Chapter 12 Speed, Agility, and Quickness

1. Chapter 12Speed, Agility, and Quickness

2. Objectives • After this presentation, the participant will be able to: • Describe speed, agility, and quickness training and its purpose. • Discuss the importance of speed, agility, and quickness training. • Design a speed, agility, and quickness training program for clients in any level of training. • Perform, describe, and instruct various speed, agility, and quickness training exercises.

3. Concepts • Often viewed as being beneficial only for the athlete. • Can also be used with a typical health club member to: • Add intensity and complexity • Increase the cardiorespiratory demand • Provide a simple and exciting variety to a routine workout • Allows a client to enhance his or her ability to accelerate, decelerate, and dynamically stabilize the entire body during higher velocity in multiple planes.

4. Speed • The ability to move the body in one intended direction as fast as possible • The product of stride rate and stride length • Stride Rate • The number of strides taken in a given amount of time (or distance). • Stride Length • The distance covered in one stride, during running.

5. Speed • Proper Sprint Mechanics • Allow the client to maximize forces generated by muscles, so that maximum velocity can be achieved in the shortest possible time. • Frontside mechanics is the emphasis on triple flexion of the front leg: • Ankle dorsiflexion • Knee flexion • Hip flexion • Neutral lumbar spine

6. Speed • Proper Sprint Mechanics • Backside mechanics is the emphasis on triple extension of the back leg: • Ankle plantarflexion • Knee extension • Hip extension • Neutral lumbar spine

7. Agility • The ability to start (or accelerate), stop (or decelerate and stabilize), and change direction quickly, while maintaining proper posture • Requires high levels of neuromuscular efficiency • Constantly regaining a center of gravity over a base of support, while changing directions, at various speeds • Can also help to prevent injury • Enhances the body’s ability to effectively control eccentric forces in all planes of motion • Improves the structural integrity of the connective tissue • An example of an agility exercise from the book would be One-ins, which is a speed ladder stepping combination.*

8. Quickness • The ability to react and change body position with maximum rate of force production, in all planes of motion and from all body positions, during functional activities. • The ability to react to visual, auditory, and kinesthetic feedback during functional activities with minimal hesitation.

9. Kinetic Chain Checkpoints • Foot and Ankle Complex • Pointing straight ahead • Dorsiflexed when it hits the ground • Excessive flattening or external rotation of the foot will create abnormal stress throughout the rest of the kinetic chain and decrease overall performance • Knee Complex • Must remain straight ahead • Excessive adduction and internal rotation of the femur during the stance phase decreases force production and leads to overuse injuries

10. Kinetic Chain Checkpoints • Lumbo-Pelvic-Hip Complex • The body should have a slight lean during acceleration. • During maximum velocity, should be fairly neutral, without excessive extension or flexion, unless to reach for an object. • Head Position • The head should remain in line with the lumbo-pelvic-hip complex and legs. • Should not compensate and move into extension, unless necessary to track an object (such as a ball). • Can affect the position of the lumbo-pelvic-hip complex (pelvo-occular reflex).

11. SAQ Training for Youth • SAQ training for youth is an effective way of providing a variety of exposures to various physiologic, neuromuscular, and biomechanical demands, resulting in the further development of physical ability. • SAQ programs for youth have been found to decrease the likelihood of athletic injury, increase the likelihood of exercise participation later in life, and improve physical fitness. • Speed and Agility is the most relevant to the progression of a youth training program.*

12. SAQ Training for Weight Loss • High-intensity, short-duration programs have been found to match or surpass results for functional capacity, muscular power, fat and weight loss, and other metabolic adaptations when compared with moderate-intensity, long-duration exercise protocols. • The high-intensity, short bouts of SAQ drills make them a valid choice for interval training modalities with appropriate nonathletic populations.

13. SAQ Training for Seniors • A primary function of SAQ training in seniors is to prevent age-related decreases in bone density, coordinative ability, and muscular power. This aids in the prevention of injury and an increase in the quality of life. • SAQ-based programs have been found to increase coordinative ability and movement confidence, eliciting a decreased likelihood of falling or other movement-related injury.

14. SAQ Drills and Programming

15. Summary • SAQ training can be used by athletic and nonathletic populations and does not need to be reserved for athletes. • Precise technique and kinetic chain control are required to minimize risk of injury. • Programming guidelines must be gauged on the total volume of training for all components in a workout.