Agility Assessment Research Articles

Analyzing the effects of competitive fatigue on body composition and functional capacities of youth elite handball players

Handball demands intense movements like rapid direction changes and physical contact. Consecutive competitions expose player fatigue and weaknesses due to the sport’s exhaustive nature. Therefore, the aims of this study are twofold: (i) to investigate the impact of competitive fatigue on the body composition of youth elite handball players, and (ii) to analyze the impact of concentrated competition on their functional capacity performance. Seventeen young male handball players (age: 16.2 years, height; 177.8 cm, body mass: 73.0 kg) were assessed twenty-four hours before (TM1) and after the competitive period (TM2) in body composition, static strength, lower- and upper-body explosive strength, speed, agility, balance, and flexibility indicators. A Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test was conducted to assess differences in body composition and functional capacities assessment between TM1 and TM2. Regarding results, body mass significantly increased in TM2 (p < 0.01), while increases in waist circumference and body fat percentage were not statistically significant. Functional capacity assessments revealed a significant decline in jumping performance (CMJ and SJ; p ≤ 0.01). Speed and agility assessments showed worse performance in TM2, significantly increasing 30 m sprint time (p ≤ 0.01). Balance indicators showed no significant differences, with mixed results in performance across different conditions. In sum, evaluating vertical jumps and long-distance maximum speed (i.e., 30 meters) could be valid tests for measuring and controlling fatigue in young elite handball players. Future research should regularly monitor young handballers after the competition to analyze the entire fatigue recovery process.

Paradigm Shift in Sports Science: The IOT-Enhanced Agility-Pad for Athletic Performance Evaluation

This paper explores the development and implementation of an agility monitoring system, aiming to provide real-time assessment of an athlete's agility. The need for such technology to facilitate instant and remote agility assessment has become increasingly apparent in the field of sports science. Unfortunately, progress in this area has been relatively slow until the emergence of IoT (Internet of Things) technology, which presents a promising avenue for athlete agility monitoring through telemetering. The core of this innovative system consists of an agility pad and a real-time monitoring module, with communication facilitated by LabVIEW software. Our approach involves rigorous testing, including unit testing of the agility pad, which serves as an MQTT publisher, the server, which functions as an MQTT broker, and the monitoring module, acting as an MQTT subscriber. In addition to these technical aspects, this article showcases various outcomes of our research. These include the designs of two activity diagrams, a comprehensive conceptual framework for agility monitoring, the database structure, communication designs for the agility pad, a wiring schematic, a 3D model of the agility pad, and the corresponding wiring configuration. We have successfully constructed two sets of agility pads, each integrated with an MCU system (ESP8266) and a dedicated database architecture designed for agile monitoring. One significant achievement of our work is the identification of the optimal delay interval required on the agility pad to prevent data loss on the MQTT broker. Furthermore, we have effectively developed a mechanism for detecting and addressing abnormal data during each testing phase, which contributes to the robustness and reliability of the system. This paper not only highlights the innovative technology behind the IOT-Infused Agility-Pad but also underscores its potential to revolutionize the assessment of athletic performance, offering coaches and athletes real-time insights into agility progress.

Relationship between learning agility and innovative work behavior among undergraduate student of University of Indonesia

Background: Previous research has shown that university graduates in Indonesia face significant skill gap and behind from any country, spesifically among ASEAN countries, in term of innovation ability. Innovative ability can be developed for university students with the right variables. Thus, it might help student to focus on their self-development. Method: Quantitative and correlational research conducted to know how learning agility might related to innovative work behavior. Innovative Work Behavioral Scale developed by Janssen (2000) and Learning Agility Assessment Scale, developed and published by Gravett and Caldwell (2016), were used in study. Both scales were adapted and translated so they would fit with the undergraduates’ context. Result: In result, 539 of minimum Second year/3rd semester University Indonesia students were chosen. The statistics analysis technique used for hypothesis testing was Pearson’s Correlation. The result showed that learning agility is positively correlated with the innovative work behavior, r(537) = 0,61, p < 0,001. Conclusion: After this study, the result might be used as one of the references for university to develop program where student could develop their learning agility and become more innovative. Novelty/Originality of this study: This study reveals a significant relationship between learning agility and innovative work behaviour among Indonesian students, providing new insights into developing innovation capabilities at the higher education level. The findings offer an empirical basis for universities to design programs that enhance graduate competitiveness in the ASEAN context.

