Agility Ladder Drills for Improved Martial Arts Agility & Speed

In order to improve martial arts agility, many martial artists incorporate agility ladder drills into their overall training routine. Agility ladder drills help with foot speed, balance, coordination, etc. One of the best known agility ladder drills is the Ickey Shuffle.

Agility training helps martial arts students to quickly maneuver and change positions/stances. This allows martial artists to evade an attack or launch a strike at undefended area (i.e. moving laterally in order to avoid an opponent's blow and thus being able to quickly launch an effective counter attack against an off-balance opponent). Agility ladder drills should also be part of every martial artist's speed training routine as it helps martial artists to generate faster kicks and quicker reaction speed.

All stretches and exercises should be supervised by a trained martial arts instructor in order to prevent injuries and to ensure the proper technique is utilized. For additional agility drills (i.e. agility mirror drills), please visit the main Martial Arts Agility section.

Amazon - Books on Agility Training

Examples of Agility Ladder Drills - with videos and/or instructions

• Ali Shuffle - This agility ladder drill is named after Muhammad Ali, the famous boxer.
• Carioca
• High Knees
• Ickey Shuffle - An advanced & well-known agility ladder drill.
• Lateral Hop In & Out
• Rotations
• Single Leg Forward Hop
• Single Leg Lateral Hop
• Skiers
• Two Foot Lateral Hop
• Two Foot Lateral Run
• Two Foot Straight Run