Great article. My personal experience is just that. My basketball ability went through the roof simply from adding 2 simple resistance training workouts to my weekly training schedule. I literally doubled in muscle size, which translated into jumping much higher, and being able to jump much more often without tiring.
Also included were pronounced advantages when body to body with opponents. Like wise with my running speed and endurance, and shooting ability. The extra momentum and explosiveness added power and accuracy to my shot. That was in an era when weight training was considered an absolute no no in Australia, with regards to sporting performance. I honestly felt like I could literally trample opponents, especially towards the end of games. I wasn't a gifted athlete, yet could easily beat much more gifted athletes due to the advantage the weight training gave me. I enjoyed the advantage, and often thought how lucky I was that much more physically gifted athletes didn't use resistance training. One of the biggest added advantages was resistance to injury, and the balancing effect proper resistance training adds to the mix. Most elite level athletes become extremely unbalanced physically, due to the extremely specific natures of their particular events. All of my team mates from that time are pretty much crippled now, and I am still amased that it is the norm even today for most retired elite athletes. At 56, I am a Personal Trainer and feel great, injury free, thanks to weight training.
Another side benefit is the mental toughness associated with grinding out reps, and learning to train more and more intensely, which certainly gives an edge in intense situations during events.
