Ladder drills won’t make you faster but they can make you better.
– Ladders will not make you sprint faster.
– Ladders will not improve your improve your 5-10-5 or L-Drill times.
– Ladders will not help you shake a defender in the backfield.
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– Ladders can develop cross-body coordination.
– Ladders can develop opposing hip and shoulder rotation.
– Ladders can be a great lower extremity stability drill.
– Ladders can wake up the central nervous system.
– Ladders can increase body temperature in a warm-up.
– Ladder can serve as power alternative for elderly clients.
– Ladders can serve as a great aerobic conditioning tool.
Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water. Just because ladders are useless for speed development doesn’t mean they are useless overall.
Developing neurological coordination between your right and left brain and upper and lower half is fundamental for youth physical development and important for re-development in older clients.
The ladder can serve as a tool in the warm-up or during an aerobic conditioning circuit.
I often use it with elderly clients for lower body power because it allows them to move faster than they do habitually without having to undergo impact.
I often use this as an entry level multi-directional stability drill for athletes returning from lower extremity injury.
Instead of writing off things that are misunderstood try investigating them further and asking yourself “How can I use this to improve what I am already doing?”