Chapter 19b: Change of Direction and Agility Training

Table 19.5: Change-of-Direction and Agility Drill Progressions

Agility component and Skill level •Change of direction or "cutting" -Beginner: Deceleration drills(forward) progressing to higher entry velocity or shorter distance to stop, Basic movement patterns for forward, backward, and lateral shuffling, Change-of-direction drills that involve low velocities(less than 5 yards of acceleration into change of direction), z-drill, for example -Intermediate: Deceleration drills(lateral) with same progressions as forward, Expand to include a broad range of cutting angles less than 75°, May increase entry velocity during drills(up to 10 yards of acceleration leading into change of direction) -Advanced: Deceleration to reacceleration in both forward and lateral directions, Expand further to a comprehensive range of cutting angles including those greater than 75° •"Maneuverability" -Beginner: Basic drills or tests such as the Illinois agility that require nearly straight-line running with slight bends -Intermediate: Drills that increase the difficulty of the "bend" involved such as the L-run, Drills that require transition between modes of movement(shuffling, sprinting, and backpedaling) such as the T-test •Agility -Beginner: Physical and technical competence should occur before agility drills are incorporated Intermediate: Change-of-direction drills in beginner and intermediate categories with the addition of simple stimuli(arrow, pointing in a certain direction), These drills present a limited number of options for the athlete to have to react to(e.g., right or left, forward or back) on the signal Advanced: Expand into large degrees of spatial and temporal uncertainty(and therefore greater perceptual-cognitive stress), Small-sided games, Evasion games and drills Example: If we have cones 10 yards apart and ask someone to go around them, it is not hard, But if we make them 2 yards apart instead, it gets harder, they have to plant and explode in a shorter distance, higher intensity, sharper angle of cut, The more closer the cones are makes the drill harder, change mode, direction, etc. to make it even more difficult, We should make sure they have control of their pelvis and lower body, they should have lower body strength, be able to squat, etc., before they are able to do these types of drills

Example on Last Slide

Look at diagram in notes to see what it consists of •It may be a good idea to put some conditioning in with it, so they're aware what mistakes they make when they're tired, when trying to change direction, but shouldn't do this until much later, when they have everything else down •He mentioned table 19.4 •Another agility article and progressing, It is important to develop technique and the mechanics first, then make it more complicated, more complex by adding in "reactive" agility, etc.

Table 4: Eight-Week Preseason Agility Program for a Woman's College Basketball Team

Look at table in notes to see what it consists of •Contextual interference, this is more thought processes, more variable, start low and progress it •There are lots of drills listed, this would be very time-consuming to do and set up, so maybe isn't ideal for college athletes who don't have lots of time available

Table 2: Five-Week Progression of Agility Exercises

Look at table in notes to see what it consists of •We should make this our own, add in more sport-specific agility drills for our athlete that they will benefit from

Speed and Agility Mechanics

They are the same for both •Impulse -Impulse is the change in momentum resulting from a force, measured as the product of force and time -A basic objective of training is to move the force-time curve up and to the left, generating greater impulse and momentum during the limited time over which force is applied •Rate of force development -The development of maximal force in minimal time, typically used as an index of explosive strength •Force-Time Curve -Same one we looked at for speed, maximum RFD of explosive, ballistic, strength training vs. heavy resistance strength training(highest maximum strength, but it takes them longer to develop it) vs. untrained(weak in both areas), Explosively trained individuals have the best rate of force development, need to get them to produce as much force in as little of time as possible

Methods of Developing Agility: Perceptual-Cognitive Ability

•Agility activities should begin by adding a perceptual-cognitive component to common closed skill change-of-direction drills, adding the extra layer -For example, decelerations or the Z-drill can evolve into agility drills through inclusion of a generic stimulus such as a whistle, a coach command, or a flashing arrow or light

Key Point: Agility and Change of Direction

•Athletes improve change-of-direction ability through development of a number of physical factors and technical skills during a variety of speeds and modes of movement, The development of agility also requires improving perceptual-cognitive abilities in relation to the demands of the sport -We should get children to play games like sharks and minnows, to get used to change of direction, conceptual side, etc.

Key Terms

•Change of direction: The skills and abilities needed to explosively change movement direction, velocities, or modes •Agility: The skills and abilities needed to change direction, velocity, or mode in response to a stimulus, such as another person, ball, something in your way, another layer is involved vs. COD -Requires mobility, balance, speed, strength, RFD, coordination, braking ability, proper foot interaction with the ground, along with decision making ability based upon external stimuli -Goal: To minimize loss of speed when changing directions or mode, To stop on a dime(fast) and explode(fast) in the other direction, The above attributes are all important

Chapter Objectives

•Describe the underlying biomechanical constructs of change-of-direction and agility performance •Apply sound movement principles to the coaching of locomotion modes and techniques •Analyze the abilities and skills needed to perform specific movement tasks •Effectively monitor the development of change-of-direction and agility abilities •Apply sound means and methods for developing change of direction and agility •Design and implement training programs to maximize athletic performance

Agility Performance and Change-of-Direction Speed: Factors Affecting Change-of-Direction and Perceptual-Cognitive Ability

