Best Speed Ladder Drills For Athletes
Written By: Gridiron Elite Training
Speed and agility training is worked on by athletes in all sports that require coordination and fast feet. To help you get faster and quicker, I’m going to share with you some of our top speed ladder drills. Also, we’ll cover a few of the main reasons you need to add speed ladder exercises into your workouts.
Best Speed Ladder Drills For Athletes
advantages of doing speed ladder drills
The speed and agility ladder is one of the top sports performance equipment that can help improve your speed, footwork, and coordination and take your game to the next level.
Speed: Speed and agility ladder drills help your ability to move in one direction as fast as possible.
Agility: Speed and agility ladder drills help with your coordination—your ability to accelerate, decelerate, and change directions.
Quickness: Speed and agility ladder drills help with your ability to react and switch positions quickly.
Cardio exercise: Speed and agility ladder drills get your heart pumping and are a great form of cardio.
Strengthens your body and mind: These speed and agility ladder drills require you to focus and concentrate, connecting your brain to your body.
Top Speed Ladder Exercises
The Speed Ladder Workout You Need
Here are some of the top speed ladder drills for athletes that combine multi-directional sprints with ladder movement, and resistance to help you increase your speed and agility.
Ickey Shuffle
An awesome speed and agility ladder drill for getting your feet moving linear and lateral at the same time. Begin standing at the end of the ladder to the right side of it. Step into the ladder with your left foot first, then follow with your right. Step out of the ladder with your left foot (even with the next run), then raise your right foot up, however, don’t bring that foot down yet. Shift your momentum into the next run by going right, then left, and stepping outside with your right foot even with the next rung.
Linear Two Feet In-Outs
An awesome ladder drill for developing fast feet. Begin at the end of the ladder facing the ladder. Step into the first square with your right foot then your left foot. Take two steps in every run and two steps outside every rung. For a challenge, you can add ankle resistance bands to fire your hips and build dominating foot speed.
Lateral Two Feet In-Outs
A simple speed and agility ladder drill that combines lateral movement with forward and backward movements. Begin by stepping into the first rung with your right leg then your left leg, then take steps outside the next rung, leading with your right leg. Take two steps in every run and two steps outside every rung. For a challenge, you can add ankle resistance bands to fire your hips and build dominating foot speed.
Foot Fire Moving Lateral
A more challenging speed and agility ladder drill that involves unbalanced steps between both feet, with your lead foot touching down twice for everyone step your back foot takes. Stand to the left of the ladder facing forward and begin with your right foot leading forward at an angle into the first square. Slide your left foot even to the ladder so it is even with the first rung, but not in it, then bring your right foot out of the rung and next to your left. For a challenge, you can add ankle resistance bands to fire your hips and build dominating foot speed.
Foot Fire Moving Linear
Another challenging speed and agility ladder drill that involves unbalanced steps between both feet, with your lead foot touching down twice for everyone step your back foot takes. Stand to the side of the ladder facing the ladder and begin with your right foot leading forward at an angle into the first square. Slide your left foot even to the ladder so it is even with the first rung, but not in it, then bring your right foot out of the rung and next to your left. For a challenge, you can add ankle resistance bands to fire your hips and build dominating foot speed.
Zig Zag Hops Single Leg
A challenging speed and agility ladder drill that requires balance and coordination. Begin on the side of the ladder and hop into the first rung with one foot, then hop outside the ladder even with the next rung. Hop back in the ladder then across to the other side this time, even with the next rung. The quick change in direction help to build agility, coordination, and balance.
Linear In-Out Hops Single Leg
A challenging speed and agility ladder drill that requires balance and coordination. Begin at the end of the ladder facing forward. Start by taking a hop-forward into the first rung of the ladder, then hop straight back outside of the ladder. The quick hops on one foot will help you build agility, coordination, and balance.
Scissor Taps
A simple speed and agility ladder drill that combines lateral movement with forward and backward movements. Stand with your left foot down in the first rung and your right foot stepped back. Move to your left while pulling your left foot back out of the ladder and bringing your right foot forward to land in the first rung. For a challenge, you can add ankle resistance bands to fire your hips and build dominating foot speed.
Here are some of the best speed ladder drills for your training workouts.
If you need more footwork drills to do for your speed and agility training, you can read some of our latest posts on the “Agility Ladder Drills For Speed In Football” and “Football Drills With Ladders For Beginners“.
If you’re a serious football player looking to play football at the next level, you can access all of our sports performance training programs, football drills and workouts, and the Gridiron Recruiting Center inside “The Gridiron Academy” to help you with your football recruiting.
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