Speed vs Quickness

Athletes are always looking to get ahead of the competition. 

One way many feel they can get ahead is by the addition of speed to an athlete's overall performance package. I agree only partially with this. My rational is many athletes train just pure inline speed and forget that most games require quickness in multiple directions and the ability to stop and reverse direction.

The inability to decelerate is a very dangerous movement that has the potential to cause great harm. Athletes today are at greater risk for ACL injuries because they have not trained the body for the forces placed upon it. 

Most ACL injuries are non-contact in nature. So between quickness and speed, what would an athlete want more?

Most coaches I speak and work with agree that an injured player serves little purpose on a team. It breaks up the ability to have consistency in team play and there is a lot of coaching involved to getting that player back into the flow of team play. 

History in professional sports shows players can lose their starting role on a team due to being injured. 

For this article lets look at quickness. 

The National Academy of Sports Medicine defines quickness as "The ability to React and Change body positions with a maximum rate of force production, in all planes of motion, from all body positions during functional activities. Also the ability to execute movement skill in a comparatively brief period of time".

I feel this skill is a requirement for athletes playing football, basketball, soccer, and baseball. Sure other sports require this, but let's focus on these four. 

The dynamics of training quickness is more difficult than just pure one directional speed because the foot, ankle and knee complex go through different patterns in varied time frames. Speed is consistent in terms of training and can be done in just one direction.

The problems with training these two skills are the overuse injury cycle is much more present today because many think just by trying to go faster you will improve.  This is not the case! 

I can not tell you how many times I have attended a practice or training session to only hear a coach scream, "Go faster, you're too slow. Come on, get to the ball." 

These statements can be damaging to an athlete's mental state when he/ she just do not get faster. You have to have the ability first biomechanically before you can begin to push the body beyond its current state.

Ok, so you have an athlete and want them quicker and faster, what do you do? 

The first process one should always follow is evaluate the current state they are in. 

Coaches and trainers should look for flat feet, duck feet (feet that turn open during movement) knee valgus( knock knees) and poor posture.  Then implement corrective strategies to first address these issues and make sure they are fixed before full blown sprinting and cutting drills.

If you do not address these issues, the harmful potential for injury will not go away.  Athletes just do not grow out of poor form based upon physical limitations. 

What's even more dangerous physically is the athlete who is quick and fast and overcomes poor body positioning at an early age and everyone thinks they are talented, but yet does not address the limitations that still exist. 

Ususally as the athlete ages they begin to get injured and this causes a cummultive injury cycle that will continue until areas are addressed. 

Next step is to implement a program the athlete can do daily that combines flexibility, joint stabilization and strength.  Do not overlook poor posture when it comes to running because it forces the body in an unstable state and puts a lot of pressure on the spine.

Athletes, coaches and parents should consider that running, stopping, and changing diections are dynamic movements and with all the money being spent on sports you don't want to spend it on medical treatment. 

Everytime you run, you're putting your body on one leg and your body requires stabilization every time your foot touches the ground so take the time to train the body for this.

Examples of quickness in each sport:

Soccer- in and out of a challenge

Football- running back post handoff cutting back through the line

Basketball- catch a pass and drive to the basket

Baseball- shortstop taking lateral steps to  backhand a ground ball

All in all, most athletes need quickness and need to train the body to be quick and safe.  Do not skip steps in your training program and overlook this just because you are fast in the 40 yard dash.