Academy-Style Agility Course Time Trial

A timed course modeled on police and firefighter academy agility tests: a pole slalom, a 180-degree turn and low hurdles before a sprint finish. Students work on agility, turning technique and pacing their effort in a real test format.

How to play

1. Set up two identical courses (about 10 × 5 yards): a slalom through 5 poles on cones 5 feet apart, a 180-degree turn around a cone, 2 low hurdles and a 10-yard sprint to the finish (3 min).
2. Groups of 4 per course: runner, timer, error judge and recorder, who fills in the worksheet.
3. Walk-through at a jog: outside-foot plant on the turns and stepping low over the hurdles (4 min).
4. First timed trial from a standing start on "Go!"; each error adds 1 second. Rotate roles after every run (8 min).
5. Technique break: each group repeats its toughest section twice (3 min).
6. Second trial and record the improvement next to a goal for next class (7 min).

Rules

• If you knock over a cone or pole, keep running and add 1 second.
• Skipping an element voids the run, which is repeated at the end.
• Safety: 2 minutes of rest between trials, 5 yards of clear space past the finish and nobody crosses the course during a run.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: wheelchair course with an 8-foot slalom and no hurdles, scored on personal improvement.
• Autism or test anxiety: full demo first and a third practice run with no stopwatch.
• Lower fitness level: one full timed run and the rest in sections with 3 minutes of rest.

Learning goals

• Execute turns and direction changes with an outside-foot plant and a low center of gravity.
• Evaluate personal performance against an academy test scoring chart.
• Carry out the timer and judge roles accurately.

Equipment for a class of 25

• cones: 16
• poles: 10
• low hurdles: 4
• stopwatches: 2
• worksheets: 25

Teacher tip

The usual mistake is standing tall and braking before the turn; cue students to drop their hips two steps early. Rest poles loosely on the cones so they fall without hitting anyone.

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