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

Why the A-Skip Progression Should be the Pillar of Your Speed Program (Pt2)

Last week we discussed the introductory phases of the A-skip progression (ASP): A-March w/ pause, and the Suave A-March. These are truly the beginnings of the ASP, and more often than not, the athlete will be able to handle more difficult movements. Remember, the true purpose of the ASP is to be used as a warm-up modality. Before we can use this drill efficiently as a warm up, it is a teaching drill. 

Once demonstrating movement competency, we can add some intent to the movement, “A-Skip Reflex.” If the athlete can demonstrate the movement in a slow controlled manner, we must teach them to complete it with speed. The athlete rapidly flexes the hip, once reaching the top of the movement, they immediately extend the hip and knee to the ground, producing an audible “pop'' with their foot when contacting the ground. This may be challenging for those who lack strength and power, especially when attempting for the first time. To make the drill simpler, install a pause at the top of the movement, followed by rapid hip extension. Since we are still walking between reps, and this level is not a physically exhausting drill, and we can allow 15-30 yards of continual practice. We are now trying to improve the stretch-reflex ability of muscle contraction. In order to be fast, one side of the joint must contract, while the antagonist muscle group relaxes. This only occurs with movement mastery, strength, and power. 

After completion of A-Skip Reflex, we can now add our skipping rhythm. I like to use “pogos/bunny hops/mini hops...etc,” in order to expose the athlete to the skip rhythm before adding the A-March to the drill. “Individual A-Skip” is the combination of the A-March and pogos. Using one leg at a time, the athlete begins to skip, and every few skips the athlete rapidly flexes, and extends the lower limb. Each round, I will emphasize one leg. Eventually we will alternate between the limbs as another form of progression before moving to the next phase. 

We will end this week's discussion at “A-Skip Continuous.” Maintaining a skipping rhythm, there are no bounces between hip flexion actions. Every skip requires the athlete to flex and extend the lower limb in rapid succession. This is a more physically demanding drill, and in the beginning, distance between bouts should be kept short to ensure the highest quality of reps. 

Thank you for your time! If you have any questions, or want to give this progression a try in our facility, please let us know!

Coach Nate Garcia 

nate@tpstrength.com

tim@tpstrength.com

scott@tpstrength.com 

914-486-7678

Instagram: tp_strength

Why the A-Skip Progression Should be a Pillar of Your Speed Program (Pt 1)

The A-skip progression (ASP) is a tool that helps to develop proper sprinting posture, quality joint stiffness, and joint kinematics required for high level sprinting. Athletes of every level are taught the progression, and depending on their level of development, it is either used as a warm up tool, or a teaching tool. This is an extremely valuable drill for performance coaches. This drill has a high return on investment, and multiple skill levels of athletes can work simultaneously, while being on their own progression level. This makes the ASP a staple of our  speed program. 

It does not take a genius to recognize that if we struggle with an activity at half speed, there is a small chance that we will be able to perform the same activity at full speed with any level of coordination. In performance training, we take the same approach to teaching new drills to our athletes. We move from slow controlled movements, with long isometrics in key positions before advancing to dynamic movements that require a high level of coordination. The ASP is no different

In the very beginning, we start with an in-place iso A-March. This level requires the athlete to get into a “90/90” position which means 90° of hip and knee flexion. The down leg is straight, and if we are cueing arm mechanics as well, the opposite shoulder of the down leg is extended with the same side shoulder flexed. This level allows a coach to correct form while simultaneously giving the athlete time in the new position. If an athlete is struggling to stay balanced, and shows no sign of improvement, do not rush to progress. Give them more time in the position and combine some corrective exercises that target the same working muscle groups/movements to help hammer home the drill. 

After mastery of the in-place iso A-March, we can now begin to move forward. A-March w/ pause now requires the athlete to repeat the same movement for a predetermined distance. I suggest giving the athlete a few steps in between each rep to give them time to think about the movement. If the athlete demonstrates movement competence, we can advance the movement by having the athlete perform the A-March on every step. Either way, there is a brief pause at the top of the movement that clearly separates the up from the down. Another key variable is making sure the athlete strikes the ground directly under their center of mass. High level sprinting requires proper ground contact, and to help ensure this, we ask our athletes to do the same at walking speed. 

The third progression of the ASP is coined Suave A-March. The only difference being there is no pause at the top of the movement. The athlete must perform the A-March in a successive movement rhythm while maintaining quality technique. Again, start by giving the athlete a few steps in between each repetition. As they show progress we can then advance to “every step is a rep.”

We will continue the ASP next week. Just like our athletes, we have to take new information one step at a time ;) ! Once we cover the ASP in totality, we can then discuss why, when, how, etc. Stay tuned!

Thank you for your time!

Coach Nate Garcia 

nate@tpstrength.com

tim@tpstrength.com

scott@tpstrength.com 

914-486-7678

Instagram: tp_strength