Agility Ladder Drills I - Icky Shuffle, Ali Shuffle, In-Stance In-Out Hops
Some drills for the agility ladder to improve your footwork and quickness — if your feet are quick and precise, it will make your entire body move better for Muay Thai. See the above video for examples of each drill, reading text descriptions can be confusing.
Icky Shuffle — start facing the length of the ladder but with both feet out on one of the sides. Place inside foot into the ladder first, then outside foot. Place the foot that came into the ladder first outside, raise the foot still in the ladder into the air, and move up a rung, then place the foot that’s outside back into the ladder, and repeat, moving up the ladder this way. For extra challenge, when you reach the top of the ladder, work backward back down to the start.
Ali Shuffle — start facing perpendicular to the ladder length, with one foot in the ladder and one foot out. Hop-switch your feet so the foot in the ladder comes out, and the foot outside comes in. When you do this hop-switch, you’ll move up a ladder rung, so the foot that came in is one square further up. Hop-switch again, and then time replace the foot that’s in the ladder with the one outside. Hop-switch again, and move up another rung, and so on. Utilize your hips when you hop-switch, not just your feet. For extra challenge, when you reach the top of the ladder, reverse and work your way back down.
In-Stance In-Out Hops — start off in your fighting stance with your lead foot in the ladder and rear foot outside the ladder. Push off your front foot and hop back, maintaining your stance in both width and depth (i.e., you should be in the same stance now as you were when you were half in the ladder). Now push off your rear foot and hop your lead foot back into the ladder, again maintaining your stance in both width and depth. You should land one square further up the ladder. Repeat. Mind that you aren’t gradually turning sideways — don’t let your front foot drift in front of your back foot. Maintain stance width. For extra challenge, when you reach the top of the ladder, reverse and work your way back down.