Multidirectional Speed in Sport - Research to Application

During field- and court-based sports, players are continually required to perceive their environment within a match and select and perform the most appropriate action to achieve their immediate goal within that match instance. This ability is commonly known as agility, considered a vital quality in such sports and may incorporate a variety of locomotion and instantaneous actions.

Multidirectional speed is a global term to describe the competency and capacity to perform such actions: accelerate, decelerate, change direction, and ultimately maintain speed in multiple directions and movements within the context of sports-specific scenarios, encompassing agility, speed, and many other related qualities. Multidirectional speed in sport depends on a multitude of factors, including perceptual-cognitive abilities, physical qualities, and the technical ability to perform the previously mentioned actions.