Amp Up Your Agility Training at Home with These Smart Tips
Amp Up Your Agility Training at Home with These Smart Tips
Invest in Portable Equipment for Your Own Backyard Agility Course
Looking to take your agility training to the next level right from home? One of the best investments you can make is in portable agility equipment to create your own backyard training course. With the right cones, ladders, hurdles and more, you can set up dynamic drills that will help build speed, quickness, coordination and explosive power – no gym membership required.
Consider picking up a set of flat foldable agility hurdles that adjust to different heights for working on bounding power and upright sprinting form. Start low to master body position and turnover, then increase the height incrementally as you progress. You can also use agility ladders and footwork grids to drill explosive starts, lateral shuffle steps, cariocas and other nimble movements to get faster feet.
For true replications of on-field cuts and changes of direction, agility cones are a must. Set up zig-zag patterns, box drills, pro agility courses and more on your lawn using brightly colored cones. Train quick sideways shuffle and backpedaling techniques by placing cones in lateral or backward patterns. Reaction balls and agility discs add an unpredictable element to your workouts, enhancing reflexes and balance. And resistance bands can be anchored to fences or posts for building starting strength in a simulated block start.
The great news? All this equipment is lightweight and portable so you can switch up your home field exercises whenever you like. Investing in this versatile gear will give you the freedom to program speed and agility sessions that target your weaknesses and build the explosive athleticism all athletes need. Set up your own backyard course and take your quickness to new heights without leaving the house!
Take Advantage of Ladder Drills to Build Quickness and Coordination

Agility ladders are a staple training tool for athletes in all sports looking to improve their foot speed and coordination. Setting up ladder drills in your backyard is an easy and effective way to develop faster foot quickness and more synchronized movements. The linear patterns and spaced-out rungs on agility ladders are perfect for reinforcing proper running form and enhancing control of your foot strikes.
Here’s how it works – set up a flat agility ladder secured to the ground and focus on positioning your feet in the ladder rungs as quickly as possible. Start with simple in-and-out patterns, then move on to lateral shuffles, crosses, backwards runs and more advanced rhythmic steps. You can also add swing steps between the rungs to work on opening your hips and bounding power.
The great thing about ladder sequences is that you can continuously increase the difficulty and combine different patterns as your coordination improves. Start with slow and controlled reps to ingrain the motor patterns, then gradually build speed with a smooth, high-knee pickup style. Maintaining balance and posture while navigating the rungs at speed requires focused core strength.
Beyond foot quickness, ladder drills also translate directly to improved coordination in sprinting and changing direction. Mastering the sequences and multi-directional steps enhances your spatial awareness, proprioception and ability to efficiently control your body. Quick ladder drills a few days a week will have you moving with newfound precision and reactivity on the field in no time!
Use Cones and Hurdles to Practice Footwork and Explosive Starts

Setting up a homemade agility course using cones and hurdles is an excellent way to drill starts, stops and change of direction mechanics. The great thing about cones and hurdles is that they are adjustable and allow you to create customized drills targeting your athletic weaknesses.
For example, you can space cones at different lateral distances for slide shuffle and carioca drills to improve coordinating sideways running. Quick backpedal and open-hip turn mechanics can be honed by placing cones behind you to mimic pivoting in coverage. For overspeed bounding work, arrange hurdles in a straight line path and focus on powerful leg drive and hip lift.
Cone patterns like pro agility and box drills challenge you to efficiently change direction and accelerate out of cuts – key for reactivity on the field. You can also set up a start cone with hurdles placed at incremental distances to practice explosive acceleration. Driving hard through each hurdle, concentrating on maximal velocity out of the blocks.
The beauty of cones and hurdles is they force you to maintain proper upright sprinting posture against resistance while executing technical footwork patterns. Go all out at max intensity during these short cone drills to ingrain speed mechanics. Using cones and hurdles to design your own agility challenges will build transferable quickness for your sport.