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Agility performance in athletes of different sport specializations

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  • Comenius University in Bratislava, Faculty of Physical Education and Sports

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Background: Data on agility skills in different populations using pre-planned, change of direction speed tests have previously been reported. However, there are no available data on the agility times of athletes specializing in different sports obtained from Reactive agility tests. Objective: The study compares agility time in groups of athletes of different sports where agility is one of the limiting factors of performance. Methods: Altogether 282 athletes of 14 sport specializations performed the Agility test. Their task was to touch, as fast as possible, with either the left or the right foot, one of four mats located outside each of the four corners of a 0.8 m square. The mats had to be touched in accordance with the location of a stimulus in one of the corners of a screen. The test consisted of 60 visual stimuli with random generation of their location on the screen and a time of generation of 500 to 2,500 ms. The result was a sum of the 32 best agility times. Results: The Agility test has been found to be sensitive in distinguishing groups of athletes of different sport specializations. Table tennis players, badminton players, fencers, tae-kwon-do competitors and karate competitors showed the best agility times (< 350 ms), followed by ice-hockey, tennis, soccer, volleyball, basketball, and hockeyball players (350-400 ms), then aikidoists (400-450 ms), and finally judoists and wrestlers (450-500 ms). Conclusions: The best agility times are in athletes of racquet sports, followed by competitors of combat sports with reactions to visual stimuli, then players of ball sports, and finally competitors of combat sports with reactions to tactile stimuli. Since this is the first study testing agility skills using the Reactive agility test in athletes of different sport specializations, data obtained can be used for comparison of athletes within particular sports.
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Agility performance in athletes of different sport specializations
Erika Zemková* and Dušan Hamar
Faculty of Physical Education and Sports, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovak Republic
Copyright: © 2014 E. Zemková and D. Hamar. This is an open access article licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Background: Data on agility skills in different populations using pre-planned, change of direction speed tests have
previously been reported. However, there are no available data on the agility times of athletes specializing in different
sports obtained from Reactive agility tests. Objective: The study compares agility time in groups of athletes of differ-
ent sports where agility is one of the limiting factors of performance. Methods: Altogether 282 athletes of 14sport
specializations performed the Agility test. Their task was to touch, as fast as possible, with either the left or the right
foot, one of four mats located outside each of the four corners of a 0.8 m square. The mats had to be touched in
accordance with the location of a stimulus in one of the corners of a screen. The test consisted of 60 visual stimuli
with random generation of their location on the screen and a time of generation of 500 to 2,500 ms. The result was
a sum of the 32 best agility times. Results: The Agility test has been found to be sensitive in distinguishing groups of
athletes of different sport specializations. Table tennis players, badminton players, fencers, tae-kwon-do competitors
and karate competitors showed the best agility times (< 350 ms), followed by ice-hockey, tennis, soccer, volleyball,
basketball, and hockeyball players (350–400 ms), then aikidoists (400–450 ms), and finally judoists and wrestlers
(450–500 ms). Conclusions: The best agility times are in athletes of racquet sports, followed by competitors of com-
bat sports with reactions to visual stimuli, then players of ball sports, and finally competitors of combat sports with
reactions to tactile stimuli. Since this is the first study testing agility skills using the Reactive agility test in athletes of
different sport specializations, data obtained can be used for comparison of athletes within particular sports.
Keywords: agility test, agility time, combat sports, sports games
performance. However, many sports (soccer, basket-
ball, tennis, ice hockey, badminton, racquetball/squash,
volleyball, baseball/softball, lacrosse, american foot-
ball, wrestling, boxing, fencing) which are ranked high-
est for agility require changes of direction in response
to a stimulus (e.g., movement of the ball or a player).
Another general feature of field and court sports is that
actions are performed alongside the offensive player’s
movements; thus they involve some sort of competi-
tion. Therefore, testing and training conditions should
mimic these sport-specific demands.
Recently, agility has been defined as a rapid whole-
body movement with a change of velocity or direction
in response to a stimulus (Sheppard & Young, 2006).
The use of tests of agility that combine changes of
direction and/or speed with cognitive measures is
encouraged in practice. Such new Reactive agility tests
also include anticipation and decision-making compo-
nents in response to the movements of a tester. Shep-
pard, Young, Doyle, Sheppard, and Newton (2006)
have found that the Reactive agility test distinguishes
between players of different performance levels in
Australian football, while traditional closed skill sprint
Introduction
For many years, agility has been considered to be
the ability to execute fast movements and to stop
and restart rapidly. As a result, the majority of agility
research has been devoted to pre-planned, change of
direction speed tests. These tests (Illinois Agility Run,
Shuttle Run test, Zig Zag Test, 505 Agility test, Hexa-
gon test, Quadrant Jump Test, T-Test, 10 meter shuttle,
Quick Feet Test, Side-step Test, 20 Yard Shuttle, Agility
Cone Drill, 3-Cone Drill, Box Drill, AFL Agility Test,
Arrowhead Drill, 20 Yard Agility, Balsom Agility Run,
Lane Agility Drill, Shuttle Cross Pick-Up, etc.) have
been proposed to measure speed and agility. Although
there is great variation among the tests used, most of
them do not involve reactions to stimuli, and therefore
do not evaluate the cognitive component of agility
* Address for correspondence: Erika Zemková, Depart-
ment of Sports Kinanthropology, Faculty of Physical Educa-
tion and Sports, Comenius University in Bratislava, Nábr.
arm. gen. L. Svobodu 9, 814 69 Bratislava, Slovak Republic.
