Are Agility Ladders Really Making Kids Faster On The Pitch?

Years ago we trained in SAQ and loved the idea of using agility ladders at our sessions.

Over time we started to question, did they actually help agility for football?

We watched 100’s of hours of sessions plus looked at research and opinions…

The Problem with Agility Ladders for Football

Agility ladders focus on pre-planned, repetitive movements often instructed by the coach.

In football, agility is about reacting to unpredictable things happening in the game i.e. opponents.

Training on ladders ignores the perception-action link needed in real match scenarios.

What is Real Football Agility?

In basic terms, Agility means changing direction fast when you need to.

In a match, you’re reacting to things like:

Where the ball is going

What your teammates are doing

How defenders are moving

Every agility move happens in a unique way.

Why Ladders Fall Short

Ladders only teach you basic footwork drills (mechanical movements with no football context).

But football requires you to read the game and make decisions quickly.

You won’t face cones or ladders in a match—you’ll face real players!

Players need to be able to react to sudden changes – ladders don’t train this.

How We Train Agility For Football

One study looked at different sports and suggested training agility for a sport needs to be done within the sport itself.

This was also the approach we felt worked best based on what we were seeing.

So, to help our players with their agility we do things like…

Small-Sided Games

Incorporate ball, defenders, & goals to simulate match-like scenarios but less players means more actions (3v3 being a big part of this)

1v1 Activities

Great for reacting to a direct opponent whether attacking or defending

Constraints-Led Tasks

Modify rules e.g. each player has a direct opponent they have to mark

Takeaways

Ladders train feet, game-like activities train the body & brain for football.

To train agility for football, start with the game of football and adapt as necessary

Is there a place for ladders in kids football training?

Some will argue for and against and some will say they are good for warm-ups/activation exercises, but we prefer to start sessions with small-sided arrival matches

Have you used agility ladders in your training?

What’s your experience?

How do you train agility for football in your players?

Study credit: Merging Athletic Development With Skill Acquisition: Developing Agility

Using an Ecological Dynamics Approach 2023 Jordan Cassidy, MSc,1 Warren Young, PhD,2 Adam Gorman, PhD,3 and Vince Kelly, PhD