6 Ways to Increase the Effectiveness of Your SAQ Program

Jim Kielbaso MS, CSCS Coaches are constantly asking me what can be done to make their in-house Speed, Agility and Quickness (SAQ) programs more effective. After talking with hundreds of coaches and looking at what is happening all over the country, I have come up with six keys to increasing the effectiveness of any SAQ program. 1. Educate the athletes. If your athletes dont have an understanding of why they are doing a drill, there is a good chance they are thinking of it as torture or punishment. It is up to you to explain the purpose of a drill so the athletes fully understand how it impacts performance. Typically, this will motivate an athlete to work harder because they will understand how their hard work will pay off in the game. It also helps you, the coach, choose drills that will actually benefit the athletes. I cant tell you how often I see coaches lining up cones, ladders and boxes in the name of SAQ training, but the movements used in the drills have absolutely nothing to do with the movements used in the sport. If you have to explain how it will help the athlete, you are more likely to choose appropriate drills. 2. Focus on mechanics. Allowing your athletes to do drills with faulty movement patterns is like a golf pro watching his student hit ball after ball with terrible flaws in his swing, and never providing any corrective feedback. Athletes practice sport skills and play games all the time, but they are rarely taught how to move properly; they are just expected to know how. But, if a kid has never been shown how to do something, how can you expect him/her to do it correctly. It is up to you to teach your athletes some of the most basic movement concepts in sports running, cutting, shuffling, pivoting, jumping, etc. Begin by teaching them like they have never performed these movements in their lives. In my writing and seminars, I refer to this as Movement Training, and by implementing Movement Training concepts into your SAQ program your athletes will always end up farther ahead. 3. Quality not quantity. Too often, SAQ workouts turn into conditioning sessions. Remember, the goal is improving speed and agility, not aerobic fitness. Keep the work periods short and the rest periods long so the athletes can give 100% effort on each drill. You are trying to teach the nervous system how to work more efficiently, so the athletes need to be fresh. If the rest periods are too short, the work periods too long, or the athletes are simply fatigued from previous work, mechanics will disintegrate and the same old faulty movement patterns will ultimately be reinforced. For optimal SAQ results, keep the work periods to 2-10 seconds and the rest periods as long as 20-60 seconds or even longer if the intensity is extremely high. Explain that you will be giving long rest periods so the drills can be done with maximum intensity, and stick to your word. 4. Sport specificity. As long as you are trying to teach your athletes to move more efficiently, it makes sense to practice movements that will actually be used in a game. Sprinting and cutting are used in just about every sport, but dont forget about the

very specific skills your athletes need to perform on the field or court. These movements include shuffling, stopping, pivoting, faking, spinning, cross-over running, backpedaling, etc. As much as possible, include these movements into your SAQ sessions. Baseball and softball players should practice starting sprints like they are stealing a base. Volleyball players should incorporate lunging, approach steps and jumps into their drills. Football receivers should practice their routes. Quarterbacks should incorporate drop steps and linemen should start drills from 2-, 3-, or 4-point starting positions. Use your imagination to create drills that mimic competition. Ladder drills and plyos are great general training methods, but if you dont make your athletes practice their most important movements you should never wonder why they dont perform them well in a game. 5. Consistency. As I stated earlier, SAQ programs train the nervous system. The best way to make this happen is to consistently practice sport specific skills so the nervous system learns the optimal movement patterns. 5-20 minutes, 2-3 days per week is all it takes. You can make this happen by adding two short drills to your warm-up routine, or including one or two sport-specific drills into the beginning of each strength training session. This does not mean strength movements that resemble the sport movements Im talking about actually doing a couple of sprints or agility drills before each workout. As long as technique is emphasized, this brief, consistent practice will add up and allow your athletes to perform these skills perfectly on the field or court without any thought. 6. Long-term development. Another major problem I see in a lot of SAQ programs is implementing them a few weeks before the season, hoping for a miracle. Starting these drills 2-3 weeks before your first game is simply too late for major benefits to be seen. You will certainly see benefits from doing SAQ drills during your pre-season, but working the drills into your year-round training program will elicit maximum results. Pre-season training should focus on technical/tactical skills and conditioning. Too often, though, I see coaches conditioning the athletes during the off-season; this is a waste of time and energy. If you have contact with your athletes during the offseason, work on strength, movement training and technical skill development for the greatest long-term results. If you can teach your freshmen how to move, and include a few minutes of practice before every strength training session, imagine what a difference that will make by the time they are juniors and seniors. Its never too early to teach kids how to move. Dont wait until its too late. Introduce changes gradually, and continually attempt to make improvements. SAQ training will have a positive impact on any team, and incorporating these six keys will help you run the most effective program possible.

Speed, Agility and Quickness (SAQ) drills These drills can be easily set up and are easy to follow. All you need are a few cones (jumpers will do!) and an open space. 1. Star Agility Run Start/Finish

a. Lay out 8 cones in a circle around a central cone. The distance between each outside cone and the central cone should be approximately 10 metres. b. Start on an outside cone and run into the middle and then out to the next one in a clockwise direction. c. Make your way all the way round the circuit until you are back at the start as quick as you can. d. Ensure that you spend 1-2 minutes recovering before attempting it again. In one session this drill should be attempted approximately 5 times in combination with other drills. e. If you are training in a group or with a partner then ensure that your time is recorded so you can compare it with future times and note any improvements.

2. Illinois Agility Run

10 metres

Start

Finish

a. The Illinois Agility Test/Run is one of the most famous and one of the most popular agility tests. b. For this drill you will need 8 cones arranged in a similar set-up to the diagram above. c. Start from the baseline and sprint 10 metres to the first cone and then sprint back to the baseline again. Next weave through the 4 cones and then weave back again as fast as you can. Finally, sprint 10 metres to the final cone and then back to the finish. d. Ensure that you spend 1-2 minutes recovering before attempting it again. In one session this drill should be attempted approximately 5 times in combination with other drills. e. If you are training in a group or with a partner then ensure that your time is recorded so you can compare it with future times and note any improvements.

3. The Christmas Tree Test

1m 2m

5m

10m

Start/Finish a. For this test you will require 13 cones arranged to set up a course as shown above. b. Start from the start/finish cone and run forward to the first cone. The next bit can be altered at your discretion. You can either run the whole course facing forward or for the flat sections (e.g. the line marked 1) you can sidestep and then run forward on the angled sections. Once you reach the top of the tree turn around and come back down. c. Ensure that you spend 1-2 minutes recovering before attempting it again. In one session this drill should be attempted approximately 5 times in combination with other drills. d. If you are training in a group or with a partner then ensure that your time is recorded so you can compare it with future times and note any improvements.