In any sport, players and coaches are always striving to improve speed and agility. Speed and agility are two different skills and strengths. To reach maximum performance levels, an athlete must train and condition for strength, speed, and agility. The CAO Sports Performance Center defines speed and agility as the following:

• Speed Training – The ability to achieve maximum velocity.
• Agility Training – The ability to rapidly change direction without the loss of speed, coordination, balance, strength or body control.

Athletes need to develop speed in all directions, not just linearly. This is especially true of field athletes.

Factors determining speed of movement

• React-ability – The ability to react to our changing environment.
• Motor Coordination – The harmonious functioning of body parts that involve movement, including gross motor movement, fine motor movement, and motor planning.
• Muscular Endurance – The ability of a muscle or group of muscles to sustain repeated contractions against a resistance for an extended period of time.
• Force – The ability to change an object’s state, rest, or motion.
• Strength – The ability of a person to exert force on physical objects using their muscles.
• External Conditions – Outside influences that can impact athletic performance, such as weather, or field conditions.

Our team of sports performance coaches, physical therapists, and orthopaedics sports medicine surgeons have developed a speed and agility program that delivers results.