I’m a high school quarterback/wide receiver, what agility drills I can do to increase my agility and change of direction skills?
First off, let’s define agility. Agility is the ability to accelerate, decelerate, and change direction in the shortest amount of time possible. Agility is closely related to balance, strength, & power.
There are two “types” of agility drills we are going to define: “closed agility drills” and “open agility drills”. Closed drills do help with foot quickness, timing, and spatial awareness. Examples of closed agility drills are agility ladders and cone drills that have a pre-set pattern (ie. The 5-10-5 drill, the “L” drill, etc.). Open agility drills are drills that typically involve reaction time in “open” space. Sport typically involves reaction time so it is important that your agility drills have both components.
Now that you have some of the science behind agility, let’s get to some of the drills that I would recommend (Several of these drills can be found and viewed on my website, http://www.fitnessquest10.com/education-gallery.php; see (*):
Jump Rope—You can never go wrong with jump rope; 5-20 minutes a day is great for foot-quickness.
Agility Ladder Drills (*)
Cone Drills
a. 5-10-5 (Cones are 5 yards apart in straight line; start at middle cone) (run-run-run; slide-run-slide; run-slide-run, backpedal-run-run); 1 set of each drill.
b. Box Drill- (Cones are 5 yards apart in a box formation); run up to the first cone, slide 5 yards to cone on left, backpedal 5 yards, slide 5 yards right, immediately repeat other direction. Repeat 2-3 sets. (You can hold a football through this entire drill also)
c. Box Reaction Drill (*) (Cones are 5 yards apart in a box formation); athlete starts in the middle of the box; trainer points to one of the four cones; athlete runs to that cone and touches it as quickly as possible and then immediately returns to the middle; Repeat for 5-10 cone touches; repeat 2-3 sets. (You can hold a football through this entire drill also)
Super Band Drills (*) (can be done holding a football)
a. Back/Forth-- Inter-weave 2 Super-Bands together; back-pedal approximately 5 yards and sprint forward 5 yards; immediately drop back again and repeat 5-6 times; repeat 2 sets
b. Lateral shuffles; same as above but instead of running you shuffle (2 sets of 5 reps)
Reaction Ball Drills into rebounder (*) (great for pass catching; concentration, reaction time)
a. Grab a reaction ball and throw into rebounder. See how many times you can successfully complete before dropping.
b. Competition. Define space for field (typically 5-10 yard area); one person throws the reaction ball into the rebounder; the other person tries to catch it. If you drop it, the other person gets the point; first one to 5 points wins. Best of 5 games.
Quarterback specific agility drills:
a. Bag drills—Weaving in and out of bags (or cones); lateral and forward/backwards 2 sets each
b. Lateral shuffle over bags (both directions); 2 sets
c. Cone Drills; set 6 cones up in a staggered position; start behind first cone; run 45 degrees to 2nd cone, plant and run 45 degrees to 3rd cone until past the 6th cone. Cones are set approx. 5 yards wide and as long as you wish. You can also do this drill while moving forward and backwards around the cones.
d. Scramble Drill—3, 5 or 7 step drop; react to trainer/coach pointing in which direction to scramble (can also be done with a bungee cord).
Here is the bottom line. If you want to get more agile, you must get stronger in the weight room and you must work on your agility drills. My recommendation is that you are working on your agility 3 times per week minimally. You want to spend at least 20 minutes minimum per session working on your agility. If doing your strength training the same day as your agility, I like to do the agility/movement portion before strength training.
If you are working on just wrote conditioning (shuttle runs, gassers, 100’s, obstacle courses, etc.), I would suggest doing this at the end of your training session. A generic template may look something like this if you are combining your movement training and strength training on the same day.
Dynamic Warm-up (5-10 minutes)
Movement Training (20 minutes)
Strength & Conditioning (approximately 45 minutes)
Flexibility (10 minutes)
If you are doing your movement training & conditioning on separate days, you can spend up to 45 minutes on your speed, agility, and conditioning in one day. Be sure to get a great dynamic warm-up and a quality stretch at the end of your session.
As a quarterback and wide-receiver, one of the most important aspects of your training this summer is to make sure you are working on your specific skills as both a quarterback and a wide receiver. Be sure to be throwing the football with your wide-outs and be working on your drops and footwork. As a wide-receiver, be sure to work on your get-off, your stems, coming back to the ball, and of course, catching the ball. Strength, speed, and agility will help put you in the right position to make plays. But nothing substitutes getting on the field and working on your skills that you need to hone to maximize your preparation.
