Why is it important for me to know about it, as an athlete?
Speed and agility are an integral part of most athletes in sports, especially those in cutting or change of direction sports.
The ability to sprint and change directions quickly is an important determinant of sports performance in field and court sports.
When a player has been injured, their speed and agility will naturally reduce due to deconditioning and a lack of practice.
It is therefore crucial to have speed and agility as part of the rehabilitation process, especially in the later stages.
What is it?
We know that speed is defined as the ability to move the body in one direction as fast as possible. Whereas,
Agility is the ability to change direction rapidly, whilst maintaining speed and precision.
It is a performance-related component of physical fitness.
Agility must involve a reaction to a stimulus. Thus, agility has both movement and reactive elements.
Components of Agility
The main components are:
Change of direction (COD) speed
COD is the movement component of agility in isolation. Here, choice of technique that will be performed and the location and timing of the movement can be pre-planned
The word ‘Quickness’ is seemingly used interchangeably for both agility and change of direction speed. It is a multi-planar or multi-directional skill that combines acceleration, explosiveness, and reactiveness. But it does not include deceleration or changing direction.
2. A perceptual and decision-making component which involves the following:
Cognitive processes (motor learning)
Physical demands (strength and conditioning),
Technical skills (biomechanics) involved in agility performance.
There are many agility tests that are used to test physical components such as change of direction speed, or cognitive components such as anticipation and pattern recognition. New tests of agility that combine physical and cognitive measures are encouraged and are lacking.
Examples of speed and agility drills
A- skips
Linear sprinting from a stop-start or jogging start
Resisted sprints with a harness
Lateral bounding
Ladder/cone drills
Lean in sprints
Wall drives
Figure eights
Reactive shuffles/mirror shuffles
Uphill sprints
Plyometric jumps
Can my Physical therapist be of help?
Your physical therapist is the right person who can plan a careful post-operative or post-injury program.
This will help you to return to your chosen activity safely.
Every sport is different, so it is always best to seek the advice of your sports physical therapist for the most effective and appropriate exercise prescription in order to return to your sport effectively.
Your physical therapist will counsel you to precede agility exercises with a warm-up and flexibility programs.
You may perform all exercises with intensity and perfect body mechanics.
Always allow for adequate recovery time between sessions as per your therapist’s guidance.
Remember, Quality training is more important than quantity training. Your therapist will be your best coach in this regard.
At Valley Healing Hands, Brownsville, Texas, we provide the best physical therapy programme for agility training. Our therapists are highly skilled and dedicated and will be the right one to prescribe you a personalized, sport related regime and help you sail through your sessions at ease. Our patients are all completely satisfied with our services. You can learn about their opinion about us here and get connected to us. Our patients love us, and you too will!