Ladder and rejoin

Two lanes side by side, each with its own agility ladder, so ten players are moving almost non-stop. Working next to each other pushes the tempo up by itself: players mirror one another's rhythm without you having to say a word.

10 players 6 phases ± 10 min 2 agility ladders, the full court From U15 upwards

Phase 1 of 6Ten players in two lanes: waiting, ladder, sprint and jog back

Two lanes, each with its own line waiting Equipment Ball

This animation comes straight out of the Koach app. In the app you play it at your own pace and the positions carry your players' real names.

Open in the app

How the drill runs

What you are training

Warm-up: quick feet through the agility ladder, then rejoin the line. Building coordination, tempo and explosiveness.

Explosiveness: short ground contact, back off the floor fast.
Two lanes to halve the waiting time without anybody running into anybody.
Holding a pattern together while the tempo climbs.

Coaching points

On the balls of the feet, heels never touch the floor.

Landing on your heel puts the brakes on and stretches out the ground contact. On court you are never on your heels, so you are not here either.

Both lanes start at the same time.

Players use each other as a tempo reference. Send them off one lane at a time and the tempo sags in whichever lane is standing there watching.

Build up through the patterns: one foot per square first, then two, then sideways.

A new pattern taken straight to full speed only produces stumbling. Three runs per pattern is enough to get it into the legs.

Stop the moment the feet get sloppy.

Coordination work on tired legs has no training value and costs you the sharpness for the rest of practice. This is a warm-up, not a conditioning block.

Variations

Easier: One pattern, walking pace and no sprint on the end of it.
Harder: The coach calls the pattern just before the player sets off, so there is a decision to make as well.
With six players: One ladder and one lane; the line stays short enough on its own.
As a game: Lane against lane: which line gets everybody through first. A misstep means that player goes back and starts again.

Volleyball drills

4 players · 6 phases SafeVolley base round Warm-up 3 players · 5 phases Shoulder activation with band Warm-up 2 players · 6 phases Dynamic movement patterns Warm-up 5 players · 5 phases Core plank with rotation Warm-up

Read on in the knowledge base: strength training for volleyball players · landing without loading up your knees · the rhythm of the approach