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Get Quick: How Agility and Reaction Drills Train Your Brain and Body

Get Quick: How Agility and Reaction Drills Train Your Brain and Body

Lyle Agagon
February 26, 2026

EXERCISE 🏋️‍♂️

Ever watch someone move and think, “How are they that fast?” Maybe it was a basketball player weaving through defenders, a goalie in hockey making a save, or a boxer dodging punches. They seem to have an extra split-second to move. They look fast, but more than that, they look quick.

That quickness isn't just about being in shape. It’s about having a sharp connection between your brain and your muscles. This is called neuro-muscular work. The best way to train it is with agility and reaction drills.

It’s Not Just Muscle

Most people think speed comes from strong legs. So they lift weights. Do squats. Run sprints. That helps. But real quickness comes from faster signals between your brain and your muscles.

Think of your brain as the coach and your muscles as the players. If the coach gives slow instructions, the team plays slowly. If the message is fast and clear, the team reacts instantly.

Agility and reaction drills train that message system. When you do these drills, you're not just working your legs. You are practicing the skill of your brain sending a super-fast message that says, "MOVE LEFT, NOW!" and your body following that order instantly.

Changing Direction on a Dime

Agility is your ability to change direction quickly and with control. It’s not just running fast in a straight line. It’s stopping, starting, cutting left, and dodging right without losing your balance or slowing down.

Think of a running back in football. They don’t just run forward. They have to react to the defense, plant a foot in the ground, and explode in a new direction. That’s agility.

Simple agility drills you can try:

Ladder Drills: You know those flat ladders you see on the ground at football practices? Stepping in and out of the squares as fast as you can forces your feet to be precise and quick.
Cone Drills: Set up a few cones in a zig-zag pattern. Practice sprinting to one, touching the ground, and sprinting to the next. Focus on using a quick, powerful step to change direction.

The "Go" Signal

Reaction time is how fast you respond to something. That "something" could be a starter's pistol, a ball being passed to you, or a friend yelling "tag!"

This is pure brain-to-muscle speed. You sense something with your eyes or ears, your brain processes it, and your body moves. The best athletes have a very short reaction time. They seem to know what's going to happen a split second before everyone else.

You can train this, too. It’s fun because it involves a partner or an unexpected event.

Easy reaction drills:

The Tennis Ball Drop: Have a partner hold a tennis ball out to the side, at shoulder height. You hold your hand down near your waist, ready to catch. Your partner drops the ball without warning. Your job is to catch it before it hits the ground. This trains your eyes and hands to work together instantly.
Mirror Drills: Get face-to-face with a partner. One person is the leader and moves slowly side-to-side, forward and back. The other person tries to mirror them perfectly, staying exactly opposite them the whole time. This trains you to react to another person's movement.

The Real-World Payoff

You don’t need to play sports to benefit. Agility and reaction drills are good for everyone. Here’s what you gain:

You'll Be Better at Sports: This is the obvious one. Whether you play pickup basketball, weekend golf, or just like to run around with your kids, you'll be quicker and more coordinated.
You'll Move Better in Everyday Life: Think about tripping on a crack in the sidewalk. A person with good neuro-muscular connection can often catch themselves before a hard fall.
It Wakes Up Your Brain: These drills are hard. You have to focus. They are a great mental workout, too. It's a fun way to challenge your mind and body at the same time.

Add It to Your Week

You can do agility and reaction work anywhere. Keep it simple.

Start Slow: Don't try to go 100% right away. Focus on doing the movement correctly first, then try to go faster.
Keep it Short: Ten to fifteen minutes of focused drills, two or three times a week, is plenty. It's intense work, and your nervous system gets tired just like your muscles do.
Make it a Game: Find a friend for the reaction drills. Use music. Create an obstacle course in your backyard. If it’s fun, you’ll stick with it.

So next time you're at the park, don't just go for a jog. Set up a couple of water bottles and practice cutting around them. Find a wall and throw a ball against it, catching it on the rebound as fast as you can.

Train that connection between your brain and your body. It’s the secret to moving better, feeling sharper, and having a lot of fun.

NUTRITION 🥑

Remember, Feed Your Brain

Have you ever walked into a room and completely forgotten why? Or spent twenty minutes looking for your phone when it was in your hand the whole time? Guilty!

It happens to everyone. Our brains are amazing supercomputers, but they need the right fuel to run smoothly. Just like a car won't run on soda, your brain won't run on junk food.

Your brain builds memories by making strong connections between brain cells. To do that, it needs the right raw materials. The three that matter most: choline, uridine, and DHA.