Organizational Agility and Job Engagement among Staff Nurses

Context: Agility is one of the adjustments organizations must make in a tumultuous environment. Organizational agility is a collection of concepts that aims to maximize both tangible and intangible resources while continuously improving the organization as a whole. It has a great impact on job engagement among nurses. Aim: To assess the relationship between organizational agility and job engagement among the staff nurses. Methods: A descriptive, correlational study approach was employed. Ain Shams University Hospital, one of the hospitals affiliated to Ain Sham University, served as the study's setting. Of the 303 staff nurses, 170 were chosen randomly for the study. The two instruments utilized were the Job Engagement Scale and the Organizational Agility Assessment Questionnaire. Results: The findings demonstrated that although 20% of the studied staff nurses exhibited a high perception level of organizational agility, the largest proportion (55%) demonstrated a moderate perception level. Additionally, 30% of the staff nurses reported moderate job engagement, and a larger percentage (60%) reported a high engagement level. Conclusion: A statistically significant positive relationship was observed between job engagement and organizational agility among staff nurses. The study recommends that hospital managers cultivate an agile atmosphere, enhance self-awareness, and ensure that organizational strategies promote resilience to effectively address daily challenges.

Evaluating Agility in Pre-Adolescent Basketball: A Comparative Analysis of CODAT, IAT, and RAT

Background: In basketball, agility is essential, characterized by the ability to change direction swiftly and accelerate. Traditional tests like the Illinois Agility Test (IAT) and the Reactive Agility Test (RAT) may not fully capture the agility demands specific to basketball. Purpose: This study aimed to introduce the Change of Direction and Acceleration Test (CODAT), designed specifically for young basketball players. It evaluates CODAT’s effectiveness by comparing it with IAT and RAT through comprehensive analysis. Methods: We assessed 87 pre-adolescent male basketball players, aged 9 to 13 years, with an average biological age of 11.2 years and an average estimated Peak Height Velocity (PHV) of 12.5 ± 0.5 years, using CODAT, IAT, and RAT. We employed regression analysis and the Bland–Altman method to determine CODAT’s reliability and validity. Results: The findings indicate that CODAT offers superior reliability and validity in measuring basketball-specific agility. Consistent scores highlight its potential as an effective tool for agility assessment in basketball training and talent identification. Conclusions: CODAT represents a significant advancement in agility assessment for young basketball players, advocating for its integration into sports science practices to better address the specialized demands of basketball agility.

Evaluation of multi-directional speed qualities throughout adolescence in youth soccer: The non-linear nature of transfer

ABSTRACT Training and assessment of agility is often prioritised by soccer coaches and practitioners aiming to develop multi-directional speed. Although the importance of agility is advocated throughout childhood and adolescence, limited data evidence agility performance at different stages of adolescence. The purpose of this study was to examine differences in multi-directional speed performance in youth soccer players spanning an entire soccer academy. A total of 86 male junior-elite soccer players volunteered to participate. Anthropometric data were collected, alongside performance data from a battery of physical tests including sprinting, jumping, change of direction, reaction time, and agility. Bayesian models using log-likelihoods from posterior simulations of parameter values displayed linear or curvilinear relationships between both chronological and biological age and performance in all tests other than agility and reaction time. For agility and reaction time tests, performance improved until ~14 years of age or the estimated age of peak height velocity whereby arrested development in performance was observed. Our results demonstrate that while most performance skills improve as chronological or biological age increases, measures of agility and reaction time may not. These findings support the notion that agility performance is complex and multifaceted, eliciting unique, challenging physical demands and non-linear development.

Organizational Agility Assessment to Evaluate the Effectiveness of Structure Streamlining and Implementation of “Team of Teams” as the New Way of Working in the West Java Provincial Government

This research is aimed to conduct an organizational agility assessment in the Regional Secretariat of the West Java Provincial Government through Five Trademarks of Agile Organization, i.e. Strategy, Structure, Process, People, and Technology. Five Trademarks comprises 23 agile practices and is represented by 40 questionnaire statements. This research involves respondents from the civil servants serving in the Regional Secretariat of West Java. The respondent determination used complex probability sampling and stratified into 9 units of groups, with a sample of 211 employees. By using descriptive statistical analysis, this study shows that the Regional Secretariat is categorized as an average level in terms of organizational agility, with high stable capability and average dynamic capability. The Process and People dimension should be the main concern to enhance the current organizational agility level.

