Hexagon Drill

Step 1

Starting Position: Set up six cones in a hexagon, making each segment about 2 feet long.  Each cone should be about 2-3 feet from the center point allowing enough room for you to take a large step.  Stand in the middle of the hexagon in line with a cone.  This will be your starting point.  Stand with your feet hip-width apart, toes pointing forward and arms by your sides. Stiffen your abdominal muscles (“brace”) to stabilize your spine, then depress and retract your scapulae (pull shoulders down and back) without arching your low back. Hold your chest up and out, tilt your head slightly up.  Shift your weight over your heels.

Step 2

Ready Position:  Maintaining abdominal bracing, bend the knees and hinge at the hips (shift hips back) bringing the torso forward.  Allow the arms to flex (bend) at the elbow and remain close to your sides.  Shift your weight to the balls of your feet.

Step 3

Action:  With the left leg, take a large step forward toward the cone into a lunge while simultaneously driving and extending the right arm forward and down, palms facing in, to the lightly touch the top of the come.  Drive your left elbow backwards.  The left (swing) leg should initiate contact with a heel strike first, slowly transferring your body weight into the leading (forward) foot placed firmly on the floor. As you load into this leg, avoid any sideways tilting or swaying in your upper body and try not to move the stance (supporting) foot. As you lunge forward, focus more on dropping your hips towards the floor rather than driving your hips forward. This will help control the amount of forward movement of your shinbone (forward tibial translation) over your foot.  Immediately push off your left foot and bring it back to center.

Step 4

Moving counter clockwise to the next cone (left front rotational), rotate to the left, pivoting off your right foot and lunging with your left leg aligning your feet and hips in the direction you are stepping (toward the cone). Follow the same technique as listed in step 3.  Immediately push off your left foot and bring it back to center. 

Step 5

Continue counter clock-wise until you reach your starting point.  Repeat the drill lunging forward with your right foot and moving clock-wise.

Step 6

Exercise Variations:  (1) Perform this drill extending the same side arm toward the cone.  In this case, the opposite elbow would drive back behind the body.  (2) Once you become comfortable with the oblique angle lunges, you can focus more on exploding to the cone.  To increase the amount of explosion, widen the hexagon allowing you to take a couple steps forward then lunge to touch each cone.  Placing a cone in the middle will provide a reference point.