Agility Training

Editor's Note: Recently, a reader of the blog sent in a comment for Todd Durkin about how he could train for agility using exercises other than the mirror drill when there wasn't a workout partner nearby. Here is what Todd had to say:

First off, congratulations on taking the initiative to get out there and do the work on your own to get better.  You have already shown me that you desire success and that you are willing to do what it takes to be a champion.  Congratulations!!!!

If you are looking to improve your agility & quickness and don’t have a partner to perform such drills as the mirror drill or tag drill, there are several drills you can choose to continue working on improving your foot speed.  Let’s keep it simple and just use some basic cones.

1. The Box Drill—place 4 cones, 5 yards apart in a square; run up to the first cone as fast as possible; break down and slide left; backpedal to cone behind you; slide to original cone where you started from; reverse directions until you get back to the original cone again.  Once complete, sprint forward for approximately 10 yards as fast as you can.

2. Linear and Lateral Cone Drills—Place 5 cones, 2.5 yards apart in a straight line; start at one cone and run to the 2nd cone; circle the cone completely without stepping over the cone and than accelerate to the next cone;  complete this until you circle all cones; take off and run 10 yards at end. (You can also complete this drill moving laterally through cones and circling forwards)

3. Zig-Zag Cone Drill—Place cones in random diagonal fashion over a 20 yard space; sprint to one cone and hop over it on one leg 3 x; immediately sprint to the next cone and hop over the next cone on the other leg 3x; continue in this fashion until you have hopped over all cones.

The other thing to remember is to continue working on your strength.  Lunges, squats, dead lifts, sled drags, squat jumps, lunge hops, lateral bounds are all examples of just some of the exercises that will help you develop strength and power.  As you improve your strength and power, it will also help improve your agility & quickness.

Remember, there are no short cuts to getting faster and quicker.  You must work on this 2-3 days per week minimally.  Eat right, train hard, stay focused and keep working to improve yourself.

Train to win!!!

TD