Baylor University director of track and field, Clyde Hart, has coached eight athletes to nine Olympic gold medals. Coach Hart relies on the ladder drills presented in this clip to help athletes increase the quickness of their feet.

Ladder Drills

Drill Summary: Set up a ladder or tape on the track with the horizontal bars about two and a half feet apart. Athletes line up on one side of the ladder and take turns running through it, getting one foot down between each bar. Coach Hart wants runners to land flat footed so it is more similar to how their feet hit the ground during a race, which will force them to prepare the trail leg more quickly for the next step. After runners have mastered the drill with the shorter interval, increase the distance between the ladder bars up to three feet.

Keys to the Drill:

1) Stay off of your toes.
2) Don’t lean too far forward.
3) Keep your eyes up, don’t look down at the ground.
4) Get the trail leg through quickly.

This video came from Championship Productions’ video “Clyde Hart’s Speed Development for Track & Field.” View other world class Track & Field videos!