Complete Agility Warm Up | Build Better Change of Direction

Before you can train agility, you have to earn it.

That means preparing the body from the ground up: feet, ankles, hips, and core. Every change of direction needs to feel powerful and controlled.

At Overtime Athletes, we use this exact warm up before any agility or lateral movement session. It’s not just a “prep.” In the off season, it becomes part of the work in building the foundation for speed, balance, and control.

The Structure

Every agility session starts with:

1. 10–12 minutes of dynamic warm up (standard across all training).
2. Targeted mobility work based on the session.
   • Linear day → hip flexors, hamstrings.
   • Lateral day → hip abductors/adductors.

    

3. Specific movement prep for the training focus; in this case, lateral change of direction.

This agility warm up lasts 5–10 minutes and sets the tone for quality, high speed reps later in the session.

Step 1: Ground & Foot Activation

Start from the ground up.

Athletes need control at the foot and ankle before any explosive lateral movement.

• Lateral Pogo Hops: 10 yards down + back (double-leg).

  Build stiffness and control through the feet.

• Single Leg Pogos: Same setup, isolating one foot at a time.

  Focus on foot strength and avoid pushing from the hip or knee.

  “Take what the foot gives you.”

These movements fatigue the ankles and teach athletes to control force from the ground up.

Step 2: Force Redirection

Next, the athlete learns to redirect energy quickly using simple hopping patterns.

• Line hops (single & double leg)
• Forward-back and side-to-side reps (5–10 seconds each)

These build quick stretch shortening cycles and the base of all change of direction ability.

Step 3: Hip Series Plyometrics

Once the lower limbs are firing, it’s time to involve the hips. The powerhouse for lateral movement.

1. Lateral Power Shuffle:
   • Sink hips low, push off the outside leg, and drive laterally with intent.
   • Focus on powerful, controlled distance. Not just fast feet.

    

2. Crossover Bounds:
   • Stay square through the torso; keep toes forward.
   • Cross one leg over the other, bounding laterally without over rotating.
   • This challenges balance, coordination, and force direction.

    

3. Carioca for Power:
   • Rotate the hips while keeping posture tight.
   • Bound through the movement, think “rotational pop,” not speed dance.
   • Generate force in awkward positions to prep for game speed agility.

    

 The Progression

From here, athletes transition into full agility or change of direction drills.

Every sport from football, soccer, basketball, to baseball benefit from mastering this sequence:

Feet → Ankles → Hips → Lateral Movement.

It’s not just a warm up. It’s the foundation of every explosive cut, shuffle, or sprint.

Final Takeaway

Don’t skip your prep.

This 10-minute warm up creates more stable ankles, stronger hips, and smoother transitions it’s the difference between stumbling through a cut or snapping into one with control.

Train smarter. Move better.

Then, attack your agility work at full speed.