CHAPTER 5: INCORPORATING SOCCER TECHNIQUE INTO AGILITY

TRAINING

Quick turns with the ball. Being able to effectively track or evade tricky opponents. Faking left, and then
explosively cutting to the right. These are some key actions that help describe agility- the ability to
quickly change direction or body orientation under control. Agility is one of the most complex
conditioning elements in soccer. It is affected by both decision making (cognitive) and physical (motor)
abilities. It can be planned- when players know exactly what they want to do, or it can be reactive- which
is the case for most situations in soccer. Like speed, developing good agility is dependent upon having a
sound base in other conditioning components; particularly core and lower-body strength, balance,
flexibility, and power.

Agility development is essential for soccer players because this fitness component transcends to all
aspects of the game: attacking, defending and equally as important, goalkeeping. In the modern-day
game, teams are very adept at becoming compact when not in possession; so for attackers, being able to
maneuver with and without the ball in these tight spaces is a must. How agile a defender is will greatly
determine how effective they are at tracking shifty opponents and closing down strikers in the penalty
area. For goalkeepers, having good posture, reaction skills and footwork represent a large percentage of
their required skill set, and are especially important for stopping those close-ranged strikes on target.

Figure 5.1 Agility is necessary quality for centre midfielders trying to evade or stick with their

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