The 3 Nutrients That Build Memory

Choline is the builder. Your body uses choline to create an important brain chemical (a neurotransmitter) that’s involved in memory. It’s a key ingredient to build the actual brain cell membranes. You can find it in foods like eggs (especially the yolks!), beef liver, chicken, and soybeans.

Uridine is the organizer. Its job is to help assemble all the pieces. When choline and uridine work together, they help your brain build more connections between your brain cells. More connections mean faster thinking and stronger memories. Your body can make some uridine. You can also get it from foods like tomatoes, broccoli, and brewer's yeast.

DHA (Omega-3) is the glue. DHA is a type of omega-3 fat. It is a major structural part of your brain. It keeps brain cells flexible and helps signals move faster. You can get it from eating fatty fish like salmon, tuna, and mackerel.

When you put all three together—Choline + Uridine + DHA—you have a brain-building powerhouse. Studies have shown this combination can actually help increase the number of connections in your brain. More connections = better recall and sharper thinking.

How to Feed Your Memory Team

Keep it basic. You just need to know which foods have these nutrients.

Here’s your simple grocery list:

For Choline: Put eggs on your list. The yolk is where all the choline is, so don't just eat the whites! Other good sources are chicken, beef, and Brussels sprouts.
For Uridine: Go for tomatoes and broccoli. They're easy to add to salads, pasta, or just eat as a snack. Spinach is another great choice.
For DHA: Aim to eat fatty fish like salmon or tuna a couple of times a week. If you don't eat fish, you can find algae-based DHA supplements, which are a great plant-powered option.

You do not need exotic foods. It’s about focusing on the real, whole foods that give your brain the tools it needs.

About Supplements

You might see supplements in the store that combine all these ingredients. They are often marketed for memory and focus. For some people, especially as we get older, supplements can be helpful.

However, here’s the main point to remember: Food first. Your body is designed to break down and use nutrients from real food in a way it can’t always do with a pill. A chewy supplement can never fully replace the power of a balanced meal with salmon and roasted broccoli.

Think of supplements as just that—a supplement to a healthy diet, not a replacement for it.

Eat Right

Your brain is working hard for you 24/7. It’s building memories every single second. By eating foods rich in choline, uridine, and DHA, you are giving it the best possible building materials.

So, next time you’re at the grocery store, grab those eggs, toss some salmon in your cart, and don’t forget the tomatoes. You’re not just making a healthy meal. You’re investing in a sharper, faster, and stronger memory for years to come.

BIOHACKING⚡

Hacking Your Sleep: Simple Tricks to Feel More Rested

Most of us feel like we don’t get enough sleep. You go to bed. You aim for eight hours. But you still wake up foggy.

Some people try to optimize or “hack” their sleep. They want deeper sleep to wake up feeling energized and have better focus.

There are two different strategies that biohackers test: Polyphasic Sleep and Dark Therapy. Let’s look at these ideas and see if they are something you should ever try.

Polyphasic Sleep (Sleeping In Chunks)

Most people sleep once at night. This is called monophasic sleep (mono = one).

Polyphasic sleep (poly = many) is when you split your sleep up into multiple chunks throughout the day.

The "Power Nap"
You’ve probably come home from school or work and taken a 20-minute nap. That’s a form of polyphasic sleep. The idea is that by napping strategically, you can reduce the total amount of sleep you need at night.

There are a few famous schedules people try:

The Everyman Schedule: You sleep for a few hours at night (like 4 or 5 hours) and then take two or three short, 20-minute naps during the day.
The Uberman Schedule: This is the extreme version. You don't really have a "night's sleep" at all. Instead, you take a 20-minute nap every four hours, around the clock. That totals only about 2 hours of sleep in a whole day!
The Dymaxion Schedule: Invented by a guy named Buckminster Fuller. You take a 30-minute nap every six hours. Total sleep: 2 hours per day.

Does It Work?

For most people, it’s really hard. Our bodies are wired to sleep when it’s dark. Trying to stay awake all night to take a nap at 2:00 AM goes against your biology.

People who try it say the "adaptation period" is brutal. For a week or two, you feel like a zombie. Your brain is foggy, and you’re grumpy. The idea is that your body eventually learns to fall into deep sleep (REM sleep) immediately during those short naps, which is why proponents think it works.

But most doctors and sleep experts advise against extreme polyphasic sleep. Research shows most adults need 7–9 hours of real sleep for long-term health. Your body does a lot of healing and brain-cleaning during those long, deep sleep cycles at night.

Dark Therapy: The Smart Approach

So if polyphasic sleep is about when you sleep, dark therapy is about how you sleep. Specifically, it’s about how much light you see before bed.

