Training for Speed, Agility and Quickness – 2nd Edition (Book)

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By the way if your asking yourself what do abs have to do with speed and agility training, then I have two words for you: Core Strength – this is what enables people to jump over their own heads (that’s what backflipping is by the way).

Now for the illustration of time.

Speed and Agility Training and Time

You see, I could not always train as hard as I can now, and, in a sense, the gains I can make now are higher than the gains I could have made before. It is by both practical experience and body conditioning – the life long art of sculpting a hard body – that I have managed to take my body to a high level of physical fitness.

But from the top of the mountain there is forever much more to discover.

Thus, my focus nowadays is on creating a monks body.

You know what I mean, the monk body, a body that you could brake a bamboo stick on and that could pierce through wood. You’re not going to get that in the gym. And don’t think most pansy assed martial arts schools are gonna teach you that either.

But I digress.

What you can do today is by no means an indication of what you can do tomorow. If it were, people would never progress. You can surpass yourself in many ways every day. And this interestingly, will change the fabric of time for you. Now in any new agey religious sort of way you understand.

It goes like this:

The more life events that you must react to, the faster your mind needs to work, the faster your mind works, the faster your body needs to work, and it needs to work accurately and so your body develops. And from this constant mental activity comes a constant bodily activity, when the blood boils as some may know it. And you seem to enter another plane of existence in the sense that time moves slower for you.

Some may consider this ludicrous, some may have glimpsed it, others might have studied it and maybe some others might know of it. But the fact is that for whatever reason your world moves slower. When you don’t react to anything around you the state that your body enters is known as ZEN. And because there is less to react to, time grows longer.

But Damian, what does this have to do with speed and agility or speed exercises or agility training or whatever else of speed and agility training that is discussed around here? Well, this…

As time passes your body changes in ways that allow you to stress it ways that you could not have done before. The problem is, we are habit machines, and, unless we learn that as time passes our routines most evolve at the same rate as our capacities, then we will flat line. This is what I meant when I told you that speed and agility changes over time and so must your speed and agility training.

What about practical speed and agility training advice – time’s fun and all but how can I get faster

Increase the intensity, do it with focus and always keep your muscles under tension. Never relax during a set.

It must be a tough workout. Otherwise you will not progress.

Are there shortcuts?

Yes.

Do they work?

Yes

Are there side-effects?

Yes

Can I avoid these side-effects?

Yes

An example of the top of your head?

Testosterone

Will you tell me more?

Do you want to hear more? Leave a comment.

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Ask any soccer coach, player, or fan and they know that a most critical factor in the game today is  for soccer fitness training.  For serious players, it is essential.  Even world cup players who are undersized and lack “natural talent” have made up for their shortcomings by their enhanced strength, speed exercises,  superior conditioning and exceptional skilled work ethic.In researching many speed and agility training and fitness programs, I was curious to see what was available for soccer. When I came across Total Soccer Fitness, I was very impressed.  This ebook bundle is the most comprehensive program I’ve seen. The package consists of:

The keystone ebook, Total Soccer Fitness, is written by Phil Davies, who developed fitness programs for some of Europe’s professional soccer teams and owns his own athletic performance facility. This book covers conditioning, including aerobic endurance conditioning, strength and power, speed and agility, flexibility, warm-up and cool-down exercises and theory with vivid images for the best learning.  Also included is a  section showing you how to chart your progress and results.

Davies is a genius in breaking down the game position by position, from an endurance and conditioning perspective.   His programs are  based on  scientific research and data.  The wealth of data he supplies isn’t just for show, he explains how to use this data, and how it applies to your training for your position and overall game.  For example, a midfielder will sprint for eleven percent of his total running time and how that links into the conditioning program.

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Speed – The Difference Between Good Athletes and Great Athletes

A strength training coach for a professional sports team,  certified strength and conditioning Specialist and Masters Degree in Exercise Physiology, Mark Strasser was urged by clients to put together a speed training manual that would guarantee to increase speed using Mark’s proven training methods which are used by World-Class athletes and coaches.

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• you are applying for a sport scholarship and you need to increase your speed and agility as fundamental testing is concerned (ex: 40 yard dash)
• you practice a sport (football, basketball, soccer, baseball etc.) and need to increase your sport specific speed and agility
• you are parent looking to help out your child to improve his speed and agility
• you want to be a better coach (teach others to get good and  also coordinate a team)
• you are an amateur that wants to get better

Speed and Agility - Dunking vs Flipping

One thing that must be absolutely clear to you is that there are many, many different facets of speed and agility training. Here is an example: a basketball player and a gymnast. Now both of these athletes obviously have great speed and agility. But, can the basketball player do what the gymnast can do? Most certainly not. And the same is true vice versa. Dunking is very different from flipping and this sort of difference can be classified as sport specific speed and agility. There is also something known as general speed and agility. This is the sort of thing that the NFL Combine measures: pure raw athletic ability as measured in speed exercises, strength training workouts or speed and agility drills. These sort of thing can also be trained, BUT… you have to know why and how. Examples:

• how to improve your 40 yard dash or 50m dash
• how to improve your dribbling skills if you play soccer
• if you’re a football player you might be interested in ways that you can more better tackle your opponents or dodge them

You see where I’m going with this? You need to know what aspect you are trying to improve. Now obviously I can’t answer all the questions in the world in one article, but the purpose of this article is to point you in the right direction, so… Step one: why are you interested in speed and agility training? Step two: what aspects of your speed and agility would you like to influence? Here are some possible answers and, as promised, here are some directions that you can go into: There are two groups of people in the world, there are people who focus on learning and there are people who focus on doing. The people who focus on learning will probably delay their results because they haven’t started doing anything until they’ve learned everything there is to know about their field  and their objectives. Downside, they delay their results, upside they have the potential to become truly great because once they do start training they know how to train right. The other class of people start doing and learn as they go along. They start improving sooner, but there is a risk that they can learn things incorrectly and then be forced to backpedal and unlearn improper techniques. Tiger Woods had this problem and he had to relearn his whole swing. I recommend a mixed approach. If you want to get started doing something right now. And I mean right now. Here is a link to a great article about improving speed and agility with a simple leg training exercise: Speed and Agility Training With The 1 Legged Squat. PS: Here’s the link for: Speed and Agility Training with Sports Vision training.

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Speed and Agility Training: Hand Stand on a Rock

Like dying and taxes, speed and agility training in high temperatures is unavoidable in most parts of the planet.   It is crucial that you be familiar with recognizing,  preventing and treating heat illnesses.  It is also vital that you are aware of the warning signs of heat-related illness which can be in the form of elevated body temperature, cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke.  Whether you are doing strength training workouts as a coach, parent or player, you want to be cognizant of how serious this illness can be.   In fact heat sickness can dangerous for everyone and the most dangerous to children.   This is reliant on the intensiveness of the condition and age of the athlete.  Athletes experience heat illness when their bodies are unable to offset and properly cool themselves.

Symptoms of Heat-related illnesses:

Dehydration -might include thirst, less-frequent urination, dry skin, weariness, light-headedness, dizziness, dry mouth and mucous membranes, increased heart rate and breathing

Heat exhaustion – can encompass dehydration, fatigue, weakness, clammy skin, headache, sickness and/or regurgitation,  quick breathing, irritability, weak pulse, dilated pupils, disorientation

Heat stroke – possible headache, wooziness, disorientation, agitation or discombobulation, sluggishness, seizure , coma or death

Treatment For mild cases of heat exhaustion:

• Move to a cool shady area
• Hydrate with plenty of cool fluids such as water or sports drinks
• Do not drink beverages containing alcohol or caffeine
• Loosen or remove clothing

Speed and Agility Training: Soccer

Treatment For Heat Stroke:

• Call 911 immediately
• Move the person to a cool bath of water if conscious and can be attended continuously, otherwise, apply cool tepid water to the skin
• Place ice packs in the armpits and groin area
• If conscious and can tolerate, administer fluids by mouth

Prevention:

• Be aware that temperatures over 85 degrees are conditions favorable to heat illness
• Make certain you are acclimated to the temperature, no heavy work on the first few days of high heat
• Make certain there are enough of fluids on hand for hydrating, preferably H2O (no caffeine or carbonation)
• Rest repeatedly Athletes should wear loose and “sweat absorbable” clothing
• Work out in cooler parts of the day, as morning or early evening
• Snacks must be gently salted

In abstract, whether you, your athletes,  or your children are doing strength training workouts, know to be cautious, especially when the heat is ON.

Technorati Tags: Agility Training, Dehydration, Heat exhaustion

Timing Is Everything

The timing of a pre-contest meal is vital.  If you exercise vigorously too closely after a meal, blood will be drawn away from the digestive tract and to the working muscles during exercise.   This causes a delay in digestion that is harmful to the body’s processes.   On the other hand, if you fast before a game it may decrease the stored up glycogen to the point where athletic performance will be impaired as the body runs low on nutrients.   Therefore the best time to eat is 2 ½ to 3 hours prior to exercise to allow food to travel from the stomach to the intestines .

After The Meal

It is not advisable to exercise heavily after eating, like doing speed exercises.  It is also inadvisable to sit around directly after a pre-game meal.   Moderate walking will burn excess calories and aid in digestion.

Foods

Eat foods that can be easily digested like fat-free yogurt, lowfat milk, fruit and lean meat . An athlete should stay away from any foods that are heavy on fat  and fiber as they take longer to digest.   Foods with high sugar should not be eaten as they will cause a rapid rise in blood sugar and then a rapid decline in blood sugar resulting in less energy.    These foods can also pull too much fluid into the digestive tract leading to cramping, nausea, and dehydration.  Also stay away from caffeine, it causes increased urine production which can result in dehydration.