E-mail: zemkova@fsport.uniba.sk
Acta Gymnica, vol. 44, no. 3, 2014, 133–140
doi: 10.5507/ag.2014.013
134 E. Zemková and D. Hamar
and sprint with direction change tests do not. Simi-
larly, Farrow, Young, and Bruce (2005) showed that
the highly-skilled group was significantly faster in both
the reactive and planned test conditions relative to the
lesser-skilled group, while the moderately-skilled group
was significantly faster than the lesser-skilled group in
the reactive test condition only.
Indeed, agility skills that involve three information-
processing stages (i.e., stimulus perception, response
selection, and movement execution) represent a crucial
part of performance in many sports. Therefore, their
assessment should be considered an integral part of
functional testing in young beginners and professional
athletes alike.
In practice, Reactive agility tests that can be carried
out in the playing field or gym are preferred. A com-
puter-based portable system consisting of four contact
switch mats connected by means of an interface to the
computer can be used for this purpose. The system gen-
erates stimuli and measures total agility time (AT) and
AT in each direction of movement. There are a number
of test settings varying in the time of generation (con-
stant or random), the number of stimuli, their forms
and colors, as well as the color of the background.
The task of the subject is to touch, as fast as pos-
sible, with either the left or right lower limb, one of the
four mats located outside the four corners of a 0.8 m
square. Mats have to be touched in accordance with
the location of the stimulus in one of the corners of the
screen. Besides reacting from a position in the middle
of the square, subjects may respond from the location
of the last stimulus.
This test has been found to be sensitive in distin-
guishing subjects of different ages (Zemková, 2007;
Zemková & Hamar, 2014). However, its ability to
discriminate subjects of different performance levels
has not yet been determined. It may be assumed that
agility time differs significantly between athletes with
different demands on agility skills, and is specific to
those responding to visual stimuli. Verification of
this hypothesis was accomplished by comparison of
agility times in groups of athletes of different sport
specializations.
Methods
Participants
Altogether 282 (male and female) athletes of different
sport specializations volunteered to participate in the
study (Table 1). They were required to be active in a par-
ticular sport. Only participants who met the inclusion
criteria were included in the study. They were asked to
avoid any strenuous exercises during the study. All of
them were informed of the procedures and the main
purpose of the study. The procedures presented were
in accordance with the ethical standards on human
experimentation as stated in the Helsinki Declaration.
Procedure
Prior to the study, participants attended a familiariza-
tion session during which the testing conditions were
explained and trial sets carried out. Afterwards they
performed the Agility test (Figure 1). Their task was
to touch, as fast as possible, with either the left or the
Table 1
Characteristics of groups of athletes (mean ± SD)
Group nAge (years) Height (cm) Weight (kg)
Wrestlers 13 26.2 ± 3.1 175.0 ± 4.8 85.7 ± 7.8
Judo competitors 14 24.1 ± 3.8 173.9 ± 5.6 80.2 ± 8.8
Hockeyball players 22 22.7 ± 2.8 177.1 ± 5.4 76.7 ± 6.5
Aikido competitors 18 25.3 ± 4.1 173.8 ± 4.5 73.9 ± 5.5
Basketball players 32 20.4 ± 1.8 187.5 ± 6.1 78.9 ± 7.7
Volleyball players 21 21.3 ± 2.6 186.9 ± 6.2 74.0 ± 5.4
Soccer players 26 22.7 ± 2.9 179.7 ± 4.7 70.8 ± 4.9
Tennis players 17 20.7 ± 3.2 175.4 ± 5.1 71.1 ± 5.1
Ice-hockey players 16 22.9 ± 3.7 177.0 ± 5.4 77.8 ± 6.4
Karate competitors 27 23.9 ± 3.7 175.9 ± 5.7 68.4 ± 7.2
Tae-kwon-do competitors 23 21.9 ± 2.6 172.8 ± 3.8 68.7 ± 6.5
Fencers 11 20.8 ± 2.4 175.4 ± 4.1 65.1 ± 6.6
Badminton players 15 21.8 ± 2.0 176.5 ± 3.8 64.7 ± 5.7
Table tennis players 27 24.6 ± 4.5 172.8 ± 2.9 64.1 ± 5.4
135
Agility performance in athletes of different sport specializations
right foot, one of four mats located outside the four
corners of a 0.8 m square. The mats had to be touched
in accordance with the location of a stimulus in one of
the corners of a screen. The test consisted of 60 visual
stimuli with random generation of their location on the
screen and the time of generation of 500 to 2,500 ms.
The result was a sum of the 32 best agility times.
Agility testing
Agility time was measured by means of the computer
based FiTRO Agility check system (FiTRONiC s.r.o.,
Bratislava, Slovak Republic). The reliability of the test
procedure had been verified previously, and the test-
ing protocol had been standardized by the examination
of 196 participants (Zemková & Hamar, 1998a). The
analysis of repeated measurements showed a measure-
ment error of 7.1%, which is within a range comparable
to common motor tests. The mean of the best 8 agility
times in each direction has been found to be the most
reliable parameter of the test consisting of 3 sets of 60
stimuli (15 in each direction) with random generation
of their location. However, when the same protocol
(i.e., the same location of stimuli in each trial) was
used repeatedly, agility time significantly decreased
after each trial. Participants were most likely able to
remember the position of the initial stimuli, which
contributed to better results in successive trials. There-
fore, the result of the Agility test is a sum of the 32
best multi-choice agility times in four directions as a
response to stimuli generated by the computer in one
of the corners of the screen.
Statistical analysis
Data analysis was performed using the SPSS statistical
program for Windows (Version 18; SPSS, Inc., Chicago,
IL, USA). The calculation of the sample size was car-
ried out with α = 0.05 (5% chance of type I error) and
1 – β = .80 (power 80%) and using the results from our
preliminary studies that showed differences in agility
time between athletes of different sports (Zemková &
Hamar, 1998b; Zemková & Hamar, 1998c; Zemková
& Hamar, 1999). This provides a sample size of 16
subjects for this study. However, the sample size in
four groups was below this limit (from 11 to 15) as the
inclusion criteria required participants to be active in
a particular sport. Therefore, the statistical power for a
group of size n ranged from .76 to .85.
