Speed and agility training is practice at accelerating, stopping and changing direction, usually with drills like ladders, cones, shuffles and hurdles. General health sources say related training, such as plyometrics, can build strength, power and agility. Those sources are not studies of children, and no source here gives a set session length or weekly number for kids, so the safest path is a supervised, age-appropriate program that a qualified coach explains clearly.
What is speed and agility training?
Speed work is about getting moving quickly: arm swings, acceleration and running form. Agility work is about changing direction. One facility’s blog defines agility as the ability to change direction quickly and effectively, and says it matters in sports with rapid movement and quick decisions. Some programs bundle the two with quickness under the label SAQ.
An online kids’ video series on PlaySportsTV shows how a session is commonly organised. Its outline runs in this order:
| Session part | Items listed in that outline |
|---|---|
| Dynamic warm-up | Warm-up lap, straight leg soldier kick, dynamic stretches, spiderman |
| Speed | Arm swings, acceleration, fall then tall, resistance and assistance training |
| Agility and quickness | Shuffles, crossover and backward motions, change in direction, front to back, lateral ladder drill, hurdles, the M drill |
| Cool down | Lap and static stretches |
You do not need to buy anything to use this structure as a yardstick. If a coach’s session has no warm-up or no cool-down, ask why.
What are five agility exercises?
These drill names appear in the kids’ video outline above and in a facility blog that mentions ladder and cone drills. They are examples of what a coach might use, not a plan for your child:
- Lateral ladder drill
- Shuffles and shuffle changes
- Hurdle drills
- The M drill (a cone pattern)
- Hexagon drill
Harvard Health also covers plyometrics, which it describes as short, intense bursts of activity for the lower body, and says they can boost strength, power and agility. Its Harvard Health strength training archive lists that article. Because plyometrics are explosive, how they are introduced to a child matters. A coach should be able to explain the technique, how it progresses and who is watching.
Does speed and agility training work?
Cleveland Clinic says plyometric training uses explosive movements to improve speed, power and agility, and Harvard Health says plyometrics can boost strength, power and agility. Both are general adult-oriented fitness articles, not studies of children’s programs, so they cannot tell you what a particular program will do for your child.
Be cautious with promises. Some pages say agility drills reduce injury risk or give kids an edge over competitors. Ask any provider for the research behind a claim like that. Nothing on this page says speed and agility work prevents injuries or guarantees faster times, playing time or selection. Kids also grow, mature and improve at sport for many reasons at once, so a faster time after a few weeks does not prove the training caused it.
How long should a session be, and how often should kids train?
No source here gives a number of minutes or days for children, and a guess would not be fair to your child. What the sources do say is useful for your questions:
- Cleveland Clinic’s periodization training guide says good programs plan training and recovery together. Its sports medicine physician compares the body to a plant that needs rest as well as water. It gives a basketball example where a strength day is followed by a day of speed and agility exercises, shooting drills or light recovery work.
- The same article says training is organised in weeks, blocks of weeks, and longer cycles, and suggests working with an athletic trainer or sports medicine physician.
For a child, ask the coach to put the weekly plan in writing, including rest days and how it fits around school sport and games. Then map the whole week yourself with our guide to mapping a young athlete’s weekly load or the weekly practice, game and recovery log. Growth spurts can change how a familiar load feels, as covered in our page on youth athlete growth spurts.
What is a good speed and agility program?
Look for something you can read and question, not a slogan. Cleveland Clinic describes sound programs as organised, with goals and planned variety. Use this table when you compare options.
| What to check | Reassuring answer | Think twice if |
|---|---|---|
| Structure | Warm-up, drills, cool-down, written weekly plan with rest | Sessions are all-out every time |
| Supervision | A coach watches and corrects technique, and can say how many kids per coach | Kids work through videos or drills unwatched when they need correction |
| Age fit | Drills and intensity are chosen for your child’s age and maturity | Adult routines are applied to children |
| Claims | Describes what is practised and can point to research for any benefit it claims | Makes promises about results or injury risk without any research behind them |
| Strength work | Explains how it is introduced and supervised | No answer about technique or progression |
| Safeguarding | Clear policies on one-on-one sessions and communication with parents | Resists parents watching or asking questions |
For the strength side, see our pages on youth strength training readiness and supervision, form and progression.
How do I find speed and agility training near me?
Search for coaches and facilities, then screen them the same way whatever their name. Ask these questions before the first session:
- What qualifications does the coach have, and who supervises each session?
- Can I watch a session or a trial?
- What ages and levels train together?
- What is the written plan for a typical week, and how does it fit around my child’s team schedule?
- How do you adjust when a child is tired, growing quickly or sore?
- What exactly are the costs, and what are the cancellation terms?
- What happens if my child reports pain?
Our guides to sports performance training, red flags to watch for and one-on-one training safeguarding expand on these points. For pricing, one online kids’ video series lists plans from $9.95 a month with a 3-day free trial. That is a video product, not in-person coaching, so compare like with like.
What equipment do you need?
The drills named in the sources use agility ladders, cones and hurdles. Treadmill running is mentioned by one facility. Basic drills can be set up with simple markers. Ask a coach what is needed before you buy anything, and check the surface and space. Our quiet indoor ball training plan shows a low-space approach. Fancy equipment is not a sign of a better program.
What if my child has pain or an injury?
Speed and agility training is not a treatment. If your child has pain, keeps rolling an ankle, or is returning from injury, see a qualified clinician before any training. Cleveland Clinic also suggests an athletic trainer or sports medicine physician for guidance on training plans. If a child changes teams or coaches, keep injury history together; see keeping training and injury history together.
What about questions on aging, strength after 50 and aging well?
Those are adult questions, and nothing here covers how agility or strength changes with age. For your own health, a clinician or an adult fitness source is the right place. For your child, the useful point is that kids develop at different rates, so compare progress against their own history, not other children.
Before you order or sign up
- Ask for the written weekly plan and rest days.
- Ask who coaches and what their qualifications are.
- Watch a session first.
- Ask for the research behind any injury or performance claim.
- Check the full cost and how to cancel.
- Tell your child’s team coach what they are doing in addition to practice.
- See a clinician first if there is any pain, injury or medical condition.
By YouthPerformanceTrainer.com Editorial Team
This article is for general information purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Consult your doctor or qualified healthcare provider before making changes to your health routine.