When planning the conditioning programs used, both in and out-of-season, coaches usually have their athletes’ best interests in mind. Goals typically revolve around improving in-season performance or better preparing players during out-of-season workouts for the upcoming season. Generally time is spent on speed and agility. The problem is that sometimes what is done may not be the best choice from a physiological standpoint and may actually hinder performance or impede speed / agility development. All too often, speed and agility are lumped together. It is assumed that those who are the fastest sprinters will also be the most agile. Research, however, does not support this assumption. In fact, speed and agility are two very different components of skill related fitness and must be addressed that way. To be sure what is done is fundamentally sound there are a few questions that must be asked when planning conditioning programs:
1. What are the physical and metabolic demands of the sport?
2. What is the specific goal you are trying
to achieve?
3. Does the drill you are using target what you want it to target?
4. Have you taught the proper technique
needed to be successful?
By focusing attention on these simple questions, one can better select and utilize different methods to best help your players.
WHAT ARE THE PHYSICAL AND METABOLIC DEMANDS OF THE SPORT?
Football is a game of explosive speed and lightning fast feet. Plays typically last between 5 and 10 seconds and allow approximately 30 seconds rest. For activity that demands all out effort for this short duration, we need to understand how the body functions physiologically. Creatine Phosphate (CP), along with Adenine Triphosphate (ATP), is the primary energy source, providing us the most intense energy output (90-100% maximum power) our body can produce. The downside, however, is that the primary energy system responsible for CP production, the Phosphagen System, cannot sustain its production. After between 6 and 10 seconds, energy production comes more from Fast Glycolysis and ATP, resulting in a less intense energy output (75-90% maximum power).
WHAT IS THE SPECIFIC GOAL YOU ARE TRYING TO ACHIEVE?
Speed or agility: that’s the question. It is important to understand that speed and agility are not the same thing. Speed is basically defined as the time to get from point A to point B while agility is the body’s ability to quickly change direction. It is imperative to define which you are trying to achieve. Each skill is not necessarily transferable and training for one does not necessarily carry over to the other. Research has shown that sprint speed training has little to no correlation with agility performance and vice versa. For athletes to become faster, they must specifically train to become faster. If you want players to become more agile, you must provide the proper drill work and training methods that will facilitate this type of development
DOES THE DRILL YOU ARE USING TARGET WHAT YOU WANT IT TO TARGET?
At some point, you have to look closely at the things you do to be sure they accomplish what you want them to accomplish. If you want your running backs to become better at making cuts in the hole, running 20 or 40-yard sprints doesn’t make sense. What good does a mile run do a lineman if he needs to be faster off the ball within 5 yards? These are specific goals and require specific training to be reached.
If speed is your goal, you need to use sprint work, such as 10, 15, and 20-yard sprints and other sprint variations to be successful. In addition, you can incorporate these sprints into practice. No one ever said that conditioning has to be done separately. In practice, when the back breaks through the line, have them finish the play with a full 20-yard sprint. Have quarterbacks carry out their fakes with a full 5 to 10-yard sprint. Once the receiver runs his slant, hitch, or out, have him finish the play with a full sprint for 40 yards to the end zone. Not only does this train the Phosphagen System by working players at game speed, but it also teaches players to practice like they play.
Developing agility takes more than just throwing out a couple of cones and having players run through them. Drills should mimic sport specific movements as closely as possible to allow for true transfer onto the field. In addition, agility drills need to be done first at a slow pace to allow players to learn what movements are required. Once drills are learned and understood and proper technique is established, drills should be done at full speed. Lastly, research has shown that that elite players often appear to have amazing agility. In reality, they are able to predetermine what movements are necessary based on visual cues they see as the play develops. As coaches, we must ensure our players are given ample opportunity and repetitions at near game speeds to help them learn to read what cues are present so that they can better respond when necessary.
HAVE YOU TAUGHT THE PROPER TECHNIQUE NEEDED FOR SUCCESS?
Proper technique is the most under trained aspect of speed and agility training. It is crucial to establishing any speed or agility development or performance. Do athletes have the proper foot strike? Do they execute the proper braking technique? What constitutes proper arm swing? Coaches often assume that athletes know how to move and run efficiently. Unfortunately, the slightest deviation from optimal execution can have detrimental effects on performance. We need to take time to ensure each athlete is taught proper form early on in training if maximum development or performance is desired. We’d never allow our linemen to block any way they want yet we allow our players to train and play without ever giving them the knowledge and practice they need to be successful.
Ultimately, it is up to you how you choose to achieve your goals with your players. Carefully planned, organized, and orchestrated conditioning programs can yield tremendous results. It only takes a little time, fore thought, and the willingness to break from outdated methods to fine tune programs to make them as efficient and as beneficial as they can be.
Brian Bowden is the Football Strength and Conditioning Coach and Assistant Football Coach at Ridley High School in Folsom, PA. He can be reached at BrianBowden@GridironStrategies.com.