Ladder Hopscotch
Quick Information
Category
Agility & Footwork
Difficulty
Intermediate
Equipment
Agility Ladder
Primary muscle group
Gastrocnemius, Soleus, Tibialis Anterior
Secondary muscle groups
Quadriceps, Hip Flexors, Gluteals
Movement pattern
Bilateral Jump Pattern
Training goal
Plyometrics
Sport
Football, Soccer, Basketball, Boxing, Tennis, General Athletic Development
Overview
Purpose. Add a jumping element to ladder work, training rapid stiffness and a controlled wide landing.
How it fits the system. The plyometric entry point in the Agility & Footwork section. Related work in the library: Ladder In-In-Out-Out and Ladder Slalom Jump.
Primary muscles
Gastrocnemius, Soleus, Tibialis Anterior
Secondary muscles
Quadriceps, Hip Flexors, Gluteals
Movement pattern
Bilateral Jump Pattern
Equipment
Agility Ladder
Difficulty
Intermediate
How to Perform
- Stand behind the first square with the feet together.
- Jump both feet into the first square, landing on the balls of the feet.
- Jump forward and land straddling the second square with one foot either side of the rails.
- Continue alternating narrow and straddled landings to the end of the ladder.
Coaching Cues
- “Land soft, leave fast.”
- “Knees track over the toes on the wide landing.”
- “Minimum ground time.”
Common Mistakes
- Landing flat-footed and heavily, which removes the elastic quality.
- Allowing the knees to collapse inwards on the straddle landing.
Progressions & Regressions
Progressions
Increase tempo, then perform single-leg versions, then add a hurdle at the exit.
Regressions
Step rather than jump through the same pattern.
When to Use It
When to use
Warm-ups, foot-speed and coordination blocks, and low-load days between heavy sessions.
When not to use
Acute lower-limb injury, or when the pattern cannot be completed without stumbling.
Programming
4–6 passes per pattern, 2–4 patterns per session, full recovery between passes.
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