Agility is the ability to change shape, speed or direction quickly. An athlete's agility is determined by genetic potential, strength, bio-mechanical application of movement and external factors.
With this in mind, where does foot speed come into sight. Foot speed drills are exercises which involve small, light and rapid action of the feet. These are the drills which are featured in agility ladder training. Honestly, fast foot drills are an absolute waste of time.
Although speed is specific to any sport involving gross motor, competitive activity, the practice of speed should have a degree of specificity. Small and light actions are not the way to go.
Small? Do we take small steps in acceleration? How about sprinting at top end speed, cutting angles or lateral movements? No we don't. We use gross motor movements. Movements that challenge our reach and the speed at which we can achieve such a reach is essential for practical usage.
Hitting the floor lightly is a poor way of producing ground reaction force. With low ground reaction force the distance covered on the field of play will be very limited.
So working on fast feet isn't necessary. There are bigger fish to fry!
And what is the point of practicing foot placement within small squares? It may help you to skip stones but not much else. If foot placement is important within an activity, then it is best practices within that activity. That way you will benefit from the reactive demands of participating. Your skill will also become more specific in regards to your distancing and timing.
The agility ladder may be useful as a fun warm up activity but I wouldn't bother.
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