Agility:

Measure how quickly you can accelerate, decelerate, and change direction with the CHAMP Center's agility testing and receive objective, sport-relevant data to guide training, track progress, or complete a recruiting portfolio.

Agility: What It Is

"Agility" and "change of direction speed" (COD) get used interchangeably in sports, but they aren't quite the same thing. Sport scientists define agility as a fast, whole-body movement that changes speed or direction in reaction to something the athlete didn't plan for, such as an opponent's cut, a ball, or a signal. Change of direction speed measures those same underlying qualities of acceleration, deceleration, and directional control, but through a pre-planned pattern the athlete already knows before they start moving.

Most of the field tests you'll see referenced in sports, including the Pro-Agility (5-10-5) Shuttle, T-Test, Illinois Agility Test, Hexagon Test, and 505 Test, are technically COD tests: the cone pattern is set, the route is known, and there's no reactive decision-making involved. Even so, these tests are almost universally labeled "agility tests" in coaching, combine, and recruiting circles, and it's the term most athletes, coaches, and portfolios search for. We use "agility" here as an umbrella term for that reason: to match how these tests are actually labeled and requested in the field, while being upfront about the distinction.

At CHAMP, we offer a range of these established agility/change-of-direction protocols, including the Pro-Agility (5-10-5) Shuttle, T-Test, Illinois Agility Test, Hexagon Agility Test, 505 Test, and more. Each uses a different cone pattern and movement sequence: some emphasize lateral shuffling, others straight-line sprint-and-turn, others a mix of forward, backward, and lateral movement. Despite these differences, all of them assess the same underlying quality: your ability to control your body through rapid changes in direction. Because our protocols are flexible, we can tailor which test(s) we run to match what a specific sport, team, or school typically requests. If reactive/true agility testing is a better fit for your goals, we're happy to talk through those options as well.

Agility testing typically lasts 15–30 minutes, including warm-up, a minimum of two trials, and review of results. Further preparation details can be found on the CHAMP Center Prepare Page.

At the CHAMP Center, agility testing can be performed across a variety of surfaces and settings, such as turf, grass, basketball court, or track, matched to the demands of your sport whenever possible.

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Agility: Why It's Important

Change-of-direction ability is one of the most consistently demanded qualities across field and court sports, such as hockey, soccer, basketball, football, tennis, lacrosse, and more, which all require athletes to decelerate and redirect force quickly and repeatedly.

Understanding Agility results allows participants to:

Quantify acceleration, deceleration, and directional control in a repeatable, standardized way
Identify side-to-side or directional asymmetries that may affect performance or injury risk
Track improvement across a training block or season
Compare your numbers to normative data for your age, sex, and sport
Provide objective, third-party-verified results for recruiting or scouting purposes

Whether you're training for performance, recovering from injury, or simply moving better as you age, agility testing shows you how well your body handles rapid changes in direction.

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Agility: Who Should Do It

Agility testing measures acceleration, deceleration, and directional control, which are the physical qualities behind cutting, pivoting, and quick redirection. This assessment benefits anyone looking to understand or improve those qualities, including:

Field & Court Sport Athletes: Soccer, basketball, football, lacrosse, tennis, and similar sports where cutting, pivoting, and rapid redirection are central to performance.
Athletes Building a Sports Portfolio: Many high school and college recruiting portfolios, combines, and team tryouts specifically request agility or change-of-direction results alongside other testing (see our Sports Portfolio package below).
Return-to-Play / Rehab Populations: Comparing side-to-side movement quality can help flag lingering asymmetries after an injury.
General Fitness & Longevity-Focused Individuals: Change-of-direction ability supports balance, coordination, and fall-risk reduction as we age.

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Agility: Interpreting Results

Agility/change-of-direction times are typically reported in seconds, with lower times indicating better performance. However, meaningful interpretation depends heavily on context:

Age and maturation affect expected times, especially in adolescent athletes
Sex differences are well documented and norm tables are typically sex-specific
Sport and position matter — a lineman's expected 5-10-5 time is different from a defensive back's or a soccer midfielder's

Because of this, we don't publish a single "good/bad" cutoff on this page. If you're interested in how your results compare to normative data for your age, sex, and sport, CHAMP Center staff can help you look up and interpret the relevant benchmarks at the time of your assessment.

View the tabs to read about some different Agility Tests we offer. Don't see an agility test you need? Reach out to us to see how we can accommodate! More likely than not, we will have the equipment to support the agility assessment you need.

Illinois Agility Test:

A longer course (about 10m x 5m) that starts with the athlete face-down on the ground before sprinting up, running the length of the course, making a 180-degree turn, weaving through four center cones, and finishing with two more lengths. At roughly 15 to 20 seconds, it's one of the more demanding tests here, combining straight sprinting, tight weaving, and repeated direction changes into a single score.

T-Test:

Four cones arranged in a T-shape. The athlete sprints 10 yards to the base of the T, shuffles laterally 5 yards to one side, shuffles 10 yards to the other side, shuffles 5 yards back to center, then backpedals to the finish. Because it blends forward sprinting, lateral shuffling, and backward running into one test, it's a common assessment for basketball, soccer, and tennis, where athletes have to move fluidly in every direction.

505 Test:

The athlete builds speed over a run-in distance, sprints through a 5-meter zone, plants and turns 180 degrees on one leg, then sprints back through the same zone. Because it isolates a single decisive turn rather than a full sequence, the 505 is often used to test each leg separately, which can help flag side-to-side imbalances. It's a staple in soccer, basketball, rugby, and tennis testing.

Hexagon Agility Test:

A six-sided shape marked on the floor. The athlete stands in the center and jumps out and back over each side in sequence, completing three full trips around the hexagon in each direction. Unlike the other tests here, it's performed in place rather than covering ground, so it isolates foot speed, coordination, and balance during rapid multidirectional jumps rather than straight-line speed.

3-Cone Drill (L-Drill):

Three cones set five yards apart in an L-shape. The athlete sprints to the middle cone and back, then turns and runs a figure-eight around the far two cones. Alongside the 5-10-5, it's one of the two agility drills run at the NFL Combine and is closely watched for positions like pass rushers and receivers, where changing direction around another body in tight space matters as much as straight-line speed.

Lane Agility Drill:

Set up around the basketball key, the athlete sprints along the baseline, shuffles laterally, backpedals, and shuffles again to complete two full laps around the lane. It's the dedicated agility test at the NBA Draft Combine, built to reflect real basketball movement, forward bursts, defensive slides, and backpedaling, in one continuous sequence rather than a generic cone pattern.

How to Use Your Results:

Identify strengths and weaknesses in acceleration, deceleration, and directional control
Track progress across a training block, season, or return-to-play timeline
Compare movement quality side-to-side to flag asymmetries that may affect performance or injury risk
Inform sprint, change-of-direction, and reactive-training programs
Provide objective, third-party-verified results for recruiting or scouting purposes
See Our:
- Sports Portfolio Package: Combine multiple agility tests together and/or with body composition, aerobic and anaerobic testing, and other commonly requested assessments into one recruiter-ready portfolio