Zig-zag agility test

The Zig-Zag Agility test is a drill 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, 5 cones and marks to delimit the course of the circuit, a tape measure and a stopwatch.

• Procedure: Five cones must be placed as shown in the illustration: the four outer cones forming a 6 x 9 meters (m) rectangle, and the fifth one in the center of the circuit (cone B). The subject gets ready for the test with his/her foot behind the starting line (A) in a sprint start position and at the evaluator’s signal will begin the course (A-B-C-D-B-E-A), trying to complete it in the shortest possible time, going around the outside of all the cones of the circuit. The test finishes when the subject 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. Any attempt in which the subject passes over a cone instead of going around it will be considered null and 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.