Compass drill

The Compass Drill is a test frequently used in the world of sports and training, very simple to perform and it only requires little equipment. This is a lateral movement test that measures the subject’s agility, especially body control, acceleration, speed and the subject’s ability to make changes of direction.

• Required Material: A flat non-slip surface, five 1-foot tall cones and marks to delimit the course of the circuit, a tape measure and a stopwatch.

• Procedure: Five cones are placed in a cross-shape pattern (4 outside and one in the middle), 3 metres apart. The aim of the test is to complete the course (A-B-A-C-A-D-A-E) in the shortest possible time. As shown in the illustration, the subject must touch each of the test cones with his hand, following the clockwise direction (A-B-C-D-E) and always passing through the central cone (A) before moving on to the next one. The test begins with the subject crouching behind cone A, resting his left hand on the cone and looking straight ahead towards the next cone of the test (B). The test finishes when the subject reaches the finish point (cone E) with any part of his/her body. There the stopwatch will be stopped and the elapsed time will be registered. It is recommended to repeat the test and performing it in the counterclockwise direction (A-D-C-B-E).

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

• Remarks: Turning technique and coordination are also important factors in this test. This test is called the Compass Drill as it requires the subject to run to all cardinal points of the compass. 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.