A Causality-Informed Graph Convolutional Network for Video Assessment of Parkinsonian Leg Agility

A Causality-Informed Graph Convolutional Network for Video Assessment of Parkinsonian Leg Agility

Unlocking Success: A Decision Support System for Agile Assessment in Intelligent Automation Projects

Unlocking Success: A Decision Support System for Agile Assessment in Intelligent Automation Projects

Measuring and assessing motor skills of selected Croatian U12, U14 and U16 tennis players

Purpose: The aim of this research is to analyse and to determine the differences between tennis players in younger age categories (U12, U and U16) in certain motor skills.Methods: A total of 60 tennis players ranked in the rankings of the Croatian Tennis Federation were measured by using 10 tests for assessing explosive strength in jump, speed, agility, and trunk strength. The tennis players were divided into three groups of 20 respondents, depending on the age category in which they compete. Statistically significant differences (p < 0.05) between all age categories were found in indicators of frontal and lateral agility, running speed in the 20-m shuttle run test, and explosive strength in jump and repetitive trunk strength.Results: The results of the conducted tests indicate a linear development trend for the mentioned skills in relation with the increase of chronological age of the tennis players. Statistically significantly better results were shown between test subjects under 14 years compared to test subjects under 12 years in tests for the assessment of agility (SST,A9-3-6-3-9), in the 20 m sprint test, in tests of explosive strength of lower extremities (CMJ, CMJmax,SJ) and in the test of repetitive trunk strength (TF). Subjects under 16 years achieved significantly better results compared to subjects under 14 years in tests for assessing agility (SST, A9-3-6-3-9), speed (SRT5m, SRT10m, SRT20m) and explosiveness (CMJ, CMJmax, SJ). Players under 16 years recorded significantly better results in all tests for assessing agility (SST,A9-3-6-3-9), speed (SRT5m, SRT10m, SRT20m), explosiveness of the lower extremities (CMJ, CMJmax, SJ) and in the test for assessing repetitive trunk strength (TF). Statistically significant differences were not detected in tests of running speed in the 5-m and 10-m shuttle run tests among U12 and U14 tennis players, nor between U14 and U16 tennis players in the 60-s trunk flexion test. The highest heterogeneity of results in a single age category was determined in the test for assessing isometric trunk strength, and thus tennis players of different age categories do not differ significantly in this skill.Conclusion: The results of this research point to the development of specific motor skills in accordance with the increase of game demands and chronological age, however, also refer to the problem of muscle imbalance between front and back trunk musculature. Physical conditioning of young tennis players should be multilaterally directed in order to enable injury prevention and adjustment of tennis players to competitive demands.

Predictors of long-term pain and function in individuals who received a custom dynamic orthosis and device-centric care pathway.

Carbon fiber custom dynamic orthoses (CDOs) have been shown to effectively reduce pain and improve function in military service members with lower-limb impairment, but data are limited for civilians. To evaluate the long-term outcomes of individuals who completed a CDO-centric care pathway in a civilian clinic by comparing baseline pain, mobility, and function with outcomes at long-term follow-up. To identify baseline characteristics and postintervention outcomes predictive of outcomes at long-term follow-up. Records of 131 adult patients who received a CDO and CDO-centric training were reviewed. Patient-reported measures of pain and physical function and timed assessment of walking and agility collected during routine clinical care were extracted. These patients were contacted on average 4 (±1) years postintervention to complete a survey including measures of pain and physical function. The 63 participants who responded reported improved or greatly improved function, maximum pain, and typical pain on average, irrespective of age or sex ( P < 0.001). Change in function from baseline to long-term follow-up was predicted by short-term change in function (35.1% of the variance; P < 0.001). Change in pain from baseline to long-term follow-up was predicted by baseline typical pain and change in four square step test time (63% of variance; P < 0.001). Most survey respondents reported positive outcomes. Long-term pain reduction and improved function were predicted by baseline status and by short-term changes associated with receiving a CDO and completing an intensive training program.

Investigating the Correlation Between Agility and Jump Performance Indices in Indian Contact Sports Persons: An Observational Study

Introduction: The use of the jump as a plyometric exercise is a way to improve jump performance. Additionally, as it requires abrupt stopping, starting, and changing directions, it might enhance agility. Thus, this study aims to find out the relationship between drop jump variables and agility in contact sports.&#x0D; Materials and Methods: A total of 30 national-level male athletes (age=20.06±1.94 years; height=1.67±0.06 m; body weight: 58.02±8.40 kg) participated in this study. A drop jump test was performed on the Kistler force plate and agility was assessed by using the Illinois agility test along with the agility t-test. The Pearson correlation test was used to find the significant relationship between agility tests completion time and jump height from flight time, reactive strength index, average power, average force, and contact time for drop jumps.&#x0D; Results: The results indicate a significant moderate negative correlation between jump height from flight time and agility test time (r=-0.501 with Illinois agility test, P=0.005, and r=-0.601 with agility t-test, P=0.001). A significant weak negative correlation was observed between average power and Illinois agility test time (r=-0.477, P=0.008).&#x0D; Conclusion: These findings indicate that improved drop jumps will interpret better agility movements or vice versa; therefore, individuals who perform sports that require agile movement benefit from agility assessment and drop jump training.

