To develop agility, experts believe it is necessary to engage not only the muscles but also vision and spatial perception.
Robert Lockie, a professor of kinesiology at California State University, Fullerton, emphasizes: “Agility reflects your ability to perceive the environment around you. As you age, it’s important not only how you move but also how effectively you see and react to events around you.”
There are four tests that can be used to assess agility, ranging from simple to more complex. These tests will help determine how important it is to include agility training in daily activities.
Experts also note that low test scores should not be discouraging — they can serve as a starting point for further progress.
8-Foot Get Up and Go Test
What it shows: the ability to quickly get up, navigate around an obstacle, and sit back down, reflecting everyday movements around the home.
Who it’s for: originally designed for older adults to assess fall risk.
What you’ll need: a stopwatch, a chair with a back, a cone or mark, a tape measure, and preferably an assistant.
How to perform:
Place the chair against a wall and the mark 8 feet (about 2.4 meters) away. Sit down with your hands on your knees and feet on the floor. At the “start” signal, stand up, navigate around the mark (do not run), return, and sit down. Time stops when you sit. Repeat the test twice and use the best result.
Scoring:
For individuals over 60 years old, a result of around 4 seconds is considered above average, 5–6 seconds is below average. For the 70–80 age group, a result of 5–6 seconds is considered good.
How to improve:
Practice getting up from the chair without using your hands, perform strength exercises, especially squats. It’s also beneficial to train balance — for example, standing on one leg while doing household tasks.
Alternate Hand Tennis Ball Toss Against Wall Test
What it shows: hand-eye coordination and reaction speed, which may decline with age.
Who it’s for: suitable for all ages, originally designed for young athletes.
What you’ll need: a tennis ball, a stopwatch, a smooth wall, a tape measure.
How to perform:
Stand about two meters from the wall. Toss the ball with one hand and catch it with the other, then switch hands. Continue for 30 seconds. Only successful catches are counted.
Scoring:
More than 35 successful catches is an excellent result, 20–29 is average, and fewer than 15 is weak (for an active athlete).
How to improve:
Check your vision, train your grip strength, and engage in sports that require coordination, such as golf or pickleball.
Burpees
What it shows: explosive strength necessary for quick direction changes and rapid rising from the floor — a particularly important skill as you age.
Who it’s for: suitable for those confidently performing jumping movements.
What you’ll need: a stopwatch.
How to perform:
Perform as many burpees as possible in 30 seconds. The standard version includes transitioning to a plank and back without a jump (advanced variations are not counted in the standard assessment).
Scoring:
A good result is around 16 repetitions for men and 12 for women.
How to improve:
Develop leg strength and movement speed — squat jumps, plyometrics, and lower body strength training.
T-Test
What it shows: classic athletic agility — the ability to move quickly forward, sideways, and backward.
Who it’s for: for experienced athletes or physically fit individuals.
What you’ll need: four cones, a stopwatch, and a space of about 80–90 square meters.
How to perform:
Set up the cones in a “T” shape: one starting cone, the second 10 yards ahead, and two more 5 yards to the left and right of the second.
Run to the central cone, then sideways to the left, to the right, back to the left, and then backward to the start.
Scoring:
About 10 seconds is a good result for male amateurs, 11 seconds for females.
How to improve:
Train lateral movements — side lunges, half-squat movements with a resistance band. To improve stopping ability, jumping for distance, vertical jumps, and jump rope exercises are beneficial.
Experts emphasize that agility is an important indicator of functional health at any age. Even small, regular training can significantly improve results, reduce the risk of falls and injuries, and maintain activity for many years.
