DRILLS TO IMPROVE FOOTWORK
A Player having good footwork on the field can make the difference between a win or loss in competition. Proper footwork is the foundation of many sports. Usually the athletes that excels in their sports have great footwork. Doing specific drills to work on footwork and coordination can improve other areas such as speed, agility, and quickness.
Fitness Ladder Drills
There are tons of different drills to do with the fitness ladder. Doing fitness ladder drills will greatly improve footwork which will also improve your foot speed, quickness, and coordination.
The biggest key to seeing improvement in footwork using the ladder is being consistent in the drills you do. You don’t have to do every drill in the book. Just pick out a few and do them 2-3 times a week to see improvements.
To get the most out of the fitness ladder to improve foot speed you must do the drills correctly, as fast as you can, with maximum effort. Anything less than maximum effort will work coordination rather than foot speed.
Step Drills
Using a step or plyo box, 6-12 inches tall, to perform drills is another effective way to develop footwork and agility. Just like the ladder there are multiple drills in multiple directions that you can do using an elevated platform.
A simple step drill that you can do is switching. It involves putting one foot on the platform while the other is on the ground then switching your feet, so the foot that was on the ground is now on the box and the foot that was on the box is now on the ground. Perform this drill as fast as possible for time.
Cone Drills
Cone drills are great for improving footwork and agility. They can also build strength and endurance in the legs. One reason cone drills are my favorite is the flexibility that they provide. Cones can be used to practice almost every sporting movement, the limit to cones drills is your imagination.
Some simple drills to do are setting cones up in a box and perform sprint, shuffle, and backpedal actions around the box. Another is setting the cones up in an “m” formation and zig zag through them.
