Footwork Drills For Baseball Players

Pitching, hitting, and fielding all require great footwork. Without great footwork and efficient movements short stops struggle to make challenging plays and throw runners out while outfielders with poor footwork may lack the throwing power to throw a runner out on the base path after making a catch.

Resisted footwork drills and ladder workouts will challenge the speed at which athletes can move their legs and feet as well as improve the coordination and control of the lower body. By utilizing ladder workouts with other footwork drills and speed training athletes can continue to build speed to go along with improved footwork and coordination. Athletes can go to the Speed and Vertical Section to view additional speed and footwork drills which can be performed with the Power Icky Shuffles. Athletes should also explore the Strength and Conditioning Section to perform footwork drills which will make the body faster and more powerful.

Power Icky Shuffle

The Icky Shuffle is one of many great footwork drills that help athletes build power, stability, and coordination. The addition of Kbands Leg Resistance Bands and extra motions make this a more challenging version of the traditional and unresisted Icky Shuffle.

To perform the Power Icky Shuffle athletes will need a set of Kbands Leg Resistance Bands and a Speed and Agility Ladder. Athletes will lay the Speed and Agility Ladder flat on the ground, securely attach the Kbands Leg Resistance Bands just above the knees, and stand to one side of the Speed and Agility Ladder.

Athletes will begin the Power Icky Shuffles by moving laterally and tapping both feet inside of the first space on the Speed and Agility Ladder. After athletes have tapped both feet in the first square they will land out side of the Speed and Agility Ladder on their outside leg only, pause, and then push themselves back toward the Speed and Agility Ladder, tap both feet inside of the second opening on the Speed and Agility Ladder and proceed to again land and push off their outside leg. Athletes will perform this ladder workouts motion all the way to the end of the Speed and Agility Ladder and back.

As athletes tap and push away from the Speed and Agility Ladder they should try to challenge the distance they are able to push themselves and complete a successful one footed landing. Perform 6-8 resisted repetitions of the Power Icky Shuffle Before removing the Kbands Leg Resistance Bands and performing 3-5 unresisted sets of Power Icky Shuffle. During unresisted sets athletes need to challenge their speed going through the Speed and Agility Ladder, as well as challenge the distance of their jumps coming out of the Speed and Agility Ladder.

Combine Footwork Drills

Athletes can develop and execute new and challenging footwork drills by combining the Power Icky Shuffle with any number of additional footwork drills. These ladder workouts include the High Knee, Heisman, Wide Hops, and Shuffle Lunge. All of these footwork drills on the Speed and Agility Ladder utilize the Kbands Leg Resistance Bands to perform both resisted and unresisted sets of the ladder workouts. Athletes wanting to gain more hip flexor development, dynamic foot speed, and enhanced body control should incorporate the 1-2-3 Reaction Pro Training Program into their ladder workouts. Athletes will be able to work through full ladder workouts that will help athletes see greater adaptations in speed and agility from their training sessions.

The combination of additional ladder workouts, footwork drills, strength training, and sports specific drills will allow athletes to develop well rounded athletic abilities giving them a larger skill set when competing against opponents. The more athletic skills an athlete can perform, the more dangerous and unpredictable they are during competitive play.

Footwork Drills With No Speed And Agility Ladder

Using the Speed and Agility Ladder to complete footwork drills is a great way for athletes to improve their stabilization, explosiveness, and footwork. However, if athletes want to continue to help these ladder workouts translate into greater success on the baseball diamond they will need to begin incorporating more advanced ladder workouts and footwork drills which incorporates high bouts of springing or lateral movements after the Speed and Agility Ladder portion of the exercise is complete.

Great examples of footwork drills into speed drills include the Kbands Chute Drill and Ladder Drills For Speed And Agility Training. Other speed and agility training drills like the Infield Speed/Shuffle Drills, Best Baseball Speed Drills, and Burn and Read Catching Drill are all more sports specific drills that will help athletes translate newly developed speed into useful baseball movements. Great speed will translate into catching a wider range of fly balls an outfielder can make, more snags down the foul line by a first or third baseman, and even greater fielding range for a middle infielder.

Athletes and coaches need to develop well rounded training programs which incorporate time for stretching and myofascial release with the Recovery Foam Roller or the Ballistic Bands. Athletic skill training for speed, strength, and conditioning training, and sports specific movements that help athletes translate newly developed athletic skills into greater success on the baseball diamond. Athletes and coaches can find examples and demonstrations of flexibility exercises, stretches with the Recovery Foam Roller, athletic skills training, and sports specific training by visiting the Training Section, Baseball Section, or Speed/Vertical Training Section to learn how, and when, to incorporate new footwork drills and ladder workouts into baseball training sessions.

Athletes who perform group style training sessions that utilize circuit training can incorporate any of the footwork ladder workout drills into these training sessions. Ladder workouts and footwork drills are great for circuit and team training due to their high intensity and short duration. Performing speed, strength, and conditioning exercises in a baseball training circuit will give athletes a chance to allow large muscle groups to recover while still maintaining a high heart rate and working a different part of the body.