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Agility Tests (5-10-5 Pro Agility & T-Test)

Evidence-grounded — sourced from Fysiqal's fitness knowledge graph· 2 min read
agilitycod5-10-5pro-agilityt-testtestchange-of-direction

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Timed change-of-direction courses — the lateral 5-10-5 and the multidirectional T-test — that measure planned change-of-direction speed (not reactive agility).

Detail

Change-of-direction (COD) tests time an athlete through a fixed course requiring acceleration, deceleration, planting, and re-acceleration. They measure pre-planned COD speed, distinct from reactive agility (responding to a stimulus) — see agility-vs-cod.

5-10-5 Pro Agility (short shuttle): three lines/cones 5 yd apart. From the middle, sprint 5 yd one way and touch, 10 yd back the other way and touch, then 5 yd to finish (20 yd total); two ~180° turns. Time it; run both directions. (Full drill: pro-agility-5-10-5.)

T-Test: four cones in a T. From the base, sprint 10 yd forward to the top cone, shuffle 5 yd left, shuffle 10 yd right, shuffle 5 yd back left to the middle, then backpedal 10 yd to the start. Tests forward sprint, lateral shuffling, and backpedaling. (Full drill: t-test-drill.)

Protocol: warm up; standardized start; electronic gates preferred; touch lines by hand where required; best of 2–3 trials with full recovery. Penalize/redo trials with missed touches or crossed feet per protocol. Compare to sport/sex norms or own baseline.

Key facts

  • 5-10-5: cones 5 yd apart; 5 → 10 → 5 yd (20 yd) with two ~180° turns; run both directions.
  • T-Test: 10 yd sprint, 5 yd + 10 yd + 5 yd shuffles, 10 yd backpedal.
  • Measure planned COD speed, not reactive agility.
  • Timing gates preferred; best of 2–3 trials, full recovery; enforce touch/foot rules.

Connections

  • pro-agility-5-10-5 / t-test-drill — full drill descriptions.
  • sprint-tests — linear-speed companion.
  • agility-vs-cod — why these test COD, not true agility.
  • cod-mechanics — the skill being tested.
SourceCurrent guideline bodies
NSCA's Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning (4th ed.); Semenick, pro-agility and T-test protocols.
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Atlas Connections

Sprint Speed Tests (40-Yard Dash & Splits)
Time a maximal linear sprint over a set distance (classically 40 yards, with 10/20-yard splits) to assess acceleration and top speed.
Vertical Jump Test
Measure how high you can jump from a standstill; jump height (and equations from it) estimate lower-body explosive power.
Agility vs Change of DirectionClosely related
Change of direction is pre-planned fast redirection; true agility adds a reaction to a stimulus — perception and decision-making plus the physical redirection.
Change-of-Direction (COD) MechanicsClosely related
Changing direction is a braking-then-reaccelerating task — decelerate eccentrically, plant with a stable knee/hip, lower the center of mass, and push off explosively into the new direction.
5-10-5 Pro Agility DrillClosely related
Start in the middle, sprint 5 yards one way, 10 yards back the other way, then 5 yards to finish — a short lateral COD drill and standard combine test.
T-Test (Agility Drill)Closely related
A T-shaped course combining a forward sprint, lateral shuffles to each side, and a backpedal — trains and tests multidirectional agility (forward, lateral, backward).