Agility ladder

Agility ladder= $50

Duct tape and Rulers= $3.51

Imagination= $0.00

Looking like a genius on the S&C Forum = Priceless

If you want to duct tape a few rulers together for a ladder that works, as long as you never step on it. Try putting a football team wearing cleats on turf through a ruler made agility ladder and see how long it lasts. Instead of a weight vest Im gonna start making people wear a shirt with pockets and fill them up with dirt.

still waiting for the benefits of an agility ladder

still waiting for the benefits of an agility ladder

= none.

Getting good at using an agility ladder = getting good at using an agility ladder. It does not enhance ones other athletic skills.

Ring girl, I think you are reaching a bit saying there is big difference between a bag with tape and something else constructed with tape. But that is MHO.

Derrick Noble,

I don't think one need more then the ability to read and focus and the desire and dedication to learn to become an "expert" on any subject.

Expert = someone who has memorized someone else's information on a subject.

I prefer to be more then an expert myself.

For some reason it seems people are getting testy about this subject.

Remember you can not determine someone's mood or intent readily through the internet. If I am incorrect in feeling that some folks are getting hot about this then I apologize.

I am not getting hot about this. I am just having a discussion.

Again if I have accidentally offended you I am sorry.

TAKU

Getting good at using an agility ladder = getting good at using an agility ladder. It does not enhance ones other athletic skills.

That's what it's looking like from my perspective. Does anyone disagree and if so, why?

There are transferable benefits for sports from using an agility ladder, and yes the more you practice on the ladder the better you become. The more you practice a Power Clean the better you become, but it also has transferable uses, which is why most strength & conditioning programs use it. And most Div 1 colleges and professional teams use ladders.

Taku, I am not getting hot over the subject, but no one is an expert on Strength & Conditioning no matter how much you read, you have to get out there and do it, which Im sure you have.

I have been in Strength & Conditioning for only about 5 years, so I am not an expert, but I have worked Directly under Al Vermiel, only strength coach to have a championship ring in MLB, NFL and NBA.
Also Erik Helland, Chicago Bulls Strength Coach since 88.
Jeff Macy, Oregon State Head Strength Coach and former elite level Olympic lifter, I have also been a strength coach for the last 2 years at a D1 university.
All of these coaches when I worked for them used agility ladders with their athletes. Maybe they are confused as to what really works in strength training.

Taku - I personally don't have duct tape on any of my equipment, even the sand bags. When we do sand bag drills, we do it at the beach and use canvas bags and people fill them to the appropriate weight for them, and we either tie them off or people have to wrap them and hold them shut - depending on the drills we're doing. This works for us, since we're lucky enough to have access to free beach sand and then we empty them when we're done.

Personally, I believe there are ways to do most things "inexpensively" without looking "cheap" -- but sometimes the quest for lower expenses leads to not much payoff -- when it comes to spending $50 on a ladder vs. saving a few dollars and having to spend time building something which in the end isn't as convenient to my needs as a prefab one, then it isn't worth the few dollars.

Paul Hopkins - Check out the power-systems.com site. I just got their catalog in the mail the other day and they had like 8 different agility ladders of all different price ranges. My clients really enjoy using the ladder when I pull it out, and it definitely tests their agility and coordination.

There are transferable benefits for sports from using an agility ladder, and yes the more you practice on the ladder the better you become. The more you practice a Power Clean the better you become, but it also has transferable uses, which is why most strength & conditioning programs use it. And most Div 1 colleges and professional teams use ladders.

What benefits do ladders produce?

Agility ladders if the drills are performed correctly, can help athletes on general body awareness and control, work on change in direction mechanics, balance, dorsiflexion for running machanics, foot eversion, and just an overall good general warm-up. There are also plenty of other drills that can help with all those aspects as well, so dont think I am saying the ladder is the only thing that will help.

Derrick,

Awesome, you are a lucky guy to have worked with so many excellent coaches and in so many great venues.

"Maybe they are confused as to what really works in strength training."

Personally I think that this statement is highly likely.

That comment is not directed at any one person but at the S&C community at large. I feel there is a lot of myth, misconception and comfusion as to what really does what.

Again I commend you on your hard work and dedication to the S&C endeavour.

Ring Girl, that goes for you as well. I appreciate that you stay level headed through most of these types of dicussions.

And yes you are lucky to have a beach near by which allows you to make instantly adjustable sand bags...nice.

I'll end here.

TAKU

Taku --

I've been on the "internet" in various incarnations since I bought my 1200 baud modem in junior high - I don't let any of this stuff get to me. ;)

Taku, Thanks I have worked with a lot of top level, Highly Respected Coaches in S&C. I understand there are a lot of knuckleheads in S&C, but to include the names I mentioned above as not knowing what works in S&C is almost laughable. Al is a USAW Hall of Fame Coach, Im sure he knows something.

I'll end here, as I have to go run some athletes through some agility ladder drills.

Besides what I said, I think this little article sums it well enough.

I would like to make special mention of the agility ladder. This tool has been particularly effective in my training programs for MMA athletes. The athlete I mentioned earlier who improved his movement skills significantly in two months owes a great deal of his improved movement to the ladder.

We performed ladder work 2-3 times per week and really did very little to alter his previous program. This is not an isolated incident as I have had many athletes who have seen these types of improvements when adding the ladder to their programs.

In the field of competition the body is constantly asked to perform movements from unfamiliar joint positions. The main objective for agility ladder programs is to promote a wide range of different foot and movement patterns. These skilled movements become second nature and the body is able to quickly respond to various angles that are experienced in sporting events.

Combat athletes are constantly asked to alter their direction of movement when competing. Foot patterns are constantly changing. Proper use of the agility ladder makes these movements instinctual.

With the formation of neural engrams (movement patterns that are burnt into the brain after repetitive exposure) athletes are able to react to constant changes of direction with minimal delay. Bottom line, athletes need to be exposed to numerous movement patterns and there is no better tool than the ladder for this.

Yes the theory is there but you need to prove that there is carry-over to the sport you are training for. I train a college Rugby squad and don't see my self using an agility ladder for my athletes because it's a skill that is not even close to what they need to be proficient in Rugby.

Ring Girl-in a fitness setting all you need is a tool to get you clients moving that is some what entertaining. Which is very different than it's use in sport.

So what do you do with your college rugby team for training?

And didnt the author of that article say that he witnessed the carry over from using the agility ladder, maybe I didnt understand it.

Hey Derrick, thanks for sharing.

What we don't really know is has he ever dome any thing else like a ladder? Does he know for sure nothing else would have the same results?

I feel that this sort of stuff violates the S.A.I.D. principal.

Adapting to the ladder drills does not = adapting to fighting foot work. Being good at one does not make you good at the other.

We all know this deep down inside. If one totally differnt thing improved another (other then in a general way) then we would not need to train skills.

I have coached all types of athletes at all levels. I feel that there is often a mistake made between negative, positive and neutral transfer when it come to motor-learning.

There is also some confusion between skills and abilities. They are not the same.

Training general qualities like strength and speed etc. will enhance ahtletic ability. But these are general things. Skill is where it all comes together. Skill is highly specific.

Being good at squash will not make you good at tennis...and so on and so on.

TAKU

Derrick- I read the same article as you and what is written is antedotal at best.

With my athletes I break down the sport into it's simplest forms and work from there. We do a lot of 1 on 1 or 2 on 2 type drills. I set up cone drills to learn how to cut at high speeds. If I see a weakness in a game I'll set up a drill to work on that.

For all the naysayers, this should prove the validity of agility ladders.

http://twopeguys.com/images/AgilityLadder.jpg