Speed ladder training is an amazing way to build quickness, agility, and foot speed.
Soccer players in particular swear by the speed ladder as an indispensable part of their lower body workout.
Drills have been built around this thing that has catapulted teams to stardom. So, if you’re a speed training fanatic looking for some new tricks to boost your game, you can’t go wrong with the speed ladder.
Don’t worry if you’ve never used it before, or never even heard of it: by the time you finish this SpeedTrainingPro.com exclusive, you’ll be ready to incorporate it into your next workout.
Speed ladder training is also known as the “agility ladder.” It’s no ordinary step stool. With rungs set more widely apart than the home improvement ladder, it’s meant to be laid on its side and run through.
This will increase your pace, giving you greater control over your lower legs and strengthening your upper legs and hips for a higher, stronger gait. There are two great ways to warm up for the ladder. You can use a medicine ball, focusing on core and lower body exercises like the twist.
Or you can break out the jump rope and start with a moderate routine. Either way, you’ll soon be energized to hit the ladder.
How does speed ladder training actually work?
Speed Ladder Training – Here’s How It Works
Ladder drills focus on the placement of your feet and the ability of your legs to get them there. With your ladder set up, you can focus on drills that bring one foot between each rung, two feet, lateral, or “in and out.”
Mixing up these different moves will improve your ability to move sideways, turn quickly, and even move backwards. No matter how you do it, the key is developing a challenging pattern and then reversing that pattern with each rung across your ladder.
By now, you’ve probably realized that the ladder itself isn’t the most important part of speed ladder training!
The truth is that you don’t even need a speed ladder to get started. You can use chalk or tape to outline the steps. Using a real ladder is good psychologically because you don’t have to think about it: you know if you’re in bounds or out.
Want more tips and speed secrets straight from the pros?
At SpeedTrainingPro.com, you can get started as one of our members right away.
We offer exclusive speed training content, plus a one on one running analysis to unlock the potential of your stride.
To your "Fastest" season yet
Jim