title: Effects of small-sided game and change-of-direction training on reactive agility and change-of-direction speed.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of training change-of-direction speed and small-sided games on performance in the Planned-AFL agility test and reactive agility. Twenty-five elite-standard U-18 Australian Rules football players were randomly allocated either to a change-of-direction group or a small-sided games group. Players participated in one or two 15-min sessions per week with 11 sessions conducted over a 7-week period during the season. Tests conducted immediately before and after the training period included the Planned-AFL agility test and a video-based reactive agility test specific to Australian Rules football. The reactive agility test variables were total time, decision time and movement response time. The small-sided games group improved total time (P = 0.008, effect size = 0.93), which was entirely attributable to a very large reduction in decision time (P < 0.001, effect size = 2.32). Small-sided games produced a trivial change in movement response time as well as in the Planned-AFL agility test (P > 0.05). The change-of-direction training produced small to trivial changes in all of the test variables (P > 0.05, effect size = 0-0.2). The results suggest that small-sided games improve agility performance by enhancing the speed of decision-making rather than movement speed. The change-of-direction training was not effective for developing either change-of-direction speed as measured by the Planned-AFL test or reactive agility.
authors.affiliation: a School of Health Sciences , University of Ballarat , Ballarat , Australia.
authors.forename: Warren
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Young
authors.forename: Nathan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Rogers
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D054874:Athletic Performance; D001315:Australia; D003657:Decision Making; D005538:Football; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009048:Motor Skills; D009068:Movement; D010806:Physical Education and Training / Q000379:methods*; D010809:Physical Fitness; D011930:Reaction Time; D012420:Running; D012916:Soccer; D014741:Video Recording