Study Regarding the Evaluation of Agility in Sixth Graders

Abstract

Although agility is not a new word, it is used more frequently in athletic activities: professional sports, physical education lesson, or leisure time activities. That is because agility implies actually a combination of strength, speed, coordination, and balance. This author chose to evaluate agility in sixth graders because at this age the plasticity degree of the cerebral cortex is very high, allowing the children to learn new motor skills very fast. The test chosen for this study was the Figure 8 Hop Test, which was validated and published in the book "Functional testing in Human Performance" (the chapter "Speed, Agility and Quickness Testing") (2009), by M.P. Reiman, RC. Manske. This research started from the hypothesis stating that the Figure 8 Hop Test could highlight the development level of speed, power and balance, which could lead to a possible assessment of the effectiveness of the means and methods used in this purpose during the physical education lesson. In the end, the study has confirmed partially the working hypothesis.