Alternatives to common approaches for training change of direction performance: a scoping review

Key points

1. 0181% of included studies focused on strength and/or power training or its relationship with change of direction performance
2. 02Technique training produced an average -5.1% improvement in pre-planned change of direction, while strength/power training averaged -3.4%
3. 03Perceptual and decision-making training produced a -5.8% improvement in reactive agility in only three weeks
4. 04Alternative training interventions (technique: 6 weeks; perceptual: 3 weeks) were shorter than typical strength/power programs (average ~8 weeks)
5. 05Only 7% of included studies used reactive agility as an outcome measure, despite it being a more valid indicator of on-field performance

How it was conducted

Design

Scoping review of four databases (Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science, SPORTDiscus), no date restriction, search conducted December 2020 through December 2021

Participants

Competitive athletes aged 18 or older; recreationally trained individuals excluded

Included studies

53 articles selected for inclusion

Interventions covered

Strength/power training (24 studies), alternative interventions including technique and perceptual/decision-making training (2 studies), and correlation studies (17 studies)

Primary outcome

Change of direction performance (pre-planned or reactive agility task completion time)

Data synthesis

Mean percentage change and range reported for intervention studies; Pearson r reported for correlation studies

What they found

• Strength/power training interventions: average -3.4% change in direction performance (range -12% to 0.77%) across 24 studies
• Technique training intervention: -5.1% improvement in pre-planned change of direction (6-week program, significant group x time interaction)
• Perceptual/decision-making training: -5.8% improvement in reactive agility (3-week program, significant group x time interaction)
• Strong correlations with pre-planned change of direction: squat 1RM relative to body weight (r = -0.70 to -0.85), countermovement jump height (r = -0.71 to -0.85), hex-bar deadlift 1RM (r = -0.72 to -0.84), eccentric knee flexor strength (r = -0.78)
• Non-strength kinematic/kinetic variables strongly correlated with pre-planned change of direction: angle of resultant peak force (r = -0.77), eccentric knee extensor moment (r = -0.75), maximum ankle power (r = 0.77)
• Strength/power variables showed only weak associations with reactive agility: eccentric knee flexor torque (r = -0.10 to -0.14), back squat strength (r = -0.08 to -0.36)
• Reactive strength index (drop jump) showed moderate to strong association with reactive agility (r = -0.62 to -0.73)
• Only 6 of 24 strength/power training studies (23%) reported a significant group-by-time interaction for change of direction improvement

Limitations

• Only two studies investigated alternative (non-strength/power) training interventions, making comparative conclusions unreliable
• No risk of bias assessment was conducted, consistent with scoping review methodology but limiting confidence in findings
• Average sample sizes were small (training studies n=26, correlation studies n=25), likely underpowered to detect small to moderate effects
• Almost all studies used pre-planned change of direction tasks rather than reactive agility, limiting ecological validity for sport performance

Why it matters

For patients

Athletes wanting to improve agility may benefit from technique and perceptual training drills that can be done on the field in a shorter timeframe than gym-based strength programs.

For clinicians

Clinicians and performance staff working with teams during congested fixture schedules may find technique or perceptual training easier to implement with potentially equal or greater change of direction gains than resistance training alone.

For readers

This review highlights that the field is dominated by strength/power research, but shorter alternative training methods show promise and need larger, better-designed trials using reactive agility outcomes.