Last week we highlighted one of the most effective agility ladder drills for developing quick and coordinated footwork; the ickey shuffle. Once the athlete becomes adept at moving forward as well as backward utilizing the ickey shuffle, the next step is to expand the number of steps utilized which can be useful for developing greater acceleration and deceleration while moving diagonally.
One way to enhance this type of movement is to perform the double ickey shuffle which is performed using two agility ladders laid side by side. The basic ickey shuffle footwork is still used with this drill but with the inclusion of a second ladder, two additional steps will be needed. Therefore, the 3-step ickey shuffle will become a 5-step ickey shuffle followed by a direction change.
Once the athlete has become familiar with the forward double ickey shuffle, have him or her perform the drill while going backwards just as we did with the basic ickey shuffle. Emphasize proper form before attempting to increase speed.
We will highlight the third progression for the ickey shuffle in a later feature when we discuss reaction speed drills. Next week, we will start on a progression of linear acceleration drills which have the potential to increase your sprinting speed.
Matt is an ACE certified personal trainer and NESTA certified speed, agility & quickness specialist.
