At Home Athleticism - Change of Direction Ability

By Neal Prokop, Sport Performance Specialist

Although we’re all locked down and unable to attend our sport practices & team workouts, there are still many ways we can improve our athletic qualities at home!

Many sports such as soccer, basketball, tennis, etc., require a specific set of change of direction abilities such as lateral speed, agility, and rapid acceleration and deceleration. These explosive sport actions require a significant level of strength and skill to perform at a high level. The qualities that support these actions should therefore be trained in order to improve the overall ability to change direction.

While we’re limited to exercising at home, be sure to train like an athlete and include some lateral movements that support our ability to change direction effectively.

Lateral Strength – Athletes need to be strong laterally in order to support the body for the physical demands of high speed change of direction.

Lateral Power – Athletes need to be able to absorb and generate high levels of force to be explosive while changing direction.

Lateral Speed – Athletes need not only foot speed and quickness, but an opportunity to practice movement strategies such as shin angles, hip turns, and transitional movements like crossover steps.

Here are a few video examples of exercises you can try at home to work on your lateral abilities. Give these drills a try to improve your change of direction and overall athleticism!
Lateral Strength
Lateral Squat 

Lateral Lunge 

Single Arm DB Lateral Lunge 

Lateral Power
Single Leg Lateral Line Hop 

Lateral Skaters Bound 

Lateral Hurdle Hop into Broad Jump 

Lateral Speed
2” Run / Xover / COD w Lateral Brake 

5m Lateral Line Shuffle

3 Cone Drill 

At the end of the day, get creative! Use what you have, or what is easily accessible for you to purchase. Stay safe and stay healthy everyone, we hope to see you again soon!