Physical Preparation for Soccer: Agility

Agility is based on the ability to change direction without losing balance, strength, speed or body control. There is a direct link between improved agility and the development o an individual’s timing, rhythm and movement.

Agility training ensures that a player develops the best offensive and defensive skills possible with the greatest quickness, speed and control and the least amount of wasted energy and movement. Agility also has many other benefits, including helping to prevent niggling injuries and teaching the muscles how to ‘fire’ properly and control minute shifts in ankle, knee, hip, back, shoulder and neck joints for optimum body alignment.

Furthermore, the physiological benefits of agility training are very long lasting. Unlike speed, stamina and weight training, agility does not have to be maintained in order to retain the physical benefits. For instance, consider the elderly person who can still ride a bicycle 50 years after having last ridden one. This is where agility training and development acts as an indelible mark, programming muscle memory.

Physical Preparation Components

United Soccer Academy’s Physical Preparation program consists of 8 key components: