I disagree with this statement. Can we really place a limit on human development? I think that human potential for improvement physically and psychologically is great and should not be age based. Your thoughts?
Thomas
Who made that statement that it requires anyone to comment?
It is reasonable to believe from observation that we can indeed put a limit to human potential. Real life isn’t Star Trek where humans seem to keep getting better and better. (I love star trek by the way…T-Pol…woah…hottie!)
Ignoring age as a factor in human development just doesn’t make sense.
I would agree that there are limits to human development (no one is going to run at the speed of sound or close, except for super-heroes in comic books 
), but that there is no hard and fast rules like the statement you are refuting.
I can see how agility is a very trainable atribute for children under the age of 12 though…
Herb, Poliqun has suggested this statement as fact a number of times. I’ve also heard Istav Bali (sp) say that as well. I’m just sparking a conversation on the site to see what others think and may have to offer.
It seems to me we have two unrelated questions:
- Limits to human development?
Personally I think so, the hard part is determining at what point that limit occurs. Additionally, any natural limits (however that is defined) are being overcome with advances in equipment, training methodology, nutrition and other ergogenic aids.
- Can agility be improved after 12?
I have heard compelling arguments for and against agility improvement after the age of 12. First agility needs to be defined accurately. My opinion is if agility has any movement skill component to be learned and rehearsed, agility can be improved after 12. Learning to perform an action will improve the performance of that action, regardless of the magnitude of that improvement.
Its all plums man,
The only thing that limits a human being, is the limiting beliefs of which he/she (it) carries within their psychology.
The day will come when 9secs is broken in the 100metres, 9metres in the long jump, 42 secs in the 400m, etc…
…We just might be waiting a f*&%ing long time! haha.
And as we speak there are people whom can run like the wind, jump around the clouds and go to space without any form of space craft…Its just that theyre all locked up in care homes and wear straight jackets so the world doesnt get to see theyre Amazing Talents:)
Tomo1
Wot tomo says is true! I have seen senior citizens in care homes jump 9 metres!
Nah honestly, I think this statement is untrue, I have no scientific evedience or no mad theorum, jst my own exerience. I have been doing athletics since I was eight and I am now 19 at I am more flexible and agile than I have ever been, as a youngster I was very inflexible and and I was the opposite to the definition of agility.
I think what they mean is the internal expression of agility or firing can’t be changed but the external expression can certainly be modified by strnegth, bodyweight etc
Reminds me of the story Don Quarrie told me in 1987 about the Rasta-man he met on the beach in Jamaica, who was able to put down his splif long enough to regale Don with stories of his amazing sprint abilities, honed with self-timed runs on the sand.
He asked Don what the record for the 100m was, and Don told him- “9.83” (at that time)
Then he asked about the 200m. Don replied: “19.72” (then). To which our friend replied in patois : “Damn! Me ave it aready!”
Seriously, agility improves with elasticity.
Charlie, understanding your stance on developing muscle elasticity through linear drills combined with plyos, etc (taken from your posts here as well as CFTS); is there any instance for any sport training in which you would advocate the utilization of change of direction drills?
there are a lot of sports where your practice covers the change of directions and you don’t need more- like Tennis. But, I suppose, you may need to learn the patterns for some team sports outside of the practice if you can’t make the cut to get on the team in the first place. Most of the NFL guys I worked with grew up with Pop Warner football from a very early age. I guess the best way to cover it is to say don’t do any more than you absolutely need to.
does this apply to the weight room as well? i.e., is there any need for side squats, for example, in tennis players? do these exes serve any purpose? just curious…
thanks!
I don’t see any reason for them
Yes it seems all those endless cone drills only made me tired rather make me better at somthing i could already do.
On a side note though, my training partners and I have been playing games that we have made up that include multiple change of direction. We play one called wall ball where we throw a 3kilo med ball off the wall, its similar to racketball, trying to score points. we play one on one or two on two. Its alot of fun and the game like situation is great to get the competitive juices flowing during the offseason.
What would a exercise menu look like for a tennis player?
I don’t disagree with you there, but I think that 9second 100m is more akin to 10m long jump, and 40second 400m. There have been two people who have jumped in the 9m range already - but both were fouls. (Well, at least one of them anyway:) )
I actually attended a Poliquin seminar in which he talked about the agility issue. Whether he can back it up with research is another matter, but he was pretty adamant about the volume of research on the issue. But I think the problem is the research (and Poliquin) gets misinterpreted.
From what he said and my understanding of the literature, the issue is not really one of improvement per se but rather carryover from one activity to another with regard to neuromuscular coordination. It’s not that agility in a particular activity cannot be improved after 12, but rather agility improvements in one activity/motor pattern do not have a general carryover to other activities. So if you take an adult and have him do ladder and cone drills, he will improve at those drills, but this will not translate into improved coordination in other activities. Therefore, for someone older than 12 the best way to improve coordination at an activity is to do that specific activity rather than a more general agility drill hoping that it will translate. In other words, after about age 12, specific agility (or really coordination to be more precise) can be improved but general coordination cannot.
Poliquin did say that one way in which general agility drills might improve agility in another activity is if it happened to develop weak muscles or improve the range of motion around joints that were also involved in that other activity.
answers? 
How much agility work is needed beyond court time playing the game itself?
It wasn’t so much related to agility as I recall you saying all the lateral work generally prescribed results in issues with ankles and a better option is pure speed development and let the agility come through game play.
So on that basis and looking at the graph High Intensity Training for Sports from Van 04 would you focus on the same elements as a basketball player?