Have you ever noticed that training for speed and agility improvement produces less results than does strength, power, muscular endurance, flexibility and aerobic endurance?
This explains why many athletes who perform resistance training, may develop considerable size, strength and/or endurance. Even stretching and jogging may offer some substantial improvement in their respective modalities.
Soccer Drills
Speed and agility improvement, on the other hand - doesn't come as easy. Let's start with speed. Clinical research, practical application and outstanding coaching has proven that virtually anyone can get "faster" with the appropriate program design. Speed, better labeled as velocity, is trainable. Linear speed - that is. Yes, science has proven that everyone can get faster - even slow kids can get faster. Straight line (linear) speed is is easy to increase for most people.
The Truth About Agility and Quickness Training
What about lateral speed, change of direction, agility and quickness? Exercise science researchers have provided little to no direction on training for the 'juke'. Sure athletic performance training coaches and companies try to make you believe that cones, ladders, agility rings and other apparatus are essential for improving speed. My hope is that after reading this article you will understand the hoax behind current "agility "training methods.
A FEW THINGS YOU SHOULD CONSIDER WHEN SEEKING AGILITY & QUICKNESS:
1. Faster feet will NOT make you a better athlete. This is so far from the truth. If you have ever witnessed a Double Dutch competition, you will agree that there is no athlete on the planet who moves like Double Dutchers. If fast feet were the answer - then why not start recruiting double dutchers to play in the NBA, NFL or UFC? Fast feet are not the answer. The hips steer the ship, not the feet.
2. Looking down while performing an agility drill is BAD. Agility ladders and cones impair visual feedback. All sports have a "plane field" The plane field is where your head and eyes need to be during competition. Basketball players have a plane field that is considerably higher than soccer players. This makes sense - basketball players are tall, and the "business of competing" happens above the waist. Take a moment to see if your agility drill passes the Tennis Ball test. If you can hold a tennis ball in between your chin and neck while you perform an agility drill - your head is tilted in the wrong direction. The nervous system captures and stores every move you make while training. When you retrieve these moves for use on the floor or field - your body will remember to sink your head just as you did during the drill. If you fight the head sinking urge (rather during training or competition), you will confuse your nervous system and your body will produce uncoordinated and ineffective agility moves.
3. Agility and quickness training is less qualitative, less quantitative, and more relative. What does this mean? Coaches watch athletes and give them feedback on their form and technique - that's a qualitative analysis. Quantifying a training session means giving it sets and repetitions. Run 50 yards - ten times is quantifying a training session.
To be quicker and more agile, all training sessions for quickness and agility must incorporate the free-thinking of another human being. No training apparatus can come close to the reactive ability of another person. True agility training is like mental wrestling. Conventional agility training puts your nervous system to sleep. Combat athletes seem to understand this concept. In the classic 1984 film, "The Karate Kid", Daniel (Ralph Macchio) witnesses a "bad guy" breaking a piece of wood. "Can you do that?", he asks his Karate instructor (Pat Morita). The karate instructor's response, "I don't know, I've never been attacked by a piece of wood." I think Bruce Lee made a similar comment in one of his films when he said, "Boards don't hit back". My point is, agility and quickness training is relative to who you are trying to catch or escape from. Cones don't move. Cones don't think. I've never been tackled by an agility ring. I have been tackled by a 280 pound tackle named Adonis. You get the point.
There is a big difference between agility and maneuverability. How many world class sprinters are playing professional soccer or football? Speed is not as important as how you position yourself on a field, mat or floor that has a constantly changing environment. Agility training cannot be done in isolation. Don't approach agility training the way you would approach lifting weights. Agility and quickness training is a co-dependent activity, weight lifting is an independent activity - it can be done in total isolation and you will still see improvements. You cannot get quicker training by yourself.
The Truth About Agility and Quickness Training
