What do you call the ability to move and change direction and position of the body quickly and effectively with controlled movement?

Índice Show

How do we improve agility?
Agility Ladder
How do we measure agility?
Page Reference
Coordination
Reaction Time

Agility is defined as “a skill-related component of physical fitness that relates to the ability to rapidly change the position of the entire body in space with speed and accuracy.”

From: Sports-Specific Rehabilitation, 2007

Agility is the ability to change the direction of the body efficiently and effectively, and to achieve this, and you require a combination of:

Balance
- The ability to maintain equilibrium when stationary or moving (i.e. not to fall over) through the coordinated actions of our sensory functions (eyes, ears and the proprioceptive organs in our joints)
- Static Balance - ability to retain the centre of mass above the base of support in a stationary position
- Dynamic Balance - the ability to maintain balance with body movement
Speed
- the ability to move all or part of the body quickly
Strength
- the ability of a muscle or muscle group to overcome a resistance
Coordination
- the ability to control the movement of the body in cooperation with the body's sensory functions, e.g. catching a ball (ball, hand and eye coordination)

How do we improve agility?

We can improve our agility by enhancing the parts of agility (listed above) and practicing them in training.

Agility Ladder

The main objective of agility ladder programs is to promote a wide range of different foot and movement patterns. These movements will become second nature through practice, and the body will be able to respond quickly to various sport-specific movement patterns.

Using an agility ladder, we can improve our agility by practising movement patterns in training. The standard ladder is 10 yards long with 18-inch squares, but you can construct your ladder using sticks, lino strips or tape.

When beginning an agility ladder program, start with 2 to 4 drills and once you master these, introduce new drills.

Ladder Assessment

Speed through a ladder can indicate much about an athlete's quickness. Less than 2.8 seconds for males and 3.4 seconds for females for running the length of a 20-rung ladder, one foot in each rung at a time, is considered excellent for senior athletes.

Exercises

Detailed below are some ladder drills you could use.

Run through the ladder, placing one foot in the middle of each square

Emphasize arm swing, powerful high knee drive with the toes dorsiflexed and quick ground contact

Run through the ladder touching both feet in each square.

Emphasize arm swing, powerful high knee drive with the toes dorsiflexed and quick ground contact.

Exercise 3

Fig 3a

Fig 3b

Fig 3c

Fig 3d

Fig 3e

Begin by standing sideways on the ladder (Fig 3a)
Moving laterally to your right, step into the first square with the right foot (Fig 3b)
Step in with the left foot (Fig 3c)
Step back out with the right foot (Fig 3d)
Step back out with the left foot (Fig 3e)
Repeat the sequence from 2 to 5 along the ladder

Exercise 4

Fig 4a

Fig 4b

Fig 4c

Fig 4d

Perform the drill in a sideways position to the ladder (Fig 4a)
Moving to the right, place the right foot into the first square (Fig 4b)
Next, step across the ladder with the left foot (Fig 4c)
Remove the right foot from the ladder, placing it next to your left foot (Fig 4d)
Now, step forward into the second square with the left foot
Next, step across the ladder with the right foot
Remove the left foot from the ladder, placing it next to your right foot
Repeat the sequence from 2 to 7 along the ladder

Exercise 5

Fig 5a

Fig 5b

Fig 5c

Fig 5d

Fig 5e

Start straddling one side of the ladder - right foot in the first square and your left foot outside of the ladder (Fig 5a)
Do a jump to your right, so your right foot stays in the ladder square and your left foot lands in the next ladder square (Fig 5b)
Do a jump to your left, so your left foot stays in the ladder square and your right foot lands outside the ladder (Fig 5c)
Do a jump to your left, so your left foot stays in the ladder square and your right foot lands in the next ladder square (Fig 5d)
Do a jump to your right, so your right foot stays in the ladder square and your left foot lands outside the ladder (Fig 5e)
Repeat the sequence from 2 to 5 along the ladder

Exercise 6

Fig 6a	Fig 6b	Fig 6c
Fig 6d	Fig 6e	Fig 6f

Begin standing sideways to the ladder (Fig 6a)
Step into the first square with the right foot (Fig 6b)
Next, step over the ladder to the other side with the left foot (Fig 6c)
Step with the right foot laterally to the next square (Fig 6d)
Next, step over the ladder to the other side with the left foot (Fig 6e)
Step with the right foot laterally to the next square (Fig 6f)
Repeat the sequence from 3 to 6 along the ladder

Exercise 7

As Exercise 6, moving laterally with the left foot.

How do we measure agility?

There are several tests to measure an athlete's agility. They include:

Page Reference

If you quote information from this page in your work, then the reference for this page is:

MACKENZIE, B. (2000) Agility [WWW] Available from: https://www.brianmac.co.uk/agility.htm [Accessed

A soccer player kicks a ball during a game.

Image Credit: Purestock/Purestock/Getty Images

The six components of motor skills related to fitness are agility, balance, coordination, power, reaction time and speed, according to Glencoe/McGraw-Hill Education. A motor skill is associated with muscle activity. You carry out motor skills when your brain, nervous system and muscles work in concert to move parts of your body in large or small maneuvers. Motor skills improve with practice and all six components determine your level of athletic ability. A well-rounded athlete works to improve each of the six equally.

Agility

Agility is the capacity to change course, controlling the direction and position of your body while maintaining your momentum. Changing course while sprinting to hit a tennis ball is an example of agility. Sports coach Brian Mackenzie offers a simple zig-zag run to test agility.

Balance

Balance is the ability to stabilize your body, whether standing still or maintaining motion. Ice-skating, skiing and bicycle riding are balance exercises. There are two types of balance – static and dynamic. Static balance refers to remaining upright while staying still, standing on one leg, for example. Dynamic balance deals with stability in motion. Test your balance by holding a stationary position as long as you can, without wobbling, after moving around.

Coordination

Coordination describes the synchronization of your senses and your body parts in a way that enhances motor skills. Volleying a table tennis ball is an example of hand-eye coordination. A variety of tests measure coordination, including juggling or hitting a ball.

Speed

Speed is the facility to move your body swiftly. Speed is usually associated with running, but other exercises, like throwing or kicking a ball, depend on moving your arms or legs rapidly. Some athletic coaches measure speed with a 40-yard dash.

Power

Power is a combination of speed and muscular force. A football linebacker uses power to blast through a line of men. A gymnast uses power during a performance on the rings and uneven bars. Measure your power by throwing a heavy object or lifting weights.

Reaction Time

Reaction time measures how swiftly you interpret and then react to expected and unexpected events happening around you. An example of reaction time to an expected event is the interim between hearing the starter's pistol and beginning to run. Your reaction time to unexpected events, such as a bicycle crash just ahead of you in a race, relies on how quickly you can make sense of the event and come to a decision about how to react to it.