Alot is written on the mechanics of speed but little on agility.
Can anyone:
- List the key mechanical principles involved in change of direction
- Recommend websites with specific info
- Recommend videos which don’t fit the run of the mill SAQ
If you find any of this stuff, please let me know. I have been searching for similar information and have come up pretty much empty.
There is actually a lot of information on the web and there are plenty of videos, but none of them have taken what I would consider a sound approach starting with first principles and working from there. Most are simply collections of different drills.
That said, I think there are a couple of fundamental issues to think about with respect to agility. First, in order to change direction, you have to control your momentum. That means that you must have the ability to stop going one direction before you can go a new direction. This implies training on the skill of decelleration along all movement vectors. This skill is also highly dependent upon strength (especially eccentric and reactive strength) of the prime movers. In addition, body control requires a high level of strength in the core so that proper angles for acceleration can be maintained.
Finally, after you have decellerated and made your move, good acceleration is necessary to sucessfully complete the skill.
So my prescription for agility improvement involves getting strong (strength to weight ratio is extremely important), learn to decellerate, improve acceleration and practice the skills you will need.
In addition, in any competitive situation, don’t overlook the importance of proper anticipation and reactions. If you are not the fastest athlete from point a to point b, then make sure that you start the race at point c (which is closer to point b!) You can do this through anticipation or by moving your opponent with fakes, etc.
xlr8, Gilman, others,
can you comment on the SAQ system of training?
SAQ = Speed Agility Quickness
I am not sure there is one SAQ system - though I could be wrong.
Very Good post Xlr8 -
I can’t add much to that other than to emphasise the importance of anticipation and reaction.
This is gained through playing the game and perhaps using reaction drills (- such as reaction while to traffic lights i.e. Red to Green NOT yellow to red 
)
The only real SAQ texts I have come across are …
-
Training for Speed, Agility, and Quickness by Lee E. Brown
-
Speed to Win by Glenn Stewart
I’m sure there are others and I’d love to hear about them if there are any …
I’ve seen lots of people use the SAQ acronym. Which one are you talking about? Perhaps you could give a quick rundown on the basic components of the system?
Originally posted by no23
The only real SAQ texts I have come across are …
Training for Speed, Agility, and Quickness by Lee E. Brown
Speed to Win by Glenn Stewart
Wow, those are two books that I don’t have (and my training library is HUGE!) Do you recommend them?
Whoops, sorry I do have the Brown one. Mostly a list of drills. I can’t find the Stewart one on Amazon. Any ideas where to pick it up?
Xlr8,
I can’t say they’re ground breaking, but they do have some very good drills and from which you can develop your own.
I haven’t looked at both for a little while but Browns is very much a US Football book and Stewarts is an Aussie rules book.
You covered the key points in your earlier post as far as I am aware,
The main bullet points :
Strength to absorb speed,
Strength to Accelerate
Flexibility to change direction,
Speed to adjust footing
Core Strength to assist change of direction and balance
Reaction and awareness
I appreciate that to maximise the benefits of plyometrics the ground contacts should be short.
However plyometric drills can be manipulated to take advantage of the eccentric component to develop dynamic eccentric strength.
What do others think?
xlr8 thanks for your reply.
Do you have specific drills to train deceleration which over emphasise eccentric strength and reactive ability in a specific setting.
An idea I picked up recently to improve eccentric strength was to perform a plyometric drill and hold the landing before moving into the next rep.
You are so correct regarding your comments on anticipation and reaction. I would appreciate if you or anyone could outline a series of progressive drills used to develop a sport specific skill.
Speed to Win by Glenn Stewart can be purchased through the Austaralian Track and Field Coaches Association web site.
gf_200 SAQ is a trendy term (in my humble opinion!) which means training the following biomotor abilities:acceleration, max velocity and sport specific motor patterns (agility)
Originally posted by Gilman Barnitt
An idea I picked up recently to improve eccentric strength was to perform a plyometric drill and hold the landing before moving into the next rep.
i would stick to short as possible ground contact times. also, what sport is it that you are training for?
Xlr8,
Had a look through Brown’s SAQ book again last night, IMO it’s a list of different drills in three sections for improving S, A, Q.
I rather prefer Glenn Stewarts book, I think it is most relevant.
However, both books are basically books describing drills and exercises with follow-ons to propose methods of creating training plans.
Guys,
Why don’t you try looking at
Its a company in England that package all the equipment, information, books, videos amd courses under the registered trademark SAQ
Gareth
Thanks Gareth,
that was the system I was referring to at the top of this thread. The system is heavily marketed and comes with a wide range of equipment:
http://www.saqinternational.com/equipment/endcat.asp?CC=UK&ptid=2
I have had some exposure to this training and would be interested to hear of members thoughts on its relevance to team sports?
Thanks.
Its used quite a lot in rugby in england. But there is that much equipment that unless you are a full time professional sticking to the basics is best (ladders and hurdles), however even they take up too much time away from practice unless used as part of the warm up.
Gareth