sory football the english kind

For juniors, you want to incorperate many different movements as this is the ages where they will make the most progress and if they dont learn to move now, they will be struggling at a later time. Be sure you know the key teaching points and how to correct the movements as that is critical for success.

Try forward skips, backward skips, side ways running, pre turns, carioca's, single leg deadlift runs, star jumps, spotty dogs. The list is endless. Always get the kids to go through the movements at walking pace then slowly increase the speed to that they can control the movement. If they struggle, then go back a step.

SAQ International have a good book out called SAQ Juniors and SAQ youths which looks at fundamental movements and games that can be incorperated into a warm up (www.saqinternational.com )

thanks alex ive ordered the dvd s from saq will lrt you know what i think

Also look at www.developingathletics.com This Brian Grasso's website - a expert in youth conditioning. He has some great products. I have the 'Knowledge is Power' product which a combination of audio cds, a detailed book of articles in youth conditioning and coordination dvd. All of these have helped with developing youth training warm up and skill developments. I am going to see him at a seminar in Dublin at the end of the month so will post if there is anything of interest in relation to this area.

Some of SAQinternationals dvds are very good although they are a bit repetative if you rugby ones and buy soccer ones - just of case of changing the shape of the ball (a little exaggeration!)!

just got the videos from saq,dynamic flex and speed and agility and used them tonight ,i must be lucky the lads, under 9s turn up and listen and try there best all the time, but the saq method is superb ,i usualy get when can we have a game but no mention of it tonight,3 quarters of the session we used hurdles and ladders incorporating a ball at times,the lads coordination was all over the shop to start off with but they began to grasp what was wanted im going incorporate 20 mins of this into each session pre season coupled with technique drills and dynamic flex. thanks alex for your sugestion

Good I am glad you find them useful. SAQ International package a training session very well making it very easy to slot into existing training sessions. Once you got a session that works then progressing becomes easy with some minor alterations to the training exercises.

I have my doubts over SAQ training methods? Is there any scientific validation that they make people quicker or more agile?

For example, ladder training? Surely this will only shorten stride length?

Ladders are used to stimulate the neuromuscular system in to be able to move the limbs quickly. These basic movements are not used to replicate starting and acceleration movements but to increase coordination of the body. The use of ladders are not used to work on stride length but the use of stride frequency canes are. Ladders and hurdles allow the coach to work the athletes ability to get coordinated, balanced, rhythmical movements so that they can be transfered to the skills of speed and agility. If you keep telling an athlete to run (drilling them) without teaching the skill that is required to run quickly, then you will make little progress. These tools will allow a coach to teach the skill of high knee drive, dorsi flexed ankle, proper arm mechanics etc. Ladders and hurdles have their places as all training systems/methods/equipment etc - it is the art of coaching knowing when to use what and how. Ladders are not the only method to help increase speed and agility.

Let me put a question to you - how would you improve speed and agility?

Again I ask. Is there any scientific validation that the SAQ training methods work? I can't seem to find any?

SAQ training is a name - to develop speed, agiltiy and quickness. What is SAQ training achieving - neuromuscular adaptations, coordination, development of motor skills and skill acquisition. Now search for these specific areas and you will be find positive research supporting the use of training to improve ones coordination (so important in agility), NM function related to speed and agility (Myer et al, 2005). Without teaching the fundamental movements, an athlete will not progresss to the same level to one that has excellent balance, spacial awareness, sence of rhythm, kinesthetc differentiation and reacitivity to sound and visual signals (Drabik, 1996, Raczek, 1978, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1991 - Polish).

The difference is teaching a skill rather than drill an athlete without regard to teaching the skill. Tell me, how will a javalin thrower make progress without being taught the fundamental skill of throwing first (learning to accelerate throwing limb, use of kinetic energy from rest of body, stabilise joints, decelerate throwing limb) then the skill of throwing a javalin? A coach will teach the movement so the athlete can effectively throw it. If all the coach did was get the athlete to throw the javalin with no regard to technique, the athlete would not make progress. Now if you look for research on specifically javalin technique training to improve performance research, you may find non specific, if any research showing that javalin training will improve javalin performance. But we know if you teach to throw a javalin properly, there will be positive improvements. The research - 98.48m world record by Jan Zelezný. Same as speed or agility training. So why not look at technique training with regard to SAQ (Englehorn, 1997), Lidor (1997). Kerr and Booth (1978) demonstrated that varied practice of motor skills is key to improve performance of a single skill set. There is a specific journal dedicated to look at skill acquisition - Perceptual Motor Skills. Have you tried looking in here for research? SAQ training is teaching skills that will increase the ability of an athlete to be more agile, accelerate quickly and execute skills at high speed. Whether the use of a ladder or not is not the question. It is about the acquisition of skill and developing it to the best of the athletes ability.

A key area you also have to look at is maturation and sensitive periods in training skills. If a young athlete has not been given appropriate stimulus in these sensitive periods of maturation, the athlete will struggle to progress their skills in that area. Jozef Drabik and Istvan Bayli speak of this religiously in terms of building skill acquisition.