Lateral Bound

I use the lateral bound when an athlete needs to stop and go sideways without falling apart. Most training happens straight ahead, so the hip that controls side to side movement gets ignored. This drill fixes that. You push off one leg, cover ground laterally, and land on the other leg under control. It builds change of direction ability. It does not build much muscle, so treat it as a power drill and not a leg day finisher.

How to Perform

1. Stand on one leg with a soft knee and your chest tall over your hips.
2. Sink into a quarter squat on that leg and load the outside of the hip.
3. Drive hard off that leg and push yourself sideways, not upward.
4. Land on the opposite leg on the ball of the foot, then let the knee and hip bend to absorb the force.
5. Hold that landing for one full second before you bound back the other way.
6. Repeat for the prescribed reps, alternating sides.

Tips

• Distance means nothing if you cannot stick the landing. Shorten the bound until you can.
• Keep the landing knee tracking over the middle of the foot. If it caves in, you are going too far.
• Do these early in the session when you are fresh. Power work does not belong at the end.
• Three to five sets of three to five reps per side is plenty.