Published Paper Details:

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of ladder drills and cone drills on agility among men basketball players. A total of 45 intercollegiate basketball players from Kadapa district, aged 17-23 years, were randomly assigned into three equal groups (n=15): Group I (ladder drills), Group II (cone drills), and Group III (control). The training intervention lasted for 12 weeks, during which Groups I and II performed their respective drills, while the control group did not undergo any specific training. Agility was assessed before and after the training program, and the data were statistically analyzed using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). The pre-test means for agility were 49.03 (ladder drills), 50.93 (cone drills), and 50.47 (control), with no significant difference (F=1.61 < 3.10). The post-test means were 56.07 (ladder drills), 58.43 (cone drills), and 51.17 (control), showing a significant difference (F=16.42 > 3.10). The adjusted post-test means were 57.11, 57.70, and 50.87, respectively, with an obtained F value of 46.35, which was greater than the required table value of 3.10 at the 0.05 level. Post hoc analysis revealed that both ladder drills (MD=6.24) and cone drills (MD=6.83) groups significantly outperformed the control group in agility improvement. However, no significant difference was found between the ladder drills and cone drills groups (MD=-0.59). The findings indicate that both ladder drills and cone drills are equally effective in improving agility among men basketball players. These results support the inclusion of structured agility drills in training programs for basketball players to enhance performance-related skills such as rapid direction changes, court coverage, and defensive efficiency.