The Qualities that Make an Elite Athlete - Cedar Park/Leander Athlete Training

Every athlete wants to be faster, stronger, and more explosive. But what actually separates the good from the great?

While skill and strategy are crucial, the foundation of elite performance often comes down to raw physical qualities that show up in every sport — whether you're on the court, field, track, or in the pool.

At Barbell Coalition, we specialize in delivering training that brings Cedar Park & Leander athletes to the next level in sport performance.

Here are four physical traits that consistently show up in elite athletes — and why they matter.

1. Vertical Jump

Vertical jump is a direct measure of lower-body explosiveness. It tells us how quickly and forcefully an athlete can produce upward power — an essential trait in sports that require sprinting, jumping, cutting, or changing direction on a dime.

A high vertical jump doesn’t just mean you can dunk a basketball — it reflects powerful hips, glutes, quads, and hamstrings, which are crucial for nearly every athletic movement.

In the weight room and in testing, vertical jump is one of the best indicators of raw athletic potential.

2. Broad Jump

While vertical jump shows how explosive you are vertically, the broad jump reveals your horizontal power — your ability to cover ground quickly with force.

This matters for acceleration.

Whether you’re exploding off the line in a sprint, diving for a ball, or launching into a tackle, broad jump performance translates directly to how much ground you can gain in your first step.

It's also a great indicator of balance, coordination, and how well you can absorb and redirect force — all must-haves for top-level athletes.

3. Maximum Strength

All the speed and agility drills in the world won’t help much if an athlete lacks maximum strength.

Maximum strength — your ability to produce force — is the foundation that power and speed are built on.

Think of it as your horsepower.

The stronger an athlete is (especially in key lifts like squats, deadlifts, and presses), the more potential they have to jump higher, sprint faster, and recover better from contact or collisions.

Elite athletes don’t just look strong — they move with confidence, absorb contact with ease, and maintain performance late into games because they’ve built real, functional strength.

4. Power

While strength is your ability to produce force, power is your ability to produce that force quickly.

In sports, it’s rarely about who’s the strongest — it’s about who can produce force the fastest.

That’s power.

Whether it’s a fast swing, a powerful jump, or a quick burst off the line, power is the quality that makes an athlete look “explosive.”

Training for power — through Olympic lifts, medicine ball throws, jump variations, and sprinting — helps athletes convert their strength into game-changing performance.

Cedar Park/Leander Parents: Our Training Will Make Your Child a Better Athlete!

While each sport has its unique demands, the best athletes share these same physical qualities: they can jump high, cover ground fast, lift heavy, and move explosively.

These traits aren’t just nice-to-haves — they’re the backbone of elite athleticism

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Want your child to build these qualities the right way? Don’t guess. Train with a program designed to develop the foundation that truly separates great athletes from everyone else.

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