The ladder step sideways is a stepping drill where you stand side-on to a ladder laid flat on the floor and travel along it sideways, putting both feet into each square before moving on to the next. You face forward the whole time, so the muscles at the side of your hips do the stepping while your balance copes with a small, exact landing spot. Taken slowly, the way he does it in the video, it trains balance and walking. Quick footwork comes much later, if at all.

How to do the ladder step sideways

Lay the ladder flat on a clear floor right along a kitchen counter, so the counter runs the full length of the ladder. Squares marked out with tape do the same job and cannot slip.
Stand just past one end of the ladder with your feet together, facing across it, so the ladder stretches away to one side of you.
Step the nearer foot sideways into the first square, then bring the other foot in to join it. Keep your toes and your body facing forward.
Carry on sideways into each square in turn, both feet in every square. Glance down to place each foot, then lift your eyes again.
At the far end, step out and pause. Come back the other way without turning around, so the other foot now leads.

What you should feel

Work at the side of both hips as you step out and bring your feet together, and small adjustments at your ankles each time a foot lands. It should stay slow and deliberate.

Common mistakes

Crossing one foot in front of the other, or clipping one foot with the other.
Letting your toes and body turn toward the way you are going.
Landing on a rung instead of in the middle of the square.
Speeding up before every step feels steady.

How often

A common starting point is 2 to 4 lengths of the ladder in each direction, once a day or on most days, at a slow, even pace. Your physio will adjust this.

Stop and check with your physio if

You feel dizzy, lightheaded, faint or sick, or the room seems to spin. Hold your support, sit down and get medical advice the same day before you practice again. If you faint, it does not settle within a few minutes of sitting still, your vision suddenly blurs or goes double, or you cannot stand or walk steadily, call emergency services.
A foot catches on a rung, or you tip sideways and need the counter to steady you. Rest, then go again more slowly.
Sharp or building pain in your hip, groin, knee or ankle.

From the clinic

In the video he steps barefoot, looking down at the ladder, with nothing beside him to hold. At home, run the ladder along a kitchen counter or a solid rail so one hand can reach it at every step, and clear the floor around it of rugs, cables and clutter. Wear flat shoes that fit well and grip the floor, not socks, tights or bare feet.

If you use a cane or walker day to day, ask your physio whether you are ready for a ladder drill. Had a fall in the past year, often feel unsteady, or take a medicine that can make you drowsy or dizzy? Keep a hand on the counter the whole way, practice only when another adult is at home, and ask your doctor or physio whether a falls check would help.

The voice guide says to turn around at the end. Follow the video instead: he steps back the other way still facing forward. That swaps the leading foot, and you never have to turn on a narrow base. The ladder step forward uses the same ladder while facing along it, and side stepping is the same sideways pattern without squares to aim for. The balance and falls prevention program shows where stepping drills like these fit.

A sudden loss of balance is different. Call emergency services straight away for any sign of a stroke, even if it goes away: sudden dizziness with unsteadiness or falling over, a face that droops on one side, an arm you cannot lift or keep up, slurred or muddled speech, weakness or numbness on one side of your body or face, sudden blurred vision, double vision or loss of sight, or a sudden severe headache.

If you have had a hip replacement or other hip surgery, get the go-ahead from your surgeon or physio before you try this exercise. Some operations limit this kind of work for the first months, so the timing depends on your surgery. After an operation through the side of the hip (a lateral approach), sideways stepping like this is often held back for around the first 6 weeks while the repaired muscles at the side of the hip heal.

Written and checked by the PocketPhysio editorial team. Last updated 2026-09-28.

This page is general education, not a diagnosis or a personal treatment plan. If you have pain, an injury or a health condition, see a physiotherapist or doctor before starting new exercises.

Ladder step sideways