Speed and Agility Training Meal - Yoghurt and berries

Suggested Pre-Game Meal

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What can you do to get maximum gains from each and every workout?

It is important to know that after  speed and agility training ,   the process of refueling is very important. Not only does refueling make your workouts count, it can be the difference between better performances or stale performances  in  any given contest.  Does this sound far fetched?  Not at all,  just ask any college level or professional athlete.

There are three areas of nourishment an athlete needs to address;  fluid, carbohydrates and protein.

FLUID
Drink at least 3 cups of fluid plus an additional 2 cups for each pound of weight loss acquired during the practice. This can be water or powerade.  Powerade should be the fluid of choice if you are a salty “sweater” or if your training exceeds one hour.    Note that you always must weigh before and after practice in order to accurately assess your fluid needs.

CARBOHYDRATES
Intense workouts use up the carbohydrates in your system.  In order to provide energy, it is very important to replace the carbohydrates (carbs) burned, and store some additional carbs for the next workout.  It is recommended that an athlete consumes 50-100 grams of carbohydrates after practice or workouts.

PROTEIN
Protein is used for muscle fibers in order for them to build up stronger and faster and to prevent muscle breakdown.   The recommended amount for refueling is 10-15 grams.  A study with Marines during  54 days of basic training reports those who refueled with a 100 calorie recovery drink that contained only 10 grams (40 calories) of protein, not only enhanced muscle protein deposition but also contributed to 33 percent fewer total medical visits, 28 percent fewer visits due to bacterial and viral infections, 37 percent fewer visits due to muscle and joint problems, and 83 percent fewer visits due to heat exhaustion. (Flakoll, Med Sci Sports and Exercise, 2004)

REFUELING SNACKS
Below are some suggested snacks for after workout nourishment.

• Chocolate milk low-fat ( 2 cups )  and 1  banana
• 4 oz. snack size container of lowfat cottage cheese:
• Two tablespoons of hummus on four Kashi Heart to Heart crackers
• 6 oz. container Chobani vanilla nonfat Greek yogurt
• String cheese (part-skim mozzarella) and  Bagel
• Peanut butter and jellysandwich and Powerade (2 cups)
• Yogurt ( 8 oz.) low-fat mixed with 1/2 cup granola cereal

So next time you do your speed and agility training, speed exercises or agility training, refuel to  make your  hard work count.

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There the athletes showcase their athletic skills and abilities to NFL top executives, coaching staffs, player personnel departments and medical personnel from all 32 NFL teams  prior to NFL draft.  So why is this necessary when teams have already seen these athletes play game after game either live on Saturdays or on TV?

Football player - Speed and Agility Training

The answer is simple, the NFL places great value on the fundamentals of a true athlete.  No matter how often a scout has seen an athlete play the game live or on the screen, the NFL needs to evaluate an athlete’s raw ability in speed exercises, strength training workouts and speed and agility drills.  In other words, the yards run, the passes caught, the touchdowns scored are not a factor at the combine.  It’s all about measuring how fast, agile, strong and explosive the prospect is – athleticism.  The following are the actual drills used at the NFL Combine to judge potential draft picks.

40-yard dash
This is the main event.  Teams look for explosiveness and speed from a dead start.  The athletes are timed at 10, 20 and 40-yard intervals.  One of the most important speed exercises.

Bench press
Every athlete is given the weight of 225 pounds to bench press.  The objective is to see how many times he can bench press this weight, which is called repetitions, or reps for short.   The repetition factor measures the athletes endurance.    This also tells a lot about the work ethic of the athlete in college and whether he attended strength training workouts.

Vertical jump
The vertical jump starts with the athlete standing  flat-footed while his reach is measured.  The athlete then is told to jump and touch a the highest point he can, which is a flag in the series of flags above him. The difference in the standing reach and the flag is the vertical jump measurement.  This exercise evaluates  the  lower-body explosion and power .

Broad jump
The broad jump tests the athlete’s  lower-body explosion,  lower-body strength and balance.  From a starting point, the athlete stands balanced .  He then jumps out as far as he can while sticking the landing.

3 Cone Drill
The 3 cone drill tests an athlete’s speed and agility.  It measures ability to change directions at a high speed.  From a starting line, three cones are place in an L-shape.  The athlete runs 5 yards to the first cone and back. Then, he turns, runs around the second cone, runs a weave around the third cone, which is the high point of the L, changes directions, comes back around that second cone and finishes.

Shuttle run
Remember the suicide drills in PE?  The shuttle begins with the athlete starting in a three-point stance and exploding  out 5 yards to his right, touches the line, goes back 10 yards to his left, left hand touches the line, pivot, and he turns 5 more yards and finishes.

Now Its Your Turn

The  NFL, through research and experience has put together drills and exercises it uses to evaluate potential million dollar athletes.   If you are a serious athlete, or just someone who wants to be a better athlete,  practice the speed and agility exercises above and who knows, and maybe someday you too will be invited to the combine.

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