Confused about Agility and Conditioning

Other Sports Football
21

Good!

How would one be able to effectively distinguish between an athlete that needs to get stronger, faster and more reactive vs. one that needs to work on basic motor patterns?

I would watch how they move. Do they look quick and smooth? If so, then probably working on improving speed strength and reactivity would yield results.

On the other hand, if they look awkward and off balance, then they probably need more basic motor work. In determining what kind of remedial work to do here, you would need to see if the reason they lack motor skills is because they haven’t trained the patterns (in which case, they need to work on getting into the right positions and using the right movement patterns) or is it because they are not strong/flexible/etc enough to perform these feats in which case, you need to address this underlying deficiency before moving forward.

I personally like to do some basic movement pattern drills as part of my warmup just to make sure I remember to drop my hips and pop out of the cut on COD. Much like a sprinter does A skips etc as part of their warm up. However, I’m not sure that Charlie agrees with this approach for agility.

Ok man so i have to learn this by doing some cone drills but w/ full recovery.

Perhaps, it depends on if your stopping mechanics are sound or not. But yes, if you do it, make sure it is quality work with full recovery.

How could I effectively prepare for game speed?

Game speed to me is making the play. In order to make the play, you need to be in position to make the play, so game speed is a combination of the learning the skills of your position coupled with developing the athletic ability to carry out your responsibilities.

I prepare for these two factors by:

  1. practicing my position (don’t neglect this factor!)
  2. Training to become as fast, strong, agile as possible.

Simulating game conditions is a training context will not optimally improve your speed, strength, agility or conditioning. Train them separately and intelligently and they will all improve. When you get on the field, you will find that this improvement in individual capacities will manifest as an overall improvement in game speed.

22

That’s not a bad idea… but, IMO agility is just a combination of linear speed and change-of-direction plyometrics. Therefore you may want to do some plyos on your speed days thereby dropping the agility day and killing two birds with one stone. This would give you more speed days in your program.

For example:

Mon: Speed & COD plyos, weights
Tues: Tempo
Wed: Speed & COD plyos, weights
Thurs: Tempo
Fri: Speed & COD plyos, weights
Sat: Tempo
Sun: Off

23

I understand the need for training all of those before weights but there is no track around where I lift so just for over all comfort I do things like this:

Mon: Strength Session 1
Tue: Linear Speed w/ plyos
Wed: Strength Session 2
Thur: COD
Fri: Strength Session 3
Sat: Tempos
Sun: OFF

I am currently using the Tier system of training designed by Coach H on EliteFTS I am on Phase 2 week 2 if you are familiar with the program and I am using Joe D’s running program depicted in his WSFSB II.

24

When I am on the field I put a lot of effort in making cuts so I don’t know if that is looking smooth but I believe it is quick and I am pretty sure when I am changing direction I don’t look awkward if I do it’s only because of my size and it’s rare to see a big man move quick. I understand how one can improve reactivity (plyos). But how does one improve the quality of speed strength. Is that by doing dynamic effort in the weightroom or full speed sprints?:

I have decent stop mechanics but I want great ones so I am going to train that specific quality on my COD days doing Illinois drill, Pro agility shuttle and L drill.

All of this looks sound but I was thinking of it in a manner of a normal football coach running gassers to prepare there athletes for game conditions when that can be better attained by doing strongman training. I know gassers don’t do much but I have this idea beat in my head that they will prepare me for a game.

25

I hope this helps!

26

Sorry, missed a comma in that sentence. I meant “improving speed, strength and reactivity would yield results.” Speed-strength will certainly be improve through your acceleration work, plyos and perhaps in the weight room as well. I’m not a fan of dynamic effort days for athletes that incorporate sprinting into their training.

All of this looks sound but I was thinking of it in a manner of a normal football coach running gassers to prepare there athletes for game conditions when that can be better attained by doing strongman training. I know gassers don’t do much but I have this idea beat in my head that they will prepare me for a game.

Get over it :slight_smile:

Good luck!

27

Thanks Xlr8, Blinky and Nikoluski for all of your help but I just want to show you guys an overview of my program to see what are your thoughts the program is long, but I am going to see if I can post it in a format that is easy to view.

