505 Agility Test

By Carlos Reyes PT, DPT, SCS, MS, CSCS

Change of direction (COD) performance is a key foundation to agility as it incorporates key qualities associated with athletic performance.1 The ability to change direction effectively is considered vital for successful participation in many field and court sports. When applying COD testing, it is important to consider sport-specificity and position application. A 180˚ COD in sports, such as soccer, basketball, and tennis, requires the ability to accelerate, decelerate, turn 180˚, and reaccelerate again.3 Several COD tests feature the 180˚ turn such as 5-0-5 agility drill. 

The 5-0-5 agility drill can be utilized to assess an athlete’s ability to sprint 5m, perform a 180˚ COD, and sprint 5m back through the timing gates. Multiple sports require an athlete to perform this task during play. For example, in basketball if the ball was overturned then the athlete will have to decelerate as fast as possible, perform a 180˚ COD turn, and reaccelerate quickly get back to a position to defend.2 The 5-0-5 COD test offers reliable means of monitoring COD progress, which is for evaluating conditioning programs or return to play decision-making following injury.3 The test also has good discriminative validity which can be used to differentiate between athletes of varying skill and level.2 

Test Procedure for 505 Agility Test:

1. Markers and timing gate are are set up 10m from start and 5m from a line marked on the ground
2. Player starts 10m from the timing gate
3. Player will run, building up speed for 10m, pass the timing gate and sprint to the line 5m apart (15m total)
4. Player will then plant on the line, perform a 180˚ turn, and sprint 5m back through the timing gate
5. The timing starts when the player runs past the timing gate at 10m and ends when player returns through the gate 

Normative Values for 5-0-5 Agility Test

Adapted from Ryan et al., 2021

Normative Data for 5-0-5 Comparison Between Sex, Competition Level, Age, and Sport

The key thing to note in this table is that as with other tests (e.g. Y Balance Test, Illinois Agility Test, etc.), there is a difference based on sex, competition level, age, and sport. More specific norms need to be developed.

Adapted from Ryan et al., 2021

What is the reliability of the 505 Agility Test?

Professional Female Soccer (England, n=12) test-retest (same day) ICC= 0.99

Professional Male Rugby (United Kingdom, n=12) test-retest (different day) ICC= 0.99

Professional Male Soccer (Spain, n= 39) test-retest (same day) ICC= 0.87

15yr old Male Soccer (US, n=32) test-retest (different day) ICC=0.945 [0.885-0.974]

Systematic Review: Soccer, Basketball, Rugby, Tennis, Netball, Cricket, Volleyball, Softball, Lacrosse, Recreational Age: >16, 16-19, >20, N= 400

(Nimphius et al.) test-retest (different day) ICC= 0.93

(4 other studies) test-retest (different day) ICC= 0.90 

What is the standard error of measurement (SEM) of the 505 Agility Test?

The SEM for the 505 Agility test is 0.016 in young male soccer athletes (Chaalali et al, 2016)

The SEM for the 505 Agility test is 0.013 in young football players (Pajic et al, 2021)

References:

1. Altmann S, Ringhof S, Neumann R, Woll A, Rumpf MC. Validity and reliability of speed tests used in soccer: A systematic review. PLOS ONE. 2019;14(8). doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0220982 
2. Chaalali A, Rouissi M, Chtara M, et al. Agility training in young elite soccer players: Promising results compared to change of direction drills. Biology of Sport. 2016;33(4):345-351. doi:10.5604/20831862.1217924
3. Nimphius S, Callaghan SJ, Bezodis NE, Lockie RG. Change of direction and agility tests: Challenging our current measures of performance. Strength & Conditioning Journal. 2018;40(1):26-38. doi:10.1519/ssc.0000000000000309 
4. Pajic Z, Simovic S, Dopsaj M. Standardized Planned Agility Tests in Young Football Players: Mathematical Modeling in the Function of Defining Physical Potential. Physical Education and Sports. 2021;19(3):245-256. 
5. Ryan C, Uthoff A, McKenzie C, Cronin J. Traditional and modified 5-0-5 change of direction test: Normative and Reliability Analysis. Strength & Conditioning Journal. 2021;44(4):22-37. doi:10.1519/ssc.0000000000000691
6. Stojanović E, Aksović N, Stojiljković N, Stanković R, Scanlan AT, Milanović Z. Reliability, usefulness, and factorial validity of change-of-direction speed tests in adolescent basketball players. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 2019;33(11):3162-3173. doi:10.1519/jsc.0000000000002666
7. Virgile A, Bishop C. A narrative review of limb dominance: Task specificity and the importance of fitness testing. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 2021;35(3):846-858. doi:10.1519/jsc.0000000000003851

About the Author

Carlos Reyes PT, DPT, SCS, MS, CSCS

Carlos is a sport clinical specialist in physical therapy who works with many individuals of varying age and skill level in sports and general fitness. Carlos also has a graduate degree in Exercise Science and is a certified strength and conditioning specialist. Currently, he is faculty at the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences and Evidence in Motion and owns his own practice -- Reyes Performance Institute.