More than a half-century ago, German professor Kurt Meinel set the foundation for what many strength and conditioning coaches believe are the skills that make up “athleticism.” Football coaches often say a player is athletic but just as often lack the ability to define that. Meinel’s work helps to shape what individuals possess when we see them in action.

Meinel’s motor qualities framework identifies seven elements that can be identified, recorded and improved upon to increase an individual’s performance. While genetics play a big role in maximum skill levels, athletes can narrow the gap toward their peak performances through focused effort. Football skills make better football players, but higher athletic potential often allows athletes to do these skills more easily or to greater effect.

Here are Meinel’s elements and how athletes can work on each this offseason to improve their skills for the fall.

• Rhythm. Sprinting full speed or a perfectly pass set for a five-step drop both have their own rhythm. Timing and coordination are fundamental skills that can be limited by the other. As young athletes mature and grow, rhythm is most often affected as they get used to their new spatial awareness. Simple exercises such as jumping rope, skipping or boxing versus a heavy bag or mitts all develop a pace and tempo that will improve footwork, speed and dexterity.
• Fluidity. Have you ever seen a player who just seems to glide across the field? Contrast that to an athlete who looks like he or she is obviously trying to run fast. Becoming that smooth and graceful saves energy, makes athletes more efficient and improves performance. Some athletes study dance or yoga to achieve this. Some practice the skill until they can do it without thinking. As they say the military, “Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast.”
• Precision. Whether its foot placement on a wide receiver’s cut or hand placement for a defensive lineman, precision and accuracy improve performance, and players who always hit their spots are considered more athletic. Have you ever seen someone with a wild running motion or is flailing his arms like an octopus? You know right away. It’s no surprise that putting the different parts of your body in the correct position gets the most out of any sporting action. Footwork drills, hand-eye coordination games and anything with a target can assist with precision.
• Speed. Some say you can’t teach speed. They are wrong. Follow USA Football blogger Ken Taylor for everything you need to know about speed training. As another saying goes “Strength huts, but speed kills.”
• Consistency. Remember when you were a young athlete and just learning a new skill? Maybe only one out of three tries was done well. Athletes who practice can eventually accomplish tasks well over and over again. To achieve consistency is a matter of motor control coupled with knowledge of what is required and practice. Offseason programs are a great way to ingrain important patterns and make every rep look the same.
• Intensity. Most strength coaches talk about intensity as a percentage of a one repetition max. The closer to full speed, the more intense a sprint is considered. The same can be true of football skills. The closer to an athlete’s full output potential a skill is executed, the more intense it is. Some players are great in the weight room but against an opponent it is not there. Players who can make intense cuts, sprints or strike on a block often dominate opponents. In traditional training blocks, this happens during the “realization phase,” where all the work in the offseason weight room is put into practice on the field. The new strength, power and speed makes the skills stronger, faster and better by increasing the intensity of each movement.
• Amplitude. The the bigger something is, the more athletic it appears – whether it is a higher vertical leap, covering more ground with a single jump cut or the force of a collision. To do skills big, athletes must possess power and be able to control it on the field.