Agility Ladder — High Knees
The Elite Hockey Drills app builds drills like this into your personalized off-ice program, week by week. Your first week is free.
How to Do It
Stand at one end of the ladder, facing down its length. Drive each foot into a separate ladder box — high knee on every step. Thighs should reach parallel or above with every drive. Arms pump hard in opposition — this drives the cadence. Move forward as fast as possible while landing each foot accurately inside a box. Do not touch the ladder rungs — aim for the middle of each box.
Why It Works
Agility ladder high knees combine the hip flexor speed of high knees with the precise foot placement demand of ladder work — training both raw cadence and spatial accuracy simultaneously. This dual demand mirrors the skating situation where a player must move feet rapidly while threading through traffic. The forced accuracy at high speed builds the neuromuscular control that separates fluid skaters from choppy ones.
Hockey Transfer
Improves foot speed, coordination, and neuromuscular quickness. Run the ladder fast and sloppy and you train sloppy. Slow it down, hit every box clean, repeat.
Coaching Cues
- "One foot per square"
- "Lift knees to hip height"
- "Fast arm drive"
- "Stay tall"
Common Mistakes
Low knees to go faster — height is the point. Slow down if knees drop. Looking at the feet — eyes forward once the pattern is established. Flat-footed landings — balls of feet only, every contact. Neglecting arm drive — arms set the tempo. Lazy arms equal lazy legs.
Progression / Regression
Single-leg ladder high knees (hop on one foot through each box) — elite reactive demand.
Slow high knee march through the ladder — master placement before adding speed.
Primary Muscles
Energy System
Alactic/ATP-PC
Put it to work
on the ice.
The Elite Hockey Drills app builds exercises like this into a personalized off-ice program — created by a sport scientist and former national-team coach. Your first week is free.
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