Agility training is essential for sportspersons and athletes to develop their strength and reflexes. The training exercises involve bursts of quick movements after short intervals to improve the body’s flexibility, balance, and control while maintaining a correct posture.

Hence you can get the most out of your workout session by incorporating speed and agility exercises in the training routine. This will help build speed, strengthen muscles, ensure cardiovascular health, and improve motor skills.

The following workout routines are proven to boost agility and speed in athletes participating in the Olympics.

Plyometric Box Jumps

Plyometric exercise uses high speed and force of various movements to build agility and muscle strength. It includes different exercises like pushups, squats, lunges, and burpees in a series of quick movements to develop explosive power, vertical leap, and balanced footing. Some popular plyometric exercises are box jumps, reverse lunge knee-ups, and burpees.

To do box jumps, you’ll need sturdy support, whether it’s a box, chair, or park bench, to support your weight and movements. Stand at an arms distance from your chosen object. Bend your knees in a sitting position and jump on the box with both feet. Hop back to your initial position and repeat the exercise 10-15 in 3 sets to improve balance and agility in quads, glutes, and hamstring muscles.

Dot Drills

For badminton and tennis players, dot drills are highly beneficial to build ankle and knee strength. It helps them change direction immediately while running.

To do this exercise, take two cones and place them 3 feet apart. Now, move around the cones in quick steps by making the numeral eight. You can also set a series of cones for yourself and see how quickly you do the drill.

Dot drills improve your defense by boosting the foot speed, agility, and quickness.

High-Knee Forward Running

Lateral plyometric jumps are a great way to strengthen leg, knee, and hip muscles. It’s simply a high knee forward running to improve foot coordination and balance.

Start the exercise by running forward with high knees. Remember to move your arms along the leg movement to maintain balance and momentum. Softly land on the balls of your feet to avoid additional strain on toes and calf muscles.

To be a great athlete, an individual needs to work on all aspects of physical training, including improving core strength, building muscles, and boosting speed and agility. I am Akwasi Frimpong, Ghana’s first skeleton athlete and a motivational speaker. You can find out more about my journey and take inspiration from how I overcame the challenges here.