All The Basics of Quickness and Agility Training

You (or your athlete!) want to be quicker, shiftier, more agile. To be able to stop on a dime, fake the opponent out of their shoes. But that natural ability to move perfectly around the field like Barry Sanders or Tyreek Hill just hasn’t shown up yet. We know where to start.

Quickness, agility, fast feet, whatever your coach refers to it as, can be neatly summarized as Multi-directional speed, or MDS for short. MDS is really boiled down to the ability to decelerate and move in any direction quickly. It also encompasses the ability to stop and change direction without losing speed or balance. 

These are the main drill progressions we teach at a beginning and intermediate level to athletes in our MDS classes. All of these drills can be practiced at home in a relatively small space. Watch all parts of these videos and remember practice makes perfect!

The Drills and Videos

Multi-directional Speed: Deceleration

The ability to decelerate is a game changer for your safety as an athlete and for your ability to change direction quickly.

Practicing deceleration is one of the first points we teach to all our athletes. The ability to quickly reaccelerate after deceleration is what makes you “shifty” and agile on the field.

 

Multi-directional Speed: Speed Skater Progression

When moving laterally, you must be able to change direction quickly without losing speed or balance. That’s where the speed skater progressions come in.

Athlete’s should have a wide base on support with their feet, a low center of gravity, a straight and strong back, and their weight on their inside foot when changing direction in these drills.

 

Multi-directional Speed: Outside Leg Change of Direction

Sometimes an athlete has to “shift” quickly around defenders or through the offensive line. That’s where understanding how to change direction on their outside leg is important.

Glute strength helps a lot here, but an athlete should be able to stabilize in this position and push off in any direction. See the full progression in the video and slowly work your way up to mastering control of these movements.

 

Multi-directional Speed: Jumping

Let’s increase that vertical jump!

Understanding the mechanics and rhythm of jumping properly is important to start, especially with young or uncoordinated athletes. Start with individual snap downs or jumps, then work your way up to more explosive jumps to limit the amount of time on the ground.

 

Multi-directional Speed: Hip Rotation

Being quick and “shifty” isn’t just about your feet. It’s also about the ability to move your hips in a fast and efficient way.

Practice your ability to react with the ability to stay low while turning your hips. This is important in any sport. Then, understand how to move out of that position.

 

Watch these videos, then watch them again and again. Practice along with them, and you (or your athlete) will be guaranteed to improve in the quickness and agility department. Questions? Email us: [email protected]