Young athletes are familiar with ladder drills, but many aren't using them to their full advantage. The main purpose of ladder drills should be to challenge the body to adapt to new muscle patterns and improve balance and agility in game-time scenarios.
When performed correctly ladder drills, help young athletes get used to coordinated movement patterns and develop important neural connections between their brains and their growing limbs and muscles. With this age group, use traditional ladder drills, ranging from 2 Steps to Icky Shuffles, to set the stage for higher level stepping and foot placement drills.