A Review of Agility: Practical Applications for Strength and Conditioning

M any sports performed on a court or on a field require high-speed total body movements. Many of these are in response to the motion of a ball, opposition players, or teammates. This important component of athletic performance may be described as agility, and it is sometimes grouped together with terms such as speed and quickness. The development of agility is often the responsibility of the strength and conditioning coach, but a clear understanding of the characteristics of agile performers and the best way to train agility appears to be elusive, especially compared to other components of physical preparation such as explosive power. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to review what is known about agility and to provide guidelines for the development of this important quality.