Best of luck.
Todd, can you recommend any books or websites that will assist with my personal growth and development?
Suggested Reading List for Business and Personal Growth and Development
Business:
1. Good to Great (Jim Collins)—This is one of my all time favorites for anyone that runs a business. Put the right person, on the right seat, on the right bus; bigger isn’t always better, and the list goes on and on…READ IT!!!
2. Winning (Jack Welsh)—If you own a business, lead people, or want to develop your leadership skills, this is also one of my all-time favorites.
3. 7 Habits of Highly Successful People (Stephen Covey)—If you breathe air, you need to read this book. All people on earth should read it. Business or Motivation!!!
4. Rich Dad, Poor Dad (Robert Kiyosaki)—Kiyosaki’s philosophy enlightens you to look at money, investments, and financial prudence in an enlightening way. I would consider this a must for you if you are looking to increase your financial savvy. It helped formulate some of my early philosophies on financial wisdom.
5. The E-Myth (Michael Gerber). If you are in business, than you need a system. There is no better book on systems than Gerber. Get it, read it, re-read it, APPLY it!
6. Whale Done (Blanchard). Leadership. I love all of Blanchard’s books because they are simple, lots of stories, and motivating.
7. The Leadership Challenge—For anyone leading a team of people
8. The 7 Irrefutable Rules of Small Business Growth (Steven Little)
9. The Rules of Management (Richard Templar)
Motivational/Personal Growth:
1. Release…A Wilderness Adventure of the Soul (Daren Wride). This is a 2 week adventure in which readers are confronted with their own pain, dreams, and stunning personal potential. Although I normally don’t prefer fiction, this book is enlightening and I enjoyed the read very much as it dealt with experiencing the full release of your amazing potential. (click here to purchase)
2. Think & Grow Rich (Napoleon Hill). This is a book that once again, if you breathe, you should read. It’s on business, life, you name it, it applies. It is one of my all time favorites. Mindset baby, MINDSET. It’s a must!!!
3. The Secret. This book & DVD sum up my philosophy about life—“Your Thoughts become Reality”. Surround yourself with a Mastermind Group, read great books, listen to motivational CD’s and teleseminars, set up a positive environment, etc. so that you can get The Secret. Your thoughts are the powerful driving force behind a great attitude and Attitude is Everything!
4. Wealth Matters (Chris Snook)—You have a choice in life to fulfill your destiny. Chris Snook has a great way of motivating, educating, and inspiring you to focus on some critical aspects of life, such as prosperity and finding your passion. (click here to purchase)
5. The Power of Full Engagement (Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz)—For anyone looking to improve energy, connections, and improve overall performance in work or life. Therefore, it’s for everyone!!
6. I Feel Great and You Will Too (Pat Croce). A motivating, inspiring read how this eccentric owner of the Philadelphia 76ers built up enough physical therapy facilities to eventually sell it and live out his dream of someday owning a pro sports team.
7. The One Minute Millionaire (Mark Victor Hansen and Robert Allen)—I love these authors (Chicken Soup for the Soul)
Personal Trainer/Massage Therapy Business:
1. Burnout (Chris Snook). If you are a personal trainer, this is a great read to prevent your passion from burning out. (Click here to purchase)
2. Train to Win (Martin Rooney)—Martin is a stand-out personal trainer that shares magnificent stories about how training & exercise have so much in common with the bigger picture in life. A great, easy read that I highly recommend for trainers as well as anyone looking to be inspired. (Click here to purchase)
3. Hiring, Training, & Keeping Master Personal Trainers (Sheri & Alex McMillan). I love these 2 people. They are true leaders in the field. All of their products are great. This particular manual was helpful for me when switching my independent contractors to employees, designing a compensation package, benefits package, interview questions, etc. They really did a great job with this. If you are a studio owner, I highly suggest this product.
For more information on videos, equipment, nutrition, and more
a. www.tomhouse.com
b. www.pureinventions.com
c. www.performbetter.com
d. www.ideafit.com
e. www.acefitness.org
f. www.tpmassageball.com
g. www.keiser.com
h. www.woodway.com
i. www.pentawater.com
j. www.DSWfitness.com
k. www.efisportsmedicine.com
l. www.fitnessanywhere.com
