Why the A-Skip Progression Should be a Pillar of Your Speed Program (Pt 3)
/As an athlete builds movement efficiency and strength, the advanced segments of the ASP should be picked up with relative ease. However, if an athlete has a slow rate of force development (RFD), whether it is due to a lack of strength or speed, they will struggle. Simply practicing the movement will only go so far if they do not have a solid foundation of strength to operate on. As I have taught this progression to athletes of every level, from novice to elite, I have observed that the athletes that have prior training/playing experience will be able advance through this progression quickly.
After “A-Skip Continuous” mastery, we can now expose the athlete to the “Power Skip.” The rhythm of the movement and the amount of ground contact during the movement both change, and it can be awkward at first. This is the first time in the progression that the athlete will have to demonstrate similar force development rates to that of sprinting. In every level prior to power, the athlete will either have one foot on the ground or two. In the power progression, there is never a moment in time where the athlete will be supported by both legs. This is why it can be difficult for athletes who may not have a strength base to perform the movement; they simply lack the ability to support their body weight on one limb in a dynamic fashion. When introducing the power rhythm, I will give them an “Alternate Single Leg Pogo” drill. This gets the athlete familiar with the new movement, and gives the coach an opportunity to see if the athlete is truly prepared for the power skip. Both legs remain “locked” (with slight flexion of the ground knee) and they begin to hop forward. Every 3 hops they switch legs, always landing on one leg, never two. Then we will introduce the A-position by flexing the hip when alternating between hops, “Individual Power Skip.” Finally, every hop will require a rapid flexion/extension of each leg, as they power skip for the prescribed distance.
The final progression of the ASP is “Linear Bound.” This progression demands the most from the athlete, as they are now bounding off one leg onto the next. We are looking for the repeated horizontal and vertical force displacement as they bound for the prescribed distance. As I have mentioned previously, athletes must be efficient when redirecting ground forces for this movement. If they are not, the bound will be relatively small, and they will not be able to repeat the movement with any sort of coordination or speed.
Now that the ASP is mastered… There is a whole other can of worms with the Frans Bosch reflex drills that are pretty similar to the first few levels of the ASP, but they require higher levels of movement coordination. I do not know other coaches who use the ASP to prepare for the Bosch reflex, and there is no literature to say that an athlete who cannot complete the ASP shouldn’t use the Bosch reflex progression. But, I have noticed that an athlete that struggles with the later phases of the ASP usually struggles with the Bosch reflex.
Next week I will begin to go into the who, what, when, where, why, and how behind the ASP. I will also introduce the Bosch reflex, and the differences between the two drills.
Thank you for your time!
Coach Nate Garcia
nate@tpstrength.com
tim@tpstrength.com
scott@tpstrength.com
914-486-7678
Instagram: tp_strength