A series of one-factor ANOVA with a Bonferroni
post hoc test was used to determine differences in agil-
ity time between groups of athletes of different sport
specializations. The criterion level for significance was
set at p .05. Sex data, determined to be normally dis-
tributed, were analyzed in previous studies using the
independent samples t-test and showed no significant
differences in agility time between men and women
(Zemková & Hamar, 1998b; Zemková & Hamar,
1998c; Zemková & Hamar, 1999). Data on agility time
for all examined groups are presented as the mean ±
the standard deviation.
Results
The Agility test has been found to be sensitive in
distinguishing groups of athletes of different sport
specializations and has shown that some differences
do exist among the mean values for the examined
groups at p ≤ .05. The mean values of agility time and
the standard deviations for each group of athletes
a
b
Figure 1. The Agility test (a), summary report of the test (b)
136 E. Zemková and D. Hamar
Table 2
Agility time (mean±SD) and interdifference matrix between agility times of examined groups of athletes of different sport specializations
Sport Agility time (ms) Wrestling Judo Aikido Hockeyball Basketball Volleyball Soccer Tennis Ice-hockey Karate Tae-kwon-do Fencing Badminton
Wrestling 497.6 ± 44.4
Judo 454.6 ± 44.9 .039
Aikido 409.1 ± 38.0 .008 .036
Hockeyball 392.4 ± 36.1 .007 .024 .091
Basketball 380.6 ± 35.4 .006 .021 .066 .098
Volleyball 369.3 ± 29.9 .005 .008 .042 .072 .099
Soccer 364.0 ± 34.7 .004 .008 .036 .066 .091 .119
Tennis 362.2 ± 27.0 .004 .008 .034 .063 .088 .114 .129
Ice-hockey 352.1 ± 29.4 .003 .007 .029 .042 .066 .090 .098 .105
Karate 339.4 ± 25.6 .002 .006 .009 .030 .041 .065 .070 .074 .096
Tae-kwon-do 338.7 ± 23.9 .002 .006 .009 .031 .040 .063 .068 .072 .095 .131
Fencing 336.6 ± 26.1 .002 .006 .009 .028 .038 .061 .067 .069 .092 .124 .126
Badminton 314.8 ± 23.9 .001 .004 .008 .009 .026 .031 .033 .034 .055 .070 .071 .075
Table tennis 306.1 ± 22.2 < .001 .003 .007 .009 .009 .026 .029 .028 .035 .060 .061 .063 .111
137
Agility performance in athletes of different sport specializations
are presented in Table 2. In addition, the variability
among subjects showed high F values for agility time
(F1,280 = 34.48, p < .001) indicating that the subjects
differed significantly in their performance.
As shown in Figure 2, the best agility times have
been found in table tennis players, badminton players,
fencers, tae-kwon-do competitors and karate com-
petitors (< 350 ms), followed by ice-hockey, tennis,
soccer, volleyball, basketball, and hockeyball players
(350–400 ms), then aikidoists (400–450 ms), and
finally judoists and wrestlers (450–500 ms).
Accordingly, these sports were divided into four
basic categories (Figure 3) that can be used for the
comparison of individual athlete data and changes in
the data during training.
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
450
500
550
Table tennis
Badminton
Fencing
Tae-kwon-do
Karate
Ice hockey
Tennis
Socce
r
Volleyball
Basketball
Hockeyball
A
ikido
Judo
Wrestling
gility time (ms)
Figure 2. Agility time in groups of athletes of different sport specializations
Figure 3. Agility time (± SD) in different sports divided in four basic categories
138 E. Zemková and D. Hamar
Discussion
The study showed that the Agility test discriminates
between groups of athletes with different demands on
their agility skills. The results are in agreement with
preliminary findings which showed better agility times
in athletes responding to visual rather than tactile
stimuli (Zemková & Hamar, 1998b, 1998c, 1999).
Moreover, differences in agility time have reflected
the actual ranking of athletes, for instance, at different
playing positions (center, forward, guard) in basketball
players (Zemková & Hamar, 2013), between hockey-
ball players and hockeyball goalkeepers (Divald, 2012),
in different corners of the hockey goal in ice-hockey
goalkeepers (Tóth et al., 2010), and in different move-
ment directions in badminton players (Štefániková &
Zemková, 2011). The data obtained in these studies
form the basis for the design of training programs spe-
cifically focused on the improvement of agility skills in
a particular movement direction.
Similar to strength and speed abilities, assessment
of agility also requires a sport-specific approach. In
order to obtain parameters of agility skills relevant to a
particular sport, the test closest to the one used during
training or competition should be preferred. In recent
years, several sport-specific versions of the Agility test
have been developed. These tests vary in: a) number
of contact mats (2 or 4), b) the distance between mats
and subject (0.4 m, 0.8 m, 1.6 m or 3.2 m), c) their
alignment (square or semi-circular), d) positioning
(underfoot or at the height of the thorax), and e) size
(6.5 × 6.5 cm or 35 × 35 cm) (Zemková & Hamar,
2009). The number of stimuli, their time of generation
and their colour have also been modified according to
the requirements of particular sports. The most used
versions of the Agility test are as follows: a) using two
mats for forehand and backhand movements in tennis
players, b) moving shorter distances for karate com-
petitors and longer distances for basketball players, c)
responding to the same stimulus located in four corners
for ice-hockey players and to stimuli of different forms
or colors located in a semi-circle for ice-hockey goalies,
d) touching the mats with the lower limbs for soccer
players and with upper limbs for basketball players, and
e) using a smaller target for karate competitors and big-
ger target for basketball players (Zemková & Hamar,
2013). Another example is the test for goalkeepers con-
sisting of two stimuli for the upper limbs and two stim-
uli for the lower limbs. Experience has shown that the
assessment of agility performance under sport-specific
conditions represents a more appropriate alternative
than the original version of the Agility test.
