After I posted that, my guess would be no direct change of direction work, but the elastic work from power speed, power speed with a weight as seen in video (or up hill), short box jumps up and down, line hops, maybe even weighted ankle jumps, along with med ball work and maybe even short resisted sprints (or uphill)
Agility is an open skill with discrete movement patterns happening in it. Altought I am the first to say ‘fuck off’ with COD (change of direction drills, often closed in nature), simmilar as boxing, you cannot just jump into the ring, you must sometimes ‘practice’ technique in isolated environment (using ‘constraints’) then progressing to more ‘open’ environment.
The kids should be playing 80% of time, doing 15% of explosive/jump/sprints activities and 5% doing some technique related stuff. Everything is contexual, some will need direct ‘agility’ work some may not need it IMO. If you someone who don’t know what the hell side shuffle is or he/she stumble when performing it, why not teaching it???
its total crap
if it were true - i would still be the same clumsy ass i was back when i was 12!! So not true
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.
I believe this covers the answer to the discussion. When athletes reach a decent level, only specific agility will improve sport ability. Specific agility drills will at all ages be much more useful than general agility.
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.
Will specific agility improve weak muscles and ROM better for sport activity than general agility? Maybe not, variation is positive.
Which agility drills is specific for each sport?
Agility drills which transfers to soccer:
Some thoughts: Shuffle exercises has no transfer to soccer. Turning right and left needs to be trained? I’m better at turning to one of the sides and the game itself doesn’t correct this?
Honestly,
Whoever said this statement was a dodo. Don’t mean to offend anyone.
However, if elasticity and strength to bodyweight ratio can be enhanced…then agility would be enhanced.
Since I hardly know any 12 year olds that have reached their “genetic potential” in both elasticity and strength/bodyweight ratio, I see no evidence why someone would even make a statement like this.
Heck, most 12 year olds still run like giraffes which suggests they have plenty of room for coordination development.
Also, most 12 years olds in the US are overweight now anyways. If they just lost 10 lbs. before they turned 14 their agility would improve;)