Agility Ability Stars
Tape or chalk a star that is made of 4-foot lines. Trace the lines to each point of the star by doing the following movements. Go as quick as you can while using the correct form in the description of the movement. Repeat the drills multiple times to try and get the fastest time possible!
- Shuffle Slide – Slide sideways without crossing your feet! You may need to change your sliding direction to get the quickest time, but make sure you stay on the lines! Finish where you started!
- Sprint Forward – Run forward to every point as fast as you can. Finish where you started!
- Back Pedal – Move backwards to every point of the star as quickly as possible. Bend your knees and drop your hips. Lean forward to prevent falling! Finish where you started!
- Sprint/Back Pedal – Alternate running forward and back pedaling. This should be the quickest skill! Finish where you started!
Agility Ability Stars
Purpose of Activity: Students will increase their understanding of the skill related fitness component of agility.
Activity cues: Quick changes of direction, keep center of gravity low, stay on the balls of your feet.
Prerequisites: Background information pertaining to the skill related fitness component of agility.
Suggested Grade Level: 4-5
Materials Needed: Tape or chalk to mark a four foot star on the floor, stopwatches.
Description: Students will pair up with a partner. One partner items as the other partner traces the points of the star with the following movements:
- Shuffle slide
- Sprint forward
- Back Pedal
- Sprint/Back pedal
When students are tracing the star with their foot pattern, they need to make a sharp precise turn at each point of the star. Students then switch roles. Students should try the activity multiple times and try to improve on their time while still tracing the star and keeping good form.
Variations: Have the students record their time and try to improve on their time over a few class periods.
Teaching suggestions: This is designed to go along with other agility activities relating to form running and footwork.
Modifications: make star larger or smaller
Precautions: proximity of stars to one another, prevent slipping with proper shoes
Benefits: students are able to develop and improve coordination at a developmental stage where hand/eye and foot/eye coordination may or may not be a difficult task
Objective: To participate in challenging, complex motor skills and concepts and to use locomotor skills to maneuver as quickly and as efficiently as possible through the star.
Discussion: The purpose of the star activity is not to see who can be the fastest, but rather it is a competition against yourself to see how you can improve on your movements in the activity by keeping good form. After your form is perfected, then you can work on speed.
Activity: Before doing the star drill, it would be beneficial to go through form running techniques as a class (may or may not be a daily ritual). Going through these techniques will be beneficial because they are required in the star drill and it is important to be able to do these techniques in a large area before being able to do them in a confined area such as in the star drill.