Measurements of simple and multi-choice reaction
times and of movement time may provide additional
information on the components of agility performance.
In the Reaction test, the participant may respond to
either one (simple reaction time) or more stimuli of
different forms or colors (multi-choice reaction time).
Decision time has a strong influence on total agility
time and therefore perceptual skill should be addressed
in agility testing and training. Young and Willey (2009)
found that of the three components that make up the
total time, decision time had the highest correlation
(r = .77, p < .001) with the total time. This correlation
with total time was greater than for response move-
ment time (r = .59) or tester time (r = .37), indicating
that decision time was the most influential of the test
components for explaining the variability in total time.
The decision time component within the reactive test
condition also revealed that the highly-skilled players
made significantly faster decisions than the lesser-
skilled players (Farrow, Young, & Bruce, 2005). The
results of Gabbett and Benton (2009) also demonstrate
that the decision and movement times on the Reactive
agility test were faster in higher-skilled players, with-
out compromising response accuracy. It is therefore of
practical significance to assess the perceptual compo-
nents of agility performance.
A new approach in the functional assessment of
athletes is the testing of agility skills under simulated
competitive conditions. It has been found that agility
time is better when the Agility test is performed in sim-
ulated competitive (Agility dual), rather than non-com-
petitive (Agility single) conditions (Zemková, Vilman,
Kováčiková, & Hamar, 2013). An Agility test in the
form of simulated competition should be preferred for
children and young athletes in order to enhance their
arousal level and motivation. Such an exercise may also
represent an appropriate means for agility training, par-
ticularly in young athletes (Zemková, 2012).
Recently, Kováčiko (2012) evaluated the changes
in reaction and speed abilities after 8 weeks of agility
training under simulated competitive and non-compet-
itive conditions. A group of 22 fit young men, divided
into two experimental groups, underwent the same agil-
ity training (two times a week for 30 minutes). How-
ever, while experimental group 1 performed the train-
ing in the form of simulated competition (i.e., either in
pairs or in a group), experimental group 2 performed
the same training under non-competitive conditions.
Prior to and after the training, agility times in the tests
of Agility single and Agility dual were measured. Addi-
tionally, simple reaction time, multi-choice reaction
time, maximal velocity of step initiation, frequency of
movement of the lower limbs, power in the concentric
phase of take off in a 10 second test of repeated jumps,
jump height, and contact time after drop jump were
measured. After 8 weeks of agility training, a more
139
Agility performance in athletes of different sport specializations
pronounced improvement of agility time was found in
the test of Agility dual in the group trained in the form
of simulated competition than in the group that carried
out the same training, but without competitive compo-
nents (18% and –0.6%, respectively). However, there
were no significant differences in the changes of other
parameters of reaction and speed abilities after train-
ing under simulated competitive and non-competitive
conditions. These findings indicate that agility training
performed in the form of simulated competition rep-
resents a more effective means for the improvement
of agility skills than the same training under non-com-
petitive conditions. However, such a training does not
contribute to more pronounced improvement of other
reaction or speed abilities.
Since agility skills represent a crucial part of per-
formance in many sports, their assessment should be
considered an integral part of the functional testing of
athletes. Data on agility skills in different populations
using pre-planned, change-of-direction speed tests have
been reported. However, there were no available data
on agility times in different sports obtained from Reac-
tive agility tests. This is the first study that provides
data on the agility time in the Reactive agility test of
athletes of different sport specializations.
Conclusions
The Agility test discriminates between groups of ath-
letes with different demands on their agility skills. The
best agility times have been found in athletes of racquet
sports, followed by competitors of combat sports with
reactions to visual stimuli, then players of ball sports,
and finally competitors of combat sports with reactions
to tactile stimuli. These data on agility times in different
sports can be used for the decision making process in
related sports, enabling comparisons to be made with
individual athlete data and changes in the data during
training. Taking into account significantly better agility
time in athletes responding to visual rather than tactile
stimuli, the Agility test may be recommended primar-
ily for athletes used to responding to various forms of
visual stimuli (e.g., the ball).
Acknowledgment
This study was supported through a Scientific Grant
Agency of the Ministry of Education of Slovak Republic
and the Slovak Academy of Sciences (No. 1/0373/14).
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competitive and non-competitive conditions. Journal of
Strength and Conditioning Research, 27, 3445–3449.
... Yakın zamanda yapılan geniş örneklemli bir çalışma, 553 katılımcı üzerinde bir uyarana karşı yanıt olarak reaksiyon süresini farklı yaş gruplarında gözlemlemiştir. 23 Katılımcılar, bilgisayar ekranı tarafından oluşturulan görsel uyaranlara (arka sağ veya sol ve ön sağ veya sol) göre 0,55 m 2 lik bir karenin köşelerine yerleştirilmiş 4 adet mata dokundukları bir antrenman protokolü uygulamışlardır. Bu çalışmada, 7-14 yaşları arasındaki sporcularda, daha büyük yaştaki sporculara kıyasla daha büyük gelişmeler gözlemlemiştir. ...
... Bu çalışmada, 7-14 yaşları arasındaki sporcularda, daha büyük yaştaki sporculara kıyasla daha büyük gelişmeler gözlemlemiştir. 23 Sonuç olarak yazarlar, genel algısal bileşenlere dayalı reaksiyon becerilerinin puberte öncesi dönemde etkili bir şekilde eğitilebilir olacağını belirtmişlerdir. Sekiz haftalık SÇÇ antrenman protokolümüzde, ayna ve gölge çalışmalarına yer vermemizin, çeviklik performansını ölçme amaçlı RÇT'yi tercih etmemizin sebebi; sporcuların reaksiyon, algısal bileşenler ile karar verme becerilerini geliştirmek ve ölçmek, branşın ihtiyaçlarını karşılamaktır. ...
