Agility or nimbleness is an
ability to change the body's
position
Position often refers to:
* Position (geometry), the spatial location (rather than orientation) of an entity
* Position, a job or occupation
Position may also refer to:
Games and recreation
* Position (poker), location relative to the dealer
* ...
quickly and requires the integration of isolated movement skills using a combination of
balance,
coordination
Coordination may refer to:
* Coordination (linguistics), a compound grammatical construction
* Coordination complex, consisting of a central atom or ion and a surrounding array of bound molecules or ions
* Coordination number or ligancy of a centr ...
,
speed,
reflexes
In biology, a reflex, or reflex action, is an involuntary, unplanned sequence or action and nearly instantaneous response to a Stimulus (physiology), stimulus.
Reflexes are found with varying levels of complexity in organisms with a nervous s ...
,
strength, and
endurance. More specifically, it is dependent on these six skills:
* Balance – The ability to maintain equilibrium when stationary or moving (i.e., not to fall over) through the coordinated actions of our sensory functions (eyes, ears and the proprioceptive organs in our joints);
* Static balance – The ability to retain the center of mass above the base of support in a stationary position;
* Dynamic balance – The ability to maintain balance with body movement; an equal distribution of weight;
* Speed – The ability to move all or part of the body quickly;
* Strength – The ability of a muscle or muscle group to overcome a resistance; and lastly,
* Coordination – The ability to control the movement of the body in co-operation with the body's sensory functions (e.g., in catching a ball
all, hand, and eye coordination.
In sports, agility is often defined in terms of an individual sport, due to it being an integration of many components each used differently (specific to all sorts of different sports). Sheppard and Young (2006) defined agility as a "rapid whole body movement with
change of direction
Change of direction (''COD'') is any activity that involves a rapid whole-body movement with a pre-planned change of velocity or direction.
In elite sports, the speed at which an athlete can do a change of direction is especially valuable in cour ...
or velocity in response to a stimulus".
Agility is also an important attribute in many
role playing games, both video games such as
Pokémon
(an abbreviation for in Japan) is a Japanese media franchise managed by The Pokémon Company, founded by Nintendo, Game Freak, and Creatures (company), Creatures, the owners of the trademark and copyright of the franchise.
In terms of ...
, and tabletop games such as ''
Dungeons & Dragons''. Agility may affect the character's ability to evade an enemy's attack or land their own, or pickpocket and pick locks.
In modern-day psychology, author, psychologist, and executive coach Susan David introduces a concept that she terms “emotional agility,” defined as: “being flexible with your thoughts and feelings so that you can respond optimally to everyday situations.”
The concept has also been applied to higher education management and leadership, where it was used to accelerate slower traditional and deliberative processes and to replace them with corporate decision-making.
[Richard Utz, "Against Adminspeak,]
Chronicle of Higher Education
June 24, 2020.
See also
*
Illinois agility test
*
Agility drill
*
Fitness trail
*
Freerunning
*
Parkour
Parkour () is an athletic training discipline or sport in which practitioners (called ''traceurs'') attempt to get from point A to point B in the fastest and most efficient way possible, without assisting equipment and often while performing a ...
References
{{Authority control
Physical exercise
Physical fitness