Most load monitoring frameworks were built around linear movement. Most sports doesn’t happen in straight lines. In this roundtable, Martin Buchheit (Aspetar), Darcy Norman (Chicago Fire) and Andrew Gray (Hudl) challenge three of the field’s most persistent blind spots, from the gap between traditional metrics and direction-sensitive demands, to the habit of chasing linear distance…
“Deceleration is the inverse of acceleration, and if you forget that, the whole sequence breaks down.” In episode #446 of the Pacey Performance Podcast, Rob sits down with Hailu Theodros to strip deceleration back to what matters in the real world. The conversation moves from how you assess braking across different change of direction angles,…
“The goal is to be a great strength coach with performance on your mind, not just racks and platforms” In episode #520 of the Pacey Performance Podcast, Rob chats with Chris Chase, Head of Performance at the Memphis Grizzlies. The conversation zeros in on where deceleration really sits in basketball, why acceleration has been unfairly…
Presentation description How do you systematically rebuild elite-level speed after a serious knee injury? In this in-depth presentation, Dr. Trevor Rappa breaks down the return-to-play process for an NFL running back following a lateral meniscus tear. Learn how he used data-driven assessments, targeted strength interventions, and progressive sprint mechanics to restore explosiveness and agility. With…
Presentation description Deceleration testing and training is rightly getting the attention is deserves. But are we focusing too much on the physical side and neglecting the skill side of its development? In this presentation, Physical Performance Coach for the England Men’s national football team, Hailu Theodros takes us through a case study on how he…
“Effective deceleration and change-of-direction mechanics are rooted in a deep understanding of individual movement patterns and tailored training interventions” Introduction In episode #513 of the Pacey Performance Podcast, Rob engages with Charlie Faulkner, a leading physical performance coach working with Manchester City Women. Charlie shares his unique perspective on deceleration and change-of-direction (COD) mechanics, offering…
Presentation description In this talk, Dan will discuss and outline how he aims to maximize the transfer of movement skills to key game moments. Enhancing an efficient and effective “hunt” for scenario specific defensive cues to develop the decision making process with elite rugby players. He does this by presenting a case study on how…
Presentation description Weight lifting and speed progressions and numerous, yet proven agility progressions are hard to discover. Simply training deceleration is not enough. This presentation from Tony Villani will focus on progressions for turning track speed into game speed, what speeds are optimal to change direction, great deceleration drills, foot placement progressions and agility prescription.…
Presentation description In basketball, an athlete’s speed is in direct proportion to their ability to slam on the brakes, change body position, and re-accelerate in a different direction. This presentation from Molly Binetti will dive into strategies to enhance overall motor learning and skill development, as well as developing components of deceleration and change of…
We shouldn’t need any references or in game stats to convince coaches that athletes change direction a lot, and they need to be good at it. And because training change of direction speed (CODS) is a fundamental practice, testing it should be, too. My academic side craves validity and reliability, leading me to be overly…
Presentation description This presentation demystifies “coordination-based training,” clarifying common misunderstandings of its terminology, and showing when, where and how to use it effectively. Drawing on insight from performance and rehabilitation at Feyenoord, Leigh Egger and Jan Muller guide through exercise selection and execution so that coaches can confidently begin to incorporate coordination work into athlete…
Agility is “a rapid whole body movement with change of velocity or direction in response to a stimulus” [1]. Therefore, change of direction (COD) actions are part of an agility task, but can also be part of movements where the athlete does not need to react to a stimulus [1]. The critical difference, then, is…
Content of essentials article Defining agility Agility is one of the most difficult physical qualities to define. The sport science and coaching literature have not helped the confusion, considering how many terms they’ve intermingled with agility: change of direction, multi-directional speed, quickness and cutting, to name a few [13]. One of the most widely used…
Why do you put such a big emphasis on frontal and transverse plane drills for developing agility and change of direction? Approaching the concept of athletic performance and training from multiple angles, the philosophy shared by Steven Plisk emphasizes the importance of broad foundational knowledge for specialization. This approach advocates for understanding the intricacies of…
Presentation description ACL injuries are one of the most burdensome injuries an athlete can suffer. We even just have to look at the newspapers and everyday it seems that an elite athlete in one of our most prestigious leagues is being cast down for 9 months. So what can we do about it? What can…