... Speed, or the ability to move quickly, is one of the most important bio-motor skills needed in sports from a mechanical perspective; speed is defined as the ratio of space to time [11] . Agility abilities that require three stages of information processing-stimulus perception, response choice, and movement execution-are crucial to success in many sports [12] . The crucial motor skills needed in every game to enhance performances are speed and agility. ...
... Muscle power and agility are strongly associated with athletic performance. Agility and power are needed in such sports as tennis and badminton, Taekwon-Do, or team sports [1]. Sheppard and Young [2] have defined reactive agility as a rapid whole-body movement with a change of velocity or direction in response to a stimulus. ...
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Background: The purpose of this study was to examine the acute effect of a caffeine-based multi-ingredient supplement (MS) on the reactive agility and jump performance in recreational handball male players. Methods: A randomized, double-blind, crossover study involved twenty-four male handball players. All participants were tested under three conditions: placebo, caffeine, or MS ingestion 45 minutes before exercise tests. Participants performed a reactive agility test (Y-test: 1-1-2 test) and countermovement jump (CMJ). Results: None of the supplements improved countermovement jump height. The time needed to complete the 1-1-2 test was significantly shorter in MS condition compared to placebo. The differences in agility between PL vs. caffeine and MS vs. caffeine conditions were not statistically significant. Conclusions: The results of this study indicate that the caffeine-based multi-ingredient performance was effective in improvement in reactive agility but not in jump height in recreational handball male players. A similar effect was not observed with caffeine ingestion alone. Further comparative studies (MS ingestion vs. only caffeine ingestion) and MS with different compositions are needed.
... Muscle power and agility are strongly associated with athletic performance. Agility and power are needed in such sports as tennis and badminton, Taekwon-Do, or team sports [1]. Sheppard and Young [2] defined reactive agility as a rapid whole-body movement with a change in velocity or direction in response to a stimulus. ...
Article
Full-text available
Pre-exercise caffeine and guarana-based multi-ingredient supplement (MS) consumption may be more effective for physical performance improvement than caffeine and guarana alone due to the synergistic effect of biologically active ingredients in multi-ingredient supplements. This study aimed to examine the acute effect of MS on the reactive agility and jump performance in recreational handball male players. A randomized, double-blind, crossover study involved twenty four male handball players (body mass 74.6 � 8.8 kg; body height 179 � 7 cm; age 23.8 � 1.4 years).Participants were tested under three conditions: placebo, caffeine + guarana (CAF + GUA), or MS ingestion 45 min before exercise tests. Participants performed a reactive agility test (Y-shaped test) and countermovement jump (CMJ). None of the supplements improved countermovement jump height (p = 0.06). The time needed to complete the agility test was significantly (p = 0.02) shorter in the MS condition than in the placebo. The differences in agility between PL vs. CAF + GUA and MS vs. CAF + GUA conditions were not statistically significant (p = 0.88 and p = 0.07, respectively). The results of this study indicate that the caffeine-based multi-ingredient performance was effective in improvement in reactive agility but not in jump height in recreational handball male players. A similar effect was not observed with CAF + GUA ingestion alone.
... Comparing agility time in groups of athletes of different sports where agility is one of the limiting factors of performance. The best agility times are in athletes of racquet sports, followed by competitors of combat sports with reactions to visual stimuli, then players of ball sports, and finally competitors of combat sports with reactions to tactile stimuli (Zemková, 2014). ...
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Designing the quasi-experimental research method to develop the agility of goalball athletes using the smart ladder drill prototype. The duration of the training was 8 weeks, 5 days per week with a sample size of 20 blind goalball athletes’ students of the Songkla School for the Blind; Songkhla Province, Thailand with purposive sampling was selected. The independent variable is a training program using the smart ladder drill prototype that the smart ladder drill prototype, the master control box, and the remote sensor pad and working concept by Singhachainara et al., (2019) including running, high-knee running, side slides, and footsteps activity developments using pretest-posttest-design method was compared on independent and dependent variables. Training styles obtained with four types: One-Two-Three-Four-In-Linear-Run-Throughs. Statistically significant was analyzed with Cronbach reliability ranged from 0.78 to 0.98, variance ranged from 0.47 to 1.01, F-test analysis indicate that of .01. Comparisons between pre-test activity development and training activities (post-test) of the agility improvements are differentiated of four activity developments, significantly (p<.01). That is, the mean in the training activities of the agility improvements (post-test) was lower than the mean in goalball athletes' agility group's pre-test.
