Speed and Agility Training

David Reybrock, MPT

Speed and agility are primarily associated with athletes training for sport; but it also occurs in our everyday activities. We are all athletes in one form or another. Whether you are in a sport, involved in recreation, participate in regular exercise, walk a dog, or play with your children; speed and agility training can help enhance your movement skill acquisition and functional mobility.

As movement specialists, Physical Therapists can use speed and agility training to provide stability by varying speeds of motion and body position.  Everyone can benefit from improved balance, quicker feet, and faster reaction time.  Speed and agility in youth can be used for injury prevention, promote exercise participation, and improve physical fitness.  Speed and agility in elderly can be used to improve coordination, prevent falls, and maintain independent living.  Adding speed and agility to an exercise routine or treatment program can help you move more efficiently and effectively.  

What is Speed, what is Agility?

Speed is defined as the ability to move the body in one direction as fast as possible. Training for speed requires strength in the arms and legs to propel your body forward. The muscles in the back of the thigh and leg create triple extension- forceful extension of the hip, knee, and ankle joints. The gluteus maximus muscle of the hip; hamstring muscles of the knee; and gastroc-soleus muscles of the ankle are the muscles used to run faster.

Agility on the other hand, is the ability to accelerate, decelerate, stabilize, and quickly change directions with proper posture. Agility training focuses on performing a variety of movements in a quick manner. It is not simply going as fast as you can, but rather adjusting movements while going as fast and as steady as possible. Training for agility requires good balance and a strong core to support the body as it moves through all three planes of motion.

The combination of speed and agility training should be used to develop movement skills that include acceleration, deceleration, dynamic balance, and change of direction. In developing these skills, appropriate stability, mobility, and sequencing of movement patterns is important for training athletes and treating patients in physical therapy.

Here are some examples of speed and agility drills that can be used to train athletes and treat patients to be able to speed up, slow down, and change direction more efficiently:

Sprints or walking. Run or walk as fast as possible from a standing still position. The distance will vary based on ability and sport specificity. Add change of speed, stop and pivot turns, head movement, inclines or declines to incorporate agility.

High knees wall drill. With arms extended forward and hands on a wall for stability, alternate knees to hip level up and down as fast as possible. For agility, remove hands from the wall and perform with opposite arm swing and change of speed.

Static balance. Sit on a stability ball, stand with a wide or narrow BOS, or single limb stand.

Dynamic balance. Seated balance with arm and leg movement. Tandem forward walking, side-stepping, and carrying objects while walking.

Cone drill example:

Pro-Agility: 20-yard line sprint, 5-10-5
Purpose: Improve the ability to change direction by enhancing footwork and reaction time.
Procedure: Place each cone 5 yards apart. Start in a two-point stance at the starting line, the center cone. Sprint to the end line and touch with your hand. Turn back and sprint to the far cone (10 yards) and touch the line. Turn back and sprint 5 yards through the start line to the finish.

Image- https://mishockpt.com/speed-and-agility-training/

Agility Ladder drill example:

2 feet out, 1 foot in.

Image- https://i.pinimg.com/564x/97/db/15/97db15d22b150e4585a1caa89056b39a.jpg

Plyometrics: Jump, leap, and hop.

References:

Clark, M.A., Sutton, B.G., Lucett, S.C. (2014). NASM Essentials of Personal Fitness Training, 4th Edition, Revised. Burlington, MA: Jones and Bartlett Learning.

A Return to Physical Activity & Sports During COVID-19

Kyle Schumacher, PT, DPT, LAT

COVID-19 has turned our world upside down. Sadly, it has taken many lives and negatively impacted many others. It prematurely ended the Winter sports season, canceled the Spring sports season, closed down gyms, studios, and weight rooms, and left people scrambling to purchase at-home exercise equipment.

