The evolution of athlete training and conditioning established roots in individual sports where coaches turned to physical development to get the most out of each athlete's performance. Individual sports like track sprinting found they could benefit from enhanced leg strength and power. Head coaches were the first trainers of athletes, taking them into the weight room with an eye on improving performance.

The systems and strategies in sports such as football, cricket and tennis can best be described as organized chaos; during competition no one knows what will happen in the very next second. Multi-directional sports are a read-and-react game where success hinges on individual tactics – the toolbox of creative moves on offence and the mobility and reactivity on the defensive side.