Sport coaches have always known that speed, agility and quickness drills were crucial to an athlete's performance. When fitness industry professionals began focusing on "functional training," they realized that these fitness components were also necessary for daily life activities. Catching a bus, avoiding falls and reacting to oncoming traffic all require quick and agile responses. This realization inspired instructors to incorporate quickness and agility drills into mainstream fitness programs.
Definitions
Coaches and fitness instructors design speed, agility and quickness programs, also called SAQ, to improve their trainee's ability to execute precise movements at high speeds. The coaches at SportXcel, a Colorado sport conditioning program, describe the distinctions between these three essential aspects of athleticism. They define speed as the ability to get from point A to point B in the fastest time possible. Agility is the ability to gain speed, lose speed or change direction without losing balance, motor control or postural alignment. Quickness, often confused with speed, is the ability to swiftly react to visual, auditory and tactile stimuli without hesitation.
Components
Chapter nine of the National Academy of Sports Medicine certification textbook describes the essential fitness components associated with speed, agility and quickness. Speed requires stability, strength, power, muscle and joint mobility and movement precision. Agility requires body awareness and proprioception, which is the body's awareness of its position in space. Quickness training involves combining the training needed for speed and agility with reaction time drills specific to the sport.
Considerations
National Academy of Sports Medicine experts believe that improper postural alignment impedes speed, agility and quickness. Improper neck alignment, for example, may cause early fatigue. Tight shoulders or improper coordination between upper and lower body movement may limit speed and reaction time, and tight hip flexors, combined with weak gluteal muscles reduce power and inhibit mobility. Limited ankle flexibility may reduce foot movement speed.
Solutions
Coaches supplement speed, agility, quickness drills with isolated drills that address postural alignment issues. Arm swings performed while marching in place address tight shoulders and poor arm-leg motor coordination. Some coaches have their athletes lie prone on a foam roller to correct hip flexor tightness. Since weak gluteal muscles often accompany tight hip flexors, many instructors advise students to perform supine bridges with their feet on a stability ball. Limited dorsiflexion, or the ability to curl the toes toward the shin can reduce stride length, which in turn reduces speed. Reverse calf raises, which involve lifting the toes instead of lifting the heels, strengthen the muscles and correct this problem.
Types
Speed, agility and quickness drills promote general athleticism and sport-specific skill. They may include skipping, one-legged hopping, lateral shuffles and jumping rope. Some coaches use medicine ball drills that involve catching the ball while balancing on a stability ball or balance board. Running coaches use power bands for assisted and resisted speed drills. The runner attaches the band around her waist. For the assisted drill, the coach stands a few feet in front of the athlete and pulls her toward him as she runs in his direction. He stands behind his athlete for the resisted drills and pulls the band away from her waist. This type of drill develops strength and power.
Benefits
Personal Training on the Net details the side benefits of quickness and agility drills. Sports medicine expert Juan Carlos Santana explains that this type of training, because of its unpredictable nature, serves as injury prevention for athletes and nonathletes. Santana cites numerous research studies showing that quickness and agility training reduces reaction time and the time needed to produce maximal force, while strengthening the muscles required for knee protection.
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