The Issue of Specificity in Strength Training.

One of the main arguments for free weights over machines is that they supposedly enhance an athlete's balance and coordination, leading to improved performance in their sport. However, research does not support this assumption.

Skill development is highly specific, and performing resistance exercises that superficially resemble sporting movements does not necessarily enhance sports performance. For instance, Drowatzky and Zuccato (1967) demonstrated that different balance tasks, even when appearing similar, had very low correlations in performance. This suggests that balance is not a general skill but rather a set of distinct abilities. Just because an athlete excels at balancing in one context does not mean that skill will transfer to another context.

Furthermore, the transfer of motor skills between exercises and actual sports tasks is often limited. Research indicates that training with similar but not identical movements can sometimes lead to negative transfer, meaning it can actually decrease performance in the intended task

Dynamical systems theory embraces and emphasises the need to understand movement behaviour as a system with all interacting parts (Clarke & Crossland, 1985). Constraints such as sound (environment), limb length (organism), or the task at hand (throwing a ball) can restrict information-movement coupling, decreasing performance (action) and coordination in athletes. Using a heavy baseball bat during practice will reduce the velocity of the swing when the athlete uses the normal bat, as it's impossible to swing a heavy bat as fast as a normal bat, resulting in the athlete learning to slow the movement down and change his skill mechanics (internal) accordingly.

Another example, Mount (1970) found that practicing dart throwing in different body positions (sitting and reclining) led to worse performance when switching between positions, compared to those who did not practice at all in an alternate position.

Takeaway: Exercise the muscles around a joint to enhance the structural integrity and practice the sport you want to get better at.