This document discusses change of direction (COD) and agility in sports. It defines COD as a rapid change in velocity or direction that is pre-planned, and agility as a rapid whole-body movement in response to a stimulus involving visual scanning and decision making. The key factors underlying COD are high eccentric strength, high force acceptance rates, great intermuscular coordination, and mechanical stiffness. These can be improved through eccentric training, strength training, drills that dissipate momentum, and plyometrics. The factors underlying agility are great perceptual-cognitive skills, fast stimulus response time, and multi-planar speed and power.

1. Agility & Change of Direction –
From Science to Practice

2. What is COD ?

3. What is COD (Change of Direction)?

4. What is COD (Change of Direction)?
‘Change of direction can
be defined as a rapid
change of velocity or
direction that is pre-
planned.’

5. What is Agility?
“A rapid whole-body movement with
change of velocity or direction in response
to a stimulus. This definition respects the
cognitive components of visual scanning
and decision making that contribute to
agility performance in sport.”

6. COD
Change of Direction

7. So what underpins COD?
1. High levels of eccentric strength: The ability to
absorb high levels of force – the faster you move
the more you’ll need your brakes (eccentric STR) to
control that force.

8. So what underpins COD?
1. High levels of eccentric strength: The ability to
absorb high levels of force – the faster you move
the more you’ll need your brakes (eccentric STR) to
control that force.
2. High rates of force acceptance: ‘High rates of force
acceptance protects tissues such as tendons from
having to shoulder all of the load’ (Knowles, 2018).
To get in and out of a cut fast you need to stop that
momentum fast.

9. So what underpins COD?
1. High levels of eccentric strength: The ability to
absorb high levels of force – the faster you move
the more you’ll need your brakes (eccentric STR) to
control that force.
2. High rates of force acceptance: ‘High rates of force
acceptance protects tissues such as tendons from
having to shoulder all of the load’ (Knowles, 2018).
To get in and out of a cut fast you need to stop that
momentum fast.
3. Great intermuscular co-ordination qualities: You
need precise timing of agonist and synergist
activation and relaxation to stabilise your limbs in a
myriad of body angles.

10. So what underpins COD?
1. High levels of eccentric strength: The ability to
absorb high levels of force – the faster you move
the more you’ll need your brakes (eccentric STR) to
control that force.
2. High rates of force acceptance: ‘High rates of force
acceptance protects tissues such as tendons from
having to shoulder all of the load’ (Knowles, 2018).
To get in and out of a cut fast you need to stop that
momentum fast.
3. Great intermuscular co-ordination qualities: You
need precise timing of agonist and synergist
activation and relaxation to stabilise your limbs in a
myriad of body angles.
4. Great mechanical stiffness: The ability to produce
and transmit force effectively to the ground. You can
have a superior engine (hip power), but if you have
flat tires (weak ankles and knees, which deform too
much at the ground), you won’t move very fast”
(Morin, 2016).

11. Improving it?
1. High levels of eccentric strength: The ability to
absorb high levels of force – the faster you move
the more you’ll need your brakes (eccentric STR) to
control that force.
2. High rates of force acceptance: ‘High rates of force
acceptance protects tissues such as tendons from
having to shoulder all of the load’ (Knowles, 2018).
To get in and out of a cut fast you need to stop that
momentum fast.
3. Great intermuscular co-ordination qualities: You
need precise timing of agonist and synergist
activation and relaxation to stabilise your limbs in a
myriad of body angles.
4. Great mechanical stiffness: The ability to produce
and transmit force effectively to the ground. You can
have a superior engine (hip power), but if you have
flat tires (weak ankles and knees, which deform too
much at the ground), you won’t move very fast”
(Morin, 2016).
Lower limb eccentric training both at slow &
fast velocities and heavy & light loads.
Simply having deceleration zones when
doing sprint work, or manually overloaded
eccentric training in the gym are great ways
of achieving this.

