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Power

SAQ Programming (Speed, Agility & Quickness)

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DefinitionA short reference note, not a full lesson.
Definition

Organize speed, agility, and quickness work as fresh, high-quality, low-volume training early in the session — progressing from closed/planned drills to open/reactive ones.

Detail

SAQ (Speed, Agility, and Quickness) training develops linear speed, change-of-direction/agility, and rapid foot/whole-body quickness. Because it is neural, high-quality work, programming principles mirror power training:

  • Placement: early in the session, after a thorough dynamic warm-up and before fatiguing strength/conditioning — fatigue degrades movement quality and raises injury risk.
  • Volume/intensity: low total volume, maximal-effort/high-quality reps; stop when speed or technique drops.
  • Rest: near-full recovery between efforts (quality over quantity); long relative to the brief work.
  • Frequency: typically 2-3 sessions/week within a focused block, fitted around strength and sport practice.
  • Progression: technique first → speed → complexity → reactivity. Sequence drills from closed/pre-planned → open/reactive (e.g., ladder/cone patterns and planned cuts before react-to-stimulus agility), and from simple → multidirectional.
  • Warm-up role: low-intensity SAQ drills (ladder, sprint-form drills) often serve as the dynamic warm-up/movement-prep that precedes the higher-intensity speed/agility/plyometric work.
  • Integration & periodization: sequence within a periodized plan after a general-prep/strength base; emphasis shifts toward acceleration/agility for field sports and toward max velocity for sprinters.
exact weekly frequencies/volumes vary by sport, training age, and concurrent loads.

Key facts

  • SAQ = speed, agility, quickness; high-quality neural training.
  • Place early/fresh after warm-up; before fatiguing strength/conditioning.
  • Low volume, maximal-quality reps, near-full recovery; ~2-3 sessions/week.
  • Progress technique → speed → complexity → reactivity; closed → open drills.
  • Low-intensity SAQ doubles as the dynamic warm-up; integrate within periodization.

Connections

Sources

Cited in text — not yet linked
Established exercise-science consensus; NSCA Essentials of Strength Training & Conditioning. Pages: (general consensus).

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Atlas Connections

Cone DrillsClosely related
Sprint-cut-and-redirect patterns marked by cones — the core change-of-direction drills (e.g., box, L/W/zig-zag, 3-cone) that train deceleration, cutting, and re-acceleration.
Agility Ladder DrillsClosely related
Fast, patterned foot placements through a flat ladder — develops foot quickness, coordination, and rhythm, but is mainly a warm-up/coordination tool rather than true agility.
Programming for Power (Sets, Reps, Rest & Placement)Closely related
Train power fresh and explosive — low reps with maximal intent, full recovery between sets, placed first in the session, on a base of strength.
Reactive AgilityClosely related
Agility performed in response to an unplanned stimulus — training the perception and decision-making that turn change-of-direction ability into game-like agility.
Programming for Speed (Distances, Recovery & Placement)Closely related
Sprint training is maximal-quality work — short, fully-recovered runs done fresh after warm-up, with distance chosen for acceleration vs max velocity.
Sprint-Form Drills OverviewClosely related
A family of low-load drills (A/B skips, high knees, butt kicks, wall drills, dribbles) that isolate sprint-mechanics components so they can be grooved before full-speed running.
Exercise Order / Order of Exercises
The sequence of exercises in a workout — typically large to small muscle groups (structural → supplementary → body-part), with pre-exhaustion reversing this for advanced lifters.
Frequency of Training
How many days per week you train — don't work the same muscle two days in a row, and generally not more than three times a week.
Periodization (Cycle Training)
Planned variation of training volume and intensity across distinct phases to drive optimal long-term gains in strength and power.