In this episode of the Pacey Performance Podcast, Senior Adjunct Fellow at University of Technology Sydney, Tania Spiteri discussed the pivotal considerations surrounding agility and change of direction (COD) training and testing. Tania brings forth her extensive experience, ranging from grassroots to elite and Olympic level athletes, to provide listeners with a comprehensive understanding of these crucial athletic components.
Tania delineates the difference between agility and COD, establishing that while both are integral to athletic performance, they are distinctly different in their application and assessment. Agility is defined as the ability to alter velocity or direction in response to a stimulus, thereby incorporating a decision-making element. In contrast, COD pertains to the physical and technical capacity of an athlete to change direction, assessed through pre-planned drills, devoid of a decision-making component.
The discussion further delves into the constraints that influence agility performance, exploring the multifaceted interactions between the athlete, task, and environmental factors. Tania emphasizes the imperative of understanding and quantifying the underlying mechanisms and constraints that facilitate enhanced performance and injury mitigation. She underscores the necessity for training drills to be representative of the sport, ensuring they are progressively overloaded, specific, and varied to optimize development and transfer to competitive settings.
Tania's expertise provides a rich resource for coaches, athletes, and sports scientists seeking to optimize training and testing protocols for agility and COD, ensuring they are both effective and reflective of the dynamic demands of competitive sport.
Main talking points:
#Bitesize - Using Frans Bosch’s methods with Australia Rugby with John Pryor
Using military pre season camps for the right reasons. Answering the critics with Simon Thomas
#Bitesize - How to implement eccentric focused training with your athletes with Angus Ross
Understanding and implementing isometric testing and training with athletes with Paul Comfort
#Bitesize - Developing players through the pathway in an elite football academy with Matt Allen
Agility training: Creating drills that transfer to on-field performance with Warren Young
#Bitesize - Microdosing; how it differs to other methods of periodisation with Derek Hansen
Preventing and rehabilitating hip and groin injuries in athletes with James Moore
#Bitesize - Why change of direction and agility testing doesn’t provide valuable information with Ian Jeffreys
Developing the ”how” as well as the ”what” of coaching, self reflection and expanding deep knowledge with Jonas Dodoo and Jamie Taylor
#Bitesize - The beliefs and practices of the Arsenal Academy performance department with Paudie Roche
Change of direction ability; testing, developing physical qualities and maximising on-field transfer with Tom Dos’Santos and Alistair McBurnie
#Bitesize - Why is the Nordic hamstring exercise so controversial with Kristian Thorborg
The deceleration vaccine, and understanding and improving deceleration ability with Tom Dos’Santos and Alistair McBurnie
#Bitesize - What is the anaerobic speed reserve and how can we use it with Gareth Sandford
The future of sports science and the sports scientist in professional sport with Jose Fernandez (Mahd Academy)
#Bitesize - The power of social media in getting (or not getting) a job in elite sport with Dave Slemen
Understanding and evaluating the return on investment from any sports technology with Sam Robertson (Professor at Victoria University)
#Bitesize - Using fixed resistance machines in-season with Cory Schlesinger
Agility training, problems with change of direction testing & game speed with Ian Jeffreys (Coach Educator & Academic Director, Setanta College)
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