The enhancement of an athlete`s force capacities is a key role of the strength and conditioning coach. An athlete`s force capacity together with the rate at which this force can be expressed is dependent upon muscle morphology and architecture, together with the inputs from the neural system triggering muscle contraction [1], In this way, the force produced by a muscle in any given activity depends upon an integration of the neural system (the number of motor units activated, and the discharge rate of activation) along with the characteristics of the muscle (fibre type, cross-sectional area, muscle architecture). Therefore, an analysis of the physiological factors that affect force production needs to focus upon the entire mechanism of muscle contraction, from its neural stimulation, through to the contraction process in the muscle. This chapter aims to provide an overview of this process, and should be read in combination with Chapter 11, where the adaptations within these systems together with the training inputs required to elicit these adaptations are analysed, and also Chapter 3, where the biomechanical applications of force expression are analysed.
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