Lateral speed is imperative for all field and court sports. The ability to explosively brake and produce force in the opposite direction is what separates good players from average and what keeps athletes out of the training room.
There are two aspects of coaching agility that can improve the the comprehension and execution of better mechanics and more force production. Incorporating pauses where the athletes "sticks" the landing, and providing a tactile cue such as a resistance band, can help athletes improve lateral speed.
Stick the Landing
As many coaches have presented on this topic, almost all of them start their progression where the athletes pause at the landing. This allows for the athlete that is often dependent on the stretch-reflex to develop a better awareness of positioning at the amortization phase.
Bands for COD
Adding bands can assist the athletes in becoming cognizant of proper weight distribution and stabilization techniques otherwise missed without them. Bands can also give the athlete a tactile cue to help with proper sequencing when producing force in the concentric phase.
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Lateral Speed Mechanics with Bands
In this video Ryland Ward (BGSU alumn), demonstrates several change-of-direction deceleration drills and progresses into some resistance agility exercises using bands. The bands should only be implemented once the athlete first demonstrates proper landing mechanics without external resistance. For intermediate athletes, the bands can provide an additional tactile cue to reinforce and master specific positions.Progression
- Shuffle away from band tension to pause.
- Shuffle toward band tension and pause.
- Shuffle toward band tension, pause, and sprint.
- Shuffle toward band tension and sprint.
Lateral Bounds with Bands
In this video, Verlon Reed (Detroit Lions) demonstrates a skater jump progression to reinforce landing mechanics and body positioning for change-of-direction mechanics. The bands should only be implemented once the athlete first demonstrates proper landing mechanics without external resistance. For intermediate athletes, the bands can provide an additional tactile cue to reinforce and master specific positions.Progression
- Skater jump and stick the landing.
- Reactive skater jumps away from resistance.
- Reactive skater jumps toward resistance.
