Strength Training Is Not Skill Training

This may be surprising to hear, but getting stronger in the weight room doesn’t improve your skill. Strength and skill are two entirely separate attributes of an athlete that have an influence on performance. Although these two attributes intertwine to a degree, trying to build strength to overcome a deficit in performance will not yield results unless flaws in the athlete’s skill are addressed as well.

What exactly is skill?

Skill is simply the learned postures and movements specifically related to the demands of an athlete’s sport. For an O-Line athlete, this is the ability to get into a functional stance, move through the 8-angles of offensive line play, and the athlete’s ability to engage in P2P (pressure to pressure) with the most optimal leverage.

None of the previously mentioned skills are something that get developed through any type of squat, clean or bench press. Don’t get me wrong, this is not to say that being strong is not important. Strength is the fundamental base of athleticism. You need to be strong in order to reach your full potential of skill. There is a baseline of strength required for something even as basic as getting into a stance. At the same time though, getting stronger will not fix a bad stance on its own.

It is often assumed that performance in the P2P phase (pressure to pressure) is solely dependant on strength. “I struggle with the bull rush, so I need to get stronger.”, or “I don’t create enough movement in the run game, so I need to get stronger.”, are some conclusions that almost everyone has come to at some point. So is the answer to every area of performance just to be as strong as possible? No, of course not. You could have the heaviest squat on the team and be the worst at sitting on a bull rush because you haven’t taken the time to develop skill which is ultimately the expression of your strength.

Skill is the great equalizer in performance. There will be a point where strength gains start to have diminishing returns. Adding 5% to a 500 pound squat max is not going to necessarily yield an increase in performance. Every high level athlete needs to be strong, but what separates the good from the great players is not their strength, but the level of skill they possess.

Getting the body stronger should be one of the many goals during an off-season, but it is important to realize that strength is not the end-all be-all in developing as an offensive line athlete. As much effort that you put into building strength needs to also be put into building skill. One of these areas cannot make up for a deficit in the other, so to truly show your strength on the field, make sure your pass set is as fine tuned as your squat.

Ecclesiastes 10:10
If the ax is dull and its edge unsharpened, more strength is needed, but skill will bring success.