Agility is a major factor in an athlete's success in sports.
If you've been in a gym program or participated in a sport, you might have heard a trainer or coach refer to agility. Trainers and coaches usually assume that people have a working definition and understanding of what agility is, but this is not always the case. This can make it hard to give a coach or trainer the desired results because you may not know what the trainer or coach is trying to achieve.
Definition
As defined by brianmac.co.uk, agility is the ability of an organism to shift direction effectively and efficiently. Dictionary.reference.com says that agility is the ability to move quickly and easily. Agility sometimes refers to the ability to think and draw conclusions quickly or the ability of a business to adapt to changes speedily. All of these definitions preserve the idea that the organism or group handles change well.
Elements
Brianmac.co.uk indicates that agility is a combination of several elements or traits. These include balance, coordination, strength and speed. Some definitions of agility include elements such as strength, reflexes and endurance, as well. The fact that agility is multifaceted means that trying to improve agility requires addressing each individual element.
Importance
Agility allows an organism to move well to complete a task or to get out of harm's way. In other words, it is a factor in the ability of an organism to survive. For example, a zebra may depend on its agility to dart away from a pursuing cheetah, while people may use their agility to stop a fall. Agility is extremely important to athletes, because athletes need to shift direction frequently during sporting events and games.
Improvements
Agility is partly biological. For example, a human being cannot jump through and navigate trees the way a monkey can--this reflects the way monkeys and humans are designed. However, organisms can improve their overall agility with practice. As shown by brianmac.co.uk, exercises that expose the organism to certain movements can improve the organism's ability to deal with those movements. Common exercises utilize reaction balls, agility ladders, hurdles and medicine balls.
Measurement
It is possible to measure agility by establishing standards of movement performance. For example, if a person takes 10 seconds to get through an obstacle course, then he would demonstrate improvement in agility if he took only eight seconds to complete the course the next time. Professionals in physical activities or therapies have established tests like the Stork Stand Test (measures balance) and the Quick Feet Test (measures speed) for this purpose.
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