Building Resilient Athletes: From Buy-In to High-Level Performance
When it comes to developing athletes, the process is never just about sets, reps, or exercises. It’s about meeting them where they are, creating buy-in, and laying a foundation that allows performance to grow safely and sustainably. Here’s how we approach it step by step:
Step One: Establish Where We Need to Go
Before any programming begins, we need to understand the constraints: environment, skill, and task. Movement is learning—it’s not just about the outputs (strength, speed, power) but also the inputs—the habits, behaviors, and environment that support the work. And it always starts with behavior change.
That’s why buy-in matters early. Without it, the best plan won’t get followed. Think about an athlete’s reality: school, homework, social commitments, practice, conditioning (in-season and off-season). What are the chances they’ll consistently do what we ask if they don’t truly see the value?
So we let them play an active role. A simple question like, “What do you feel like you need more of right now?” gives us both insight and buy-in. When the athlete owns part of the process, they’re far more likely to show up and put in the work.
Step Two: Build on Buy-In with Objective Data
Once the athlete is engaged, the next step is creating objective measures they can improve against. Athletes are motivated by progress, but they need to see it in real terms.
Take this example:
An athlete came in with low-irritability knee pain. Nothing major, but her parents wanted to be proactive before off-season prep kicked in. That’s the right move—because if you wait until the season, it’s often too late.
This isn’t about fear—it’s reality. Four months of focused movement prep and strength & conditioning is a much easier road than eight to nine months of ACL rehab.
But not all knee pain is the same. We have to differentiate:
Muscular?
Connective tissue?
Joint-related?
Each responds differently to load and movement. In her case, we identified patellofemoral pain (PFP). That gave us a clear path: build capacity in three key areas:
Hip–Trunk
Quad
Foot–Ankle
We started by loading above and below the knee, then gradually introduced knee-dominant positions. The goal early on: keep the shin vertical, control the load, and progress at the right pace. Too often, athletes get pulled into cookie-cutter approaches (like aggressive knees-over-toes work) that don’t account for their specific situation. Context matters.
Step-by-Step Progression for Knee Rehab in Athletes
Once we’ve built tolerance and strength in the right places, we can begin progressing:
Deeper knee flexion
Sharper angles
Increased trunk demand
Change of direction (COD)
Intensive plyos
Dynamic foot positions
But progression only works if the foundation is solid. That’s why you have to map out the entire vision from day one, while also staying flexible. If new data shows you missed something, adjust. Being wrong early isn’t the problem—refusing to adapt is.
Most importantly, everything we do must tie back to sound clinical reasoning. Don’t program a knee exercise just to make the knee stronger. Always ask: What’s the bigger picture?
In this case, the bigger picture is lacrosse performance. Every exercise, progression, and choice connects back to that goal. The knee isn’t the finish line—it’s one piece of a larger performance puzzle.
Final Thought
Athlete development isn’t about shortcuts or one-size-fits-all programs. It’s about buy-in, objective data, smart progression, and clinical reasoning. When you put those pieces together, you don’t just rehab an injury—you build resilient athletes ready for the demands of their sport.
If you want to see what this looks like for your athlete, click the button below to take the first step!
