Table Of ContentSecond Edition
Sport Speed and
Agility Training
John M. Cissik, MS, MBA, CSCS, NSCA-CPT
and
Michael Barnes, MEd., CSCS*D
©2011 Coaches Choice. Second edition. All rights reserved. Printed in the
United States.
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or
transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of Coaches Choice.
Throughout this book, the masculine shall be deemed to include the feminine
and vice versa.
ISBN: 978-1-60679-120-2
Library of Congress Control Number: 2010931253
Cover design: Brenden Murphy
Book layout: Bean Creek Studio
Diagrams: Kerry Hartjen
Text photos: John Cissik and Brenden Murphy Fronte cover photo: ©Willie J.
Allen, Jr./St. Petersburg Times/ZUMA Press
Coaches Choice
P.O. Box 1828
Monterey, CA 93942
www.coacheschoice.com
Acknowledgments
We would like to acknowledge the following individuals for their contribution to
Chapter 5 and their commitment to agility theory and practice:
Jerry Attaway, Physical Development Coordinator of the San Francisco
49ers
Steve Plisk, MS, CSCS, Sports Performance Director, Velocity Sports
Performance
Tom Billups, CSCS, Head Coach, USA Eagles Rugby
Greg Halberg, MS, CSCS
Contents
Acknowledgments
Preface
PART I: PRINCIPLES AND FUNDAMENTALS
Chapter 1: Safety Considerations for Speed and Agility Training
Chapter 2: The Warm-Up
Chapter 3: Training for Speed
Chapter 4: Speed Training Drills
Chapter 5: Agility
Chapter 6: The Cooldown
Chapter 7: Program Design
PART II: SPORT-SPECIFIC TRAINING
Chapter 8: Baseball/Softball
Chapter 9: Basketball
Chapter 10: Football
Chapter 11: Ice Hockey
Chapter 12: Rugby
Chapter 13: Soccer
References
About the Authors
Preface
Speed and agility are two of the most misunderstood components of sport. How
to train for speed and agility is even more misunderstood. This book breaks
down speed and agility into manageable components and analyzes those
components to give coaches and athletes a strategic and methodical approach to
training.
Many coaches consider speed and agility to be characteristics that athletes
must be “born with.” It is true that everyone is limited by his own genetic
potential, and it is in fact very difficult to develop speed and agility. However,
once you break down speed and agility into their respective components, the
situation becomes very manageable. With proper training, a slow athlete can
become faster, a fast athlete can become even faster, and a good athlete can
become great.
Examples of athletic performance include the ability to change direction
easily, make an over-the-shoulder catch at full speed, create separation between
you and your opponent, react to a changing environment, and start, stop, and
reaccelerate. Many coaches do not have an integrated approach to training for
athletic performance. Traditional methods consist of weight training for several
weeks, followed by the incorporation of linear running. What is often missing
from traditional training methods is agility and speed development. The
traditional approach is a huge mistake, especially in the off-season, because it
does not address specific neuromuscular responses, such as co-contractions of
muscles (hamstrings and gluteus) with the displacement of body mass, possibly
with a reactionary component (ball or opponent).
Athletes do need to train to become more effective at specific components of
their game. For instance, training a football lineman would include weight
training and cardiovascular training. It is also desirable for athletes to have
strength and an efficient metabolic system. But according to the SAID principle
(Specific Adaptations to Imposed Demands), if an athlete is concentrating on
strength and metabolic training, he will improve only in those areas.
The best way to train for any sport is to practice the sport itself. If done
properly, speed and agility training addresses sport-specific skills and the
neuromuscular system in a manner that most closely resembles the sport itself—
often called “functional training.” The less the method of training resembles the
sport, the less functional it is.
Speed and agility development also requires a different timeline than
traditional training. The nervous system, motor abilities, and sport-specific
movements will have little time to develop if they are not addressed outside of
the pre-season. It takes weeks and sometimes months of training to see any
significant results in speed and agility. It takes professional athletes years to
refine sport-specific technique. Even then, fundamental errors occur with the
most proficient athletes in game situations. Gone are the days of getting into
shape during training camp. Today’s professional athlete will take only two
weeks off immediately following the season before beginning training for the
next season.
This book has two basic parts. Part I covers the information that a coach or
athlete needs to have to design and implement successful speed and agility
programs. It presents scientific foundations that support speed and agility
training. It also discusses, in detail, safety considerations, the warm-up, a
dynamic flexibility program, speed training drills, and a theory of agility
training.
Part II offers specific examples of speed and agility training programs for
several sports (baseball, basketball, football, hockey, rugby, and soccer) that rely
heavily on speed and agility for success. The authors developed these programs
using what they believe to be the most methodical and practical approach to
speed and agility development. The programs may or may not be appropriate for
a particular program (collegiate, high school, club, or otherwise) because so
many variables (including the competency of the instruction) need to be
identified before implementing a speed and agility program. Therefore, the
programs are based on a methodical and progressive model that can be adapted
for use by any coach or athlete at any level.
This second edition also includes a companion DVD that explains each
exercise and drill that is discussed in the text. As authors, we felt that a video
would better define the specific movement techniques and patterns that you can
use immediately with your athletes. The DVD also includes coaching cues and
drill descriptions that you will find helpful when implementing sport speed and
agility training.
PART I
Principles and Fundamentals
The first part of this book covers the information that a coach or athlete needs to
have to design and implement successful speed and agility programs. The first
chapter details safety considerations for speed and agility programs and
discusses injury prevention. The next few chapters describe the various
components in a speed and agility training program. Chapter 2 covers warming
up—why it is important and how to do it most effectively for speed and agility
training. Chapter 3 describes speed training—what factors affect speed, the
components of speed, technique, and how to train each component. Chapter 4
outlines selected speed drills. Chapter 5 covers agility training—the science
behind it (physiology, biomechanics, and motor learning), its constituents,
training variables, and program design information. Chapter 6 describes the
importance of the cooldown and how it can be implemented. Chapter 7 puts
everything together and covers program design, including information on
principles of exercise, analyzing the needs of the sport and the athlete, how the
sport’s competition season affects program design, and how to incorporate speed
and agility training into the bigger conditioning program.
