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Speed, Agility, and Quickness

Speed, agility, and quickness (SAQ) training can benefit both athletes and non-athletes by improving acceleration, changing directions, and reacting quickly. The document discusses SAQ concepts, techniques for proper speed and movement, and how SAQ training can be useful for youth, weight loss, and seniors by enhancing fitness, coordination, and injury prevention. Precise form and control of the kinetic chain are important to minimize injury risk when performing SAQ exercises.

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47 views

Speed, Agility, and Quickness

Speed, agility, and quickness (SAQ) training can benefit both athletes and non-athletes by improving acceleration, changing directions, and reacting quickly. The document discusses SAQ concepts, techniques for proper speed and movement, and how SAQ training can be useful for youth, weight loss, and seniors by enhancing fitness, coordination, and injury prevention. Precise form and control of the kinetic chain are important to minimize injury risk when performing SAQ exercises.

Uploaded by

Des
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Chapter 12

Speed, Agility, and Quickness


Purpose
• To provide the fitness professional with a
foundational overview of concepts and
application for speed, agility, and
quickness (SAQ) training.
Objectives
• After this presentation, the participant will
be able to:
– Describe SAQ training and its purpose.
– Discuss the importance of SAQ training.
– Design a SAQ training program for clients in
any level of training.
– Perform, describe, and instruct various SAQ
training exercises.
Concepts
• Often viewed as being beneficial only for the athlete.
• Can also be used with a typical health club member
to:
– Add intensity and complexity.
– Increase the cardiorespiratory demand.
– Provide a simple and exciting variety to a routine workout.
• Allows a client to enhance his or her ability to
accelerate, decelerate, and dynamically stabilize the
entire body during higher velocity exercises in multiple
planes.
Speed
• The ability to move the body in one
intended direction as fast as possible.
• The product of stride rate and stride
length.
– Stride rate
• The number of strides taken in a given amount of
time (or distance).
– Stride length
• The distance covered in one stride, during running.
Speed
• Proper Sprint Mechanics
– Allow the client to maximize forces generated
by muscles, so that maximum velocity can be
achieved in the shortest possible time.
– Frontside mechanics is the emphasis on triple
flexion of the front leg:
• Ankle dorsiflexion
• Knee flexion
• Hip flexion
• Neutral lumbar spine
Speed
• Proper Sprint Mechanics
– Backside mechanics is the emphasis on triple
extension of the back leg:
• Ankle plantarflexion
• Knee extension
• Hip extension
• Neutral lumbar spine
Agility
• The ability to start (accelerate), stop (decelerate
and stabilize), and change direction quickly, while
maintaining proper posture.
• Requires high levels of neuromuscular efficiency.
– Constantly regaining a center of gravity over a base of
support, while changing directions, at various speeds.
• Can also help to prevent injury.
– Enhances the body’s ability to effectively control
eccentric forces in all planes of motion.
– Improves the structural integrity of the connective tissue.
Quickness
• The ability to react and change body
position with maximum rate of force
production, in all planes of motion and
from all body positions, during functional
activities.
• The ability to react to visual, auditory, and
kinesthetic feedback during functional
activities with minimal hesitation.
Kinetic Chain Checkpoints
• Foot and Ankle Complex
– Pointing straight ahead.
– Dorsiflexed when it hits the ground.
– Excessive flattening or external rotation of the foot will
create abnormal stress throughout the rest of the kinetic
chain and decrease overall performance.
• Knee Complex
– Must remain straight ahead.
– Excessive adduction and internal rotation of the femur
during the stance phase decreases force production
and leads to overuse injuries.
Kinetic Chain Checkpoints
• Lumbo-Pelvic-Hip Complex
– The body should have a slight lean during acceleration.
– During maximum velocity, should be fairly neutral, without
excessive extension or flexion, unless to reach for an object.
• Head Position
– The head should remain in line with the lumbo-pelvic-hip
complex and legs.
– Should not compensate and move into extension, unless
necessary to track an object (such as a ball).
– Can affect the position of the lumbo-pelvic-hip complex
(pelvo-occular reflex).
SAQ Training for Youth
– An effective way of providing a variety
of exposures to various physiologic,
neuromuscular, and biomechanical
demands, resulting in the further
development of physical ability.
– Have been found to decrease the
likelihood of athletic injury, increase the
likelihood of exercise participation later
in life, and improve physical fitness.
SAQ Training for Weight Loss
– High-intensity, short-duration programs have
been found to match or surpass results for
functional capacity, muscular power, fat and
weight loss, and other metabolic adaptations
when compared with moderate-intensity, long-
duration exercise protocols.
– The high-intensity, short bouts of SAQ drills
make them a valid choice for interval training
modalities with appropriate nonathletic
populations.
SAQ Training for Seniors
– A primary function of SAQ training for seniors
is to prevent age-related decreases in bone
density, coordinative ability, and muscular
power. This aids in the prevention of injury
and an increase in the quality of life.
– SAQ-based programs have been found to
increase coordinative ability and movement
confidence, eliciting a decreased likelihood of
falling or other movement-related injury.
SAQ Drills and Programming
Summary
• SAQ training can be used by athletic and
nonathletic populations and does not need
to be reserved for athletes.
• Precise technique and kinetic chain control
are required to minimize risk of injury.
• Programming guidelines must be gauged
on the total volume of training for all
components in a workout.

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