SPEED AGILITY AND QUICKNESS TRAINING
Speed agility and quickness training are essential for all athletes. Agility can be defined as the power of moving quickly and easily. Whereas quickness is the adept, skillful performance or ability to move fast without difficulty. Not only do modern athletes have large and muscular bodies, but so do their predecessors. The difference is that the modern athletes move with a swiftness and power which has never been matched.
Speed Agility and Quickness Training for Athletes
Agility and quickness training is the main objective in hockey and tennis teams all over the globe. The team coaches always supplement with speed, agility and quickness training that address postural alignment issues. If the arm swings while marching, show tight shoulders and poor arm-leg motor movements may be the culprit. At Chicago Tri-fitness, instructors have their teams or individual clients perform various exercises to correct hip flexor tightness. Since the weak gluteal muscles often accompany tight hip flexors, players are advised to perform Tri-Fitness exercises by putting their feet on a stability ball while working supine bridges. Limited dorsiflexion, or the ability to curl towards the shin, can reduce stride length, which, in turn, reduces the speed. Reverse calf raises, which involve lifting of the toes instead of the heels, strengthen the muscles and correct the above problem.
Agility and quickness training promote general sportsmanship. Some exercises in this training may include skipping, one legged-hopping and jumping rope. Hockey and tennis coaches use medicine ball drills that involve catching and keeping the ball while balancing on a stability ball or balance board without falling. The teams do tri-fitness exercises and use power banks for assisted and resisted speed drills.
Assisted Speed Agility and Quickness Training
For the assisted drill, the coach stands a few meters in front of the player and pulls the player towards himself while the player runs. The coach can also stand behind the player and pull the band away from the player’s waist; this drill develops strength, agility, and power.
When one warms up thorough speed agility and quickness training, it may make one out of breath and put considerable strains on one’s muscles. These drills can be performed either on different days, or at the start or after each training session in either tennis or hockey.
The number of sessions per week varies greatly and depends on the time, season and place. For most sports teams, speed and agility drills should be introduced late in the preseason phase. Two sessions of speed, agility and quickness training in a week is always adequate in making players attain admirable agility.
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