Speed and agility

Aerobic Endurance

Anaerobic Endurance

Endurance
Strength Endurance Energetic

Maximum Strength

Strength
Speed Strength

Action speed
Speed
Hybrid
Fitness

Reaction speed

Balance

Rhythmic

Orientation
Coordination

Diifferentiation
 Speed
• Speed is the capacity to travel or move very
quickly
• Hybrid ability – energetic (ATP/CP; LA) and
coordination (motor control, frequency)
Distance​ ATP / CP​ anaerobic- aerobic​
%​ lac​ %​
%​
30 m​ 80​ 19​ 1​
60 m​ 55​ 43​ 2​
100 m​ 25​ 70​ 5​
200 m​ 15​ 60​ 25​
 Speed classification
• Reaction speed
• Acyclic movement speed (single movement;
passing, shot etc.)
• Cyclic movement speed (Accelereation;
Maximum Speed; Linear speed)
• Agility / Change Of Direction Speed CODS
• Speed endurance
• Optimal speed
 Reaction speed
• Simple to complex reaction
• Sensor – sensory (afferent) pathway – brain
(motor command) – descending (efferent)
pathway – effector
Simple reaction to age relationship

Age (years)
 Complex reaction to sex and age
Complex reaction

age
 Running stride - sequence
• Support / Flight phase
• Front support (braking) / back support
(propulsion)
• Recovery / Transition / Ground preparation
 Acceleration
• Ability to change the speed
• First step acceleration
• Acceleration running technique – avoid
braking phase – emphasize propulsion
• Longer support duration to produce horizontal
acceleration (200 ms in first steps – 100 ms)
Sprint start - acceleration
Velocity = stride length × stride rate
Stride rate – deterministic model
(Hay, 1994)
Stride length – deterministic model
(Hay, 1994)
 Conclusion for training
• Shorten flight time without losing range of
motion (stride length)

• Shorten support duration without losing

amount of generated force impulse
 Basic running drills
• Ankling
• Seat kicks
• High knees
• Active pawing drills
• Acceleration drills

All should respect previous ideas

 Training principles for speed
• Short duration (ATP-CP power/capacity, LA
power) < 8 s
• Maximal intensity
• Full recovery – depend on duration (2-6 min)
• QUALITY > quantity
• Speed training – after day off or easy training
session
• In the beginning of training session
 Agility
• Ability to quickly change the direction of
movement in reaction on situation

• Time uncertainty
• Space uncertainty
 Terminology
• Cutting – support phase, in which the change
of direction is realized
• Sidestep – Step to the side used to initiate
sharp change of direction
• Bypass – fluent change of direction realized in
more than one step (running on curve)
• JAB step – fake step, used to force oponent to
react on pretended movement direction and go
oposite
 Terminology
• CODS – change of direction speed – summation of
fitness and technical factors without cognitive factors
• Footwork – ability to place foot corectly in order to
initialize cutting
• Drill – exercise withou uncertainty aspect (time and
space)
• Crossover – side movement step with crossing the
legs
• Slide – side movement step without crossing the legs
 Sport games, combat sports
• Active agility – active changes of direction –
goal is to have advantage against oponent
• Reactive agility – reaction on advantageous
situation to minimize or nulify advantage

• Offensive agility
• Defensive agility
• Active agility – active changes of direction –
goal is to gain advantage over the opponent
• Reactive agility – reaction on advantageous
situation to minimize or nullify advantage

• Offensive agility
• Defensive agility
 Agility

Cognitive
CODS
factors

Visual Technique Fitness Antropomethry

Anticipation
scanning

Knowledge Pattern
of situation recognition

(Sheppard & Young, 2006)

Young WB, Dawson B, Henry GJ. Agility and change-of-direction speed are independent skills:
Implications for training for agility in invasion sports. International Journal of Sports Science and
Coaching, 2015; 10: 159-169
 What mostly influences agility?
• Fitness?
• No limiting factor – most components have average
correlation

• Technique?
• This area needs to be researched

• Decision making factors?

