WHAT IS AGILITY IN PHYSICAL EDUCATION? - ARTE - 2024

The agility in Physical Education is the ability of the human body to change direction in a specific movement with the greatest possible efficiency. It is one of the main qualities that an athlete must have, regardless of the discipline they practice, along with coordination, resistance and balance.

This quality has to do with the ability to respond to a change in situation, this implies precision and speed in movements, a certain degree of strength, muscular power and mechanical flexibility. In short, it is the conjugation of all coordinative capacities.

Agility is related to lightness, understood as ease of movement. It has to do with elasticity, flexibility and speed. It is associated with non-cyclical movements; those that require constant changes of direction, direction and speed.

Like any component that involves physical dexterity, agility depends largely on the cognitive element, that is, on a correct development of the central nervous system that emits the necessary stimuli so that the body can move quickly towards the required direction and sense, and thus effectively meet the objective.

Recent studies have shown that agility not only requires the physical ability to react to high speed changes of direction, but also has a high perceptual content.

However, agility is something that can be greatly improved with the right dose of physical training. Unfortunately, it is also a quality that deteriorates over the years.

What is agility? Determining factors

Agility is a physical condition that allows you to perform movements with the least expenditure of time and energy possible.

Agility is necessary in all types of sports disciplines, but it is essential in those that involve obstacles or opponents that must be avoided.

Some specific examples are rugby, football, hurdles or hurdles, and hockey.

Also in sports like tennis where the ball moves with a lot of speed in a relatively small physical space.

The tennis player needs good eyesight, good reflexes and excellent physical condition to move quickly to one or the other side of the court.

It is a quality that involves the whole body, so we cannot speak of segmental agility; it requires multiple skills and comprehensive training.

In addition to those already mentioned, such as balance and coordination, there are other decisive factors to make an athlete more or less agile:

• Basic motor ability: ability to perform basic movements with quality and ease.
• Specific motor ability: ability to perform more specific movements with equal quality and ease.
• Psychomotor ability: ability to perform coordinated and precise movements in space and time.
• Basic physical capacity: it has to do with the integral quality of the individual in terms of musculoskeletal conditions, flexibility and strength.

Advantages of physical agility training

1- Improve performance

A good physical training gradually develops greater endurance and better performance in the practice of sport, managing to perform the activity in less and less time, that is, with greater efficiency.

2- Increase resistance

The body trains itself to endure the demands of sporting activity for longer without much wear and tear.

In addition, this leads to the athlete also requiring less and less time for their short and medium-term recovery.

3- Prevents injuries

Regional and regular training, in addition to increasing agility, strengthens muscles and bones and "teaches" them to behave and react correctly to eventualities both on and off the field of play.

The muscles learn to warm up quickly and do not fatigue, and the body knows how to move so as not to injure itself; you are better prepared for contingencies.

4- Improves balance and body control

The athlete is better able to correct and maintain their center of gravity, thereby avoiding falls and ensuring stability during sports practice.

Prepares the body for better performance in everyday life: agility is closely related to the energy needed for day-to-day life.

In addition, a good physical condition helps to be prepared to react correctly to daily contingencies.

For example, avoiding a fall, overcoming an obstacle on the public road or making use of personal defense in the event of insecurity.

Activities to train agility

1- Slalom test

The performer stands behind the starting line and must run through vertically aligned posts, circling them from one side to the other until reaching the goal.

The idea is to time the execution time to be able to measure the progress. The faster you can do it, the greater your agility will be.

2- Obstacle course

The performer stands behind the starting line and must run jumping obstacles of a certain height located along the track, trying not to knock them over or trip over them.

It is an activity that requires coordination and flexibility, as well as a lot of physical resistance. Likewise, it must be timed in order to measure progress.

3- Stud race

The performer stands behind the starting line and must run as fast as possible to a line placed about thirty feet away.

There are some wooden blocks placed on the ground, which you must lift one by one, return to the starting line, put them back on the ground and run again in search of the next one.

The terrain must be smooth and flat. Results need to be timed in order to quantify the individual's progress in agility.

References

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