3 cones drill

The 3 Cones Drill is an exercise frequently used in the world of sports and training, very simple to perform and only requires little equipment. With this test, acceleration, speed and the subject’s ability to make changes of position and direction can be measured.

• Required Material: A flat non-slip surface, 3 cones and marks to delimit the course of the circuit, a tape measure and a stopwatch.

• Procedure: For this test, 3 cones must be placed at a distance of 4.5 meters from each other in an L-shaped pattern, as shown in the illustration. The objective of the test is to complete the course (A-B-A-B-C-B-A) in the shortest possible time. The subject gets ready for the test in a 3-point starting position (crouched and touching the ground with one hand), with his/her legs slightly wider than hip-width apart and touching the starting cone (A) with the other hand. At the evaluator’s signal, the subject begins running at maximum speed. During the test, the subject must touch with his/her hand all the cones or lines before making changes of direction. The test finishes when the subject, after doing the entire course correctly, crosses the finish line (cone A) with any part of his/her body. There the stopwatch will be stopped and the elapsed time will be registered. It is recommended to perform the test to both sides, left and right, to contrast results. Any attempt in which the participant does not clearly touch the corresponding cones or lines or if he/she passes over instead of skirting the outside of cone C will be considered void and will not be counted.

• Assessment: It is measured in seconds (sec) and the subject has a maximum of 3 attempts. In Fisicalcoach, the lowest time, as well as the mean and the median can be recorded.

• Remarks: Since in exercises that require changes of direction performance depends on the angle and speed during execution, different tests should be considered and the most specific and appropriate one should be chosen in each case. Fisicalcoach has a large set of tests available to perform.