12. Improving it?
1. High levels of eccentric strength: The ability to
absorb high levels of force – the faster you move
the more you’ll need your brakes (eccentric STR) to
control that force.
2. High rates of force acceptance: ‘High rates of force
acceptance protects tissues such as tendons from
having to shoulder all of the load’ (Knowles, 2018).
To get in and out of a cut fast you need to stop that
momentum fast.
3. Great intermuscular co-ordination qualities: You
need precise timing of agonist and synergist
activation and relaxation to stabilise your limbs in a
myriad of body angles.
4. Great mechanical stiffness: The ability to produce
and transmit force effectively to the ground. You can
have a superior engine (hip power), but if you have
flat tires (weak ankles and knees, which deform too
much at the ground), you won’t move very fast”
(Morin, 2016).
Getting strong helps the musculo-tendon
unit be a force amplifier rather than a force
transducer. This helps protect joints from
injury, not only that but being strong means
you can improve more from power training…

13. Improving it?
1. High levels of eccentric strength: The ability to
absorb high levels of force – the faster you move
the more you’ll need your brakes (eccentric STR) to
control that force.
2. High rates of force acceptance: ‘High rates of force
acceptance protects tissues such as tendons from
having to shoulder all of the load’ (Knowles, 2018).
To get in and out of a cut fast you need to stop that
momentum fast.
3. Great intermuscular co-ordination qualities: You
need precise timing of agonist and synergist
activation and relaxation to stabilise your limbs in a
myriad of body angles.
4. Great mechanical stiffness: The ability to produce
and transmit force effectively to the ground. You can
have a superior engine (hip power), but if you have
flat tires (weak ankles and knees, which deform too
much at the ground), you won’t move very fast”
(Morin, 2016).
Getting strong helps the musculo-tendon
unit be a force amplifier rather than a force
transducer which helps protect joints from
injury, not only that but being strong means
you can improve more from power training…
Cormie, Newton & Earp, 2014

14. Improving it?
1. High levels of eccentric strength: The ability to
absorb high levels of force – the faster you move
the more you’ll need your brakes (eccentric STR) to
control that force.
2. High rates of force acceptance: ‘High rates of force
acceptance protects tissues such as tendons from
having to shoulder all of the load’ (Knowles, 2018).
To get in and out of a cut fast you need to stop that
momentum fast.
3. Great intermuscular co-ordination qualities: You
need precise timing of agonist and synergist
activation and relaxation to stabilise your limbs in a
myriad of body angles.
4. Great mechanical stiffness: The ability to produce
and transmit force effectively to the ground. You can
have a superior engine (hip power), but if you have
flat tires (weak ankles and knees, which deform too
much at the ground), you won’t move very fast”
(Morin, 2016).
Drills that focus on ‘Killing momentum’ help
dissipate those forces quicker, and help
arrest forces at a greater magnitude.

15. Improving it?
1. High levels of eccentric strength: The ability to
absorb high levels of force – the faster you move
the more you’ll need your brakes (eccentric STR) to
control that force.
2. High rates of force acceptance: ‘High rates of force
acceptance protects tissues such as tendons from
having to shoulder all of the load’ (Knowles, 2018).
To get in and out of a cut fast you need to stop that
momentum fast.
3. Great intermuscular co-ordination qualities: You
need precise timing of agonist and synergist
activation and relaxation to stabilise your limbs in a
myriad of body angles.
4. Great mechanical stiffness: The ability to produce
and transmit force effectively to the ground. You can
have a superior engine (hip power), but if you have
flat tires (weak ankles and knees, which deform too
much at the ground), you won’t move very fast”
(Morin, 2016).
Plyometrics can help with this by reducing the
amortization phase of a movement, but where its
probably at is task specific force transfer work – so for
example if it’s the ability to go laterally you are after,
exercises that work the frontal plane are what you
need. If its accelerating out of a cut, then overloading
the velocity or contact time of an acceleration is maybe
where you want to go.

16. Improving it?
1. High levels of eccentric strength: The ability to
absorb high levels of force – the faster you move
the more you’ll need your brakes (eccentric STR) to
control that force.
2. High rates of force acceptance: ‘High rates of force
acceptance protects tissues such as tendons from
having to shoulder all of the load’ (Knowles, 2018).
To get in and out of a cut fast you need to stop that
momentum fast.
3. Great intermuscular co-ordination qualities: You
need precise timing of agonist and synergist
activation and relaxation to stabilise your limbs in a
myriad of body angles.
4. Great mechanical stiffness: The ability to produce
and transmit force effectively to the ground. You can
have a superior engine (hip power), but if you have
flat tires (weak ankles and knees, which deform too
much at the ground), you won’t move very fast”
(Morin, 2016).
Stiffness drills that work on the ‘suspension’ and
getting the body into efficient positions to take
advantage of SSC and the elastic components of the
muscle will lead to stiff, responsive, ‘bouncy, reactive’
contacts with the ground.

17. Agility

18. So what underpins agility?
1. Great perceptual-cognitive skills: What we perceive
underpins how we act. The ability to process the
pictures and problem solve a movement solution to
a problem is a key skill to making correct decisions
and moving with precision, style & grace.

