Speed and Agility Training

Aerobic endurance and how to increase your aerobic performance is a pretty big topic.  There is an endless amount of data and advice on the subject and it’s easy to be overwhelmed by all of that information.  To make it simple, let’s look at the basics of increasing aerobic endurance that you can use to increase the effectiveness of your speed and agility training and overall performance.

What is Aerobic Endurance?
To put it simply, aerobic endurance is the body’s capacity for processing oxygen and circulating it through the body within a set period of time.  The higher the capacity your body has to circulate oxygen and convert it to energy – the higher your aerobic endurance.  Think of the aerobic system (also known as oxidative system) as the energy system that uses oxygen.  Aerobic capacity applies to all athletes, regardless of the sport they are involved in.  The more aerobic capacity you have, the more oxygen your system is able to circulate through the circulatory system and the better you will be able to perform.

I should also mention at this point the anaerobic system (also know as glycolytic system) is the the short burst system that doesn’t use oxygen.  This comes into play when your body is working so hard that it begins to experience an oxygen deficit.  Anaerobic endurance is needed by sprinters and other athletes that must perform at an all out level for a short period of time, usually less than one minute.

The aerobic system is the one that processes oxygen and circulates it through the system and the anaerobic is the system that operates without the use of oxygen — by creating an oxygen debt. Depending on the level you are exercising at, both these system come into play for speed and agility training.

Increasing Aerobic Capacity

Increasing aerobic endurance is achieved in the same way you would increase muscle endurance, through exercise.  Speed exercises and endurance exercises make your heart stronger and your muscles more efficient.  You gain the ability to acquire and process oxygen in greater volume and more efficiently, making all of your metabolic functions operate more efficiently. In speed exercises and agility training your oxygen cycling capacity is critical.

Cardiovascular exercise builds aerobic endurance.  Things like running or swimming for longer periods build up endurance and the capacity to process oxygen.  When you work at a pace that gets your heart rate up to 80% or 90% of it’s maximum, you are working at a level that is building more aerobic endurance.  Beginners may want to work at 70-80% of their heart rate and build up from there.

Running at a moderate pace for 30-45 minutes at a time is as good an aerobic exercise as you can do.  Do it three times a week and build up speed and heart rate as you progress.  You want to get to the 80-90% level of your heart rate as you build up endurance to get the greatest benefit over time.

The basic premise of building aerobic endurance is to work at a moderately high level over a longer period of time.  This builds endurance and increases the body’s capacity to take in oxygen and deliver it to your body systems more efficiently.

PS: Click here for an anaerobic exercise for speed and agility training – it’s a really nice one.

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One Legged Squat: Part 1

Speed and Agility Training: One Legged Squat

In this two part article I am going to discuss a particular exercise that comes in very handy in your speed and agility training: the 1-legged squat.

The purpose of this article is to explain:

• Benefits of the 1-legged squat for your speed and agility training program;
• How to perform the 1-legged squat;
• Tailoring the 1-legged squat specifically for your speed and agility training;
• How to modify different parameters in order to keep advancing and avoid plateauing;

The areas that the 1-legged squat can develop are the following:

• Maximal strength (it will make your legs very strong AND it will do something that 2 legged weight training won’t — increase your stabilizing muscles strength — critical as far as speed and agility training goes)
• Strong Joints (the particular nature of this exercise means your supportive muscles, joints and tendons are subjected to higher than normal tensions this decreases chance of injury by building strong resilient joints well capable of sustaining the forces that speed and agility training inflicts)
• Develop Fast Reflexes (performing this exercise correctly will require you to generate strong nervous impulses, this will translate into increased rate of force development, improved speed, quick reflexes and a round butt — I couldn’t resist mentioning this as girls seem to like this particular anatomical part in a guy);