• Important, but without technique and fitness they are
useless
 Agility
• Complex – Fitness, Technical and Cognitive
factors

• These factors may interact with each other

• Analytic approach to training may not be
effective
• Nehe Milner Skudder
 Cognitive factors
• Perception – scanned area (fish eye), both
sides vision (assymetry), necessity of
monitoring player with the ball and player,
who are you responsible for

• Knowledge situation – advantage of

experienced players. Video-coaching and
ability of application these knowledge in game
 Cognitive factors
• Pattern recognition – choosing the most
effective solution for specific situation
(sidestep vs. bypass), JAB step

• Anticipation – provides time for active agility

or implementation of more effective solution
 Fitness

Speed Strength Coordination

Reaction Reactive Explosive

speed strength strength Co-
ordination
Dynamic Time-space of
stability orientation movement
Excentric and Side and sequence
Decceleration concentric muscle
strength imbalances

Acceleration
 Speed factors
• Reaction speed – influenced also by cognitive
factors (anticipation, knowledge)
• Decceleration – related to the eccentric force
level
• Acceleration – related to explosive strength
level
 Strength factors
• Reactive strength – especially important in active
agility

• Explosive strength – necessary to produce

acceleration

• Eccentric force – decceleration

• Muscle imbalances – right/left execution of same

movement;
 Coordination factors
• Dynamic stability – proper adjustment of body
posture and joint stiffness (minimize trunk motion) A

• Time-space orientation – orientation in game

environment; sensory detection of specific location
and relations

• Coordination of particular movements – ability to

link single movement efectively to complex chain of
movement
A - Edwards, S., A.P. Austin, and S.P. Bird, The role of the trunk control in athletic performance of a reactive change-of-
direction task. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 2017. 31(1): p. 126-139.
 Technique

COD
Decceleration Acceleration
(cutting)

Lowering COM;
Acceleration
bend
teachnique
support leg

Foot placement First step

acceleration
Transfer of force
Dynamic between Trunk lean
stability segments
Relationships affecting technique of Agility

• Higher angle of COD lower entry cutting velocity

higher braking forces
• More pre-programmed COD higher utilization
of SSC
• Optimal technical solution based on velocity, angle of
COD and its prediction
– Bypass
– Sidestep
– Shuffling
– Split step
 Feint effect

• GOAL : confuse opponent and gain higher advantage

due to decision making + technical aspects

• RISK: offensive feint decreases performance (time to

execute COD) – must be convincing

• MECHANISM : advantage is gained not due to reaction

time, but due to technical execution (higher braking
forces, longer support duration, utilization of long SSC
rather than short SSC)
 Speed endurance
• The ability to continue to express either
maximal (100) or optimal speed (200) as
fatigue levels increase
• LA system highly activated
• Not suitable for children in (pre)puberty –
requires certain level of maturity
 Training speed endurance
FULL RECOVERY INCOMPLETE RECOVERY

80 – 150 m 30 – 60 m
Reps 3-8 Reps 3-6
Max intensity (>95%) Max intensity
Rest interval 5-10 min Rest reps 20-60 s
Rest series 6-10 min

High level athletes

 Literature
• Hunter, J., Marshall, R., Mcnair, J., Interaction of Step Lenght and
Step Rate during Sprint Running. J. Medicine and science in sports
and exercise. 2. 2004. 261-271 s.
• Mero, A., Komi, P. V., & Gregor, R. J. (1992). Biomechanics of sprint
running: A review. Sports Medicine, 13(6), 376-392
• YOUNG W. B., MCDOWELL M. H., SCARLETT B., J., et al. (2001).
Specificity of sprint and agility training methods. Journal of Strength
and Conditioning Research, 15 (3), 315
• Thompson, P.J. (2009). Introduction to Coaching – The Official IAAF
Guide to Coaching Athletics. 2nd edition.
• Edwards, S., A.P. Austin, and S.P. Bird, The role of the trunk control in
athletic performance of a reactive change-of-direction task. Journal
of Strength and Conditioning Research, 2017. 31(1): p. 126-139.