Okay, so I was digging around for a good way to track and understand performance in athletes, especially when it comes to stuff like weightlifting and general training. That’s when I bumped into this thing called “Cressy scores.” I’d never heard of it before, but it sounded interesting, so I decided to give it a shot and see what it’s all about.
First off, I had to figure out what these scores actually are. Turns out, they’re a method developed by this guy Eric Cressy, who’s a big deal in the strength and conditioning world. His system is all about assessing an athlete’s abilities in a few key areas, which he says can give you a pretty good picture of their overall athletic potential and where they might need to improve.
So, I started by picking out a few athletes I work with. I made sure I got their consent first, of course. Privacy and all that. Then, we got to work. The Cressy score system looks at a few different things, so we had to run a bunch of tests.
The Tests
- Overhead Squat: This one was to check their mobility and stability. Basically, how well can they squat down with a weight held overhead? It tells you a lot about their shoulder, hip, and ankle flexibility.
- Broad Jump: This is your classic jump-as-far-as-you-can test. It’s a great way to see how much explosive power someone has in their lower body.
- 5-10-5 Pro Agility Test: Okay, this one was a bit more complicated. You set up three cones in a line, 5 yards apart. The athlete starts at the middle cone, sprints to one side, touches the line, sprints all the way to the other side, touches that line, and then sprints back to the middle. It’s all about how quickly they can change direction.
- Grip Strength: We used a hand dynamometer for this one. It’s basically a device you squeeze as hard as you can, and it measures your grip strength. Sounds simple, but it’s a good indicator of overall upper body strength.
We did all these tests, and I made sure to write everything down meticulously. Each test gives you a score, and the idea is to track these scores over time and see how they change.
After we got all the numbers, I plugged them into a spreadsheet to keep things organized. That made it way easier to see each athlete’s strengths and weaknesses. For example, one guy had a killer broad jump but struggled with the overhead squat. That told me we needed to work on his mobility. Another athlete had great agility but weaker grip strength, so we focused more on upper body work with him.
The cool thing about these Cressy scores is that they’re not just about how strong or fast someone is right now. They’re about giving you a roadmap for training. They show you exactly what areas you need to focus on to help the athlete improve. It’s not about comparing them to other people, it’s all about their own progress and development.
I’ve been using these scores for a while now, and I gotta say, I’m pretty impressed. They’ve given me a much clearer picture of each athlete’s abilities and helped me tailor their training programs more effectively. Plus, it’s been really motivating for the athletes themselves. They can see their scores improving over time, which is a great way to keep them engaged and working hard. It is quite fun.
I’d definitely recommend giving Cressy scores a try if you’re working with athletes and looking for a simple but effective way to assess and track their performance. It’s a bit of work to get all the tests done and data collected, but it’s totally worth it in the end. You’ll end up with some really valuable insights that can make a big difference in how you train.
