Summer Agility Drills

The summer is the perfect time to get outside and work on your agility. Whether you are in the backyard, at your school's practice field, or anywhere, practicing agility plays a crucial role in developing quick feet and improving speed. At Warren Academy, our Speed Camp works on improving speed and agility training by focusing on form, footwork and acceleration. However, agility can be practiced wherever and whenever. Below, we go over some great agility drills all athletes can do at home!  Pro agility The Pro Agility Drill, which is sometimes called 5-10-5, is one of the most popular agility drills that is used during the NFL combine. For football specifically, this drill is very useful. It requires three cones that are all spread five yards apart from each other, making a vertical line.  You will want to start at the center cone and begin by sprinting to your left or right. Once you reach the cone on whichever side you chose, you will then cut, touch the cone and then sprint out of your break towards the other direction. You will do the same thing as you approach the last cone, and finish through by sprinting past the starting cone in the middle. Here is a video that demonstrates how to properly perform this drill!  Speed ladder There are many different drills you can do using a speed ladder, which focus on improving athletes’ footwork and balance. In football, it does not matter what position you play; having quick feet is so important. Doing ladder drills will help you run better routes, be able to change direction quickly, improve your balance and coordination and be quick at all times.  Athletes of all ages and levels do ladder drills to focus on their quickness. To practice this, you want to start by laying your speed ladder down on the leveled ground. Then, you will begin either backpedaling or stepping laterally through the ladder following the two feet in, two feet out pattern. Once you get through the ladder, you will then turn and accelerate 10 yards. Here’s a video that demonstrates how to do this.  The focus of this drill should be quick feet, however, you also want to be making sure you are doing the drill correctly. Start slow, and once you get the hang of it, gradually speed things up. It is also important that you are keeping your hips low when going through the ladder.  Circle-around the cone This is a simple drill that focuses on circular movements and acceleration. All you need is one cone and about five to 10 yards of room to sprint. You will start on the right next to the cone, either on the left or right side, and shuffle to the front of the cone before backpedaling to behind. Once you’ve made your way around the cone, you will then burst and accelerate into a sprint for at least five yards. When doing this, you want to stay as tight as you can with the cone, and focus on keeping your feet between your body frame to work on balance as well. Here is a video that demonstrates how to do this properly!  Speed and agility training can be the difference between making the big play and coming up short. By practicing these agility drills, all athletes can improve their speed and footwork, and be ready for the upcoming season.  At Warren Academy, we offer a variety of sports performance programs designed to improve athleticism and help athletes reach their goals. Visit our website to learn more about our athlete training programs.