This Skill Prevented Me From Falling HARD
Here’s how to stay “quick on your feet”
Just this week, I was walking down the sidewalk and my toe caught on a raised crack.
Not much else makes you feel more ridiculous than tripping like that…🤦♀️
In that moment when your toe catches, you’ll either be thankful you’ve worked on your agility and foot speed.
Or really wish you had while you’re tumbling toward the ground.
Preventing injuries and being fit and resilient as you get older is multifaceted…
Having a combination of muscular strength, power and mobility all matter and should be top training priorities!
But another aspect of your fitness that’s important for injury prevention is agility and foot speed.
The bonus is that this skill is actually pretty fun to train!
JUST ONE THING
Being “quick on your feet”—also known as agility—can be built through little foot-speed drills and something called low-level plyometrics.
Your JUST ONE THING to Improve Your Agility
Practice Plyometrics
Plyometrics are a type of “power training” that use small, quick movements like hops, steps, and bounces.
They train your muscles, tendons and nerves in your feet, ankles and legs to react faster.
And when your toe catches a crack in the sidewalk (because it will happen)…
You’ll be so glad you trained your agility to react quickly.
Here are some simple agility drills that you can start practicing right at home!
Low Impact Agility Exercises for Quick Reaction Time & Foot Speed
- Line Step-Overs (20-30 seconds) – stay light on the balls of your feet and step fast over the line.
- In-n-Out Squats (20-30 seconds)– build control without the stress of full squat jumps.
- Lateral Taps (20-30 seconds)– train your side-to-side balance & speed (work up to hopping if you can!).
Extra Tip: Plyometrics and agility drills put a lot of force on the tendons of your feet and ankles, so ease in. Gradually add more reps and sets over time.
Did You Know...
- To move quickly, you need to stay on your toes. Think of the ball of your foot as the “gas pedal” and your heel as the “brake.”
- During agility drills, your knees should be right above your ankles as much as possible to avoid unnecessary ankle rolling.
- The best stance for foot speed is the “athletic position”: a half-squat with arms in front, in a “ready” position like you’re about to catch a ball.
Until next week... Be strong💪
