COMPONENTS OF AGILITY

Agility was earlier defined as the ability to change direction or body position quickly and in a controlled
manner. This may be too simple a definition however. Agility is the combination of several qualities
including stop-and-go ability, body orientation and posture, balance, coordination, quick reaction, and
good foot work. A name that so often comes to mind when referring to agility is Barcelona’s and
Argentina’s Lionel Messi. His ability to stop and go on a dime, change direction explosively, and evade
numerous challenges when dribbling, all while under control, is impeccable and exemplifies nearly all
aspects of agility.

Acceleration and Deceleration

Improving the ability to attain high speeds rapidly in multiple directions (acceleration) and to reduce
speed quickly, yet under control (deceleration) should be a key focus of agility training. Good posture
(positive shin and body angles); small, explosive steps; and fast arm action are essential to accelerating
quickly, whereas good balance and high levels of lower body strength, particularly eccentric strength
(discussed in Chapter 6), are required for stopping efficiently. Incorporating agility exercises that
emphasize deceleration or stopping is also very important for soccer players as so many injuries occur
during the deceleration phase of a movement.

Balance

Good balance, especially the dynamic component, is essential for agility development. This is because
quick acceleration or deceleration followed by a change of direction involves a rapid shift of the body’s
centre of gravity. Without good balance capabilities, either the speed or quality of execution of a
movement will be compromised. As discussed in Chapter 3, balance exercises should be incorporated into
training at least once per week.

Reaction

How quickly a player responds to certain cues or stimuli within the game will play a significant impact on
their performance. When defenders are marking in the box, they must respond and close down attackers
quickly as soon as they receive the ball. Holding midfielders continuously have to respond to commands
like “left shoulder!” from their center backs when they are trying to screen passes into strikers behind
them. Reaction time can be improved by doing exercises in which players have to respond to various
sensory stimuli (auditory, visual, etc.) as this leads to a well-trained neuromuscular system. It is important
that these stimuli (and the resulting reactions) are soccer-specific and are likely to occur multiple times
throughout a game.