19. So what underpins agility?
1. Great perceptual-cognitive skills: What we perceive
underpins how we act. The ability to process the
pictures and problem solve a movement solution to
a problem is a key skill to making correct decisions
and moving with precision, style & grace.
2. Fast stimulus response time: The ability to react to
relevant cues and then act with conviction is a key
skill to successful agility performance. Whether in
offensive or defensive positions – ‘You can’t go
anywhere without your hips’ (Nimphius, 2017)

20. So what underpins agility?
1. Great perceptual-cognitive skills: What we perceive
underpins how we act. The ability to process the
pictures and problem solve a movement solution to
a problem is a key skill to making correct decisions
and moving with precision, style & grace.
2. Fast stimulus response time: The ability to react to
relevant cues and then act with conviction is a key
skill to successful agility performance. Whether in
offensive or defensive positions – ‘You can’t go
anywhere without your hips’ (Nimphius, 2017)
3. High levels of movement variability: Once you have
perceived the picture you have to find a solution to
the problem – the best movers don’t just have the
front door key, they have the master key to
movement. They can rely on a Swiss army knife of
movement solutions to solve any problem.

21. Improving it?
1. Great perceptual-cognitive skills: What we perceive
underpins how we act. The ability to process the
pictures and problem solve a movement solution to
a problem is a key skill to making correct decisions
and moving with precision, style & grace.
2. Fast stimulus response time: The ability to react to
relevant cues and then act with conviction is a key
skill to successful agility performance. Whether in
offensive or defensive positions – ‘You can’t go
anywhere without your hips’ (Nimphius, 2017)
3. High levels of movement variability: Once you have
perceived the picture you have to find a solution to
the problem – the best movers don’t just have the
front door key, they have the master key to
movement. They can rely on a Swiss army knife of
movement solutions to solve any problem.
Putting players in task specific
situations that carry large
relevance to the task they need to
perform is key here to improving
this. Ideally this needs to be picked
up subconsciously but at times it
can be pertinent to draw attention
to where their eyes are, asking
questions about what paths they
can take, and exposing players to
large amounts of discovery
learning where they get to make
lots of decisions and make lots of
mistakes.

22. Improving it?
1. Great perceptual-cognitive skills: What we perceive
underpins how we act. The ability to process the
pictures and problem solve a movement solution to
a problem is a key skill to making correct decisions
and moving with precision, style & grace.
2. Fast stimulus response time: The ability to react to
relevant cues and then act with conviction is a key
skill to successful agility performance. Whether in
offensive or defensive positions – ‘You can’t go
anywhere without your hips’ (Nimphius, 2017)
3. High levels of movement variability: Once you have
perceived the picture you have to find a solution to
the problem – the best movers don’t just have the
front door key, they have the master key to
movement. They can rely on a Swiss army knife of
movement solutions to solve any problem.
To improve someone here you need to
keep squeezing the time it takes to first
make a decision and then act upon it.
For example, this could be challenging
decision making time so someone has to
perceive and then act quicker. For
someone struggling you may need to
scale this back and give players more
time to make decisions and pick up the
relevant cues.

23. Improving it?
1. Great perceptual-cognitive skills: What we perceive
underpins how we act. The ability to process the
pictures and problem solve a movement solution to
a problem is a key skill to making correct decisions
and moving with precision, style & grace.
2. Fast stimulus response time: The ability to react to
relevant cues and then act with conviction is a key
skill to successful agility performance. Whether in
offensive or defensive positions – ‘You can’t go
anywhere without your hips’ (Nimphius, 2017)
3. High levels of movement variability: Once you have
perceived the picture you have to find a solution to
the problem – the best movers don’t just have the
front door key, they have the master key to
movement. They can rely on a Swiss army knife of
movement solutions to solve any problem.
Exposure to chaos. Repetition without
repetition. Everything is similar but
different. Most drills or games shouldn’t
look that neat and pretty, there will be
mistakes, there will be errors but this is
the uncomfortable zone for the player
where learning happens – this is where
you’re sharpening up that master key to
open up more doors. More variability in
the drills = more movement problems =
more movement solutions = more
movement variability.

24. Putting it into Practice

25. What might it look like?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_CEbcg7dwE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXiQGgMy3Io
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRyEjhCxixg
https://twitter.com/TopSpeedLLC/status/598493846243188737
https://youtu.be/chPHaKeNDZQ?t=155