The Outcome of My 10-Year Journey in Change of Direction and Agility

2024 marks a 10-year journey relentlessly attacking the Change of Direction and Agility Space for me. Want to impact performance and reduce ACL injury risk? Here you go:

Invasion sports are not purely linear or purely propulsive, but do your skills span broader than that?

Do you understand the landscape?

ACL injuries continue to rise, transfer of training slowly reaches a ceiling.

We need to make professional steps forwards and not continue deeper down the same holes we’ve been digging. Breadth is needed, as well as depth. For example: why when COD manoeuvres are one of the most common situations resulting in ACL risk do our interventions not involve specific COD skills training?

h/t to a great talk from @MBourne5 at the University of South Wales

The biggest barrier has been our gym/strength training roots and our reliance on technical models. Utilising a technical model in the same way we have previously has limited impact when chaos arrives. And in COD, chaos always arrives!

We need to stop putting square pegs in round holes!

Searching for clarity has been tough, but there had to be a useful coaching framework at the end of it. Searching and Learning:

• Ecological Dynamics
• Dynamical Systems
• Perception Skills
• Skills vs Capacities
• Constraints Based Approach
• Coaching Frameworks
• First Principles from Peer-Reviewed Lab Studies
• Applied Biomechanics
• Functional Anatomy
• ACL Injury Concepts
• Performance Outcomes
• Principles of Invasion Sports

But all of this has produced something that I think is super useful, highly impactful and finally adds clarity to the confusion.

The Multi-directional Movement Skills Framework

Not one technical model for a side-step cut, then another for a drop step and another for deceleration and complete overwhelm. But a set of key skills athletes need to be effective, resilient and adaptable in multi-directional and multi-velocity movements.

The framework has been designed from:

• A synthesis of first principles from peer-reviewed research such as @nwconditioning work on Principle Component Analysis and @PaulAJonesUoS work on step contributions
• @FransBoschBook dynamical systems-based work and attractor framework
• Ecological dynamics and the constraints based approach
• Skills vs capacities concepts from @StuartMcMillan1
• As well as my own practical experience Also a shout out to @MarkBennett07, @LeighEgger, @erikMeira and @wildy_jj for providing a sounding board and inspiration whether they know it or not!

Each skill in DR DRAFT has a place in multiple COD executions depending on the demands We can expose athletes to certain components which create robust skills with adaptable transfer

Some are more performance orientated...

Others injury focussed...

Some physical...

Some perceptual...

But all accurate and impactful!

Most importantly, the framework is an opportunity for coaches to find clarity in training multi-directional and multi-velocity movements and to improve transfer of training, while trying to impact ACL injury risk. All through Key Skills and the concept of filling buckets in training

The framework provides the foundation for many other things, such as:

Deceleration expertise:

505 Tests Analysis: This has already led to working with @ALTIS and @vuemotion to develop a kick ass 180o COD Analysis Report - Out soon!

How we appraise movement on pitch and how we look to develop drills:

https://twitter.com/RICH_AgilityLab/status/1560600611489341440

How we can gain further insight into ACL risk:

https://twitter.com/RICH_AgilityLab/status/1495360324886749194

There are lots more links, but this is enough for now.

I'm planning and hoping to present on this more this year. Already some speaking booked in and some workshops in planning. Oh and it's all available plus more on my Agility Curriculum (https://strengthcoachcurriculums.com/the-agility-curriculum/)

But feel free to connect for more details!