Ladder Drill Training Improves Lower-Limb Power and Agility in Junior Badminton Players

Abstract

Objectives: This study aimed to determine the effect of ladder drill training variations on lower limb power and agility among junior badminton players in Batukuta Village, Narmada District, West Lombok Regency.

Materials and Methods: This study used a quantitative experimental method with a one-group pretest-posttest design. The participants were 17 junior badminton players. The independent variable was ladder drill training variation, while the dependent variables were lower limb power and agility. Lower limb power was measured using the vertical jump test, while agility was measured using the badminton court agility test. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, the Shapiro-Wilk normality test, and the paired sample t-test.

Results: The results showed an improvement in lower limb power, with the mean pretest score increasing from 41.94 to 48.06 in the posttest. Agility also improved, as indicated by a decrease in average test time from 18.37 seconds to 16.36 seconds. The paired sample t-test showed significant differences between pretest and posttest scores for both lower limb power and agility, with p = 0.000.

Conclusions: Ladder drill training variations significantly improved lower limb power and agility among junior badminton players. These findings indicate that ladder drill exercises can be used as an effective training method to improve explosive movement, footwork, and directional change ability in badminton.