Recently I was having a discussion with a good friend of mine Jeff Howser. Jeff is the Speed/Conditioning coach at Duke and he is a world class sprint coach. In my opinion he is one of the brightest minds in the business. We were discussing the difference between agility and mobility...sounds simple but if you really think about it there is a huge difference. Before I get into my working definition, here is what I found on the internet regarding agility/mobility.
Agility definitions have traditionally centered around skills that are needed for the body to change direction at speed. A classic definition is the ability to change the body's direction efficiently, and this requires a combination of balance, coordination, speed, reflexes, and strength. Agility is usually achieved when the athlete is using his/her ATP/PC or Lactic Acid systems.
Mobility...well I couldn't find anything about this word. When we talk about mobility I'm not talking about joint mobility, I'm talking about movement mobility. I literally did a search all over the internet (google, yahoo ect) and came up with NOTHING. How many times have you heard this word used almost as a substitute for the word agility? I've heard this done a lot...but is that appropriate.
My response is no. I like the working definition of Agility listed above, but I'd add one thing to it. Agility is the ability to accelerate(AC) and decelerate (DC, or negative acceleration). The ability AC and DC in multiple planes is contingent upon relative body strength, amortization, biomechanics of shin angles and MOBILITY!
So what is mobility? To be mobile is to be able to control one's center of gravity...sounds simple right? Well, how many of us actually know how to train someone to control their COG? When we are in anatomical position our COG is roughly somewhere around our umbilicus. Well, lets take a look at an offensive lineman in play. At the moment of impact, head on, the COG has now been relocated to a more anterior position relative to the center of the athlete. And I would argue that upon locking up with the defensive lineman the COG is now somewhere between the two athletes. The athlete that can control the new location of the COG will win the battle.
What are you currently implementing in your training programs to develop mobility? And what are you doing to teach your athletes to control their COG, not just in a static position or even worse a supine position, but in the dynamic motions of sport.
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2 comments:
Thanks Erik, I was looking for a discussion on athlete mobility vs agility.
I agree with Mary Anne. I thought there's a discussion about the topic. As of now, I'm looking some mobility exercises and articles, currently doing some exercises with the pro bar and even at home I can still work out and in their websites, there's a lot of classes that can guide me every workout. By, thank you for sharing.
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