As we all know footwork in Fencing is extremely important. Co-ordinating your footwork with upper body movement, ensuring you are balanced and getting the timing right takes practice. The agility ladder is one way to add something fun to your training. We integrate it into relay races, training circuits or even games such as “rock, paper, agility, scissors” at both West Lothian Fencing Club and Heriot-Watt University where I coach.
So, what are the benefits of the agility ladder?
An agility ladder improves multiple fitness factors—speed, agility and co-ordination—in addition to strengthening your joints, ligaments and tendons. Incorporating agility ladder workouts into your fitness routine is also great for improving brain health as it really forces you to concentrate on the footwork patterns.
Improves speed, agility and co-ordination: These three factors not only improve your athletic performance for fencing and other activities, but can be used as part of any workout. (Why not combine it with Tabata – see my other blog post on that – https://fencingcoach.sport.blog/2020/03/24/h-i-i-t-for-fencing-keeping-fit-in-a-small-space-with-limited-time/ )
Great for health: Agility ladder drills are a great form of cardio. Getting your heart rate up through cardiovascular exercise is a great way to keep your heart healthy and strong.
Burns calories: Since agility ladder drills are a great form of cardio, they also burn lots of calories! Agility ladder drills are considered a type of high intensity interval training.
Keeps you mentally sharp: Agility ladder drills require you to focus and concentrate, connecting your brain to your body. This is a really great for any sporting activity including fencing.
Making the agility ladder more specific to Fencing!
One thing I noticed when running club sessions was that over time everyone became very good at agility ladder exercises. However, it was clear that when standard agility ladder exercises (such as the Icky Shuffle) were combined with footwork patterns specifically related to fencing even greater benefit was derived.
So, when doing the exercises be sure to add in fencing footwork that goes forward and back. Have a look at the video below at the exercises we have put together. They are loads of fun.
Finally, remember – you don’t have to buy an agility ladder. Simply use a patio or draw some lines on the ground and away you go!
Feel free to leave a comment or give me your thoughts. There are more videos on my YouTube Channel –
Coach Kev's Fencing Blog 