The 20-yard shuttle, also simply called the short shuttle, is a test performed by American football

American football

American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...

 athletes at the NFL combine

NFL Combine

The National Invitational Camp or NFL Scouting Combine, as it is more widely known, is a week-long showcase, occurring every February in Indianapolis, Indiana's Lucas Oil Stadium , where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Football League coaches, general...

. It is primarily run to evaluate the quickness and change-of-direction ability of players by scouts

Scout (sport)

In professional sports, scouts are trained talent evaluators who travel extensively for the purposes of watching athletes play their chosen sports and determining whether their set of skills and talents represent what is needed by the scout's organization...

, particularly for the NFL Draft

NFL Draft

The National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order...

 but also for collegiate

College football

College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...

 recruiting

Recruiting (athletics)

In college athletics, recruiting is the term used for the process whereby college coaches add new players to their roster of student-athletes each off-season. In most instances, it involves a coach extending an athletic scholarship offer to a player who is about to graduate from high school or a...

. While not as highly regarded a test as the 40 yard dash

40 yard dash

The 40-yard dash is a sprint covering . It is primarily run to evaluate the speed of American football players by scouts, particularly for the NFL Draft but also for collegiate recruiting. A player's recorded time in the 40 can have a heavy impact on his prospects in college or professional football...

, it is still an important barometer used by NFL personnel to compare players.

The drill

The name "20-yard shuttle" is derived from the total yards that athletes travel during the drill. They start in the middle of a 10 yard distance with one hand touching the ground. The athlete then pushes off their dominant leg in the opposite direction for 5 yards. After covering this distance, as quickly as possible they reverse and go 10 yards in the opposite direction. Finally, they reverse direction again, ending the drill at the starting point. The procedure is timed.

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