Agility Ladders and Step Hurdles
How to Use an Agility Ladder & Step Hurdle to Increase Agility
Agility ladders and speed hurdles are used in drills during sports training with the goal of improving an athlete’s ability to change direction and accelerate while already moving. Agility is essential to many sports, especially team and two-person sports. Football players, for example, need to change direction quickly when they see that an opposing player will tackle him or when trying to get to a ball first. Tennis players also must change direction with speed when dashing to reach a ball that is going in a different way than they expected. Whatever your sport, Power Systems offers an agility ladder or step hurdle to meet your needs.
An Agility Ladder Duplicates the Cutting Action You Use in Sports
Cutting action is your basis for agility while running, which is a huge benefit to most athletes. This action requires strong, fast leg movement from the hips to allow you to push off powerfully in your desired direction. Using ladders and hurdles during agility drills allows you to practice rotating your hips and shoulders in order to turn your body into position quickly.
Agility Ladders Also Help Develop Fast Feet
Ladder drills call for stepping or leaping over rungs to build agility in the feet. During drills, you can practice avoiding rungs with full steps or “stutter steps” forward, backward, side-to-side, or in combination.
You can Boost Jumping Skills with Hurdles
Jumping and turning in the air during drills helps with passing balls during a game, but it can also add to strength in any sport. Doing side jumps and jumping front to back help players change direction mid-jump. Jumping over things allows players to pass hurdles or avoid downed teammates. These exercises can be done with ladders or hurdles.