If you grew up in the age of the Presidential Fitness Test, the simple words “agility training” might send shivers up your spine and give you flashbacks to the dreadful 30-foot shuttle run. During the assessment in the sweaty school gym, you had to sprint back and forth between two lines, picking up and setting down blocks while slipping on the slick floor, in order to measure just how agile you were as a tween.
High Knees
A. Stand facing forward at one end of the agility ladder with feet hip-width apart and arms at sides.
B. Quickly drive left knee up to waist, simultaneously bringing right arm up to chest, and move forward, making sure to keep hips square. Continue, alternating legs and running forward through the ladder.
Step-Ins
A. Stand facing forward on the left side of the agility ladder with feet hip-width apart and arms resting at sides.
B. Quickly tap left foot inside the ladder, then press off the floor to bring it back to the outside of the ladder, all while moving forward and swinging arms. Make sure not to touch your foot on the ladder itself.
C. Continue tapping left foot inside the ladder and moving forward through the ladder. Switch sides and repeat.
In and Outs
A. Stand facing forward at the base of the agility ladder with feet hip-width apart and arms at sides.
B. Keeping hips low and arms moving sharply, quickly step right foot into the ladder, immediately followed by left foot. Step right foot out to the right side of the ladder, then immediately step left foot out to the left side of the ladder.
C. Continue bringing feet into and out to the sides of the ladder one at a time while moving forward.
Penalty Box Heisman
A. Stand on the left side of a row of penalty boxes with feet hip-width apart and arms at sides. Drive right knee up to waist and left arm up to chest.
B. Keeping hips squared forward, hop laterally over the first penalty box, then quickly drive left knee up to waist and right arm up to chest and move laterally over the next penalty box. Continue, alternating legs and running laterally through the penalty boxes.
C. At the end of the row of penalty boxes, pause, then repeat in the opposite direction.
Penalty Box Speed Skaters
A. Stand on the left side of a row of penalty boxes with feet hip-width apart and arms at sides. Shift weight into left leg and lift right leg off the floor, knees slightly bent.
B. Keeping chest upright, push off the floor through left foot and swing arms to the right to hop laterally to the right side of the penalty boxes, landing on right foot. Stabilize through right leg, sweep left leg behind body, and pause, holding right leg in the air. Repeat, alternating sides.
