(31) RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN STRENGTH, POWER, AND SPRINT PERFORMANCE IN HIGH SCHOOL SOFTBALL PLAYERS

Abstract Details: High school strength and conditioning (S&C) programs tend to focus on improving strength, power, and speed in athletes. Program prescription to increase muscular strength and power is given with the goal of translating these improvements into sport-specific speed. Previous research has shown conflicting relationships between measures of strength and speed in different athletic populations. There has been limited analyses of the relationships between strength, power, and sprint performance in high school softball players. Better understanding relationships between strength, power, and running speed in these players could help improve athletic performance by providing guidance on what to include in their S&C programs. 

Purpose:  To determine the relationships between linear speed, lower-body strength, and lower-body power in high school softball players. 

Methods:  Analysis was conducted on data collected from 34 high school softball players prior to participation in a S&C training program. The data recorded for each player included: age, height, and body mass; 9.14-m (10-yard) and 18.29-m (20-yard) sprint times; standing broad jump (SBJ) distance (lower-body power); and absolute and relative 3-repetition maximum (3RM) front squat and trap bar deadlift (lower-body strength). Pearson’s correlations (p< 0.05) were conducted to derive the relationships between the data recorded, with a specific focus on linear speed. 

Results:  Significant, strong correlations were found for the 9.14-m sprint and SBJ (r=-0.778, p< 0.001), and the 18.29-m sprint and SBJ (r=-0.772, p< 0.001). There was a moderate correlation between the 18.29-m sprint and relative 3RM trap bar deadlift (r=-0.349, p=0.043). There were no significant correlations between absolute strength measures and sprint times. 

Conclusions:  The nature of softball includes utilizing bouts of explosive power. The significant negative correlations between sprint times and SBJ show the positive effects of higher lower-body power in relation to faster (i.e. lower) speed times. The correlation between relative strength of 3RM trap bar deadlift and speed suggests higher amounts of relative lower-body strength could contribute to better acceleration and top-end speed. The lack of significant relationships between absolute strength measures and sprint times may suggest some limitations in this quality for high school softball players. Strength training may not be implemented for most female athletes in softball especially if there is a higher importance placed on speed and power. It is that possible the coaches of the softball players from this sample could focus on maximal strength development in future programs. This may subsequently be expressed in the powerful and explosive demands of the sport. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: The significant correlations between sprint times and SBJ and sprint times and relative 3RM deadlift could better guide coaches to emphasize lower-body power and lower-body strength development in their S&C programs. This could potentially contribute to improvements in sprint performance for high school softball players. It is important to note that correlation strength between the variables in this study may change based on other factors such as age, level of athlete, and overall training experience. Further research analyzing longitudinal data may determine whether there are causative relationships between enhancing lower-body power and relative strength with linear speed.

Acknowledgements: This research was supported by an NSCA Directed Research Grant.