If you're a basketball or football player seeking to develop speed and agility or just a simple individual trying to gain quickness to make your everyday activities more efficient, you can do drills on an agility ladder. Never heard of one before? An agility ladder is rope ladder that is 15 feet in length. The rungs are positioned every 18 inches and the ladder is designed to be easily spread on the field, your floor or the gym floor. By allowing exercisers to start and stop quickly, this is a fitness tool that has proven helpful for athletes in a variety of sports like tennis and soccer. However, it's also a good cardiovascular exercise for those seeking to develop strength, stamina and endurance.

One exercise that can be done on the ladder is a simple running drill. Run through all the ladder holes ensuring that your feet land only the holes and not on the rungs of the ladder. Go as fast as you possible can without getting your foot caught in the rungs, repeating the whole drill for four to five times. Take a couple of minutes break in between sets. Running through an agility ladder not only develops speed and stamina, but promotes body and brain coordination and enhances precision as well. If you're not an athlete , but simply want to gain the benefits of working out with the ladder, then a run through is the most ideal workout for you.

For sports like football where footwork is important, doing a lateral shuffle on the agility ladder is a great workout and training fundamental. This is the most common exercise activity performed by many football and soccer players. You start by putting your left foot outside the ladder while your right is in the first square. Upon the prompt of the coach (a whistle blow, usually), place your left foot in the first square and your right foot next to it. Your left foot then goes up one rung in the second square while your right foot is next to it. You then do the "shuffle" your feet such that your right foot is now on the second ladder squarer and your left foot is outside the ladder. Advance this way until you have completed the drill. Repeat the routine after taking a one minute breather.

One final exercise that you can do with an agility ladder is to jump and twist while holding a 10-pound medicine ball. Begin the exercise by standing on your left foot in the first square and your right foot positioned on the second square. The medicine ball must be positioned near your belly. To move yourself to the third and fourth squares of the agility ladder, jump and twist, with your feet facing the opposite direction from the first position when land. Advance this way until you have completed all the squares. Repeat the drill for as many times as you feel comfortable after a one minute breather. If you don't have a ball with you, try using other weights. Make sure you have a good pair of cross trainers on to help absorb impact.