Posture Concerns
There are countless ladder drills that can be used to improve footwork and coordination. Always perform these drills on the balls of your feet, in a quick, but controlled tempo.
Begin with basic drills before progressing on to more advanced variations. Be cautious when using the ladder as less-than-ideal upper-body posture can occur. Individuals, especially beginners, tend to look down at their feet when performing their footwork drills. Regardless of sport, constantly looking down at your feet is not a recommended posture. You want to see the playing field, the trail, the obstacle, etc. that's in front of you so you can anticipate your next step.
Coaches can incorporate visual and kinesthetic cues as one way to remedy the problem. You can also look down for the first few movements so you can get comfortable with the drills, and then look up once you get the feel of it.
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What's the Goal?
When I use the ladder, I typically include 10 to 12 drills that will cover all three planes of motion: sagittal, frontal and transverse. This should only take a couple minutes to complete. Watch some of my favorite ladder drills for the lower body.
At the end of the day, the ladder is a great fitness tool that can be used to help you achieve your fitness goals.
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Helpful Tips
Need a quick warm up? Lay down the ladder and run through (literally) a 5-minute ladder routine to increase your core temperature and heart rate
Are you an athlete looking to gain speed? Use ladder drills, along with speed mechanics drills and proper strength training to provide a complete, well-rounded approach.
Looking to lose weight? You can easily use the ladder to perform intervals. Wear a heart rate monitor to track your heart rate, set a timer for your desired intervals (30 seconds on, 30 seconds off for example), and perform ladder drills in that fashion for the desired time.
I think it's important to have many tools in your toolbox. Ladder drills should be included in your exercise routine because they are challenging, effective and fun.
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