Heard on NFL Blackhawks vs. Redwings

[Laurence Horn]

At 8:13 PM -0500 12/23/09, Michael Sheehan wrote:
>"Not only is he fast, but he is quick."  [Mickey Redmond}

If it was really NFL (and not NHL), the hockey player in question
would need to be both, to avoid those gridiron behemoths!

Seriously, though, the two terms have been used a lot in various
sports, especially basketball, and they do contrast.  Quickness
refers to ability to pivot, change direction on a dime, etc., while
fastness (speed?) is more a matter of straight out running.  So if a
basketball player is making a sudden move toward the basket, you want
your defensive player to have enough quickness to adjust immediately
to block it, while if a player has a breakaway down the court (or
down the ice, if it's hockey), defensive speed (how fast one is) is
the relevant property.  No actual redundancy here.

LH

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