Beginner

Ladder Slalom

Facing up the ladder, you hop both feet together from inside one box out to the side and back in to the next, tracing a slalom zigzag as you advance. The lateral bounce loads the calves and builds ankle stiffness and reactive control while keeping a simple two-foot pattern anyone can learn. It is a friendly introduction to ladder plyometrics and a quick foot-speed primer.

Equipment
Agility Gear
Body part
Calves, Quads
Type
Cardio, Plyometric
Browse by movement
Gait Drill
Muscles worked
Target
Gastrocnemius Lateral Head, Gastrocnemius Medial Head, Rectus Femoris
Secondary
Soleus Gastrocnemius, Vastus Lateralis, Gluteus Medius
Tertiary
Fibularis Longus, Abdominal External Oblique

How to do it

  1. 1

    Stand facing the ladder with both feet inside the first box.

  2. 2

    Hop forward and out to land both feet outside the ladder beside the next rung.

  3. 3

    Immediately hop diagonally back to land both feet inside the following box.

  4. 4

    Continue zigzagging in and out, advancing one box each hop.

  5. 5

    Stay on the balls of your feet with short, springy ground contacts.

  6. 6

    Keep the hops small and controlled the length of the ladder.

Tips

  • Keep the feet together and quiet; let the ankles do the springing.
  • Absorb each landing softly through the knees to protect the joints.
  • Keep a steady rhythm rather than rushing and losing control.
  • Raise your gaze off the ladder as the pattern becomes automatic.

Variations

Common mistakes

  • The feet come apart in the air and land split, which this pattern does not allow; the hops only build ankle stiffness while both feet act as one.
  • The outside hop lands a foot or two clear of the ladder, turning a small slalom into a broad lateral jump and slowing the rhythm to a crawl; land close beside the rung.
  • A little reset bounce creeps in between hops, so the pattern becomes hop, bounce, hop and the elastic rebound you came for never happens.
  • The trailing foot clips the rung on the way back in, usually because the hop is aimed diagonally forward instead of diagonally in; pick the box you are landing in before you leave the floor.
  • Ground contacts get longer and louder as the calves tire, and that is the pass to finish rather than the one to push through.

Frequently asked

How many passes of the ladder slalom should a beginner do?
Four to six passes, each about ten or twelve hops, with the walk back as your rest. Keep the first pass slow enough that the feet stay together and the landings stay quiet, then build the pace across passes. Two or three times a week as a primer before running or court work is plenty. Progress first by speed, then by traveling up and straight back down without stopping, and only after that by trying it on one leg.
What can I use instead of an agility ladder for the slalom?
One straight line is all the pattern needs: a jump rope laid out, a strip of tape, a painted court line or a long seam in the floor, hopping in and out across it as you travel along. A row of shoes or chalk crosses spaced a foot apart gives you boxes to aim at. Keep whatever you use flat and soft, because a foot landing on something hard and round is how ankles roll. Outdoors, the line between two paving slabs works for free.
What is the ladder slalom good for, and when is it not worth doing?
It is the gentlest of the ladder plyometrics: the two-foot pattern is easy to learn, and the sideways bounce builds calf and ankle stiffness along with lateral control. Beginners can use it safely as a warm-up or a short footwork filler. It is not worth doing if you want lateral power, where skater jumps go much further, and it adds nothing to strength. Stay off it while shins, calves or an Achilles are sore, and swap to a bike or a walk if the front of the shin aches during a pass.

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