What is Agility Training? A Complete Guide for Athletes

If you ever played hide-and-seek or dodgeball as a kid, you started your agility training early. You probably just weren’t aware of it.

Agility is defined as “a rapid whole-body movement with change of velocity or direction in response to a stimulus,” according to a 2006 article in the Journal of Sports Science. Agility is what allows for a quick change of direction. Any kind of stop-and-go action combined with a change of direction constitutes agility. 

Consider a wide receiver in football who runs downfield 10 yards, stops, turns, and catches a pass from the quarterback. Agility allows the receiver to move quickly in different directions to catch the football after completing a stop.

Many other types of sports, like basketball and soccer, require their own specific type of agility. 

The Importance of Agility Training

Agility is sometimes framed as the ability to adapt and pivot outside of physical activity. For instance, professional agility might be someone who could recover quickly from being laid off from a job, learn a new skill set, and start working in a new field. In athletics, agility is crucial to helping you process outside cues and then react to them. How does a quarterback in football respond to a defensive lineman who’s closing in for a sack? The quarterback will try to escape. They might have to twist, turn, or run sideways, depending on the angle the lineman is coming from. Being agile doesn’t necessarily mean you’re fast. It means your reaction time is quick. Agility is sport-specific. Being agile for baseball players is different than what it means for a soccer player to be agile. Agility training helps with quickness, cognitive awareness, and balance and it could help reduce injuries.

Types of Agility Training Exercises

Agility exercises can develop power, increase stability, and improve balance. Many of the exercises are designed to be performed laterally and in a straight line. It’s important to do a brief warmup before starting to exercise. Getting loose by running in place for a few minutes to elevate your heart rate can help also decrease stiffness. No matter what your age or fitness level, there are ways to increase your agility through training. Remember to always consult with your physician before starting a new exercise program. Below are 5 exercises you can do to increase your agility:

• Skaters: Using a wide base, hop from one side to the other side with your left arm extended behind you if you’re jumping onto your right foot. You’d do it the opposite way if you’re jumping onto your left foot. It’s the same movement that an ice skater uses. You should push off the ground with your foot. One way to make this more challenging is to tap the foot you jump off of behind you when you land. The quick side-by-side steps help improve your lateral movement. It’s an exercise a hockey player might do. 
• Quick Feet: Consciously lift your feet straight off the floor with your knees slightly bent and hit the ground with as much force as possible. Make sure you pump your arms like you’re running a sprint. Do this while running in place if you’re cramped for space. This drill is designed to improve your foot speed. This is useful for any sport that involves running. 
• Side - 2 - Side: There are several ways to do this drill. You can shuffle 10 yards, lifting your knees as high as possible, and then shuffle back. An effective way to perform this exercise is by using a rope ladder, where you land your feet inside each box. This is called a high knee side 2 side and it’s useful for football and soccer players. You can also shuffle 10 yards, keeping your feet on the ground. Start shoulder-width apart and move your left foot until it taps your right foot, then move your right foot. A shuffling high knee exercise is also helpful for basketball players, who are taught to play defense using the same shuffling motion.
• Lateral Plyometric Jumps: With your feet hip-width apart, squat until your bottom is parallel to the ground. Using your arms and hands, jump as high as you can. Your weight should be on your toes when you leave the ground. Perform this exercise by jumping sideways and forward over a line of cones. Do this for 30 seconds. Basketball players, who jump for rebounds and shots, can benefit from this drill. 

• Cone Drill: Place 2 cones about 5 yards apart. Shuffle between the cones. A partner should be about 20 yards in front of you. Have your partner toss a ball in the air while you're shuffling. You must sprint forward, catch the ball, toss it back, and then return to shuffling. This is called a reaction time drill. It’s how a baseball outfielder might sprint to catch a flyball. 

   

Measuring Agility

There are 3 areas of agility fitness: aerobics, strength, and flexibility. Below are 3 common agility tests used in sports:

• Straight-Line Sprint Test: This test measures the time it takes to run 10, 20, or 40 meters. Speed training can help athletes increase their sprint times. It’s useful for sports where short bursts of speed are important, like soccer or basketball. Long-distance runners sometimes use speed training to help them reduce their times.
• 505 Agility Test: It measures the time it takes for an athlete to run forward 5 meters and then turn around and run back to the same spot. This test is used to gauge how well you change directions. Soccer and football players often must change directions. 
• 5-10-5 Shuttle Run Drill: In this drill, you run 5 yards, plant your feet, turn around, run 10 yards, plant again, and run 5 yards back to your original starting position. The drill is also called the Pro Agility Test and it’s used to measure speed, change of direction, and explosiveness. 

Agility training should be a central part of training for athletes who want to get faster, stronger, and improve their reflexes.