As I watched the Ginebra game last night where they clinched a hard-fought victory at 91-87, it struck me how different sports demand entirely different training approaches. Having spent years both studying athletic performance and working with athletes across disciplines, I’ve come to appreciate that sports generally fall into three broad categories—endurance, strength-power, and skill-sport domains—each shaping how athletes prepare, recover, and excel. Let me walk you through these categories, drawing from that exciting match as a starting point.

Basketball, like Ginebra’s performance, sits in an intriguing space between strength-power and skill-sport categories. In that game, the team’s 48% field goal accuracy and those explosive fast breaks highlighted the blend of anaerobic power and refined motor skills required. Strength-power sports, which also include disciplines like weightlifting and sprinting, prioritize short, high-intensity efforts. Training here focuses heavily on resistance workouts, plyometrics, and power development—think squats, box jumps, and Olympic lifts. From my own coaching experience, athletes in these sports often train with loads at 80-90% of their one-rep max, aiming for that explosive edge we saw when Ginebra’s players drove to the basket. But what’s fascinating is how this differs from endurance sports, where the emphasis shifts to sustained output. Marathon runners or cyclists, for example, might log 80-100 kilometers weekly, building aerobic capacity through long, steady sessions. I’ve always leaned toward power sports myself—there’s something about that instant gratification of a well-executed play or lift that hooks me.

Then there are skill-sport domains, like gymnastics or tennis, where precision and technique trump raw power or stamina. In these, training revolves around repetition, coordination drills, and mental rehearsal. Watching Ginebra’s guards navigate tight defenses with slick passes reminded me of that fine line between skill and power—they’re not just strong; they’re crafty. I recall advising a young tennis player once; we spent 70% of her sessions on stroke consistency and situational drills, because in skill sports, muscle memory is king. Of course, most sports aren’t purely one category. Basketball, as we saw, merges elements: Ginebra’s 12 steals in that game came from a mix of reactive agility (skill) and bursts of speed (power). This hybrid nature means training must be periodized—shifting focus across seasons. Personally, I think modern athletes overlook this too often, stacking workouts without aligning them with competitive phases.

Wrapping up, the Ginebra win isn’t just a scoreline; it’s a lesson in how sport categories dictate training methods. Whether it’s building endurance for a triathlon, honing power for a dunk, or refining skills for a three-pointer, understanding these domains helps tailor regimens that deliver results. In my view, blending methods—like adding yoga for mobility in power sports—can elevate performance further. So next time you watch a game, notice those nuances; they’re why athletes train the way they do, and honestly, it’s what makes sports endlessly fascinating to me.