You want to train your athletes with strength, endurance, and ______?

• A. Power
• B. Speed
• C. Flexibility
• D. Balance

Answer: (A)

Training athletes to perform well requires both substantial force and the ability to express it quickly. Power is the ability to generate a lot of force in a short amount of time—the perfect blend of strength and speed of movement. Adding power to strength and endurance gives athletes explosive capability for jumps, sprints, and rapid changes of direction, which are common to many sports. While flexibility and balance help with technique and injury prevention, they don’t directly provide that quick, high-rate force production. So, the best fit for the blank is power.