The Core Training Principles Every Coach Should Use: Part 1

A Coach-to-Coach Case Study Series/ CMJ Performance & Sport Science

Specificity • Overload • Progression

When coaches talk about “getting athletes faster or more explosive,” it’s easy to jump straight into exercises. But the truth is simple:

Athletes only adapt to what you consistently challenge them with.

If your workouts never change, neither will your athletes. Let’s break down the three principles every high school coach should use -in the weight room, on the field, and on the court.

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Specificity: Train What the Sport Actually Requires

Specificity is the simplest rule we have:

The body adapts to exactly what you ask it to do.

If you want better vertical jumpers?

You need to train jump mechanics, the stretch-shortening cycle, and fast elastic movements.

If your sport is basketball, your players jump all game long — rebounding, blocking, finishing, contesting shots. So the training needs to reflect that.

Examples of basketball-specific explosive work:

• Countermovement jumps

• Hurdle hops

• Approach jumps

• Medicine ball vertical throws

• Drop jumps (for advanced athletes)

These movements mirror what basketball players ACTUALLY do, so they create a much better transfer than general leg exercises alone.

How Much Plyometric Work Is Safe? (NSCA Guidelines)

A big part of specificity is knowing how much your athletes can handle.

The NSCA recommends:

Athlete Level	Contacts/Session
Beginner	80-100
Intermediate	100-120
Advanced	120-140+

This is one of the biggest mistakes I see:

• Too many coaches add too much, too soon.

Start small. Earn the right to progress.

Especially with high school athletes, less is often more.

Overload: Training Must Get Slightly Harder Over Time

Overload doesn’t mean crushing kids with “grind” workouts.

It simply means the training stimulus is just above what the athlete is used to.

Small, controlled increases create big results.

Examples of overload:

• Add 1-2 inches to a jump target

• Increase reps or sets

• Reduce ground contact time

• Increase sprint distance

• Add 5-10 lb to a lift

• Increase intensity of movement

If > Then Coaching Guide

If…	Then…
Athlete finishes easily	Increase slightly
Athlete loses power	Reduce volume
Numbers stall	Change the stimulus
Athlete is always tired	Reduce intensity

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Progression: The Key to Safer, Long-Term Gains

Progression is the step-by-step plan that keeps athletes improving without breaking them down.

The biggest progression mistake school coaches make?

• Skipping steps.

• Jumping straight into high-intensity plyos.

• Or keeping workouts exactly the same for months.

Progression should be slow, steady, and intentional.

Example 6-Week Basketball Jump Progression

Weeks 1-2:

• Landing mechanics focus

• Unilateral and Bilateral hops/jumps

• Horizontal and Vertical jumps

Weeks 3-4: (progressively increase volume)

• Landing mechanics focus

• Unilateral and Bilateral hops/jumps

• Horizontal and Vertical jumps

Weeks 5: (progressively increase volume)

• Landing mechanics focus

• Unilateral and Bilateral hops/jumps

• Horizontal and Vertical jumps

Weeks 6: (decrease volume/Taper)

• Landing mechanics focus

• Unilateral and Bilateral hops/jumps

• Horizontal and Vertical jumps

  
  

Coach Reminder:

Athletes must show clean landings before moving on.

• Sloppy mechanics = higher risk of injury.

  
  

We’ll dive deeper into plyometric progression in its own case study.

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Case Study: Building Better Jumpers in Basketball

Coach Rivera’s varsity girls needed more pop around the rim- especially second jumps.

Early on, she noticed three things: 

• Landings were unstable

• Knees caved inward

• Athletes couldn’t repeat jump efforts without slowing down

So she made changes using three simple principles.

Specificity:

More sport-like jumps: CMJs, approach jumps, controlled box landings.

Overload:

Slight increases in height, reps, or intensity each week.

Progression:

Started with basic movements and prioritized landing mechanics before moving into more advanced plyos.

By Week 6, her team showed:

• Better landing stability

• Fewer knee valgus moments

• Smoother, more powerful takeoffs

The technical improvements led to better rebounding and finishing during games — without increasing injury risk.

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What Coaches Can Start This Week

• Use NSCA ground contact recommendations

• Start with low-level plyos

• Emphasize landing mechanics first

• Increase difficulty slowly

• Track weekly jump quality or height

• Match movements to the sport — always

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Quick Screenshot Takeaways

• Train movements that match the sport

• Follow NSCA ground contact ranges

• Start low > progress slow

• Landing mechanics before jump height

• Overload gradually, not aggressively

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