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The purpose of this study was to examine the test-retest reliability, and convergent and discriminative validity of a new taekwondo-specific change-of-direction (COD) speed test with striking techniques (TST) in elite taekwondo athletes. Twenty (10 males and 10 females) elite (athletes who compete at national level) and top-elite (athletes who compete at national and international level) taekwondo athletes with an average training background of 8.9 ± 1.3 years of systematic taekwondo training participated in this study. During the two-week test-retest period, various generic performance tests measuring COD speed, balance, speed, and jump performance were carried out during the first week and as a retest during the second week. Three TST trials were conducted with each athlete and the best trial was used for further analyses. The relevant performance measure derived from the TST was the time with striking penalty (TST-TSP). TST-TSP performances amounted to 10.57 ± 1.08 s for males and 11.74 ± 1.34 s for females. The reliability analysis of the TST performance was conducted after logarithmic transformation, in order to address the problem of heteroscedasticity. In both groups, the TST demonstrated a high relative test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficients and 90% compatibility limits were 0.80 and 0.47 to 0.93, respectively). For absolute reliability, the TST’s typical error of measurement (TEM), 90% compatibility limits, and magnitudes were 4.6%, 3.4 to 7.7, for males, and 5.4%, 3.9 to 9.0, for females. The homogeneous sample of taekwondo athletes meant that the TST’s TEM exceeded the usual smallest important change (SIC) with 0.2 effect size in the two groups. The new test showed mostly very large correlations with linear sprint speed (r = 0.71 to 0.85) and dynamic balance (r = −0.71 and −0.74), large correlations with COD speed (r = 0.57 to 0.60) and vertical jump performance (r = −0.50 to −0.65), and moderate correlations with horizontal jump performance (r = −0.34 to −0.45) and static balance (r = −0.39 to −0.44). Top-elite athletes showed better TST performances than elite counterparts. Receiver operating characteristic analysis indicated that the TST effectively discriminated between top-elite and elite taekwondo athletes. In conclusion, the TST is a valid, and sensitive test to evaluate the COD speed with taekwondo specific skills, and reliable when considering ICC and TEM. Although the usefulness of the TST is questioned to detect small performance changes in the present population, the TST can detect moderate changes in taekwondo-specific COD speed.
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In 2016 PP PBSI published a book of criteria and physical parameters for athletes entering national training and version 1 for athletes. There is an agility test called the agility court. However, this agility court test does not yet have the validity and reliability values needed for a trial, so it still needs to be tested for validity and reliability. This study aims to reveal the truth and reliability of the badminton game agility court test in athletes aged from children to Adolescents. This research uses a descriptive method. The population used in this study were all badminton athletes in the Tasikmalaya region, and as many as 103 people were sampled in this study by purposive sampling. Analysis of the data used is to test the level of validity and reliability of the test using Product Moment correlation through IBM SPSS 26. The study results for athletes from the City of Tasikmalaya have a validity degree of 0.772, including the High variety and a reliability degree of 0.921, including the High variety. Athletes in Tasikmalaya Regency have a validity degree of 0.767, including the High variety and a reliability degree of 0.939, including the High variety. The conclusion is that the badminton agility court test is valid and reliable, and this test can be used to measure the agility of athletes from children to Adolescents.
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Agility is an important ability for tennis players, but there is an evident lack of studies focusing on the applicability of tennis-specific agility tests that capture a combination of the physical and cognitive agility performance. Therefore, the main aim of this study was to design and test measurement properties of the tennis-specific reactive agility test that would be feasible and practical for regular implementation. A total of 32 youth tennis players (21 males and 11 females; 10.85 ± 1.50 years) participated in this study. The measurement characteristics of the newly designed reactive agility tennis-specific (TS-RAN) test have been established by comparing it with two generic agility tests and with two tennis-specific pre-planned agility tests. The overall reliability of the new TS-RAN test can only be considered “moderate to good”, as although the results of participants showed good internal consistency, the within-subject reliability of the test proved to be unsatisfactory, since the participants showed a lack of performance consistency. This is not unexpected considering the very young age of the participants who performed the test for the very first time. The new TS-RAN test was highly projected (0.91) on the same single latent dimension, with the variance predominately explained by the tennis-specific agility tests. The test’s greatest strength is its high feasibility, since the test does not require any special set-up nor technical equipment, and that makes it practical for regular implementation in a practical setting. Further research studies are needed in order to confirm the test’s potential to be widely accepted and used.
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The purpose of this study was to examine the test-retest reliability, and convergent and discriminative validity of a new taekwondo-specific change-of-direction (COD) speed test with striking techniques (TST) in elite taekwondo athletes. Twenty (10 males and 10 females) elite (athletes who compete at national level) and top-elite (athletes who compete at national and international level) taekwondo athletes with an average training background of 8.9 ± 1.3 years of systematic taekwondo training participated in this study. During the two-week test-retest period, various generic performance tests measuring COD speed, balance, speed, and jump performance were carried out during the first week and as a retest during the second week. Three TST trials were conducted with each athlete and the best trial was used for further analyses. The relevant performance measure derived from the TST was the time with striking penalty (TST-TSP). TST-TSP performances amounted to 10.57 ± 1.08 s for males and 11.74 ± 1.34 s for females. The reliability analysis of the TST performance was conducted after logarithmic transformation, in order to address the problem of heteroscedasticity. In both groups, the TST demonstrated a high relative test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficients and 90% compatibility limits were 0.80 and 0.47 to 0.93, respectively). For absolute reliability, the TST’s typical error of measurement (TEM), 90% compatibility limits, and magnitudes were 4.6%, 3.4 to 7.7, for males, and 5.4%, 3.9 to 9.0, for females. The homogeneous sample of taekwondo athletes meant that the TST’s TEM exceeded the usual smallest important change (SIC) with 0.2 effect size in the two groups. The new test showed mostly very large correlations with linear sprint speed (r = 0.71 to 0.85) and dynamic balance (r = −0.71 and −0.74), large correlations with COD speed (r = 0.57 to 0.60) and vertical jump performance (r = −0.50 to −0.65), and moderate correlations with horizontal jump performance (r = −0.34 to −0.45) and static balance (r = −0.39 to −0.44). Top-elite athletes showed better TST performances than elite counterparts. Receiver operating characteristic analysis indicated that the TST effectively discriminated between top-elite and elite taekwondo athletes. In conclusion, the TST is a valid, and sensitive test to evaluate the COD speed with taekwondo specific skills, and reliable when considering ICC and TEM. Although the usefulness of the TST is questioned to detect small performance changes in the present population, the TST can detect moderate changes in taekwondo-specific COD speed.
