Lateral Speed Development 101-
The development of lateral speed is not that far different from linear movement. The goals still remain the same, producing a big force, in a short amount of time, in the proper direction, and through an optimum range of motion. Note the proper direction in bold, it is probably the most critical part. Lateral speed development is multi directional and can be synonymous with the term agility. Agility can be defined as: The ability to execute a complex chain of movements in a fast and graceful manner. Developing agility and multi-direction skills is a summation of some specific qualities. These qualities are dynamic balance, coordination, strength and power, reaction and anticipation. Enhancement of these qualities is probably best accomplished with a part to whole method; they should be broken down into steps that are progressed from simple to complex. Very similar to the way you would develop linear acceleration via a wall drill march, to a wall drill 5 count. That is taking a complex motor pattern and breaking it down to a part (piston leg action) and simple (march) to complex (5count run). We shall treat the development of lateral speed in the same pedagologically sound manner.
The engine in lateral speed development is also very similar to that of linear acceleration, which is of course triple extension of the hip knees and ankles. The obvious difference is that rather than extending in the sagittal (or the sag as Coach Dobbler likes to call it) you are utilizing the hips in the frontal and transverse range of motion. Even though the direction of movement is changed the goal remains the same you are focused on projecting the center of mass towards the intended direction by using optimal body position and efficient mechanics that influence factors of force application.
Ok, so getting down to the nitty gritty before we get to the actual drills which will be in another section. Gray cook speaks of a term, I believe he coined called, Energy Leaks. What he means by this is that somewhere in your kinetic linking, lack of mobility, inefficient movement there is energy being wasted. The best real world example I can think of is a vertical jump. Vertical jump as high as you can, now try to match that same vertical jump while in a sand pit. Different? Even though you are expending the same amount of energy on sand as you are on the gym floor there is less force production in the proper direction. The sand was your energy leak. Your goal was to project you hips as vertical as possible (direction) however some of the energy was lost, leaked, eaten, is now floating around the cosmos somewhere. According to Newton it was lost as heat in the sand, since energy can’t be made or destroyed. I digress…. The point of the story is if all of your energy is not going in the intended direction, up,down,left,right, then you are not aligned right, and you are working a lot harder then you should be.
Proper alignment for lateral speed development is a difficult to put an exact method to, since sport is so unpredictable, no single body alignment can be described. However general guidelines can be put into place. This will act as your “base position” or your “athletic position. On a side note, I usually ask my athletes why it is called athletic position, they can all demo it, but why is it called that? DuH, it is the most athletic position and neutral position the human body can be in. You can see a derivative of it in any sport, from a linebacker, to a golfer, to Mike Phelps about to explode in the pool for a bazillionth gold medal.
So what is athletic position?... Oh Alright, I will tell you… Did you think I would leave you hanging? Athletic position is characterized by sitting the hips back, placing the feet shoulder width apart and leaning slightly forward at the waist, keeping your “pillar” rigid. Keeping your pillar rigid will help put the pelvic in a favorable position and make the thoracic spine rigid, helping in power transfer. The chest and shoulders should be over the knee, allowing the torso to be parallel to the forward (positive) shin angle of the shins. The knees should be aligned just inside the feet with the weight placed on the inside balls of the feet. This description of athletic position is favorable for two reasons: One being that a positive angle of the torso and shins are created when the athlete leans forward this is significant for forward movement because optimal leverage is made between the ground and the center of mass. Secondly with the knees inside the toes, another application of positive angles and leverage is made for lateral movement. The key thing to take away from this is positive shin angles within a base of support that will assist in an athlete’s ability to accelerate, decelerate cut and jump whenever it is necessary, in the proper direction. Note the bolding of proper direction. It was also bolded in paragraph one. Way to bring the article full circle!
Until next time! We will discuss how to move around out of the athletic position
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