Statistical Effective Diffusivity Estimation in Porous Media Using an Integrated On-site Imaging Workflow for Synchrotron Users

Transport in porous media plays an essential role for many physical, engineering, biological and environmental processes. Novel synchrotron imaging techniques and image-based models have enabled more robust quantification of geometric structures that influence transport through the pore space. However, image-based modelling is computationally expensive, and end users often require, while conducting imaging campaign, fast and agile bulk-scale effective parameter estimates that account for the pore-scale details. In this manuscript we enhance a pre-existing image-based model solver known as OpenImpala to estimate bulk-scale effective transport parameters. In particular, the boundary conditions and equations in OpenImpala were modified in order to estimate the effective diffusivity in an imaged system/geometry via a formal multi-scale homogenisation expansion. Estimates of effective pore space diffusivity were generated for a range of elementary volume sizes to estimate when the effective diffusivity values begin to converge to a single value. Results from OpenImpala were validated against a commercial finite element method package COMSOL Multiphysics (abbreviated as COMSOL). Results showed that the effective diffusivity values determined with OpenImpala were similar to those estimated by COMSOL. Tests on larger domains comparing a full image-based model to a homogenised (geometrically uniform) domain that used the effective diffusivity parameters showed differences below 2 % error, thus verifying the accuracy of the effective diffusivity estimates. Finally, we compared OpenImpala’s parallel computing speeds to COMSOL. OpenImpala consistently ran simulations within fractions of minutes, which was two orders of magnitude faster than COMSOL providing identical supercomputing specifications. In conclusion, we demonstrated OpenImpala’s utility as part of an on-site tomography processing pipeline allowing for fast and agile assessment of porous media processes and to guide imaging campaigns while they are happening at synchrotron beamlines.

Agility assessment framework for modular and offsite construction

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to determine if companies in the modular and offsite construction (MOC) industry are agile or not and its level of application for agility principles, which allows for quick responses to the increasingly dynamic nature of industry environments. Design/methodology/approach This paper proposes an agility assessment framework for MOC that uses 48 assessment attributes organized into four categories: metrics, drivers, enablers and capabilities. A questionnaire approach was used to disseminate the framework globally in 19 countries and synthesize its relevance to the MOC industry. The questionnaire had 55 complete responses, majority of respondents work in managerial positions for MOC manufacturing facilities and onsite general contractors. Findings It was found that the lowest metric score for adapting to change was for cost since controlling cost would be difficult for any changes required after the design freeze stage. The top agility driver was found to be the need to respond to the wide variety of customer expectations, while the lowest driver was the existence of competing priorities. The top agility enabler was vendor partnership, which can be related to current postpandemic supply chain disruptions. Regarding technological capabilities, Europe and the USA acquired better scores compared to Asia, Latin America and Africa. Originality/value This study contributes to the MOC body of knowledge by creating an agility assessment tool for MOC firms to analyze their agile approach and environment, identifying the preliminary importance of agility assessment attributes and determining significant agile differences between the main MOC industry groups.

Reliability and Usefulness of the SKILLCOURT as a Computerized Agility and Motor-Cognitive Testing Tool.

Agility and cognitive skills are essential in sports. However, standardized agility assessment tools often lack a reactive component, and cognitive assessments are performed using computer-based or paper-pencil tests. The SKILLCOURT is a newly developed testing and training device allowing agility and cognitive assessments in a more ecologically valid setting. This study evaluated the reliability and sensitivity to changes in performance (usefulness) of the SKILLCOURT technology. In a test-retest (7 d, 3 months) design, 27 healthy adults (♀ = 12; age, 24.9 ± 3.3 yr) performed three trials of agility (Star Run, Random Star Run) and motor-cognitive tests (1-back, 2-back, executive function). Absolute and relative intersession and intrasession reliability was determined using the intraclass coefficient (ICC) and coefficient of variation (CV). A repeated-measures ANOVA was applied to identify potential learning effects between trials and test sessions. The smallest worthwhile change and typical error (TE) were calculated to investigate the intrasession and intersession usefulness of the tests. Agility tests revealed good relative and absolute intersession (ICC, 83-0.89; CV, 2.7%-4.1%) and intrasession (ICC, 7-0.84; CV, 2.4%-5.5%) reliability accompanied by adequate usefulness from test day 3 onward. Motor-cognitive tests showed good relative intersession reliability (ICC, 0.7-0.77) with marginal CV values (4.8%-8.6%). Adequate intrasession reliability and usefulness can be assumed from test day 2 (1-back test, executive function test) and day 3 (2-back test) onward. For all tests, learning effects were observed within and compared with test day 1. The SKILLCOURT is a reliable diagnostic tool for assessing reactive agility and motor-cognitive performance. Because of learning effects, sufficient familiarization with the tests is required when used for diagnostic purposes.

