Developing agility and change of direction speed with Lee Taft (Athletic Performance Consultant)
Aug 6, 2020
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Lee Taft, Athletic Performance Consultant, discusses topics such as change of direction, assessments, importance of the foot, closed vs open drills, embracing chaos, and deceleration in this engaging podcast episode.
Change of direction assessments provide valuable insights into an athlete's movement efficiency and inform targeted training strategies.
The significance of the foot in change of direction cannot be overstated, and optimizing athletes' natural movement patterns can enhance efficiency.
Deceleration training is essential for improving stopping mechanics and reducing injury risk in change of direction movements.
Deep dives
Importance of Change of Direction Assessments
Change of direction assessments are crucial in understanding an athlete's ability to react and change direction quickly. By observing how athletes react in agility formats and reactive settings, we can identify their go-to movement patterns, strengths, and limitations. These assessments provide valuable insights into an athlete's movement efficiency and can inform targeted training strategies. It is essential to assess athletes in their sport-specific context to ensure transferability of skills and to avoid creating movement patterns that only work in controlled settings.
The Role of the Foot in Change of Direction
The significance of the foot in change of direction cannot be overstated. Observations and studies have shown that athletes naturally reposition their foot opposite to the desired direction before changing direction. This natural movement strategy provides biomechanical advantages and supports the stretch-shortening cycle. Rather than coaching athletes out of these natural movements, the focus should be on improving efficiency and optimizing the strategy. By addressing strength, elasticity, and postural factors, we can help athletes move more efficiently while respecting their innate movement patterns.
Training for Deceleration
Deceleration plays an important role in change of direction, and it should be approached as a strength and eccentric loading exercise. By emphasizing eccentric control and stopping movements, athletes can enhance their ability to decelerate effectively. Assessments for deceleration involve evaluating an athlete's ability to stop as directed, managing momentum and mass, and effectively absorbing forces. By integrating deceleration training into their workouts, athletes can improve their stopping mechanics and reduce the risk of injury.
Importance of Coaching Models
Coaching models are crucial when assessing and training athletes. Whether it's a bodyweight squat or a lateral shuffle, having a clear model allows coaches to focus on key aspects and areas of improvement. By providing interns and younger coaches with a few essential elements to look for, they can develop their observational skills and gradually learn more advanced techniques over time. It's important to prioritize mastering the basics before moving on to more complex aspects. Developing and coaching to models helps create a consistent approach and provides a foundation for athletes to build upon.
The Role of the Foot in Change of Direction
The foot plays a crucial role in change of direction movements. When an athlete changes direction, the foot must be positioned perpendicular to the intended movement direction, allowing for internal rotation and pronation. This foot position enables proper loading, stability, and muscle activation throughout the body. Maintaining a full foot contact during changes of direction optimizes friction and stability, while avoiding excessive external rotation of the foot. Correct foot positioning promotes efficient force transfer from the ground and reduces pressure on the knees. Proprioceptive exercises, such as walking backwards with specific foot movements, can help athletes improve foot awareness and develop the necessary strength and coordination for effective change of direction.
In this episode of the Pacey Performance Podcast I am speaking to Athletic Performance Consultant, Lee Taft. Its been a long time coming! I wanted to get someone on the podcast who could chat about change of direction and I ended up asking Loren Landow for a recommendation. Within 2 minutes, Loren had replied with "Lee Taft, he's your man". Lee's knowledge, enthusiasm, and experience made this episode of the podcast and absolute belter. If you want to learn about deceleration, the role of the foot and change of direction, you will love this episode.
This episode of the Pacey Performance Podcast is sponsored by Hawkin Dynamics, the team behind the world's only wireless force plate system. Hawkin Dynamics can be found at hawkindynamics.com and you can follow them on Twitter @hawkindynamics
This episode is also sponsored by IMeasureU. IMeasureU are a world leading inertial platform to precisely quantify body movement and workload metrics in the field. IMeasureU can be found at imeasureu.com and you can follow them on Twitter @imeasureu.
This episode is also sponsored by Omegawave, the only non-invasive readiness technology to assess both brain and heart. Omegawave can be found at omegawave.com and you can follow them on Twitter @omegawave.
This episode is also sponsored by Athlete Monitoring the world’s most comprehensive, versatile and cost-effective Athlete Health & Performance Management platform for elite sports. You can find their website at athletemonitoring.com or on Twitter @athletemonitor