Increase Agility: Agility Training for Serious Athletes

So, it looks like you’re serious about increasing your agility and overall athletic performance.

But first, what exactly is agility?

Agility is body control. It means quick foot speed, quick nervous system reaction, and overall explosiveness. Speed is your ability to max out and flat out run faster than someone else.

For most sports you need both agility and speed, but unfortunately most training programs focus on speed and strength training, while ignoring agility almost completely! Incorporating a quality agility training program into your normal workout routine can dramatically improve your overall athletic performance.

Sport-Specific Rules of Thumb  Agil

For athletes that do not require agility in-season (distance runners, for example) I would recommend mainly training for agility in the off season to boost overall performance.

On the other hand, for athletes that rely heavily on agility in-season (football players) I would recommend focusing heavily on agility during the season.

Agility Training Programs

Agility training is a little more difficult than strength or speed training because it requires specialized equipment. Jump ropes and agility ladders are the two most powerful and low-cost solutions on the market.

Jump ropes are my personal favorite. A top-quality jump rope costs about $10 and usually takes about a year of heavy abuse before it breaks. To start, simply jump rope for 5-10 minutes every morning when you wake up. Once your cardiovascular system starts to adjust, and you feel your endurance increasing, push for 15-20 minutes daily.

If you can achieve 15-20 minutes without stopping, then you should next try to execute the double-under. To perform a double-under, jump a little bit higher and accelerate the rope so that it passes under your feet twice. Then quickly return to normal form and keep jumping rope.

Do not change your mechanics when performing the double under!

Once you get adjusted to the double-under, try to do 2 in a row. Once you can do that, try to go as long as you can with double-unders alone! This is a great workout!

NOTE: Incorporate new exercises in gradually. Don’t go down to your basement and try to perform a double-under right away, that’s not the point. The point is to slowly increase the intensity of the jump rope workout as your body begins to adjust. So, take it slow and keep it lighthearted. Jumping rope isn’t a one day thing.

Agility ladders are a little different and take a little longer to learn. However, there are literally thousands of drills online that you can use.

For a few examples of ladder drills and more info on other agility training secrets, click on my link below now!

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