Why is agility important in sports

I spend a lot of time writing about the fact that agility has to be sport specific. It has to train the athlete to be able to perform movements of the sport, in sports conditions, at a high level. While this is true, there are a number of important foundational abilities that can be developed This is especially important when taking a holistic look at the training of younger, multi-sport athletes. Strength is critical for sports performance, agility is no exception.

Athletes need strength to be able to run fast, stop suddenly, accelerate, and change directions. Everything we have mentioned involves exerting force against the ground. This means that variations of the squats, deadlifts, lunges, one-legged exercises, and hip extension variations are going to be very important towards building athletic strength. This reactive component is built-up of many cognitive functions 1 such as: Visual processing Timing Reaction time Perception Anticipation It is the absence of these cognitive functions during traditional agility tests e.

Why is Agility Important for Sports? Examples of Agility Exercises The video below shows some great examples of speed and agility exercises specifically for American Football. How to Measure Agility?

Figure 2 — Reactive Agility Test 8. Issues with Measuring Agility Though new tests have been developed which include a reactive stimulus, there is still uncertainty regarding the use of some of these tests.

When testing, if only 10 video clips can be used for reliability purposes, then is there a learning curve for the athlete being tested — i. If the only stimulus is in front of the athlete during testing, then does this negate any peripheral reaction skills? If the reaction stimulus is only a player side-stepping, then does this truly account for the various other stimuli that an athlete may encounter during training or competition?

Future Research Given our advancements in the understanding of agility, future research should be directed towards some of the following: The development of sport-specific agility tests.

The possibilities of dual-response stimuli instead of the current single-response stimuli tests. Relationships between physical qualities e. In other words, do faulty mechanics become evident in a reactive environment? Take-Home Messages Agility contains a reactive component. Traditional agility tests e. Agility performances can distinguish between higher- and lower-level athletes. Testing CODs may still be a useful tool during performance testing to identify strengths and weaknesses.

Research into the abovementioned areas should substantially advance current practices. What now? Agility literature review: classifications, training and testing. J Sports Sci. Motor Learning — Applications for Agility, Part 1. National Strength and Conditioning Association. Arrow left Back to blog home. Being agile doesn't just improve athletic performance, it can improve how you move day-to-day.

Whether you want to improve your balance, build your mind-body connection or improve your recovery time, agility training will get you there. Have some fun with it, get outdoors, challenge yourself and reap the benefits! Shop our full line of quality Agility Training products. A health and fitness enthusiast and marketing professional with a love for running and the outdoors.

With proper agility training, sensitive areas such as the lower back, shoulders, and ankles are protected while moving quickly. Agility training helps more than the muscles in your body.

Participants in the study, all military personnel, were divided into two groups for six weeks of training. One group participated in the military's standard physical training program i. The second group participated in programs that included agility drills i.

On the other hand, the group performing agility training improved their VO2 max, athletic footwork, memory, and concentration. This type of training stimulates richer connections among multiple brain regions by directing them to work together. At first, your responsive movements may feel forced. However, with practice, they will become more natural.

Agility training encourages our body to improve balance during dynamic movement.