Testing speed and flexibility

     The past six posts have been concerning athletic testing-why so many? two reasons:1) smaller chucks of pages for review, notes and writing 2) Testing is important for an athlete. It outlines the baseline in which to build the next macrocycle for that particular athlete. Compare testing numbers to that of the standard for that level of competition and position then build a program that will enable that athlete to get better at a weakness. The last portion of testing fitness components ends with Speed and Flexibility. Application of speed towards sports goes hand in hand. Fast players in all sports have a competitive advantage. Ask the Buffalo Bills about Tyreke Hill when he played for the Kansas City Chiefs. I could come up with 13 reasons why. That is not a low blow either for I am a Bills fan myself. 

    Speed is defined as movement distance per unit of time or simply the time taken to cover a fixed distance. True speed is measured in 100m or less incriminates. Anything over a 100m reflects more anaerobic or aerobic capacity more than true maximal speed. If you remember the sprinting within 5-10 seconds is pure phosphagen system that is typically translatable into 100m. Training true maximal speed would require more rest (1:12-1:20 Work to rest ratio. Sprint for 10 seconds and take 120 seconds to 200 seconds of rest). 10 yards measures acceleration while 40 yards is the true sweet spot for measuring maximal speed. This is why the NFL combine has a 40-yard dash and not 100m dashes. Additionally, very few times in American Football are you running 100m straight. 40 yards doesn't truly apply to football either, but split times do. If we take a 40-yard dash and set up splits every 10 yards, then we can measure acceleration and maximal speed at the same time. Timing these dashes also play a factor. Handheld stopwatches tend to be .24 seconds faster than electronic timing due to the tester's anticipation factor. .24 seconds may not seem like a lot but that could be the difference between a 4.5 and 4.6 40-yard time frame. For a skill position player those .10 seconds could mean the difference between a 1st round selection (5-year contract) to a 2nd round selection (4-year contract). Electronic timers are the gold standard, but in terms of time, talent and tools handheld timers are mostly used.

    Flexibility is the range of motion at a body joint. Measuring flexibility can be manual or electric goniometers. Manual would be your sit and reach test while your goniometers is a tool that measures joint angles. In order to get the best results an athlete should warm up and perform static stretches before testing. Ballistic stretching is not ideal due to the bouncing nature of the stretch. Flexibility is not always measured statically. Movements such as the overhead squat can be used to assess flexibility. Typically, these are used in Functional Movement Screening (FMS). Now, FMS or manual screening does not guarantee injury free athletes, but it does ensure athletes are flexible enough to perform athletic movements with free range of motion. Full range of motion also applies in resistance training. Having an athlete that can perform full range of motion lifts ensure the working muscle is getting that deep stretch during the lift. Half or quarter motion does not build muscle like full range of motion.