Agility

“Agility – the ability to move and change direction and position of the body quickly an effectively while under control. It requires quick reflexes, coordination, balance, speed, and correct response to the changing situation.”

“Ohhh no.”

“Ugghhhh, I’m so bad at these.”

“Whhyyyyyy???”

A few of the many comments when we bust out the agility ladder for our warm ups, sound familiar? Well let’s talk about it for a little bit shall we…

Agility drills are commonly used in the strength and conditioning world as a tool to improve an athlete’s ability to react and change direction as quickly and efficiently as possible. Sport in general is unpredictable and so the importance of agility becomes crucial.

For the general population though, agility is not commonly practiced. But as one of the 10 components of CrossFit, it’s something that can help towards living that overall healthy, fit, and happy lifestyle. As mentioned above, agility requires a great deal of coordination, balance, and speed. Whoa! Another 3 components of CrossFit! If you’re wondering what the remaining components are, check out the new wording Nabil added to our wall ball lines. Anyway, if your asking yourself why agility is even important if you’re not going to play sports, I think I can help clear some things up. Agility in general is a great way to build a neurological connection between your brain and your body. In other words, it can help create a better understanding of body awareness. Where our body is in space, what muscle groups need to recruit, and how we react to some things that are unpredictable. Learning new skills! Having an efficient neurological connection helps improve our ability to learn new skills. Toes to bar? Bar Muscle Ups? Ring Muscle Ups? Snatching? Handstand Push Ups, etc… All of these require body awareness and a solid connection from your brain to your body. Adapting cues and understanding what it FEELS like to “finish” your pull in our olympic lifts, move your feet fast in the split jerk, or pulling yourself under a snatch all require body awareness as well.

Be on the lookout for us to incorporate some agility drills in the near future, try and be open to it if you’re one of those that automatically shut it out. Remember DJ’s post from earlier this week, it you go into something with the mindset of “this is going to be bad”…surprise, it probably will be bad. Try your best, give it your full effort, and I think you’ll be happy with the outcome!

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