Learn to move well before you try to develop strength, power and speed

COACHES' CORNER/ TRAINING TO BE STRONGER AND FASTER:Coaching experts Jim Kiltyand Liam Hennessycontinue their series on Long Term Athlete/Player Development Pathway

COACHES, ATHLETES and players all agree that being stronger, faster and fitter will allow a player to perform better in the sporting arena. However, you may have noticed the best team players and individual athletes are actually the ones who move most efficiently. Yes they possess power and speed but they have excellent movement skills and a wide range of them. So which comes first: the movement skills or the strength, power and speed?

If you answer strength, power and speed it is time to think again. Consider this: the first and most important requirement is being able to move efficiently - the skill of movement is therefore more important to engrain first. It is as as simple as saying that if you can ride a bicycle then you can start to move fast on it. But if you can't balance on the cycle with ease or cycle efficiently then take it easy - you need to improve your cycling skill first before you try to race.

And it is the same for sport: learn to move first with balance and ease of movement; think about strength, power and speed later. Modern training methods focus on getting mobile and stable as part of movement training for athletes and players at all ages.

Too often the young athlete or player sees his sports idol and thinks they are fast and strong so I must train like them.

"I must get to the gym and start lifting weights," is their first thought. Wrong - the time your sport idols have spent laying the foundation for excellent movement skills is what you don't see and this is crucial to address first before getting to the gym.

The first step is to be mobile.

We highlighted the importance of building a wide range of movement skills. In tandem with doing this it is a good idea to assess your mobility. Previously we described an overhead squat test to test your mobility and stability. The idea was to see if you can squat deep while keeping your feet on the floor and keeping your back strong and upright while also holding your arms overhead. If you can do this successfully then you are mobile in this movement.

This is a common movement in many team sports and so you should be able to do it with ease and efficiency. This is just one simple test that you should be able to do before you even think of getting into the gym or even starting a resistance training programme. So check your mobility. Can you deep squat efficiently? If you can, then try to maintain this mobility throughout the year and indeed throughout your sporting career. Doing so will help you develop a better range of movement skills and will help set the foundation for building strength, power and speed later.

• These notes are contributed by Dr Liam Hennessy and Jim Kilty of Setanta College, the Institute of Strength and Conditioning Studies (www.setantacollege.com).