This past summer I had the opportunity to collaborate with the International Youth Conditioning Association (IYCA) in creating their recently released Youth Speed and Agility Specialist (YSAS) Certification Course.

Combining the expertise of myself, Dave Jack and Dr. Toby Brooks, I feel confident saying that the final result is the definitive coaching resource on developing speed and agility in youth (6-18) field and court sport athletes.

Why?

Because the three of us catered to our strengths. Dr. Brooks brought his sport science background and drafted the most impressive text I’ve seen on the theory and methodology of teaching speed and agility to kids.

Dave Jack, an advisor to Reebok and Boston Celtic Paul Pierce’s Truth on Health Foundation, brings his wealth of knowledge in the areas of multidirectional speed and agility.

And, of course, I demonstrate my most up-to-date progressions for teaching linear speed.

(Become a Youth Speed & Agility Specialist today.)

As you research possible speed and agility programs to invest in, you may be wondering which program is a better fit for your personal needs: my Complete Speed Training (CST) program or the YSAS Course.

So here is my opinion:

If you coach athletes competing in team (field & court) sports like football, soccer, basketball, lacrosse, etc., you will get more bang for your buck with the YSAS course than you will with CST.

CST is very drill dominant. So it does have a larger overall inventory of drills and exercises in terms of showing you the actual things you’ll specifically use to make up your training sessions. And it does a great job of explaining how to teach and cue those drills so your athletes do them right.

I think that is where CST is very strong and why it continues to be one of the most popular speed training programs on the market.

The YSAS course, on the other hand, is very skill and progression dominant. Instead of just showing you all the drills you can use, we actually show you how we teach these skills and progressions to real athletes in a training situation.

(For example, I had never met the athlete I workwith in the course *and* he is a wrestler so ’speed’ isn’t a skill he has developed. So we didn’t stage the filming to work with top tier athletes.)

And I think this is a more effective way for you to learn how to progress/regress, modify and evolve the way you run your practices.

Here is a perfect example of why I think you will see the greatest benefits with the YSAS course:

In the agility DVD of CST, I teach that skill using primarily agility ladder drills and cone drills. There is nothing wrong with using these techniques, but as you learned from our teleseminar, these drills should supplement the skills we teach, not serve as the skills.

So I don’t think CST does a stellar job teaching the multidirectional component of speed.

On the other hand, in the YSAS course, Dave Jack bases all his instruction on the teaching of skill sets, progressions and regressions. He teaches you the general and specific movement patterns that generally and specifically apply to general and specific situations that field and court sport athletes of all ages will face in competitive situations.

He does an awesome job. Personally, I think he steals the show, though Dr. Brooks wrote a fascinating and detailed manual that you’ll learn a lot from.

Simply put, CST was filmed in the summer of 2004. YSAS was filmed in the summer of 2011. Here in 2011, the combination of myself, Dave Jack and Dr. Brooks flat out know a lot more than just I did back then.

Plus, I’d bet the farm that 2011 Latif would severely outcoach 2004 Latif.

And for that reason alone, I recommend the YSAS course over CST. I believe you will provide a better experience and help your athletes achieve the best results with this program.

I hope I’ve given you an honest, objective assessment of the two programs so you can make an informed decision.

When you’re ready to become a better speed coach, invest in the IYCA Youth Speed & Agility Specialist Certification Course.

To your success,

Latif Thomas

Pass this on!

On Monday night, I’m doing a teleseminar on the topic of Speed and Agility.

During the call, I’ll explain, among other things, why I’ve stop using ’speed drills’ in the conventional sense. It’s true.

I used to teach every speed drill in the book. Now, I don’t.

Watch this video to find out more:
As you’ll see, my video has elicited quite a reaction.

(If that surprises you, you probably haven’t been reading my stuff for very long…)

Some of you are really thinking it through and I can tell have a good sense of where I’m going with this.

Some are just intrigued to hear how my perspective has changed and want to learn something new.

Others are afraid that my stance on speed drills means they have to throw every program I’ve ever created in the trash. 

And, as always, a few grouches just hate Christmas, puppies and smiling babies and want everyone to know!

Whether your initial reaction is interest or offense, if you’re fascinated by the idea that there might be a better way to make your athletes faster, get on the call.

Speed and Agility Teleseminar Registration

Agree or disagree, my primary purpose is always to help you become a better coach. But as the saying goes:

“You can lead a horse to water…”
To your success,

Latif Thomas

P.S. The call is at 8pm Eastern on Monday. If you know you can’t make it, sign up anyway. We’ll send out a link to catch the replay.

Pass this on!

To succeed, athletes in team (field & court) sports must develop two skill sets:

1. Sport specific skill (how to play that specific sport)
2. Athletic  movement skill

But most team sport coaches only focus on sport specific skill, ignoring athletic development.

It doesn’t matter why, it only matters that most young athletes lack the ability to get themselves in and out of position to make the big play when it counts.

Because you work with these athletes, you have an opportunity to make a huge difference in the lives and on field success of these kids.

My friend, Dave Jack, is one of the best movement specialists in our industry. This summer, he and I ran a speed clinic for coaches, teaching them how we teach speed and agility to our young athletes.

I want to share a clip from that Closed Door session, where he showcases one of the most important movement skills you can teach your athletes.

Check it out:

A Critical Skill for Team Sport Athletes (Video)

To your success,

Latif Thomas

P.S. On Monday, September 26 at 8pm Eastern, Dave and I will be hosting a special teleseminar called ‘7 Truths About Training Youth Speed and Agility’.

We’ll be covering 7 specific lessons about training speed that we’ve learned over the years and how these
lessons have fundamentally changed the way we coach.

If you like to stay on the cutting edge of how successful coaches are developing their athletes, you’ll want to be on this call!

http://youthspeedspecialist.com/dave-jack

Pass this on!