The ability to run 15 miles or ride 50 miles does not mean that you are agile; it just means that you possess good endurance, which is a component of fitness.Likewise, being able to bench press 250 pounds does not necessarily mean you are an agile person, it simply means that you possess good body strength, which is also a component of fitness.Agility is defined as the ability to change the body's position efficiently, in different directions and sometimes different planes. It requires a combination of isolated movement skills, which include balance, speed, reflexes, co-ordination, strength and flexibility.
Who needs agility?
Most athletes need to possess a varying degree of agility. Whether, they are boxers, gymnasts, soccer players, martial artists, rugby players etc. However, it is not only athletes that need agility. Everyone needs a certain amount of agility to help them face the challenges of everyday life. You may need it to quickly jump over a fence in order to escape a vicious dog, or to dodge in, out and around a crowd of people who may be charging in your direction.
Simple checks for agility
Running in a straight line is not a problem for most people, but can you quickly change your straight line run, where you were going at full throttle, and now move laterally? How fast can you bring yourself to a full stop after running at full speed? Do you have this ability to decelerate quickly? How fast can your body change planes?
For example, can you run quickly then right away dive into a forward roll, whereby your body is curled up like a ball and then quickly come out of the roll and jump up on a four foot box? For some of my advanced martial arts students this is a normal training routine. A simple check for agility is to see how much strength you have on a single leg, to stop and restart movement, because this would enable you to cut off at full throttle and restart quickly in any direction.
Agility exercisesSome simple agility exerises are:
• The Illinois agility test-This test requires you to complete a course of the highest possible speed without breaking down a series of cones woven in a complex manner.
• T-pattern running-You are moving in a T-pattern while recruiting all types of movements, - backwards, forward, and lateral and forward.
• Tyre training-Try jumping into a tractor tyre and then out laterally, or jump into the tyre while simultaneously rotating your body 360 degrees in the air, so that you now rebound in the same direction you entered the tyre.
• Agility Ladder-The main objective of the agility ladder programme is to promote a wide range of different foot and movement patterns. The standard ladder is ten yards long with 18 inch squares, but you can construct your own ladder using sticks, strips or tape.
On a personal note, I try to improve my agility by constructing my own course, which includes climbing up rope, then jumping on and running quickly over a horizontal tree trunk, and performing karate kicking techniques while standing on one leg on a tree stump, and then quickly switching legs. You can have loads of fun setting up your own agility course.
Keep Training.
