Starting Position: Set out cones approximately 5 yards apart, stand at the far left cone in an athletic ready position: feet hip-width apart, knees bent with your weight back in your flexed hips. Engage the abdominals to maintain spinal stability throughout the exercise. The emphasis of this drill should be on rapid, quick foot actions for the sideways (lateral) shuffling.
Throughout the drill, maintain your athletic ready position. As you begin to shuffle, your weight is balanced between being up on the balls of your feet and back in your hips. Shift your weight towards your right picking up your right foot and explosively pushing your left foot into the ground to start moving to your right.
Continue to move to your right in this manner: picking up the right foot and placing it to the right while pushing the left foot into the ground to generate force and momentum for the sideways movement. Your feet should remain parallel with one another with the toes facing forward. As you shuffle, your whole foot is on the ground but your weight is forward and toward the balls of your feet. The shuffle emphasizes quickness and rapid foot movement.
At the far cone maintain your athletic ready position, shift your weight over your left leg, push off with the right foot and begin shuffling back to the starting point. Maintain your body position and quick pace throughout the duration of the drill.
Exercise Variation: Work with a coach or training partner to provide either visual cues: by signaling which direction to move with a hand gesture, e.g. pointing to the left to shuffle to the left; or verbal cues: by stating which direction to shuffle, e.g. stating "right" to shuffle to the right.
Maintain a wide base of support, as you shuffle your feet should remain at least hip-width apart to maintain dynamic balance as you move over the ground.