You can improve your speed, acceleration and agility with consistent training that consists of explosive and quick exercises. These types of exercises challenge your athletic abilities and improve numerous elements beyond explosiveness and speed, such as balance and coordination. The training will make you a better athlete and better equip you to handle the movements required in your sport.
Training
Agility is the ability to start, stop, change directions and accelerate quickly. It requires explosive muscles, coordination and balance. Speed is the ability to get from one point to another point. The drills and exercises challenge you to pick up speed, decelerate and change directions. The drills and exercises should be done as quickly as possible while still maintaining the proper technique.
Benefits
Athletes in a vast number of sports find speed, acceleration and agility training beneficial to improving their performance. For example, a basketball player will be able to change directions, play defense and get up the floor more quickly. A volleyball player will be able to slide laterally at a quicker rate in order to get to a spiked ball. According to Jason D. Vescovi of the National Strength and Conditioning Association, the improved ability to change directions will decrease the chances of injury during competition.
Common Exercises
Linear acceleration transitions require you to walk for 5 yards, then go into a jog for 5 yards and eventually move into a sprint for 5 yards. The T-drill requires that you sprint forward for 10 yards, slide laterally to the left for 5 yards, slide laterally to the right for 10 yards, slide laterally back left for 5 yards and then backpedal for 10 yards to return to the starting point. The 20-yard shuttle requires you to sprint 10 yards to the right, and then change directions and sprint 20 yards back in the direction you came from, then change directions once again and sprint for 10 yards to get back to your starting position.
Schedule
To see significant improvements in speed, acceleration and agility, training should be completed at least two days per week. It can be completed either before or after your structured practice. If you do your training before practice, it can be incorporated into your warm-up session. If being performed following practice, be sure to do it while your muscles are still warm. Joseph M. Warpeha of the National Strength and Conditioning Association recommends keeping the volume of training low to avoid over-training, but the intensity of each exercise high.
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