My 15-year-old son is studying GCSE P.E. He was subjected to a series of fitness tests last week, all of which he did once. There was no build-up, no training beforehand, and no practice.
Instead, they ‘muddled through’, were given a ‘score’, and then forgotten. The ‘agility’ test took my son 14 seconds to complete! He said it was like a maze with so many different turns and twists.
If your agility test looks like this: you probably aren’t measuring agility.
My daughter was asked to help her boyfriend conduct a ‘Science’ experiment for his BTEC in ‘Applied Sciences.’
She (a non-runner) was asked to run two separate 5km time trials, one post-caffeine, and one without caffeine. The purpose was to see if caffeine improved running performance.
Test 1 was completed indoors, on a treadmill in the afternoon. Test 2 was completed outdoors, in the morning. Any differences recorded in the time must, of course, be due to caffeine.
None of these factors would have had an adverse/ positive impact on her times:
Weather
Running surface
Time of day
Menstrual cycle
Learning effect
Hydration/ nutrition levels
Motivation (having done it once, the confidence she could run it again).
None of her boyfriend’s ‘methodology’ was questioned by his lecturers and he scored full marks!
It would be nice if P.E./ BTEC teachers followed my 3 guidelines for fitness testing and set a good example for the pupils. Instead, they follow a curriculum that measures children but does nothing to help them improve.
Testing Agility
If I were asked to run a generic agility test, I would choose one of two:
The 3-cone L run
The T-Test.
Both test sharp direction changes after a maximum of 5 metres of acceleration. They require braking off both feet followed by a rapid acceleration in a different direction.
They are quick, take up minimal space, and, more importantly, can be practiced and coached well: if the teacher/ coach knows what to look for. If the components of agility are easy to identify, then the exercises and cues to improve are also easy to identify.
If the test is a maze, how can you identify the parts that need improving?
Teaching Agility
Disclaimer: Some coaches claim that all agility training should include decision-making because in a game no one changes direction without making a decision. However, that assumes the athlete has the physical and mechanical skills to change direction.
In my experience, that is an assumption too far. By building up the athlete’s physical and mechanical skills, we are giving them the foundation upon which they can implement their decisions safely and effectively. It’s not an ‘either/or’ it’s a ‘both’ situation.
In this video, you can hear me coaching Dan James (GB Paralympian goalkeeper) on some basic drills.
In this video, you can see me pointing out some of the details to watch for.
There are many other drills/ exercises/ practices I use, but the point is: whatever I do, I teach and help the athlete improve. If you just send your athletes through a maze, then how on earth are they going to improve?
Standing in front of a class with a stopwatch and a clipboard is easy. Teaching is hard.
If you have a useful drill and a relevant teaching point for it, please leave a comment below.