It’s easy to get caught up in sport-specific drills — throwing, shooting, dribbling, or hitting. But the truth is, athleticism is what unlocks skill.
Developing speed, strength, coordination, and balance lays the foundation for success in any sport. You’ve probably heard the phrase “Speed kills.” And it’s true — speed changes games. Building athleticism doesn’t just help an athlete perform better in their current sport; it gives them the versatility, confidence, and durability to adapt to any challenge that comes their way.
There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to athletic training. Cheetahs can’t train like rhinos, and rhinos can’t train like cheetahs. It just doesn’t work that way. Every athlete’s training should be based on their unique strengths, weaknesses, and movement patterns. When assessing athletic potential, we focus on a few key areas:
How well can the athlete move? Are there any unilateral imbalances? If so, the athlete will naturally favor one side, which affects how efficiently they produce force — often slowing them down and increasing injury risk. Good mobility ensures proper movement mechanics and balanced power output.
This is where the cheetah-versus-rhino analogy really matters. Cheetahs are incredibly powerful for their size, producing force rapidly to become the fastest land animals on Earth. Rhinos, on the other hand, are immensely strong — strong enough to flip a full-sized truck — but their sheer body mass limits their top-end speed. For athletes, relative strength (how strong you are compared to your body weight) often determines how fast, explosive, and agile you can be.
Sprint mechanics influence almost everything about athletic performance. The goal is to get the body into the optimal position to strike the ground with maximum force — efficiently and explosively. Poor mechanics not only make you slower, but they can also create braking forces that work against your movement or, worse, lead to injuries.
Bottom line: Skill work matters, but athleticism is the foundation. When athletes move better, they perform better — no matter what sport they play.
Train to Win,
Coach Ben
Parisi Speed School – Beaumont, TX