Let me comment a bit on how highly I think of this exercise. You see, last year, I broke my ankle. It required surgery, a titanium plate, six screws and 2 months walking in crutches. I’ll post that x-ray up one of these days just to show you how my ankle looks on the inside. This happened in March 2009. At that time I had 28 inch vertical jump (from standstill) and I didn’t know anyone who could outrun me on the 50 yard dash.   I lived speed and agility training. The accident changed all that, but I knew I could get back up to where I was competitively.  The problem was that at the end of 2010 I was still very weak.  Even though I started to run pretty fast again, I felt it in my bones that my strength was not the same. At the beginning of this year I remembered the 1-legged squat, an exercise I had used previously to increase my vertical jump. Even though I am a big fan of jumping for height (due to my love of basketball) and as such I am familiar with many verticals jump programs, I never did see one that addressed this particular exercise. To make a long story short, 6 months on classic exercises aimed at rebuilding the strength in my left leg left me completely unsatisfied and fearful of permanent damage. I was wrong.  After two months of using the 1-legged squat on and off I saw results, so I got serious and started applying the solid training principles that I knew in order to maximize the results I was getting with this exercise. I also scrapped every other leg  training exercise I had been using and focused exclusively on this one. My left leg is still not 100% strengthwise, but I have accomplished something I hadn’t before, I can now leap stairs four at a time.

This is a short description of the 1-legged squat as it should be done in your speed and agility training:

1. Slowly lower yourself down to the floor while standing in 1 leg. Your main foot must stay flat on the floor, your heel must be planted.
2. Descend with perfect tension throughout your body until your hamstring  almost touches your calf.  Your free foot must be held as straight as possible in front of you. Remember to pause at the end of the movement.
3. Lift yourself up without any bounce

In summary, this article has explained the benefits of the 1-legged squat, how they can benefit your speed and agility training  and a demonstration of the 1-legged squat.

In my next article I will expand on the specifics of performing the 1-legged squat.  I will explain how to perform this exercise specifically for speed and agility training and how you can modify the parameters of the exercise in order to avoid plateauing and keep improving.

All the best,
Damian

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Superstars Are Not Born – They Are Created

Michael Jordan did it.  Jerry Rice took a news crew to film him while he did it.  David Beckham champions it at his David Beckham Academies.  What do they all have in common?  Aside from being world-class athletes, these modern “gods” include speed and agility training as an integral part of their successes.  While all were born with athletic talent, they know that speed exercises and agility drills give them the edge on their competitors, and they are right.  Michael Jordan felt being at peak shape helped his basketball skills, “I just feel that physically I’ve got to be in the best shape possible to be able to do my job.”  Both experts and the athletes themselves agree that the adoption and practice of speed and agility training extended the careers for Jerry Rice and Michael Jordan.

This explains the transformation in popular thinking.  The old adage was that you were either born with natural talent or you were lacking.   If you did not possess natural talent then you were relegated to the stands,   now we know better.  In fact there is a well known Speed and Agility Revolution happening.  The extra time spent on speed and agility training, is that which separates starters from bench warmers, scholarship athletes from walk-ons, playing tennis with the boss at the club or strumming your fingers back at your desk.

Speed and Agility Defined

So what exactly is speed and agility? Speed is the ability to cover distance rapidly. Nearly every game requires fast movements of either the arms or legs.  Leg speed is tremendously important in sports such as football, soccer, basketball and baseball.  Speed exercises and agility training can improve leg speed in sports.

Agility training focuses on rapid change of direction and footwork while maintaining control and balance.  Agility includes a combination of speed, balance, power and co-ordination.  Agility is necessary for almost any sport as it increases a player’s reaction time to changes on the court or field.

Getting Real

The next time you are watching Kobe Bryant’s incredible agility, strength, and stamina on the court, know that it is not simply some miraculous, God-given ability.  Kobe works relentlessly hard, year-round, on strength training workouts, agility training and speed exercises.  He is considered to be one of the hardest working and physically fit players in the NBA and he has the trophies and championship rings to back it up!

Technorati Tags: Agility Training, Speed and Agility, Speed and Agility Training, Speed Exercises