6 Exercises to Improve Agility
Whether you are a stay-at-home mom, weekend warrior or grandfather-in-training, agility exercises should be an important part of your workout routine. Agility is the ability to move quickly and change direction with ease. This describes both physical and mental agility. As we age, or just become complacent in our daily routines, both our mental and physical agility suffers. Here are six exercises that you can do to be quick on your toes and sharp as a tack. Be sure to check out all the benefits of agility training.
6 Agility Exercises to Try
Ladder Drills
Using either 6- or 12-inch hurdles (these can be cones, yoga blocks or whatever you have on hand), set five to 10 hurdles up in a row, parallel to each other. Moving laterally, start by going over the first hurdle with a high step and pausing in a stork stance before moving back to the starting position. Then move over the first two hurdles, pause and go back to the start. Continue this until all five to 10 hurdles have been traveled (1, 1 2, 1 2 3, 1 2 3 4, etc.). Count your hurdles out loud (both ascending and descending numbers) and remember to pause on one leg before moving back to the beginning. Also, don’t forget to switch directions. When you become more advanced, speed up the hurdle steps and take out the pause.
Agility Balls
Using small agility balls, bounce them either to a partner or against a wall if you’re working out solo. Because the agility ball shape will send the bounce in varying directions, use a safe space where you won’t run into anything or anyone. Practice catching the ball with two hands, then with your dominant hand only, and lastly, progress to catching it with your non-dominant hand. Hand-eye coordination activities help increase mental stimulation and chasing this tiny tool around is great for the heart and legs. I dare you to not smile while doing this one!
Balloon Drills
Using two different colored balloons, pick an order in which you will contact them (e.g., yellow then blue). Either alone or with a partner, hit the balloons in their selected order while keeping them in the air. For more of a challenge, perform one bodyweight squat in between each balloon contact, and then hit the next balloon. If you’re really feeling frisky, try doing a burpee in between each balloon contact. Remember, hit the balloons in the same order and don’t let them touch the ground. This is a great drill to do with your children or grandchildren; for added fun, increase the number and color of balloons.
Cone Drills
choose to walk, skip, jog, sprint or shuffle. After you have completed each letter with your movement pattern, change the order of the letters and try it again. For an increased cardiovascular challenge, try facing the same direction as you create each letter and move the cones farther apart. If you’re working with a partner and like a little competition, time yourselves going through the pattern, or trade off turns for each letter.
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