Elevate Your Game with Reactive Strength
By Emily Neff (Pappas), Ph.D. student
Reactive strength, the ability to swiftly generate force in response to unexpected movements or stimuli, is a game-changer for female athletes.
It's the key to explosive speed, agility, and enhanced jumping ability.
Reactive strength gives you the edge whether you're sprinting, changing direction rapidly, or aiming to jump higher.
Plyometric exercises like these Band-Assisted Depth Drop to Box Jump are an excellent movement to program for female athletes who have a baseline level of strength to benefit from this type of training!
For female athletes, developing POWER is the name of the game….
….and in sport, where split-second decisions matter, developing your reactive strength can be your secret weapon for success.
Check out this movement explanation from our coach Ally below!
Learn more about developing speed and power with our other articles
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ally Fayard works as the Program Director at Relentless, leading the coaching staff and working as the internship coordinator.
She completed her internship with Relentless in the Summer of 2022.
She has her BS in Human Nutrition, and is completing her CSCS and USAW.
I grew up in Lansdale, PA, just 10 minutes from Relentless Athletics. My athletic experience began here within the North Penn School District, where I played lacrosse and softball. After trying track & field out of curiosity during my senior year of high school, I found a passion in throwing. I went on to throw at the Division 1 level for the University of Maine. I specialized in hammer throw and was a varsity captain for 3 years.
During my time at the University of Maine, I studied human nutrition while also being a competitive athlete. My experiences as both an athlete and student have heavily shaped my principles and beliefs as a strength and conditioning coach. I completed my first internship with a gym, funny enough, called Relentless Strength Training. This opportunity gave me not only a base of knowledge and a network of great coaches, but it also ignited my passion for coaching. I went on to complete two semester internships with the UMaine Sports Performance Department, where I worked with collegiate athletes daily. I saw first-hand the impact a great coach could have on athletes and was inspired to continue fighting for women in the weight room. Through this internship I was also given the opportunity to work with our mens and women’s rugby teams. Having the experience as a head strength coach for such an incredible sport was nothing short of amazing and provided me with so many learning opportunities and made me continue to strive for the best for my athletes.
At Relentless Athletics, I am excited to apply both my knowledge of human nutrition and my experience in athletics and strength & conditioning to provide our athletes with the best coaching experience possible. It is my hope that these young athletes take away from Relentless Athletics, not only how to move their bodies, but also how to fuel them and how to have confidence in everything they do.