Speed and Agility
Developing speed and agility is important for many sporting activities, ranging from the 100m sprint athlete who needs to achieve the fastest speed possible to team players and racket sports players who need to be able to react quickly with sudden bursts of speed and to be able to rapidly change direction.
Sprint phases
Developing correct running technique
Before concentrating on developing running speed and agility, it is important to ensure that your running technique is optimal. During the acceleration phase the body should be leaning forward at about a 30-40 degree angle, using short strides with the major propulsion coming from the quadriceps and gluteal muscles. During the maximum and maintenance phases the body should move to an upright, stable posture with the elbow joint at 90 degress to give optimal balance. During this maximal phase of running speed, the ball of the foot, as opposed to the heel or the toes, should make contact with the ground first and the knees should come up no higher than 70 degrees. The following table shows exercises that can be performed to develop these skills.
| Exercise | Description |
|---|---|
| Arm swing drill |
Starting in a seated poition alternatively drive each arm backwards whilst holding the elbow at 90 degress. Progress to repeating the exercise whilst walking, jogging and running. |
| Ankling drills |
Whilst walking, practice actively pawing the ground with the ball of the foot rather than hitting the ground with either the toes or the heel first. Progress to repeating the exercise whilst jogging and then running. |
| Heel kick drills |
Whilst keeping the ankle dosiflexed (toes pointing upwards) alternatively bring each heel up to the buttock. Start at a walking pace and gradually increase the speed. |
| Knee lift drills |
Whilst keeping the ankle dorsiflexed alternatively lift each knee up so that the thigh is horizontal with the ground. Start at walking pace and then increase the speed. |
| Combined drills |
Once each individual drill has been mastered, combine 2 elements until comfortable. Then add more elements until the whole sequence can be integrated. |
Developing speed
Once you have made sure your running techniques is optimal, you can progress to performing exercises that will increase your running speed
Resisted running
The purpose of resisted running is to overload the muscles so as to recuruit more muscle fibres to the task of running and to recruit more nerve fibres to those muscles. This allows both reaction times and speed of running to increase. Various different menthods are avialable for this type of training:
- Towing a weight of about 5-7.5% of body mass whilst running
- Uphill running
- Wearing a weighted vest whilst running
Assisted over-speed training
Using various ways to increase running speed by up to 110% of maximal running speed have been shown to increase the speed at which an athlete can run in subsequent races. Methods commonly employed to achieve this include the following:
- Pulled by another faster runner using a harness
- Sprinting on a treadmill
- Up to 3 degrees downhill running
Developing agility
Being able to rapidly change speed or direction is essential for many sporting activities. Exercises that can be used to develop these skills are as follows:
| Exercise | Description |
|---|---|
| Bunny hops |
Place both hands on a low bench or step, with both feet on one side of it. Spring into the air, keeping your hands on the step, and take your legs over the surface to the other side. Immediately, spring back over again, and continue alternating for your chosen number of repetitions or length of time. |
| Tyre running |
Place a number of tyres or hoops on the ground in a staggered pattern, and run through them as quickly as possible, lifting your knees high. |
| Cone sprints |
Set out a course of small cones (the closer together they are, the tougher the exercise) and run between them as quickly as possible, without knocking any of them over. |
These exercise are termed programmed agility drills because the skill required, although rapidly changing, is predictable. A variation of the above are called random agility drills. For example, using multicoloured cones, a trainer can randomly shout out different colours requiring the athlete to rapidly change direction in an unexpected fashion that more closely mimicks sporting activity. This kind of training helps to recruit more nerve fibres to the muscles resulting in more rapid reaction times.
