Change of direction (COD) and agility – they sound exactly the same right? They both involve being “agile” and involve some sort of directional change making them both different from straight-line sprinting. Further coaches, athletes and even researchers use these two words interchangeably when assessing an athlete’s ability to change movement direction. However, it is important to note that COD and agility are two distinct and different qualities that have very different assessment protocols to effectively evaluate an athlete’s ability to execute both movements.   What is Change of Direction and Agility?   First off let’s start by defining these two terms so these differences in each become clear. Change of direction is used to describe a pre-planned testing environment, whereby athletes change movement...