In baseball, agility is an often overlooked but nonetheless essential skill, as it affects how efficiently your body absorbs and redirects external forces. When incorporating agility training into preparations and practices, you will improve your game in some key ways. Learn more about this subject below.

Agility Defined

At its most basic definition, agility is the ability to be quick and responsive but graceful in your movements. To the outside eye, it looks virtually effortless, but it takes skill, focus, and agility training to accomplish such speed and grace of motion.

There are several components to achieving a high level of agility, including solid structural support throughout the body; mobility; strength; and a well-developed core. To be physically agile, you also need mental agility, which is the ability to respond instantly and confidently and anticipate movements and plays.

Benefits

When you're more agile, you can make high-velocity direction changes and strong starting speeds with ease. These are important aspects of any player's skill set, and they can improve your game immeasurably.

Because agility involves focus and control, it can also help reduce the likelihood of injury. You are better able to maintain proper alignment and support, and you can anticipate others' actions and respond quickly.

Agility training encourages the body to work as one unified unit. As a result, it increases your ability to remain balanced during movement, which enhances coordination, balance, and stability.

How to Improve Agility

Rehearsed agility training uses planned and choreographed exercises. You essentially learn the routine and carry out the various steps to increase agility. A popular example is the 5-10-5. In this exercise, you start by standing over the line in a three-point stance and exploding laterally; then, run five yards to the right or left, and touch the line with your hand; reverse direction and run 10 yards to the far line; once there, tap the line and run back to the middle line.

Reactive agility training introduces different challenges that you don't expect, which increases response times and movements. The partner, coach, or trainer executes a series of plays, to which the player must react quickly and respond appropriately.

Start your agility training at Line Drive Indoor Batting. Located in Jupiter, FL, they provide baseball and softball training, including agility, pitching, and hitting lessons. Their 8,000-square-foot facility offers batting cages, training equipment, and a series of events and camps designed to take your game to the next level. Call (561) 283-6614 to learn more, or visit them online to explore their services.