1. Without technique, you can train, and train hard; but it won’t translate to the field. Good technique in training steadily improves an athlete on the field, while poor technique turns training into a waste of time: for example, think of the athlete deadlifting with a rounded lower back (the “angry cat”). There’s no on field movement, any sport, where force is produced from a rounded lower back. The athlete can deadlift a house with a rounded back, it won’t improve them one iota on the field. In fact, it’ll actually eventually make them WORSE, because...
2. Bad technique sets an athlete up for injury. Many athletes mistakenly think Exercise A is safe and effective, Exercise B is hazardous and ineffective. And while some exercise options are better or worse for certain athletes depending on individual differences and their sport, the reality is that no exercise is inherently “bad”, it’s HOW ITS PERFORMED. Any exercise improperly done, is a recipe for pain. Squat with your knees shoved forward, you’ll get knee pain. Bench with your elbows flared, you’ll get shoulder pain. Deadlift with a rounded back, you’ll get back pain. The human bodies’ incredible ability to tolerate inappropriate stress dictates that injuries usually happen in the future, not the present; but make no mistake, each and every poorly performed lift is setting an athlete up for discomfort, pain, and if done enough, injury.
This is why the number one training factor in improving an athlete, and helping their long term performance and durability, is technique. The answer for most athletes isn’t “put another plate on the bar”. It’s optimal loading, done with correct movement, coached and cued, patiently progressed, that turns the bad athlete into average, average to good, good to great.
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