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Tulisan ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui tingkat kelincahan atlet tenis meja PTM MBC Raflesia. Metode yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah deskriptif kuantitatif. Populasi dalam penelitian ini adalah seluruh atlet putra tenis meja di klub PTM MBC Raflesia dengan jumlah sebanyak 30 orang. Teknik sampling yang digunakan adalah total sampling, sehingga seluruh populasi menjadi sampel penelitian. Instrumen dan teknik pengambilan data dalam penelitian adalah Hexagonal test. Teknik analisis data menggunakan statistik deskriptif dengan pengklasifikasian dibagi menjadi lima kategori yaitu: sangat kurang, kurang, sedang, baik, sangat baik, yang kemudian dituangkan dalam bentuk persentase. Hasil penelitian menunjukan bahwa bahwa secara umum 13,33% atlet berada pada kategori sangat kurang; 16,67% berada pada kategori rendah, 30% berada pada kategori sedang; 36,67% berada pada katagori baik; 3,33% berada pada kategori sangat baik. Jadi dapat disimpulkan bahwa tingkat kelincahan atlet tenis meja PTM MBC Raflesia berada pada kategori baik.
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The study deals with a variety of sport-specific testing of agility performance. Altogether, 178 young, fit subjects performed an agility test under various conditions. Their task was to touch as fast as possible, with either the left or the right lower limb, one of the four mats located in four corners outside of 0.8 m square. Mats had to be touched in accordance with the location of the stimulus in one of the corners of the screen. The original version of the test consisted of 60 visual stimuli with random generation of their location on the screen and time generation from 500 to 2500 ms. The result was total agility time (AT) measured by a PC-based system FiTRO Agility Check. The modified versions of the agility test varied in a) number of contact mats (2, and 4), b) distance between mats and subject (0.4, 0.8, 1.6, and 3.2 m), c) their alignment (square, and semi-arch), d) positioning (underfoot, and aloft of thorax), and e) size (6.5 x 6.5 cm, and 35 x 35 cm). Also number of stimuli, their time of generation, and color were modified according to a particular sport. It has been shown that assessment of agility performance in many sports requires a specific approach. The most used versions of the agility test are as follows: a) using two mats for forehand and backhand movements of tennis players, b) moving shorter distances for karate competitors and longer distances for basketball players, c) responding to the same stimulus located in four corners for ice-hockey players and to stimuli of different forms or colors located in semi-arch for ice-hockey goalies, d) touching the mats with lower limbs for soccer players and with upper limbs for basketball players, e) using small size of the target for karate competitors and bigger target for basketball players. Another example is the test for goalkeepers consisting of two stimuli for upper and two stimuli for lower limbs. Experience showed that assessment of agility performance under sport-specific conditions represents a more appropriate alternative than the original version of the agility test.
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The study evaluates a reaction time in the Agility Test under simulated competitive and non-competitive conditions. A group of 16 fit men performed, in random order, two versions of the Agility Test: non-competitive Agility Single and Agility Dual in form of simulated competition. In both cases, subjects had to touch, as fast as possible, with either the left or the right foot one of four mats located in four corners outside of a 80 cm square. Mats had to be touched in accordance with the location of the stimulus in one of the corners of the screen. The test consisted of 20 visual stimuli with random generation of their location on the screen and time generation from 500 to 2500 ms. The result was total reaction time (RT) for all 20 reactions measured by a PC based system FiTRO Agility Check. Results showed significantly (p < 0.01) better RT in the Agility Dual than in the Agility Single Test (690.6 ± 83.8 ms and 805.8 ± 101.1 ms, respectively). Further comparisons of RT under non-competitive and simulated competitive conditions for the best eight subjects proceeded in the second match showed a decrease from 781.3 ± 111.2 ms to 693.6 ± 97.8 ms in the 1 match and to 637.0 ± 53.0 ms in the 2 match. It may be concluded that reaction time is better when the Agility Test is performed in simulated competitive than non-competitive conditions. The Agility Test in form of competition may be used for children and young athletes in order to enhance their attention level and motivation.
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The purpose of this study was to evaluate the reliability and validity of a new test of agility, the reactive agility test (RAT), which included anticipation and decision-making components in response to the movements of a tester. Thirty-eight Australian football players took part in the study, categorized into either a higher performance group (HPG) (n=24) or lower performance group (LPG) (n=14) based on playing level from the previous season. All participants undertook testing of a 10m straight sprint (10mSS), a 8-9m change of direction speed test (CODST), and the RAT. Test-retest and inter-tester reliability testing measures were conducted with the LPG. The intra-class correlation (ICC) of the RAT was 0.870, with no significant (p<0.05) difference between the test results obtained on the first and second test sessions using a t-test. A dependent samples t-test revealed no significant (p<0.05) difference between the test results of two different testers with the same population. The HPG were significantly (p=0.001) superior to those of the LPG on the RAT, with no differences observed on any other variable. The RAT is an acceptably reliable test when considering both test-retest reliability, as well as inter-rater reliability. In addition, the test was valid in distinguishing between players of differing performance level in Australian football, while the 10mSS and CODST were not. This result suggests that traditional closed skill sprint and sprint with direction change tests may not adequately distinguish between players of different levels of competition in Australian football.
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At present, no agreement on a precise definition of agility within the sports science community exists. The term is applied to a broad range of sport contexts, but with such great inconsistency, it further complicates our understanding of what trainable components may enhance agility. A new definition of agility is proposed: "a rapid whole-body movement with change of velocity or direction in response to a stimulus". Agility has relationships with trainable physical qualities such as strength, power and technique, as well as cognitive components such as visual-scanning techniques, visual-scanning speed and anticipation. Agility testing is generally confined to tests of physical components such as change of direction speed, or cognitive components such as anticipation and pattern recognition. New tests of agility that combine physical and cognitive measures are encouraged.
