Joey Macauley
Complete Conditioning for SoccerBy: Greg Gatz
Complete Conditioning for SoccerBy: Greg Gatz
While speed is the rate of which it takes to go from one
point to another, agility is the level of efficiency to react to a stimulus. In
chapter 8 of Complete Conditioning for
Soccer, Greg Gatz focuses on this influential component of soccer and
provides drills to pursue further success on the field. Essentially, agility
training improves the execution of various coordinated body/muscle movements in
space and with the nature of the body’s neuromuscular systems, improvements are quickly noticeable in one's performance after a few training sessions (Gatz 113). Additionally, Gatz
further specifies beyond the basic definition of agility as he states, “Along
with accelerating, agility involves reaction time, balance, coordination,
stopping, and starting.” This leads to his elaboration on how to shape training
programs as he introduces the division between the different drills, “Agility
drills can be either reactive or nonreactive” (Gatz 114). In essence,
non-reactive correlates with being able to anticipate something, and reactive
drills challenge an individual’s ability to adjust to stimulus. Both are just
as important when trying to dominate on the field and contribute to teams. Some of these drills include...
How did you perceive the definition and importance of agility in the activities you are involved in and what do you believe is the most important to focus on when conditioning this component?
Work Cited:
 |
| (1) Shuttle Agility Drills: Sprinting 10 to 50 yard increments and using cones to incorporate changes of direction with sharp movements. Develops explosive strength, posture, and some balance (2) Agility Ladder Exercises: Combination of many different patterns to speed up your footwork, coordinate your upper body with your lower body mechanics, and hones general athletic movements (3) Line/Cutting Drills: Sprinting shorter distances and being able to change direction by isolating the position of your inside/outside foot to enhance explosiveness and balance for more muscle mechanic efficiency. |
Initially, I believed agility was simply being able to move quicker through improvised routes of adjusting to circumstances. However, after reading this chapter, Gatz added to my understanding to the multitude of concepts and mechanics that are involved in this component of soccer, along with how to individually improve it. The evidence that I paraphrased was not only the foundation to my aspiration to begin working on my agility, but also I was able recognize the distinguished movements that are often executed when I'm playing soccer. Then, the quotes I provided helped me form a simple program to isolate particular techniques and motions, which would translate in my performance on the field. Additionally, the evidence were parts of the chapter that influenced my knowledge of agility in order to effectively act on enhancing it.
Work Cited:
Gatz, Greg. Complete Conditioning for Soccer. Human Kinetics, 2009.
Joey,
ReplyDeleteI think your post was great! You are really trying to show the key components and basics for soccer movements and I think it is very beneficial when thinking about how to improve your soccer fitness and technique. To answer your question, when I work with my team, we practice agility and I always thought that it was to speed up our movements, but now I see that agility is more of your reactional movements. Also, for conditioning this component, I believe repetitions using ladders and different foot patterns is the best way to improve.
Tionna,
DeleteThank you for leaving a comment. Initially, I also thought agility training was focusing on increasing the efficiency of your movements. However, knowing that it's more about the speed of your reactive abilities alters my intention towards doing different styles of exercises, rather than just short, cutting sprints. Also, I have done a lot of ladder work with various patterns, but I'll begin trying different variations of footwork patterns aside of the ladder, like you said. Anyways, I'm glad that the information Greg Gatz provided benefited both me and you.
Joey, I also agree that your post was great. I focus on agility when playing basketball. I personally feel that being agile is important when trying to cut to the basket. It's also really important when trying to recover from a bad pass, switch directions very quickly, or change your speeds to try to trick a defender. I really like doing line/cutting drills because when I started I could see a drastic impact on my game almost instantly. Thank you for your post you have brought my game to a new level. Which one is your favorite, or do you practice any other drills for ability outside of what was listed in the book?
ReplyDeleteEssaw,
DeleteI'm glad that you noticed that the information provided for soccer players can still translate to another sport. I personally believe agility is very important in all aspects of defending and attacking for soccer and basketball, but more importantly, it'll always improve your level of game. To answer you question, my favorite exercise to improve my agility would be using the ladder with various patterns of footwork. It seems to be the most simple, efficient, and at times, challenging. Also, with discipline, using the ladder gives you a better work-out in shorter periods of time and repetition, and noticeably improves your agility much quicker verses doing sprints.