Developing and Increasing Agility

One of the things that’s key to success in any sport is agility – the ability to quickly change speed and direction. Whether it’s team sports or individual sports, agility assures that you’re in the right place at the right time.

Agility is composed of several components, each of which needs to be developed in order for your agility to improve overall.  These components include:

• Speed
• Balance and Coordination
• Strength

Remove any one of these and you get left in the dust as your opponent scores.

Developing Agility

Researchers reporting in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research have found that a modified version of the “T-Test” we all used to run in High School gym class is a pretty good way to not only test agility, but to develop it as well.

In the Modified Agility T-Test, or MAT for short, 4 marker cones are set out at the intervals indicated.  You start at A and then:

• Sprint from cone A to cone B as fast as you can.  Reach down and touch the top of cone B.
• Immediately shuffle sideways from cone B to cone C.  You should still be facing forward and shuffling sideways WITHOUT crossing your feet.  Touch the top of cone C.
• Immediately shuffle sideways to the right to cone D.  Again, you should be facing forward and shuffling sideways without crossing your feet.  Reach down and touch the top of cone D.
• Shuffle left back to cone B.  Reach down and touch the top of cone B.
• Run BACKWARDS back to cone A as quickly as you can.

Throughout the test, you remain facing forward, even when you’re running backwards back to the starting line.  It’s also important not to cross your feet when you’re shuffling to the side.

Here’s a training video from the University of Wisconsin showing how it’s done:

Looks easy?  Give a try.  It’s harder than you think.  But this exercise builds the ability to move quickly, stop, change direction, and move quickly again.

The need for speed should be obvious.  Coordination and balance?  That’s what will keep your two left feet from running into each other as you’re shuffling left and right and running backwards.

Where does the strength come in?  Think of the stress your joints undergo when you change direction at full speed.  The muscles around the joints – especially the knee joints – need to be strong enough to handle that kind of stress without injury.  You therefore need to be start this exercise slowly, and then build consistently as your leg and knee muscles strengthen. Otherwise, you’re going to be sitting on the sidelines with a sprain, strain, or tear.  Don’t say I didn’t warn ‘ya.

From the stats I’ve seen, members of college sports teams can finish this test in under 10 seconds.  However, your starting numbers really don’t matter.  What matters is that you’re making consistent improvement every time you train.

Spend time mastering this and the next time your opponent tries to fake left and break right at the company basketball game, you’ll be all over him.

Hiram
Certified Fitness Nutrition Coach and
Personal Fitness Trainer (NESTA)

Technorati Tags: t-test, agility, fitness, exercise, running, sprint, basketball, tennis, racquetball, shuffle, joint, muscle, strength

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