How’s it going Overtime Nation,
Hope you’ve been dominating your week. If you haven’t, well today’s a new day and you can start NOW.
Remember, every man is given the same 24 hours, 7 days per week, 365 days per year as everybody else. It’s up to you how you use that time.
This week has been good for me, I’m slowly getting back into my training. Last week I tweaked my lower back a bit so I took it easy.
I feel a lot better this week so I’m back on my grind, but easing my way back in.
It’d be dumb for me to come back full force and hurt myself again. But that mindset comes from experience and years of training, and it’s a mindset I want the OTA Nation to adopt.
You can’t become the best athlete in your sport if you’re constantly getting injured.
So, last night I released a new video on my channel.
I talk about my philosophy on agility.
It’s crazy to see the popularity of some of the agility training out there.
I see so many videos of athletes with lightening fast feet, performing combinations on the ladder.
And every time I see a video like this, I question, “are they really transferring that footwork onto the court or field?”
The honest truth..?
No.
They’re missing more than half the equation when it comes to agility.
Having fast feet that you can move in between boxes on a ladder doesn’t develop the balance, coordination, and body control needed to transfer energy on a drop of a dime.
So in the video, I outline some components that I believe you need to add into your routine to become truly an agile athlete.
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1. Having the explosive power to stop and change direction
That’s a given. If you want to be a great athlete you need to be explosive.
But explosiveness usually comes in the form of linear or vertical movement.
To truly train agility the proper way you need to be performing explosive exercises while training in different planes of motion.
So for example, I would have an athlete perform a broad jump, and right when their feet touches the ground I’d have them quickly control their bodies, and jump 90 degrees to the left or right.
Concentrating on spending minimal time on the ground.
2. Having an athlete learn good lateral change of direction
This is pretty much the same as above but instead of changing direction right after a plyometric movement, I have them practice changing direction during a gait (e.i. sprint)
So any type of cone drill that has the athlete run 5~ yard and cut 5~ yards is going help with this skill.
What you’re really focusing on is your footwork around those turns. And being able to cut quickly.
My favorite way is having them react off my arms. So it’s unknown which direction they need to
cut too.
Just like in a game.
3. Being able to transfer energy
What I mean by this is that an athlete needs to learn to integrate movements between their lower and upper body.
When you’re running at full speed and all of a sudden you change direction, your lower body stops, but your upper body wants to keep going.
This is where having an efficient integrated torso helps you out.
4. Mechanics
I do believe there are mechanics in agility. Being able to plant your foot hard into the ground and transfer all your energy into a new direction takes some practice and skill.
But all too often I see athletes getting carried away with their footwork.
Now, there isn’t anything wrong with training your feet, as long as it’s transferring over onto the playing field.
So make sure you don’t just rely on ladder drills.
Including all the components mentioned above will yield the best results for your agility.
So there you have it, guys.
Four components that will help you truly become and agile athlete.
Holler,
