Most Q-A-P drills develop acceleration, foot-speed, and the anaerobic energy systems. Q-A-P training should be the first training component in the workout, because proper technique is extremely important (fatigue from other training will interfere with correct technique). All drills must be performed at the maximal intensity for a short duration (5- to 15-seconds), and there must be a full recovery (~ 1- to 2-minutes) between repetitions. Plyometrics are drills to help explosion. Always warm-up and stretch prior to explosive training.

Agility

An agile athlete can change directions without decreasing speed. Drills need acceleration, deceleration, many movement patterns, directional changes, simple sport-skills, and adequate rest periods (Remember, these are not anaerobic conditioning drills!).

BOX RUNS
sprint forward, touch the ground, shuffle to the right, touch, backpedal, touch, and shuffle left to the starting position (~10 second duration)
length of sides can be 5-15yds, mark corners with cones

STAR RUNS
start in middle of a marked box and number each corner
sprint to each corner in a specific order OR use a different movement pattern to
get to each corner
return to the center (starting position) after going to each corner

CLOCK DRILL
tape down hexagon area with sides measuring 12 inches
start in the middle and jump over the line to the outside on both feet, then jump
back over same line, jump out over next line, etc., for 3 revolutions

T-TEST
sprint 10-yards, touch ground, shuffle 5-yards left, touch, shuffle 10-yards right,
touch, shuffle back to middle touch, run backward to start

WAVE RUN
backpedal 5-yards diagonally to the left, stop, sprint forward diagonally to the left,
stop, reverse direction to backpedal left again, stop and reverse direction one final
time to sprint forward

SHUFFLE & GO
take 3 large shuffle steps right (OR left) and turn into a 10-yard sprint

CONE RUNS
arrange cones in a random pattern and sprint through the cones (10-seconds)
make lots of directional changes and movement patterns necessary

Plyometrics & Power Training

Plyometrics improve speed, quickness, agility, and power BUT should not be used if recovering from an injury. It would be beneficial to have a certified coach demonstrate these exercises. Repetitions of plyometric drills must be performed in rapid succession (i.e. there should be little contact time with ground after landing from a hop OR jump). Each repetition should be a maximal effort. Rest 1-2 minutes between sets.

BOUNDS
stride forward using alternate legs with an emphasis on the distance of each stride
land on the ball of the foot and explode rapidly to minimize contact time
include an arm-swing in the movement as well
perform the alternate-leg bound up an incline to increase the resistance and
difficulty of this exercise

HOPS
greater emphasis on distance rather than height
all hops can be performed single-leg OR double-leg (single-leg is more intense)

Forward
hop straight forward with an emphasis on distance
maintain a slight bend in the knee to absorb the force on landing
explode off the ground as quickly as possible to minimize ground contact time

ZigZag
hop forward at a 45-degree angle to the right, land, and reverse direction to hop
forward at a 45-degree angle to the left, repeat in the alternating fashion
remember to land and jump explosively as soon as possible

JUMPS

Lateral
can be performed for either height OR lateral distance
stand with feet shoulder-width apart beside a soft object OR line
jump sideways off both feet, land, and jump in an explosive manner in the opposite
direction, repeat in this alternating fashion

Split-Squat
step forward as in a forward lunge, this is the starting position
explode upwards off the front leg and switch leg positions in the air so that the back
leg is now at the front to support the landing
upon landing, drop back into the lunge position and then explode upward again off
the front leg
complete for the desired number of repetitions for each leg
alternative - do not switch legs in the air, rather perform all jumps for one leg before
switching

Tuck
bend the knees and explode upward (as in a vertical jump)
bring the knees up to as close to the chest as possible at the top of the jump
land and jump as soon as possible to minimize contact time with the ground

Q-A-P Workout Design

WARM-UP
5-10 minutes of low-intensity activity using many different movement patterns
shuffles, crossovers, jogging forwards and backwards, torso rotations
running form drills (high knees, skips, heel-to-butt kicks, walking lunges)
3-5 minutes of activity-specific stretching for injury prevention

Q-A-P BEGINNER WORKOUT
Choose 2 agility drills and perform each for 2 repetitions.
2 sets of 8 double-leg zigzag hops
2 sets of 8 lateral jumps (each side)

INTERMEDIATE WORKOUT
Choose 3 agility drills and perform each for 3 repetitions.
3 sets of 8 squat jumps
3 sets of 10 single-leg zigzag hops (each leg)
3 sets of 10 incline bounds

ADVANCED WORKOUT - I
Choose 4 agility drills and perform each for 3-4 repetitions.
Incorporate a sport skill into the agility drills.
3 sets of 10 single-leg lateral jumps
3 sets of 10 single-leg zigzag hops (each leg)
3 sets of 10 tuck jumps (each side)
2 sets of 8 wide-stance squat jumps

ADVANCED WORKOUT - II
Choose 5 agility drills and perform each for 3 repetitions.
3 sets of 8 single-leg zigzag hops
2 sets of backward sprinting (5-8 seconds duration)
3 sets of 10 tuck jumps
3 sets of 10 lateral jumps (each side)

COOL-DOWN
3-5 minutes of light activity
5-10 minutes of stretching for flexibility improvement and relaxation