You’ve probably heard that looking at your phone before bed is bad. But the hardcore sleep optimizers take it way further.

The Problem: Blue Light

Your brain runs on a 24-hour clock. This is called your circadian rhythm. It uses light to tell time. When the sun goes down, your brain makes a hormone called melatonin. Melatonin is the chemical that makes you feel sleepy.

Here’s the problem. Your phone, your TV, and your computer screen give off a specific type of light called blue light. Blue light looks like daylight to your brain. So, when you scroll through TikTok in bed, your brain sees that blue light and thinks, "It's still daytime! Stay awake.”

Dark therapy is simply the act of blocking that blue light to let your natural sleep chemicals do their job.

How to Do Dark Therapy

If you want to optimize your sleep, try these steps. They are much easier and healthier than the Uberman sleep schedule:

The 90-Minute Rule: Stop looking at screens 90 minutes before you want to sleep. I know, it sounds impossible. But if you do it, your body will flood with natural melatonin, and you'll crash hard (in a good way).
Blue Blocker Glasses: If you have to use a screen at night for homework or work, you can buy cheap glasses with orange or red lenses. These glasses filter out the blue light. It makes the world look a little yellow, but they trick your brain into thinking it's nighttime.
Red Lights Only: Some people change the lightbulbs in their bedrooms or bathrooms to red light. Red light doesn't mess with your melatonin. So, if you need to get up to use the bathroom, a dim red nightlight won't wake your brain up like a bright white light will.
Total Blackout: Make your room as dark as a cave. Use blackout curtains. Cover the little blue light on your smoke detector or cable box with tape. Even that tiny dot of light can disturb your sleep quality.

The Takeaway

Don’t try to live on 2 hours of sleep. Unless you are a scientist running an experiment on yourself, trying to live on 2 hours of sleep a day is likely to make you sick, grumpy, and bad at math.

But definitely try Dark Therapy. It’s free, it’s easy, and it works. Tonight, try putting the phone away an hour before bed. Pick up a book instead. You might be surprised at how much better you feel in the morning.

Optimizing your sleep isn't about sleeping less. It's about sleeping better. And sometimes, the best way to do that is to just turn off the lights.

Want Your Money to Age as Well as Your Body?

You’re training your brain and body to work better together.

But living longer changes something else, too — how long your money needs to last.

I put together a short, plain-English guide called
The Longevity Money Playbook.

No jargon. Just clarity.

👉 Want the free Longevity Money Playbook?
Just reply to this email with the word “LONGEVITY” and I’ll send it over personally.

CHALLENGE💪

Your Challenge of the Week: The "Quick-Fire" Test

What You'll Need:

A wall (inside or outside)
A tennis ball (or any small ball that bounces)
5 minutes
A friend (optional, but more fun)

The Challenge:

Step 1: The Basic Test
Stand facing the wall, about 3 feet away. Throw the ball against the wall and catch it with both hands. Do this 5 times. Easy, right? You've done this a million times.

Step 2: Add the Reaction
Now things change. Throw the ball against the wall, but this time let it bounce ONCE on the ground before you catch it. Do this 5 times. Still not too hard.

Step 3: Mix It Up
Here's where your brain starts working. For the next 10 throws, switch back and forth randomly:

Throw #1: Catch it before it bounces
Throw #2: Let it bounce once, then catch
Throw #3: Catch before it bounces
Throw #4: Let it bounce once, then catch

But here's the rule: Don't plan it. Just throw and react. Your brain has to decide mid-air whether this is a "bounce catch" or a "no-bounce catch." You'll mess up. That's the point.

Step 4: The Real Challenge (If You're Feeling Brave)
Add a third option. Sometimes, instead of catching it, clap your hands once and let the ball hit you in the chest. Why? Because it forces your brain to hit the brakes on catching and do something totally different.

How to Win the Week:

Do this for 5 minutes every day for one week. That's it. Just 5 minutes.

By Friday, you'll notice something: your hands know what to do faster. You won't have to think as hard. The ball will start feeling like it's moving more slowly.

That's your brain and muscles learning to talk faster.

Make It Harder:

Stand closer to the wall
Use a smaller ball
Do it while standing on one leg
Have a friend stand behind you and randomly yell "BOUNCE!" or "NOW!" for each throw

Why This Works:

This drill is neuro-muscular training in action. You're forcing your brain to process information (the ball coming at you), make a split-second decision (bounce or no bounce?), and command your body to do it. All in less than a second.

Your mission: Try not to miss any days. And if you drop the ball? Laugh it off and throw again. That's the whole point.

Let me know how it goes