28

Monday:
Hyperextensions: 2x15
DB Shrugs and External Rotation: 2x30
Strength Session 1
Tier 1 – Speed – Bench Press (Wks 1-3: 50% 8x3)
Tier 2 – Effort – Power Clean (Wk 1: 80% 5x2, Wk 2: 82.5% 5x2, Wk 3: 85% 5x2)
Tier 3 – Volume – Crossover Step Up (Wks 1-3: 3x60 seconds)
Mobility:
Lateral Lunge – 3x10
GHR’s- 10x3
Abs work
Side Bends: 4 x 10
Iso-holds Abs: 10 second holds x 10 reps

Tuesday: Energy System training
Linear Speed focus

Wednesday:
GHR – 5 x 2
DB Shrugs and External Rotation: 2x15
Strength Session 2
Tier 1 – Speed – Back Squat (Wk 1: 47.5% 8x2 1x2 +50 lbs, Wk 2: 50% 8x2 1x2 +50 lbs, Wk 3: 52.5% 8x2 1x1 +50 lbs, 1x1 +90 lbs)
Tier 2 – Effort – Bench Press (Wk 1: 80% 5x2, Wk 2: 82.5% 5x2, Wk 3: 85% 5x2)
Tier 3 – Volume – Hang Clean (Wks 1-3: 4x3)
Mobility:
Chin ups – 4 x 6
Weighted Hyperextension – 3 x 10

Thursday: Energy System training
Change of Direction Focus

Friday:
Hyperextensions: 2x15
DB Shrugs and External Rotation: 2x30
Strength Session 3
Tier 1 – Speed – Clean from Blocks (Wk 1: 50% 5x5, Wk 2: 52.5% 5x5, Wk 3: 55% 5x5)
Tier 2 – Effort – Step up (Wk 1: 5x8 each, Wk 2: 5x6 each, Wk 3: 5x4 each)
Tier 3 – Volume – 3 way positional rises (Wks 1-3: 3x15 each)
Mobility (3 x 10): Reverse Lunge , Snatch Grip RDL’s
Abs work –
Side Bends: 4 x 10,
Iso-holds Abs: 10 second holds x 10 reps

Saturday: Energy System training
Conditioning Focus

Dynamic Warm-up

  1. General Warm-up Phase
    Body squats x 10
    Jumping jacks x 15
    Seal jumping jacks x 15
    Front skips — 20 yards down & back
    Stationary side lunge x 8 each leg
    Side shuffle, 20 yds. down & back
    Stationary leg swings (front & back) x 10 each leg
    Stationary leg swings (side to side) x 10 ea. leg
    60% Build-up sprint (arm & posture focus) — 30 yds. down and back
    Lunge walk x 10 steps down and back
    Backpedal x 20 yds. down and back
    Squat jumps x 5
    75% Build-up sprint — (knee drive focus) — 40 yds. down and back

  2. Ground-Based Mobility Phases
    Back bridges x 10
    Iron cross x 10 each leg
    Rollovers into V sits x 10
    Birddogs (on all 4’s) — 10 each arm/leg
    Fire hydrant circles (on all 4’s) — 10 fwd, 10 bkw ea. Leg
    Prone scorpions x 10 ea. leg
    Mountain climbers x 10 ea. leg
    Groiners x 10

  3. Frequency Phase
    Low pogo jumps — 3 x 20 sec.
    High pogo jumps — 3 x 10 sec.
    Quick steps/Ankling — 2 sets of 10 yards
    Wideouts — 2 sets of 5 sec. (in and out as fast as possible!)
    Lateral quick steps — 2 sets of 10 yards
    85% Build-up sprint — 40 yds.

  4. Change of Direction Drills
    20-yard pro-agility shuttle — 3 reps starting to the left, 3 reps starting to your right.
    3-cone drill — 5 reps,
    Illinois drill — 3 reps

OR_______________________________________________________________________________

  1. General Warm-up Phase
    (same as above)

  2. Hurdle Mobility Phase — 4-5 hurdles
    Walking over/under — front (2 sets)
    Walking over/under — sideways (2 sets)
    Leg swings over hurdles (2 sets)
    Trail leg pick-ups over hurdles (2 sets)

  3. Frequency Phase
    Jump rope — 3 x 20 seconds
    Left leg 2 x 15 sec.
    Right leg 2 x 15 sec.
    85% Build-up sprint — 40 yds.

  4. Linear Speed Workout
    Hurdle Hops — Perform 3 sets of 3 jumps. Full recovery between sets.
    Push-up 20-yard sprints — Perform 6 20-yard sprints. Full recovery between reps.
    Free sprints — 4 x 20 yard sprints, 3 x 30 yard sprints, 2 x 40 yard sprints. Full recovery between reps

I want to remove Hurdle mobility what can I replace this with?

29

you could replace hurdle mobility with some ground based hip drills, basically mimic the movements on all 4s. I am personally getting better results from this, and I have had chronically tight hips.