As I have mentioned before many times, my masters in exercise science was just what I needed after completing my bachelors in physiotherapy. To over simplify it, It gave me an insight into exercise selection, administration and prescription which was only brushed in my bachelors of physiotherapy program. I believe this was for good reason, the bachelors degree in physiotherapy is focused on rehabilitation. Not as much on improving performance or training otherwise healthy adults. It brushes over it, but not thoroughly enough in my humble opinion. No wonder physios in countries like the US and Canada often go through this path of exercise science/ Kinesiology before entering physio school. I went the other way, but the bottom line is, there was a lot to learn and it is fascinating.
One of the facets of training which I was fairly unfamiliar with was training for speed and agility. Before we proceed, this is what the NSCA describes in its book ‘The essentials of strength training and conditioning’ speed and agility in terms of training-
Speed- the skills and abilities needed to achieve high movement velocities.*
Agility- the skills and abilities needed to explosively change movement velocities or modes.*
Most athletes need these attribute, the ability to get from point A to point B fast, this could be chasing a football/soccer ball, a run up for a fast bowler, sprinting to the finish line etc. Also, the ability to accelerate, change directions, decelerate etc. like in tennis or basketball. The ability to produce force fast in a certain direction would still require baseline/foundation strength. But we must also train for that quick first step in a sprint or that quick change in direction which must be practiced with drills. Just lifting heavy things might not help with that. These drills reinforce the ‘brain-to-muscle’ connection that we often talk about that is learnt with repetition.
One of the common drills I often saw being used by strength coaches as a warm-up or on a low training volume day is ladder drills. Here is a video of one of my colleague performing some basic (not simple) drills on the ladder. She has a track and field background in high school and collage and has practiced these drill many times over the years. Enjoy-
- Forward sprint[wpvideo py05kWd1]
- Forward sprint (Variation)-[wpvideo bdUEt5CG]
- Lateral In and out’s-[wpvideo psn1148L]
4. Icky Shuffle-
[wpvideo xfoUIOvX]
5. Cross behind forward-
[wpvideo t4jRxcpU]
I also use some of these drills in our senior population. After all, what is one of the major reasons for falls in seniors with balance issues? I think its one of them is the inability to contract muscles fast enough to prevent a fall. An example would be if they have one of their legs caught in the cable/carpet at home, its the inability to put the other leg forward to prevent a fall. Why not train them to move faster or to be able to maneuver around objects at home with ease. It can also be a great multi-planer cardio-vascular exercise for them. But of course at their own pace, keeping their medical history in mind and keeping these drills simple. There are many more drills and exercises which I will discuss in later blogs. What are some of the drills that you like? Feel free to share.
Until next time
Pursue excellence-
Abhijit Minhas
(BPT,MS,CMP,FMT)