Ch20 Program Design for Speed and Agility Training

what is speed

skills and abilities needed to achieve high movement velocities

what is change of direction

skills and abilities needed to explosively change movement direction, velocities, or modes

what is agility

skills and abilities needed to change direction, velocity, or mode in response to a stimulus

what is reaction time

amount of time it takes to respond to a stimulus

what are the three factors that influence speed performance

metabolic efficiency, biomechanical efficiency, and effective force application

what is metabolic efficiency

conditioning of specific energy systems

what is biomechanical efficiency

proper mechanics, gait, running economy

what is effective application of force

limits speed, agility, change of direction

to execute movement techniques athletes must

skillfully apply force

what are two variables that describe force relative to the time available to produce force

rate of force development (RFD), Impulse

what is rate of force development (RFD)

how quickly an athlete can produce force

what is typically used as an index of explosive strength

rate of force development

why is RFD more important than max strength in sports

athletes have limited time to produce force during explosive movements

the faster an athlete can generate force the more explosive they are t or f

true

what is impulse

amount of force applied over time, f x t

t or f Impulse is a change in momentum result9ng from a force

t

impulse is important for

sprinting, jumping, hitting a ball

what is breaking impulse

force applied over time to reduce momentum and slow down the body

force represents the

interaction of two objects

what is acceleration

change in object’s velocity due to movement mass

acceleration is directly proportional to the

net force acting on it and inversely proportional to its mass

velocity accounts for both

magnitude and direction

velocity describes both how

fast an object is traveling and in what direction

what type of muscle action is important for deceleration

eccentric muscle action

what are the three main components of changing direction

deceleration, reorientation, and reacceleration

what is neural drive

signals from nervous system that activates muscles

increased neural drive leads to increased

action potentials, muscular force, RFD, impulse

what is the stretch shortening cycle

rapid eccentric action followed by concentric action that enhances force production

why is eccentric strength important for agility

helps absorb braking forces and control body before COD

SSC actions exploit what two phenomena

intrinsic muscle-tendon behavior, force and length reflex feedback to nervous system

what are acute adaptions to SSC

increase mechanical efficiency, impulse via elastic energy recovery

what are chronic adaptions to SSC

upregulate muscle stiffness and enhance neuromuscular activation

sprinting is a series of coupled flight and support phases known as

strides

sprint speed is determined by an athlete’s

stride length and stride rate

more successful sprinters tend to have

longer stride lengths and more frequent stride rate

what are two of the primary limiting factors influencing sprint performance

RFD and proper biomechanics

what is stride length

distance covered during one complete stride

what is stride frequency

number of strides completes per second

why do elite sprinters have longer strides

apply greater force effectively into the ground not reaching further forward

what is overstriding

landing the foot too far ahead of the center of mass, creating breaking forces

what are the three phases of sprinting

start, acceleration, maximum velocity

what is the body position during acceleration

forward trunk lean, triple extension/flexion, 90 degrees

what are some training considerations for acceleration

RFD, explosive strength, heavy lb exercises, anterior ub exercises, hamstring, hip flexors, sled pushes, resisted starts, falling starts

what is triple extension

hip and knee flexion with ankle plantar flexion during push off

what is the approximate body angle during sprint acceleration

45 degree forward lean with ground

what is the body position during maximum velocity

upright trunk, short ground contact time, rapid stride frequency

What qualities are especially important during maximum velocity

elastic strength, muscle-tendon stiffness, rapid force production

what exercises can train max velocity

elastic plyos, posterior ub exercises, calf, adductors, quads, wickets

what causes premature upright posture during sprint acceleration

inadequate push-off force or improper head position

what causes a sprinter to jump upward during first stride

inadequate forward propulsion and improper body positioning

what causes excessive vertical bounding during max velocity

improper force application and push off mechanics

what causes a sprinter to appear to be sitting during max velocity

insufficient leg extension and push-off force

why are short ground contact times important

allow high stride frequency while producing force rapidly

what is rate coding

frequency at which motor neurons send signals to activate muscle fibers

what is mobility

functional movement of a limb through desired ROM

what is flexibility

total range of motion available at the joint

what is specificity in sprint training

training movement patterns, force, RFD< acceleration, and velocity relevant to the sport

why is periodization important

organizes training progressively to develop performance over time