Ladder Variations

By SPARQ Trainer Rick Scarpulla

As a coach or athlete you must use all the possible tools at your disposal to continue to make progress. You must constantly change your drills, repetitions, and level of difficulty.  This is not always as hard as it sounds!  One of my favorite pieces of equipment to use with that philosophy is the SPARQ Zoom ladder.  Ladders can be used almost anywhere; inside or outside, in any season, and they are beneficial to most sports.  Ladder drills are simple, and can be done by any level athletes, youth through professional, and for any sport.  Not only all that, but ladder drills are extremely easy to modify.  One drill can be done in many different ways by simply adding extra steps, adding a ball toss, or by going in a different direction.  

Simple And Effective

When modifying any drills, it is important to keep in mind and understand the true objective of the base drill.  Some coaches and athletes tend to get too exotic when modifying drills, and they risk losing sight of the physical purposes of the exercise.  Most times, athletes will get more out of it if you keep your modifications simple.  It does not have to be difficult to be effective.

Below I provide a simple base drill for the Zoom Ladder, along with several variations. You don’t need to find one and stick with it; instead, mix it up and exercise the same muscle groups in a variety of ways.  This will help you keep from getting stale or bored with the same drill over and over again.    

THE DRILL
Lateral Ladder Shuffles

THE SET UP Stand sideways at either end of a Zoom Ladder. Shuffle down the ladder by placing two feet in each square of the ladder as you move the other end.  Stay facing the same way, and shuffle back the way you came.

COACHING POINTS
Keep the hips square and low
Face straight ahead, head up.
Keep the spine straight (do not bend over).
Stay on the balls of your feet; do not let your heels touch the ground.
Be sure to shuffle in both directions, to lead with both left and right feet.
Utilize proper arm and shoulder motion.
Move feet as quickly as possible while not breaking form.
Keep knees low; high knees will slow you down.

VARIATIONS
As the athlete shuffles down the ladder, call for a sudden foot plant and change of direction. This can be done verbally or simply by pointing at their feet.
Toss the athlete a Quick React Ball while they are in progress down the ladder.
Have the athlete pause on one foot at a given point, hold that position for a moment, and resume in the opposite direction. This works on ankle strength and balance.
This drill can also be done with an In-Out pattern. Have the athlete step behind or in front of (outside) the ladder and return into the ladder (inside), utilizing a multi directional shuffle pattern.  
For multiple athletes, set up two ladders side by side or use a Zoom2 Ladder, and go from one ladder to the.

REPS and SETS
Do two or three of your favorite Shuffle variation for 3 or 4 repetions of 3 or 4 sets once or twice a week. Keep rest to a minimum between reps, or roughly 15 seconds.

SKILLS WORKED
Lateral speed, reaction, change of direction, agility, balance.

About Rick Scarpulla

Rick Scarpulla is a highly sought-after and hugely successful coach and trainer, having worked with both male and female top athletes on a daily basis for over 15 years.  He is the Head Strength and Conditioning coach at West Point, in charge of Army Powerlifting since 2002, and is also a top NIKE Coach, traveling the nation working with top athletes at numerous Div.1-A schools.  He is a top certified SPARQ Speed Trainer and certified SPARQ Ratings Coach.  He is the founder and head trainer at Ultimate Advantage Training Facility in New York.  Coach Scarpulla has worked directly with many top high school, college and pro athletes, and is currently a consultant and speaker to numerous top high school and college programs throughout the nation.

Visit his website at MyUltimateAdvantage.com
Email: Rick@myultimateadvantage