S-A-Q

soccer specific

Speed - Agility - quickness

We offer individual, 2 person, group and academy sessions info: Admin@DMS11.com

Effective and efficient movement is fundamental to sports performance. Movement binds together all of the skills of a game into a coherent flow. Therefore, outstanding performance is not solely the level of skill, but the standard of movement that accompanies these skills. Since movement is a skill, it can be trained and developed to enhance sports performance. Soccer is a game that is built around speed, quick starts and stops, acceleration, deceleration, and propulsive and explosive changes of direction. Statistics on time spent performing various movements in a game of soccer are as follows:

walking/standing/recovering - 28%

jogging - 26%

running – low speed 21%

running – moderate 14 %

running – high 6%

running – sprint 3%

running backwards 2%

in soccer, players cover an incredibly large distance during a game. Depending on their age this can be as much as 8 miles. During the course of a game, soccer players perform more than 1000 changes in activity and use over 420 different patterns of movement. What is important to note is that less than 2% of these movements are with the ball! This illustrates that movement without the ball is a key component of soccer performance. Often times, the root cause of a defender losing his opponent, or an attacker missing her shot is not solely a lack of soccer skills but a breakdown in the movement patterns, and the resulting poor position from which the skill was attempted.

The good news is that the speed, agility and quickness needed to supplement soccer skills, can be taught and developed. By applying specific training techniques to the areas of locomotion, propulsion and explosion, players can train their bodies to activate the fast twitch muscles more rapidly to become faster and quicker.

SAQ: SPEED AGILITY & QUICKNESS TRAINING

Used by top European clubs, SAQ training is the most effective ways to teach a progressive system of movement development. Research has shown that the inclusion of SAQ training produces significant improvement in performance in as little as 12 weeks.

Soccer SAQ indentifies the key movement patterns used in soccer. By breaking movement down into constituent parts* a progressive system of development can be set up that optimizes movement development and its transfer to enhanced sports performance.

*Acceleration pattern, hip-turn and drive, drop-step, cut step/plant step, athletic position, moving athletic position, side-shuffle, back-pedal, efficient running action, cross-step run, chop-steps to athletic position, acceleration movement patterns, kick from a rolling start.

We offer individual, 2 person, group and academy sessions

info: Admin@DMS11.com

SAQ DEFINED

SPEED

In soccer, Speed is the ability to cover ground economically and efficiently during the first few yards (i.e. five steps) of a run. It also involves the ability to open stride length and frequency over a 40-50 yard length. Finally, Speed is seen as the maximum velocity a player can achieve and maintain.

How do we improve speed?

Running is an art unto itself, and proper running mechanics are not taught to young kids. This means just about everyone grows up with a certain degree of deficiency. To improve speed we must break down the components of running (e.g. stride length and frequency, leg cycle, hip and height position, arm movement, and ground contact time) and re-teach them correctly. Player must also be made aware of the Rest/Ratio requirements before and after every sprint so that they can recover properly between them.

AGILITY

In soccer, Agility is the ability to change direction without loss of balance, strength, speed or body control. To be agile in terms of soccer means having lightening responses and reactions. There is also a direct link between improved agility and development of speed, strength, timing and rhythm. One of the greatest benefits of agility training is that it is long lasting. Once agility has become integrated into the muscle memory, it does not leave.

How do we improve agility?

Agility training is comprised of four elements: Balance, Coordination, Programmed Ability and Random Agility. Balance and Coordination are improved by mastering simple skills under varying degrees of stress. Movements are broken down into their component parts to allow the player to become aware of body positioning on an incremental level (e.g. a five-step run could be broken down to reflect the various motions that would include: high knee drive, lean forward, arm drive, and the butt kick). By taking apart the movements the player can better understand the biomechanics and gain muscle memory.

Programmed agility training occurs once player has already experienced a skill, and is aware of the pattern and sequence of demands. From there the player must now conduct the skill at a high speed. Random Agility is the final training element. Here the player is asked to perform tasks, at a high speed with unknown patterns and unknown demands. Skill level now becomes much closer to actual game like situations. It often incorporates visual and audible cues to force the player into reactive decisions.

QUICKNESS

While Speed is the ability to cover ground economically and quickly, Quickness in soccer refers to explosive acceleration. It is the ability to generate the greatest force transfer from the foot to the ground.

How do we improve quickness?

The science behind quickness involves reprogramming the neuromuscular system that impacts acceleration. This system is composed of the nerve root, the peripheral nerve, the neuromuscular junction and the muscle. It is the nervous system of the muscles themselves and its job is to help muscles to move.

Think of a towel snapping. To achieve that ‘crack’ the towel must lengthen (eccentric) and then shorten (concentric) instantaneously (contraction). This is the same movement required of a muscle, and it is known as the Stretch Shortening Cycle. In soccer the Stretch Shortening Cycle involves linear, lateral and vertical movements.

Training focuses on removing restrictive mental blocks and thresholds such as slow, uncoordinated initial acceleration. Range of movement is also addressed and improved. Drills focus on isolated fast contractions of an individual joint. These quick repetitive motions help take the body through the gears. This in turn increases muscle firing rates so that the player can literally explode over a 3-5 yard area.