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While studies have investigated change of direction speed in rugby league players, no study has investigated the reactive agility of these athletes. The purpose of this study was to investigate the reactive agility of rugby league players, to determine if this quality discriminated higher and lesser skilled players. Twenty-four elite (mean+/-S.D. age, 24.5+/-4.2 years) and 42 sub-elite (23.6+/-5.3 years) rugby league players completed a game-specific test of reactive agility. Elite players had better response accuracy (93.2+/-1.9% vs. 85.5+/-2.5%; p<0.05, effect size=0.58) and faster decision (89.5+/-5.8ms vs. 111.5+/-6.4ms; p<0.05, effect size=0.62) and movement times (2.35+/-0.03s vs. 2.56+/-0.03s; p<0.05, effect size=1.39) on the reactive agility test than sub-elite players. The reactive agility test was able to distinguish four distinct classifications. Specifically, players were classified as requiring either (1) decision-making and change of direction speed training to further consolidate good physical and perceptual abilities, (2) decision-making training to develop below average perceptual abilities, (3) change of direction speed training to develop below average physical attributes or (4) a combination of decision-making and change of direction speed training to develop below average physical and perceptual abilities. The results of this study demonstrate that a test of reactive agility discriminates higher and lesser skilled rugby league players. In addition, these findings highlight the important contribution of perceptual skill to agility in rugby league players.
Article
This study compares agility times in groups aged from 7 to 18 years. Altogether 553 subjects performed an agility test. Their task was to touch, as quickly as possible, with either the left or the right foot, one of four mats located in the four corners outside of a 0.55 m square. The mats had to be touched in accordance with the location of a stimulus in one of the corners of a screen. The result was a sum of 32 multi-choice agility times, in four directions, measured by means of the computer-based system FiTRO Agility Check. A decrease in agility time from childhood to adult age has been found. There was a rather steep decrease in agility time from 7 to 10 years of age (27.1%) and from 10 to 14 years of age (26.5%). Afterwards, there was a slow decrease during puberty, from age 14 to 18 (16.5%). It may be concluded that agility time decreases with increasing age up to early maturity. Since this is the first study testing agility skills by means of the Reactive Agility Test, the obtained data can be used as a set of reference values for comparison with subjects of particular ages.
Conference Paper
Agility skills are characterized by three information-processing stages: stimulus perception, response selection, and movement execution. These skills represent a crucial part of performance in many sports. Therefore, their assessment should be considered as an integral part of functional testing in young and professional athletes. For this purpose, the Agility test has been used. The task of the subjects is to touch as fast as possible, with either the left or the right lower limb, one of the four contact mats located in four corners of the square in accordance with the location of the stimulus in one of the corners of the screen. The result is total reaction time (RT) and RT in each direction of movement measured by the system FiTRO Agility Check (FiTRONiC s.r.o., SK). The system allows a number of test settings varying in time generation (constant or random), number of stimuli, their forms and colors, as well as background color. During the years of practice, several sport-specific versions of the Agility test have been created, including the variability with number of stimuli, distances between mats, number of mats, positioning of mats, foot and hand responses, sizes of the target, and so forth. Nevertheless, there seems to be also possibilities to include the Agility test into the testing batteries assessing physical performance of children and youth. In doing so, the reaction times in groups of subjects from 7 to 18 years have been provided. For children, the Agility test in form of competition should be preferred in order to enhance their arousal level and motivation. The talk will address the complexity of evaluating agility performance while providing a sport-specific approach under various testing conditions. It will also deals with a wide variety of practical examples and implications for teaching, learning, and performing agility skills. More information on assessing agility skills in sport practice and possibly also in physical education can be found in book ”Toward an understanding of agility performance” (Zemková & Hamar, 2009).
Book
The book addresses the complexity of evaluating agility performance while providing a sport-specific approach under various testing conditions. The book also offers a wide variety of practical examples and implications for teaching, learning, and performing agility skills.
Article
The purpose of this research was to evaluate a reactive agility test by determining the relationships between the total time recorded for the test and various components. A tester used side-step movements to provide a stimulus for the athlete to change direction. By using electronic timing and high speed video analysis of the test, three times were recorded. These were the time taken for the tester to display the stimulus to change direction (tester time), the time taken by the participant to respond to the stimulus (decision time), and the time taken by the participant to change direction and sprint to the left or right (response movement time). Thirty-one semi-professional Australian Rules football players were assessed by analysing the mean of eight trials of the reactive agility test. The greatest correlation with total time was r=0.77 for decision time (p=0.00), with movement time and tester time producing coefficients of 0.59 (p=0.00) and 0.37 (p=0.04), respectively. The coefficient of variation for the mean tester time was 5.1%. It was concluded that perceptual skill as measured by decision time is an important component of the reactive agility test and the tester time should be controlled by using high speed video recordings to isolate its influence.
Article
The purpose of this study was to present a new methodology for the measurement of agility for netball that is considered more ecologically valid than previous agility tests. Specifically, the agility performance of highly-skilled (n = 12), moderately-skilled (n = 12) and lesser-skilled players (n = 8) when responding to a life-size, interactive video display of a netball player initiating a pass was compared to a traditional, pre-planned agility movement where no external stimulus was present. The total movement times and decision times of the players were the primary dependent measures of interest. A second purpose of the research was to determine the test-retest reliability of the testing approach. Results revealed significant differences existed between the 2 test conditions demonstrating that they were measuring different types of agility. The highly-skilled group was significantly faster in both the reactive and planned test conditions relative to the lesser-skilled group, while the moderately-skilled group was significantly faster than the lesser-skilled group in the reactive test condition. The decision time component within the reactive test condition revealed that the highly-skilled players made significantly faster decisions than the lesser-skilled players. It is reasoned that it is this decision-making component of reactive agility that contributes to the significant differences between the two test conditions. The testing approach was shown to have good test-retest reliability with an intra-class correlation of r = .83.