Max Schmarzo and Matt Van Dyke’s Force Is King is a comprehensive and highly practical deep dive into the role of force production in athletic performance, making it an essential read for strength and conditioning professionals, sport scientists, and coaches looking to maximize the physical capabilities of their athletes. The book’s central thesis revolves around the idea that force is the primary driver of all athletic movements—whether it be sprinting, jumping, cutting, or absorbing impact—and that training should be structured to develop an athlete’s ability to generate, apply, and control force efficiently. Schmarzo and Van Dyke take complex biomechanical and neuromuscular principles and distill them into clear, actionable insights that can be directly applied in the weight room and on the field. Unlike many theoretical discussions on athletic development, Force Is King is rooted in practicality, providing a framework for assessing an athlete’s individual needs, designing targeted training interventions, and adjusting programming based on objective performance metrics. The authors emphasize that training should not be a one-size-fits-all approach but rather a dynamic, evolving process that accounts for an athlete’s strengths, weaknesses, and sport-specific demands. Through detailed breakdowns of the force-velocity relationship, load management strategies, and force application techniques, the book provides a blueprint for optimizing performance through scientifically sound training methodologies.

One of the book’s major strengths is its detailed exploration of the force-velocity curve and its implications for athletic development. Schmarzo and Van Dyke explain how different athletes have unique force-velocity profiles, meaning that some may be naturally more force-dominant (strong but lacking speed) while others are velocity-dominant (fast but lacking strength). By assessing where an athlete falls on this spectrum, coaches can tailor training programs to address specific deficiencies and optimize the athlete’s ability to express force in a sport-specific manner. The book provides practical guidelines on how to shift an athlete’s force-velocity profile through targeted interventions, whether that means incorporating heavy strength training to improve force production or focusing on high-speed, low-load exercises to enhance velocity. This is where Force Is King stands out from many other training books—it doesn’t just advocate for lifting heavier weights or training faster but instead emphasizes the importance of individualized programming based on an athlete’s unique physiological characteristics. The authors make a strong case that understanding an athlete’s force-velocity profile is essential for maximizing performance and reducing injury risk, as imbalances in this area can lead to inefficient movement patterns and suboptimal performance outcomes.

In addition to discussing the force-velocity relationship, Force Is King delves into the specific training methods that can be used to develop force across different movement patterns and athletic contexts. The authors break down the various components of force production, including maximal strength, explosive strength, reactive strength, and eccentric strength, and explain how each contributes to overall athletic performance. They provide a detailed analysis of different training modalities, such as traditional resistance training, ballistic exercises, plyometrics, and velocity-based training (VBT), outlining how each can be used strategically to enhance force production in a sport-specific manner. One of the most valuable aspects of the book is its discussion on velocity-based training, which Schmarzo and Van Dyke advocate as a crucial tool for optimizing load selection and monitoring training adaptations. By using bar speed as a key metric, coaches can ensure that athletes are training at the appropriate intensity to elicit the desired adaptations, rather than relying solely on percentage-based training prescriptions, which may not accurately reflect an athlete’s daily readiness. The book provides practical guidelines on implementing VBT in both strength and power training, detailing how different velocity zones correspond to specific physiological adaptations and how coaches can use real-time feedback to make data-driven adjustments to training loads.

Beyond the science of force production, Force Is King also tackles the critical topic of athlete profiling and individualized program design. Schmarzo and Van Dyke stress that not all athletes respond to training in the same way, and therefore, strength and conditioning programs should be tailored to an athlete’s unique physiological and biomechanical characteristics. The book introduces methods for assessing an athlete’s force capabilities through various testing protocols, including force plate analysis, jump profiling, and bar velocity tracking. By gathering objective data on an athlete’s ability to produce and absorb force, coaches can create more precise training interventions that directly target areas of need. The authors also discuss how factors such as muscle fiber composition, neuromuscular efficiency, and movement mechanics influence an athlete’s force production capabilities, providing valuable insights into how training should be individualized based on these characteristics. This emphasis on athlete profiling aligns with modern high-performance methodologies that prioritize data-driven decision-making and individualized programming over generic, one-size-fits-all approaches.

Another standout section of Force Is King is its discussion on load management and fatigue monitoring. Schmarzo and Van Dyke recognize that developing force is not just about training hard but also about managing training loads intelligently to prevent overtraining and optimize long-term development. They provide practical strategies for monitoring an athlete’s readiness and adjusting training loads accordingly, incorporating concepts such as autoregulation, daily undulating periodization, and readiness assessments using bar speed tracking. The book emphasizes that force production is not just about how much weight an athlete can lift but also about how effectively they can apply that force in a sport-specific context. Therefore, recovery and load management play a crucial role in ensuring that athletes are not only getting stronger but also becoming more powerful and resilient. The authors provide actionable recommendations for structuring training blocks, managing volume and intensity, and implementing recovery protocols to maximize force development while minimizing the risk of overtraining.

Force Is King is not just a book about lifting weights. It is a holistic guide to understanding how force underpins all aspects of athletic performance and how coaches can optimize training to develop stronger, faster, and more explosive athletes. Schmarzo and Van Dyke do an excellent job of blending scientific research with practical application, making the book accessible to both experienced strength coaches and those new to the field. The book’s emphasis on individualized programming, objective performance tracking, and data-driven decision-making aligns well with modern trends in sports performance, making it a valuable resource for anyone looking to take their strength and conditioning knowledge to the next level. Whether you are working with elite athletes, high school teams, or general population clients, the principles outlined in Force Is King provide a framework for developing training programs that are both scientifically sound and highly effective. By shifting the focus from arbitrary programming decisions to a systematic approach based on an athlete’s unique needs, Schmarzo and Van Dyke provide coaches with the tools necessary to maximize performance while reducing the risk of injury. In an era where strength and conditioning is increasingly data-driven, Force Is King solidifies itself as a must-read for any coach serious about optimizing force production and athletic development.