Soccer Ladder Drills For Faster Footwork & Precision

If you're ready to up your footwork and elevate you and your team's game, these soccer ladder drills form beginner to advanced will help!

Soccer is a game of footwork, and if you're looking to increase your strike strength and ball control to elevate your game, the soccer ladder drills below will help.You can use either a raised agility ladder or a flat one. 

Soccer ladder drills help with how you move on the field for both agility and precision. Agility and precision are necessary for how you position your feet when you shoot, how you take an angle when getting open for a pass, how you prepare for a kickoff, and how you position your feet when you are defending. 

Soccer ladder drills are perfect for these as they help with increasing the speed of your feet, and your cutting will get faster as well. Not to mention working your way out of trouble with fast footwork is a valuable skill and can make or break the game for your team. 

As a beginner, it is important to start slowly and focus on maintaining proper form while gradually increasing your speed and intensity as you are ready. You will reach a point that you will need something more challenging. The raised agility ladder takes the difficulty up a notch so you can continue to improve your agility, heighten your speed, and increase your leg strength.

Whether you're an attacker rand want to work on agility so you can change direction on a dime or you're on defense and need lightning fast sprints, the agility drills for soccer players below are exactly what you need!

In & Out

In & Outs work on both your speed and agility to help your footwork. 

1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart at the bottom of the agility ladder. 
2. Jump into the first box with both feet. 
3. Jump forward landing on the outside of the second box with both feet on either side of the agility ladder. 

Crossover Run

Crossover Runs work on the your training footwork and quickness. 

1. Start with your feet next to the ladder parallel to the rungs. 
2. Step into the first box with your right leg. 
3. Bring your left leg forward into the second box. 

Icky Shuffle

The Icky Shuffle improves your lower body quickness and agility. 

1. Start with your right foot facing forward in the first box. 
2. Place your left foot in the first square. As you land your left foot, move your right foot outside of the first box. 
3. Move your left foot to the second box with the right following after. 
4. In other words, left foot in, right foot in as left foot goes out, jump with right foot into the next square, left foot in as the right foot goes out. You will be moving forward and side-by-side

Centipede

The Centipede increases your footwork expertise, speed, and quickness. 

1. Stand to the side of the ladder with your left leg leading. 
2. Step into the first square with your left leg and then your right leg.
3. Step into the next square with your left leg and then your right leg.
4. Step out with your left leg followed by your right then repeat step 2 and 3. 
5. Turn back and repeat.

Two-footed Forward/Backward Jumps

Two-footed Forward/Backward Jumps improves your footwork, speed, and coordination.

1. Stand facing the agility ladder at one end. 
2. Jump with both feet into the second square. 
3. Now jump backward to the first square.
4. Jump forward to the third square.
5. Now jump back again to the second box.
6. Keep jumping back and forth until you have gone the length of the entire ladder.
7. Turn back and repeat.

Inside, Outside Fast Feet

Not only is Inside, Outside Fast Feet an excellent cardio workout, it also offers you great foot speed training. 

1. Step into the first square with your left foot. 
2. Step into the first square with your right foot. 
3. Move your left foot to the left of the next rung followed by your right foot to the right of the same rung. (You should be straddling the ladder.)
4. Continue down the entire length of the ladder. 
5. Turn back and repeat.

Hip Switch

Hip Switches increase your running speed by enhancing your hip mobility.

1. Stand with your left foot facing down the ladder and your right foot facing alongside it. 
2. Jump and turn your hips to the left. Your left foot should land where your right foot was, and your right foot should land in the first box. 
3. Jump again to turn your hips perpendicular to the ladder with your left foot in the first square and your right foot outside the ladder again. 
4. Keep jumping back and forth until your have gone the entire length of the ladder. 
5. Turn back and repeat. 

High Knees

High Knees improve your foot speed and coordination.

1. Standing facing the ladder. 
2. Driving your knees up to waist height, step into the first box with both of your feet. Bend arms at 90 degrees and swing them back and forward. 
3. Continue for the length of the ladder. 
4. Turn back and repeat. 

Sideways Toe Taps

Sideways Toe Taps improve your foot speed and coordination. 

1. Stand with your right foot in the first box and your left foot behind you not in the agility ladder.
2. Jump and pull your right foot out and bring your left foot in to land in the first box. 
3. Jump and pull your right foot out and bring your left foot out and your right foot into the second box. 
4. Continue for the length of the ladder. 
5. Turn back and repeat. 

Develop the fast footwork you need to explode down the field, evade defenders, and change directions on a dime and become an unstoppable force.

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