The study deals with a variety of sport-specific testing of agility performance. Altogether, 178 young, fit subjects performed an agility test under various conditions. Their task was to touch as fast as possible, with either the left or the right lower limb, one of the four mats located in four corners outside of 0.8 m square. Mats had to be touched in accordance with the location of the stimulus in one of the corners of the screen. The original version of the test consisted of 60 visual stimuli with random generation of their location on the screen and time generation from 500 to 2500 ms. The result was total agility time (AT) measured by a PC-based system FiTRO Agility Check. The modified versions of the agility test varied in a) number of contact mats (2, and 4), b) distance between mats and subject (0.4, 0.8, 1.6, and 3.2 m), c) their alignment (square, and semi-arch), d) positioning (underfoot, and aloft of thorax), and e) size (6.5 x 6.5 cm, and 35 x 35 cm). Also number of stimuli, their time of generation, and color were modified according to a particular sport. It has been shown that assessment of agility performance in many sports requires a specific approach. The most used versions of the agility test are as follows: a) using two mats for forehand and backhand movements of tennis players, b) moving shorter distances for karate competitors and longer distances for basketball players, c) responding to the same stimulus located in four corners for ice-hockey players and to stimuli of different forms or colors located in semi-arch for ice-hockey goalies, d) touching the mats with lower limbs for soccer players and with upper limbs for basketball players, e) using small size of the target for karate competitors and bigger target for basketball players. Another example is the test for goalkeepers consisting of two stimuli for upper and two stimuli for lower limbs. Experience showed that assessment of agility performance under sport-specific conditions represents a more appropriate alternative than the original version of the agility test.
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