What it measures
Change-of-direction speed at sub-maximal velocity, with two ~180° deceleration-acceleration events. Heavy on eccentric strength and re-acceleration.
Equipment
- Three cones spaced 5 yards apart in a straight line
- 10 yards (9.144 m) total course width
- Electronic timing gate (or stopwatch + observer)
Protocol
- Athlete straddles the centre line with feet wider than the cone, in a three-point stance.
- On 'go', athlete sprints 5 yards to either the left or right cone and touches the line with a hand.
- Athlete reverses direction and sprints 10 yards to the opposite cone, touches the line with the opposite hand.
- Athlete sprints 5 yards back through the centre line — timing stops at the centre.
- Allow 2–3 minutes between trials. Best of 2 in each direction (left-start and right-start).
Scoring
Time in seconds (to 0.01). Most programs report the best of left-start and right-start, or both separately to identify side-to-side imbalance.
Typical ranges
NFL Combine median ≈ 4.30 s. NCAA football skill positions: 4.10–4.50 s. NCAA women's soccer: 4.80–5.20 s.
References
- Stewart PF, Turner AN, Miller SC (2014). Reliability, factorial validity, and interrelationships of five commonly used change of direction speed tests. Scand J Med Sci Sports.
Use this test in Performance House
Performance House supports 5-10-5 Pro Agility (Pro Shuttle) as a built-in test metric — log results from any device, see longitudinal trends, and contribute the result to the athlete's Performance Index automatically. Free for up to 5 athletes on the Starter plan.
Browse the full protocol library for related tests, or jump to one of the related protocols below.