Ladder Snake Jump
Quick Information
Category
Agility & Footwork
Difficulty
Advanced
Equipment
Agility Ladder
Primary muscle group
Gastrocnemius, Soleus, Tibialis Anterior
Secondary muscle groups
Quadriceps, Hip Flexors, Gluteals
Movement pattern
Rotational Jump Pattern
Training goal
Plyometrics
Sport
Football, Soccer, Basketball, Boxing, Tennis, General Athletic Development
Overview
Purpose. Combine lateral travel with hip rotation under load, training the rotational landing that precedes most cuts.
How it fits the system. A rotational jumping pattern in the Agility & Footwork section. Related work in the library: Ladder Slalom Jump and Ladder Carioca.
Primary muscles
Gastrocnemius, Soleus, Tibialis Anterior
Secondary muscles
Quadriceps, Hip Flexors, Gluteals
Movement pattern
Rotational Jump Pattern
Equipment
Agility Ladder
Difficulty
Advanced
How to Perform
- Stand at one end of the ladder with both feet inside the first square.
- Jump sideways and land with both feet in the next square, rotating the hips a quarter turn.
- Jump again and rotate the hips back the other way in the following square.
- Continue along the ladder alternating the rotation direction.
Coaching Cues
- “Rotate from the hips, land square through the knee.”
- “Land soft and leave immediately.”
- “Shoulders lead nothing; the hips do the work.”
Common Mistakes
- Landing with the knee rotated inwards relative to the foot.
- Turning the whole body rather than rotating the hips under a stable trunk.
Progressions & Regressions
Progressions
Increase tempo, then add a hold on each landing, then progress to single-leg rotational hops.
Regressions
Step the pattern with a rotation instead of jumping.
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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