Are there any camps that the athlete needs to

be peaked for?

Sample Competition Schedule, Division I Football

Date Opponent Home (H) or Away (A)?2-Sep School ranked #10 A9-Sep Walkover University H

16-Sep Easy Victory College H23-Sep Bye Bye30-Sep School ranked #20 H

7-Oct School ranked #15 H14-Oct 0-7 College A21-Oct Red-headed Stepchildren University A28-Oct School ranked #3 H4-Nov School ranked #18 A

11-Nov School ranked #23 H18-Nov School ranked #6 A2-Dec Conference Championships A

Sample Competition Schedule, cont. The schedule tells

us the following:7 opponents are

rankedThese games will

require serious preparation and peaking

4 opponents “should” be gimmies

Is peaking required for those 4 schools?

Should we focus more on the 7 ranked opponents?

All games except Dec. 2 are on Saturdays, we can organize training accordingly

Why examine the event, sport, or situation? This analysis tell us:

What are the needs? Is there a model? How do our athletes

compare?What kind of testing best meets the needs?What is the competition schedule?

Examining the Athlete or Individual How long has the athlete been training? What is the athlete’s injury status? What level is the athlete competing at? How did the athlete perform last year? Based upon the testing, what kind of

shape is the athlete currently in?

Training History

How long has the athlete been training? What has the athlete been doing in

his/her training? Gives you an idea of what they can

tolerate, what they know, work ethic, etc.Beginner: low volume, low intensity, few

exercisesAdvanced: high volume, high intensity, great

fitness, variety of exercises

Injury Status

Is the athlete currently healthy? If not, can it be trained around? For

example: shoulder, lower back If so, does he/she have a history of

particular injuries? Why? For example, groin or hamstring injuries.

What level is the athlete competing at? Elite athletes have very different needs

than beginners. Pro’s and elite’s are not developmental. Advanced athletes require much more

specific and focused training. Beginners need to work on everything!

How did the athlete perform last year? Did the athlete peak on time? If not, when did the athlete peak? Was the athlete over-trained? If athlete was over-trained, was that our

fault or due to other circumstances? Gives feedback about the program!

Based upon testing, where is the athlete/individual currently?

Where is the athlete deficient? Are those important enough to warrant a

focus?

PUTTING ALL THIS TOGETHER…

Basketball Guard

Basketball is a total body sport There is contact between players and

this is a source of injuries

Basketball Movement Patterns

Activity Speed of Movement Total Distance Covered

Percentage of Time Spent in Activity

Standing 0 0 32%

Walking ≤6 km/h 1720 meters 31%

Jogging 6.1-12 km/h 1870 meters 5.6%

Running 12.1-18 km/h 928 meters 4.5%

Sprinting >24 km/h 763 meters 2.8%

Striding 18.1-24 km/h 406 meters 2.4%

Low Intensity Shuffling

≤6 km/h 606 meters 8.5%

Moderate Intensity Shuffling

6.1-9 kh/h 691 meters 6.5%

High Intensity Shuffling

>9 km/h 169 meters 3.1%

Sideways Running >12 km/h 218 meters 1.9%

Jumping 0 0 1.7%

Adapted from Abdelkrim et al 2010.

Basketball: Injuries

Ankles and knees are the most commonly injured areas in basketball.

These are largely ligament strains and muscle/tendon sprains.

Basketball Guards

Guards prepare offensive situations via: turnovers, passing, steals, ball control, assists, and three-point field goals.

They are faster, stronger in terms of lifting their own body weight, and jump higher than forwards and centers.

Ideal Characteristics of a Guard

Variable ModelHeight (cm) 189.5Weight (kg) 84.5Body Fat (%) 9Vertical Jump (cm) 615m Sprint (sec) 110m Sprint (sec) 1.940m Sprint (sec) 4.1T Test (sec) 9.3Bench Press (% of Body Weight)

1.1

Back Squat (% of Body Weight)

2

Adapted from Abdelkrim et al 2010, Berg and Latin 1995; Ostojic et al 2006.

Hypothetical Guard

Plagued by non-contact ankle injuries. Good three-point shooter, does not

contribute in terms of steals and assists. Gets fatigued after the first half of play

and three-point accuracy deteriorates after the first half.

Player vs. Model

Variable Model Sample Player

Height (cm) 189.5 189

Weight (kg) 84.5 92.9

Body Fat (%) 9 12

Vertical Jump (cm) 61 62

5m Sprint (sec) 1 1.2

10m Sprint (sec) 1.9 2.2

40m Sprint (sec) 4.1 5

T Test (sec) 9.3 11.2

Bench Press (% of Body Weight)

1.1 1.2

Back Squat (% of Body Weight)

2 2.3