On Thursday and Friday of last week I attended the UKSCA’s Plyometrics, Speed & Agility workshop. The workshop took place at The Lee Valley Athletics Centre which is a world class training facility (and just a 10 minute drive from where I live).
As someone who helps condition athletes and someone who plays competitive tennis, I believe you can always learn more and improve your skills, adding to your professional toolbox.
My main goal was to brush up on the technique and body positioning during plyometric, speed and agility drills to enable my athletes to perform better in their sport.
I was not disappointed. Whilst I have already successfully completed the UKSCA Strength & Conditioning Coach Accreditation, I still picked up some great tips, especially on starting speed and maximal speed training. I was quite amazed at how fast I was able to run during the speed drills even though I am fast approaching my 39th birthday. It is amazing how just a few drills and technique cues can make such an improvement in speed.
One of the main focuses on the workshop was to get us (The Strength & Conditioning Coaches) to think for ourselves using our current knowledge to put training drills together rather than giving us lots of basic drills to copy.
I am now really looking forward to using these learnt skills to good use with my athletes.
There was a slight downside to the workshop. I managed to injure my left hand during an agility drill and sprain a number joints on my left hand. I’ll live, but I’ll have to take a week off from training until my hand turns back from its current black colour to normal and I regain full range of motion in the joints without any pain.