Greenness, Leanness and Agility (GLA) Assessment of Hospitals: A Fuzzy Methodology

Greenness, Leanness and Agility (GLA) Assessment of Hospitals: A Fuzzy Methodology

A Systemic Approach to Evaluating the Organizational Agility in Large-Scale Companies

This paper presents action research to analyze an approach for assessment of the alleged agile transformation. This approach was implemented at AK Bars Digital Technologies, an IT spin-off of one of the largest banks in Russia using the Scaled Agile Framework. The approach is based on the Goal-Question-Metric approach, non-invasive measurement collection, and systemic analysis. It uses data from several different sources, including interviews, code repositories, user ratings in the play stores, and templates for agile assessment. The effectiveness of the approach is subjectively validated by the adoption of the proposed recommendations by the banks’ senior management. Details are provided on the approach, the required effort from the side of both those assessing and of the people being assessed and the results. The final part of the paper is devoted to the discussion of its generalizability and the plan for future experimentation and refinement.

Greenness, leanness and agility assessment of hospitals: a fuzzy methodology

Similar to manufacturing industry, performance measurement is essential in service industries. This study develops an integrated fuzzy methodology to assess greenness, leanness and agility (GLA) of hospitals. Firstly, essential measures of GLA are determined using a literature review. Secondly, a standard fuzzy approach is applied to assess a hospital by the developed measures. Thirdly, the results are integrated to provide a single unit-less GLA index. Hence, different outputs of performance metrics are integrated in this phase. Finally, an interval-value fuzzy approach is applied to confirm the results. The investigated case study is moderately compatible to GLA measures and needs to improve its performance. A discussion and some research directions are provided at the end of this study. As the main benefit of this research, managers can simultaneously investigate hospitals by GLA viewpoints.

ANTHROPOMETRIC CHARACTERISTICS AND AGILITY OF WHEELCHAIR BASKETBALL PLAYERS : DIFFERENCES AND RELATIONSHIP WITH FUNCTIONAL CLASSIFICATION

The aim of this study was to determine: (1) differences in anthropometric characteristics and agility between different functional classes of wheelchair basketball players and (2) the relationship between anthropometric characteristics and agility with the functional classification of wheelchair basketball players. The sample of participants consisted of 40 wheelchair basketball players, aged 33.9 ± 11.2 years. Anthropometric characteristics (longitudinal and circular dimensions, as well as skinfold thickness) were assessed, and agility was measured using the modified T-test and Figure-of-Eight test. The results of the one-way analysis of variance showed significant differences with very large effects between players of different functional classes in body mass, sitting height, and sitting reach height, while significant differences with large effects were recorded in the agility assessment tests: the T-test and the Figure-of-Eight test. Also, the results of the correlation analysis indicate that there are significant moderate positive correlations of sitting height and reaching height with functional classification.

Measures of Knee Capability in Handball Players Differ by Age: A Cross Sectional Study.

The return to sport after knee injury is challenging. This is burdensome for sports with a high incidence of injuries, such as team handball. Various tests guide decision making, but often the athlete's preinjury performance of these measures remains unknown. Moreover, objective return-to-sport criteria of a matching population are missing. The purpose of this study was to evaluate objective measures of knee capability in handball depending on players' age. Two hundred sixty-one handball players performed a functional test battery designed to evaluate knee capability after an anterior cruciate ligament injury: two- and one-legged stability analysis, jumps, speed tests, and agility assessments. For age-specific evaluation, athletes were divided into three age groups (16-19; 20-29;≥30 years). Male players showed differences in two and one-legged jumping height (p<0.02) as well as power per body weight (p<0.01) between age groups. Young female players reached better results in two-and one-legged stability. Besides the quick feet test, results of females did not differ between age groups. Functional knee stability in healthy handball players is partly influenced by age, and females show better results in stability and male athletes in power measurements. This aspect should be considered for return to sports testing and underlines the importance of performance measures in athletic testing.