Agility
The standard definition of agility is the ability to change directions quickly. Agility is an integral component in Krav Maga. Most sports require players to stop and start their movements at the drop of a hat. Even dancers must train for agility.
You will grow stronger through strength and functional training exercises, faster through the practice of speed training and speed drills, more coordinated through functional training exercises where the limbs have to move correctly with each other, and create a better center of balance through the practice of balancing drills, all the while becoming a more well-rounded athlete.
Take soccer, for example. The players run up and down the field with little to no rest throughout the game. They could be running in one direction and in an instant have to decelerate, stabilize the momentum of their bodyweight, coordinate the shift of that weight, create enough momentum to start moving that weight in a new direction, and accelerate as quickly as possible. This is why agility is dependent on strength, speed, coordination, and dynamic balance. If you can train for all of these elements, you will experience an improvement in your agility. The more you practice agility, and the components found within agility, the more your agility will improve.
Agility is beneficial to any fighter, whether in Krav Maga or some other discipline. If you look at the movements involved in a sparring match, you will see that the fighters are constantly moving their feet in a myriad of directions: left, right, forward, back, in, and out. Clean and stable foot-work, as well as the ability to make quick adjustments of your body (as a whole or in parts), are crucial elements in professional fighting.
It is a good idea for fighters to train regularly at becoming agile in a small space. The best way to do this is to train and spar in a small space. You may want to perform drills, such as moving quickly from side to side over a line on the floor, or move forward and back by pushing off with one foot at a time (such as you learned while advancing and retreating).
Fighters have to be able to move in an infinite amount of angles (and do it within a finite amount of space) without letting their feet slip, turning their backs to their opponents, or letting their defensive posture drop. Even though fighters are not running up and down a soccer field or basketball court, they are still required to change directions very quickly, but they have to do so in a far smaller area and a more confined space, such as within the ropes of a boxing ring or the octagonal-shaped cages used in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and other MMA/NHB fighting arenas.
Lateral Movement with a Line Drill
This is a good exercise to improve your agility. Stand on one side of a line (just run a piece of tape down the floor that is a foot or more in length) and quickly jump or hop with both feet from one side to the other. Once you get going, work on becoming as light on your feet as possible. Start increasing your speed as you begin to become more accustomed to the rhythm of the exercise.
It's easy to roll an ankle when you are working on lateral movement. Be aware of how you push off your foot when moving from side to side. Start slowly and begin to increase your speed as you become more stable with the movements.
Once you find a comfortable rhythm, you should start performing this exercise for time, such as hopping back and forth without rest for twenty to thirty seconds. If you don't feel ready for a timed version of this drill, you may want to start out by just doing this for a certain number of repetitions, such as doing ten to twenty hops (over and back again should equal one repetition).
For added difficulty, you can perform this lateral movement with a line drill by hopping back and forth on only one foot at a time. The same rules apply as when you perform this exercise with both legs. Try staying as close to the line as possible without touching it. This helps increase lower leg strength and stability in the ankles.
Lateral Movement with Cones Drill
Place two cones on the ground, about three to four feet apart. Start inside the cones and, as quickly as possible, move laterally (sideways) back and forth as fast as you can, touching each cone before moving to the next. Repeat this exercise for a total of ten repetitions (from one cone to the other and back is one repetition).
Cones are a suggestion for this drill, not a requirement. Anything that will stay where you put it and mark the necessary spots on the ground will suffice. For example, a pair of hand weights, a couple of water bottles, some bricks, empty coffee cans — any of these would do the job. Not having cones is no reason to not perform this exercise drill.
Remember, your focus needs to be on agility. With that in mind, you are going to want to pay close attention to quickly switching your direction. Do this by pushing off with your outside leg. Just as with the line version of this drill, you can also do this exercise for time, again twenty- to thirty-second intervals.
