Mark Watts has extensive experience as a strength and conditioning coach and educator. He has over 15 years of experience coaching at various colleges and universities. He is certified in several strength coaching organizations. Watts focuses on developing rotational power, mobility, stability, and sport-specific movements through progressive programming. His approach emphasizes measurement and evaluation to ensure athletes are continually improving.

1. Mark Watts, M.Ed, MS, CSCS, USAW, PES, SCCC, RSCC

2.  Fifth Grade Catholic School Teacher
 Author and Former Director of Education at elitefts.com
 Former Host of the EliteFTS Sports Performance Podcast
 Former NSCA Ohio State Director
 Former Adjunct Professor in the School of Professional &
Applied Studies at Urbana University
 College Strength & Conditioning Coach for 15 years at
Denison University, The United States Military Academy,
The Ohio State University, The University of Tulsa,
Allegheny College, and Clarion University
 Certifications: CSCS*D, USAW, PES, SCCC, RSCC
 USMC Veteran

3. The Problem
• Rationale
• Specificity
• Overload
• Measurement
Progressions
• Stability
• Mobility
• Frontal
• Transverse
Programming
• Preparatory
• Reactive
• Dynamic
• Volume

4.  Needs Analysis
 Evaluation of the Bio-Motor Requirements of Sport
Movements
 Sport-Specific Simulation vs. Motor Pattern Similarity
 Almost all Sports are“Rotational”
 Specific Speed of Movement…. Rotational endurance?!?
 Developing Rotational Power without Rotational
Movements
 Unilateral Movements
 Change of Direction

5.  Progress by…
 Quantitative Measures
 Load
 Volume
 Output (Outcome)
 Qualitative Measures
 Movement Efficiency
 Athlete Feedback

6.  Can’t manage what you don’t measure
 Measurement is Motivation
 Progressions
 Step System
 Qualitative Analysis
 Having a progressive system in conjunction with
concrete measurements

7. Preparation
Observation
Evaluation
Intervention

8. Rotational
Power
Skill
Acquisition
Sequencing
= Efficiency
Force
Production
Stability =
Deceleration

9. 1 • Unconscious Incompetence
2 • Conscious Incompetence
3 • Conscious Competence
4 • Unconscious Competence

10. Mobility T-Spine Hip
Stability Anti-
Rotation
Anti-
Flexion
Anti-
Extension
Frontal
Plane
COD
Mech.
Pre-Load
Transverse
Plane
Sequencing Cueing

11. Soft Tissue –
TFL, GM
Soft Tissue -
ASG
Soft Tissue -
PSG
T-Spine
Extension/
Rotation
Hip Flexor -
ROM

12. T-Spine Mobility Hip Mobility
Soft Tissue – Anterior Shoulder
Girdle
Soft Tissue: TFL, GM
Soft Tissue – Posterior
Shoulder Girdle
Dynamic Flexibility Circuit
Extension: bench, bands APT ROM: Couch Stretch
Rotation: Quadraped, KB

13. Anti-
Rotation
• Isometric
• Concentric
• Eccentric
Anti-
Extension
• Lever Arm
• Time-Under-Tension

14. Anti-
Extension
Anti-
Rotation
‘Core’
Stability
Fall Outs w/ Straps Pallof Press w/
Bands
Planks
Roll-Outs w/
Stability Ball
Leaning Pallof Press
w/ Straps
Bird-Dogs
Rotations w/ bands Manual Resistance
Samurais
Dead-Bugs

15. Pre-Load
Lateral Push
Rotation

16. Verbal Cues
– External Cues Vs. Internal Cues
• Using environment to reinforce movement
Tactile Cues
– Constraint Based (Winkleman)
• Using environment to reinforce sequencing

17. OBJECTIVES
PREPARATION
INSTRUCTION
EVALUATION

18. Movement
Prep
• Anti-Rotation, Anti-Extension, Mobility,
Stability
Reactive
Method
• Throws, Jumps, Sprints
Dynamic
Effort
• Olympic, Landmine, Bands
Repetitive
Effort
• Crawling, Twisting, Side Flexion

19. Single Leg
Jumps
Rotational
Throws
Lateral
Sprints
SL Lateral Box Scoop Lateral Starts
Skater off Box Chop Kneeling Starts
SL Lateral Depth Push Skater Starts

20. Scoop
Plyometric
Response
Stance
Trail Leg
Chop
Lever Arm
Stance
Crow-Hop/
Shuffle
Push
Counter
Movement
Stance
Crow-Hop
COD

21. Olympic Landmine Plate, DB,
KB, Bands
Single Arm Rotation Chops
From the Split Push Lifts
Snatch or Pull Push-Pull Combo

22. Rolling
Get-ups
Crawling

23. Day 1
 Movement Prep
 Linear Speed
 Snatch
 Squat
 Jump
Day 2
 Movement Prep
 Lateral Speed
 Clean
 Pull
 Throw

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Conditioning Journal. 32(4):20-25, August 2010.
Gillies, Aaron; Dorgo, Sandor. Preventing Lumbar Injuries in Rotational Striking Athletes. Strength &
Conditioning Journal. 35(2):55-62, April 2013.
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preseason and at competition period. J Strength Cond Res 23(6): 1773–1779, 2009
Lehman, G, Drinkwater, EJ, and Behm, DG. Correlation of throwing velocity to the results of lower-body field
tests in male college baseball players. J Strength Cond Res 27(4): 902–908, 2013.
Spaniol, Frank J. Striking Skills: Developing Power to Turn. Strength & Conditioning Journal. 34(6):57-60,
December 2012.
Stodden, D.F., Campbell, B.M., and Moyer, T.M. Comparison or Trunk Kinematics in Trunk Training Exercises
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rotational strength on angular hip, angular shoulder, and linear bat velocities of high school baseball players.
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Szymanski, DJ, Szymanski, JM, Schade, RL, Bradford, TJ, McIntyre, JS, DeRenne, C, and Madsen, NH. The
relation of high school baseball players before and after 12 weeks of training. J Strength Cond Res 24(11): 2933–
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Talukdar, K, Cronin, J, Zois, J, and Sharp, AP. The role of rotational mobility and power on throwing velocity. J
Strength Cond Res 29(4): 905–911, 2015

25. www.elitefts.com/author/mark-watts/
strength.coach.education@gmail.com
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