Pounding out a 5:30 mile won’t help you get to a dig in a tight match. Speed on the volleyball court is measured by how fast you can move left and right across short distances. That’s why Jaron Cook, co-director of athletic performance at Xplosive Edge [Omaha, Neb.], incorporates a timed Pro Agility Drill into his speed training.

The Pro Agility Drill helps volleyball players improve their quickness, while also exposing any deficiencies they may have when moving left or right. “We’ll have them go both directions,” Cook says; “that way we can figure out if they have an imbalance. If they have a quicker time to their right than to their left, then they are not bilaterally equal.”

Timing your Pro Agility will allow you to determine instantly whether your movements are equally efficient, an essential element in the game of volleyball. “If they have a weakness to one side or the other, that may be very important if you have an athlete who has to move both ways,” Cook explains.

Grab a partner and two stopwatches and find out if you move equally fast on both sides.

Pro Agility
•    Set up three cones in straight line 5 yards apart
•    Begin in athletic stance at middle cone and sprint right
•    Touch cone with right hand, change direction and sprint 10 yards to first cone
•    Touch cone with left hand, change direction and sprint through middle cone
•    Repeat in opposite direction

Partner Timing Rules
1. Hold a stopwatch in each hand and start both on first movement
2. Stop one watch when athlete crosses middle cone the first time
3. Stop second watch when athlete crosses middle cone the second time
4. Record each time and repeat for opposite direction
5. Evaluate times to see if athlete is slower in one direction

Cook’s Cues: When moving right, plant and explode off of your right foot when you touch the cone // When moving left, plant and explode off of your left foot when you touch the cone // When changing direction, maintain a low body level