Lateral Shuttles Exercises

The shuttle exercise is used by athletes to build anaerobic endurance and quickness and improve the ability to change directions. The National Football League includes the shuttle drill to test the lateral quickness of potential players at their annual combine event. Athletes like basketball, football and volleyball players can use lateral shuttles to improve their abilities of moving side-to-side to play better defense or get to spiked balls.

  1. Shuttle Drill

    • To set up the shuttle drill, position three cones in a line 5 yards apart. Start at the center cone, positioning your feet so that you have a cone on your right and your left. Begin in the ready stance with your feet set to hip-width apart and your knees slightly bent. Sprint 5 yards to your right and touch the ground near that cone, then change directions and sprint 10 yards to the cone on your far left. Change directions again and sprint 5 yards back to the center cone. This exercise can be performed alone. However, if you’re a coach or physical education instructor, lateral shuttle drills can also be done with a large group of people at the same time.

    Distance Variations

    • You can change the distance of the shuttle run to mimic the distance you need to sprint in your sport or to better reflect your fitness goals. The President’s Challenge, which is a fitness testing program used in American public schools, includes the lateral shuttle exercise in its battery of tests, but has the students set the cones 30 feet apart. Volleyball players who don’t have to sprint as far as football or basketball athletes can decide to perform the lateral shuttle at 2 or 3-yard distances.

    Fitness Test

    • In addition to being a training drill, the lateral shuttle can be used to test your lateral quickness, as well as your ability to accelerate, stop and change directions. Have someone stand by with a stopwatch. Start the drill on their call and have them measure how long it takes you to complete the drill. Every few weeks, retest yourself so that you can see whether your training regimen is effective or if it needs to be tweaked. Before you begin the test, take 10 minutes to warm up your muscles. Complete the test three times, resting a couple of minutes in between each set, and record your best time.

    Incorporating More Lateral Movement

    • You can incorporate a greater degree of lateral movement into the shuttle drill by completing the drill while sliding laterally instead of sprinting. To perform a lateral slide, begin with your feet set to hip-width apart. Take a step to the right side with your right foot and then slide your left foot over to the right so that your feet are lined up under your hips again. Continue in this manner as you travel towards the cone on your right. When it comes time to change directions, take a step to the left with your left foot and slide your right foot left so that your feet are lined up under your hips again. Continue to travel to the cone on your far left. This version of the drill can help you if you have to slide laterally during your sport.