AGILITY

Agility can be defined as the ability to change direction without loss of speed. Whether it
be a defensive back breaking on a receiver or a guard pulling to make a block, agility is a
key and sometimes an overlooked component of football. A good agility program should
be incorporated into a total conditioning program.
Rapid change of direction requires quick powerful contraction of the musculature. In
order to improve this power, the legs should not be fatigued. If the legs are fatigued, the
contraction will be slow
Ladder Drill

To perform this drill you need a course with lines five yards apart for 15 yards.

1. Start in a three-point stance on the finish line.

2. Sprint to the first line (five yards), touch the line with your have and return to the
starting line.
3. Sprint to the second line (ten yards) and return.
4. Sprint to the third line (15 yards) and finish by crossing the starting line.

There are many variations of this drill. For Example, go to the 15 yard line first, then 10,
and 5. You can run forward to the 5 and back peddle to the start, forward to the 10 and
back peddle to the start. It does not have to be 60 yards total. Use any combination of
backward, lateral and forward running, at any distance.

Therefore, agility work should be done before the strength workout.

In order to ensure that one is working on the power aspect of agility, it is imperative that
enough rest is taken between runs. A general rule of thumb is to take at least ten parts
rest to one part work. For example: If you run the four corner drill in 5 seconds, you
would want to take a minimum of 50 seconds rest between runs.

One key to a successful agility program is variety. Changing the order, or little changes
in the drills themselves (such as reversing directions) will help keep you mentally fresh
so that maximum effort is given.

5-10-5 5-10-10

(5 yds.)
#3

(5 yds.)
#2

#1