•Figure 19.12(next slide), look at diagram in notes -Comparison of ground reaction force and contact times during various change-of-direction(COD) and agility maneuvers -Z scores of Decision time(during agility), T-test, and 505 test compared to Average standard at current level of play, The person on this graph was good at responding to a stimulus, rapid, good deceleration, but physically their RFD, strength, COD, was not there, We need both physical and mental to be good at agility and COD •Change-of-direction ability -May change depending on the demand of the COD test -It is a combination of the ability to decelerate, reorient the body to face or partially face the direction of intended travel, and then explosively reaccelerate that truly determines change-of-direction ability •Perceptual-cognitive ability -There are several factors that are components of perceptual-cognitive ability: visual scanning, anticipation, pattern recognition, knowledge of the situation(mental side of the sport, good coaches should teach you what to expect in certain game situations, balls landing spot, etc.), decision-making time and accuracy, and reaction time -Many of these aspects of development are sport specific

Speed and Agility Mechanics: Practical Implications for Change of Direction and Agility

•In addition to the requirement for acceleration, the production of braking forces over certain periods of time, termed braking impulse, should be considered during change-of-direction and agility maneuvers -They need to be able to stop quickly(braking impulse), which doesn't occur in speed training who are just going for maximum velocity -People often get hurt when trying to stop -If training for speed, needing to train them to decelerate and stop is just as important, "high-performance engines need high-performance brakes"

Agility Mechanics

•In order to execute movement techniques, athletes must skillfully apply force, Due to limited time to produce force during athletic activities, there are two variables that describe force relative to the time available to produce force: rate of force development(RFD) and impulse

Training Guidelines for Agility

•Must show competence in proper technique for braking(flexing) and accelerating(extending) •Must show balance, joint and body stability and coordination(ladder drills maybe useful, although this isn't really agility, it is footwork and coordination) •Once this is established -Closed drills(pre-planned route around cones, COD ability is trained first) vs. open drills(tag drill, mirror drill, these are not pre-planned, there's a variable of the unknown, they should have sound COD mechanics before attempting these agility drills) -Perfect technical execution -Quality over quantity(manage fatigue) -Simple before complex drills -The longer the drill, the more movement patterns, the sharper the cuts, the more difficult(intensity is increased)

Neurophysiological Basis for COD/Agility: Figure 19.4(next slide)

•Plant phase of a change-of-direction movement, look at image in slide -This is the point in a change-of-direction movement that represents the transition between the deceleration step and the acceleration step -Body positioning and the ability to maintain strong trunk positions during the deceleration of momentum and reorientation of the body to run in a new direction are critical for performance -Need to work on eccentric strength, the ability to control deceleration, we are still looking at narrowing the "v" -You need three things: 1.) wider stance and base of support, 2.) butt and hips down, lower COM, flexing, and 3.) choppier steps, increased SR, decreased SL, These are all needed to stop quickly, starting is the opposite(extending, longer steps, etc.) -The woman drives her foot into the ground to push off in the other direction, if too shallow in depth, no SSC, same if too deep of a squat, should be about a quarter squat, She has arm drive just like with sprinting, and changes to the other direction -What should turn first?, Our heads, the rest of our body will follow, Some say hips first, but in a sports scenario, we should always turn our heads first to see where we're going and what is happening first -More recently the jump cut has been used by running backs in football, they produce more force because they drive in the ground with both feet, it seems to work

Agility Performance and Change-of-Direction: Technical Guidelines and Coaching

•Some technical guidelines and coaching suggestions -Visual focus -Body position during braking and reacceleration -Leg action -Arm action They should be rigid in the middle, rigid core, transfer of forces with arm action, stability is also important

Factors in Determining Proper Agility Training Programming

•Stop and Go(braking forces and propulsive forces), COD forces -Differences between heavier and smaller athletes, Smaller masses are easier to stop, they stop differently than larger masses, they can brake easier and accelerate and decelerate more quickly, imagine stopping a heavier ball from rolling down a hill, it is a lot harder •The sport demands •The size of the playing surface and type of surface, Lots of space or confined areas?

Agility Performance and Change-of-Direction Speed: Training Goals

•The primary goal of agility performance is threefold -Enhanced perceptual-cognitive ability in various situations and tactical scenarios -Effective and rapid braking of one's momentum -Rapid reacceleration toward the new direction of travel, needs to be rapid, narrowing the "v" Example: In football, running backs take the first few seconds, flex, low COM, short strides until they see an opening, then they quickly explode and extend, increase stride length, If they did this in the beginning before seeing a hole, they wouldn't be able to change direction quickly enough and it would be a bad play, Note: There is not a great deal of coordination between speed and COD/agility, if they are good at one, it is not a given that they are good at the other, straight line speed is different than COD, they may not have the eccentric explosiveness to change directions quickly and only be good at straight on speed

Change of Direction and Agility

•These are two different things •They are especially important in snowy weather, being able to stop yourself from falling, important for elderly to work on this to prevent injuries and falls, Its about lowering center of mass and spreading out your base of support

Transfer of Training of Sprinting to Agility?

•What do you think? -We know that being a good sprinter doesn't transfer to being very agile •Concurrent Training - Would you consider training agility in the same session as speed and/or even plyometric training? -They both use power, RFD, at the neuromuscular level, rate coding, SSC, have the same qualities, Some coaches do this, they may do a couple of drills of each •One drill leading directly to another for advanced athletes