It’s been about five months since our lives were upended, and unfortunately, the virus isn’t going anywhere. Agree or disagree, the state begins to re-open and along with that - gyms, studios, weight rooms, exercise classes, and sports participation. Whether you saw the inches around your waist grow or rushed to purchase every piece of in-home exercise equipment before it vanished, you more than likely are not in the same shape you were months ago. As a healthcare professional, I want to stress that it would not be wise to rush back to the same intensity, sets, reps, and the weight you were doing at the end of February.

Here at APTSM, we want to emphasize a smart, thoughtful, and phased approach to return to exercise and sports participation to decrease the risk of injury and help the body acclimatize to the environment. Planning should include a gradual return taking 6+ weeks. Also, take into account the temperatures have changed drastically since March, and the body needs to accommodate exercising outside of climate-controlled space to avoid heat illness.

Gradual Return (1, 2)

-        Start with an activity level around 25-50% of your pre-pandemic level, including your training frequency, volume, and intensity.

-        Focus on low to moderate intensity for the first couple of weeks.

-        Adjust workload/volume by about 10-20% each week

-        Take frequent rest breaks during sessions

-        As the body adjusts, add frequency or duration

Environmental Acclimatization (3)

-        Allow your body to gradually get used to the heat over 10-14 days

-        Avoid 2-days for the first 5 days of outdoor exercise

-        Keep practices and workouts to less than 3 hours per day

-        Sports using protective equipment should gradually add pads over the 14-day period

-        Two-a-days should not begin until day 6. The first practice should not exceed 3 hours and should be followed by a 3-hour break. Total practice time should not exceed 5 hours.

-        Complete the full acclimatization period

Hopefully, these recommendations will help guide you in your return to physical activity/exercise and sports. Please do not hesitate to reach out to one of our APTSM locations for further guidance or recommendations. You can also schedule an injury risk assessment with one of our healthcare professionals at the APTSM – Champion Center for a total body screening and assessment and performance training classes.

1.       Caterisano, Al, Decker, D., Snyder, B., Feigenbaum, M., Glass, R., House, P., Sharp, C., Waller, M., Witherspoon, Z. “CSCCa and NSCA Joint Consensus Guidelines for Transition Periods.” Strength & Conditioning Journal, June 2019 - Volume 41 - Issue 3 - p 1-23

2.       Clarkson, Priscilla M., and Monica J. Hubal. “Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage in Humans.” American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, vol. 81, no. Supplement, Nov. 2002

3.       Casa DJ. Csillan D. Pre-season Heat Acclimatization Guidelines for Secondary School Athletics. Journal of Athletic Training. 2009; 44(3):332-333.

Better going into surgery, better coming out.

Briana Wasielewski, PTA, CCCE, BS

Having the best rehab after surgery is one of the top priorities of all surgical candidates. Many spend a lot of time getting the best surgeon in place, getting their place to rest in order, and thinking about who can help them with daily life and getting to and from appointments once the surgery is done. While these are all things one should think about prior to surgery, many are not thinking about what they can do to ultimately increase their chances of having a better surgical outcome: exercise prior to surgery. Exercise comes in many forms and is something everyone can do prior to surgery. If done appropriately, exercise before surgery will likely make recovery better. Who better to help figure out your unique pre-op exercise plan than a physical therapist! 

First, a physical therapist will discuss and evaluate your reason for surgery. Many times the reason a patient is thinking about having surgery is that they have pain or their movement is affected. Exercise is usually not something surgical candidates think they can or should do before considering surgery. Prehab exercise is specifically designed by physical therapists to improve the outcome of patients’ post-surgical rehab. The idea here is “the better going into the surgery, the better coming out”. Whether that means breathing exercises, simple strengthening, flexibility work, or practicing how to use crutches, seeing a physical therapist before surgery can help the healing process in the long run.  

A physical therapist prehab visit also gives the opportunity for surgical candidates to ask questions specifically about the most dreaded part of having surgery: the recovery. Physical therapists are experts in rehabilitation and can tell you exactly what to expect in recovery, and how to prepare yourself with pain management tools.  

If you are thinking about having surgery or know someone who is, make sure you prepare yourself and your body by seeing one of our physical/occupational therapists.

Head to our location page to find a clinic near you!