Front Cone Hops (or hurdle hops)
Front cone hops send you forward, two feet at a time, over a short line of cones or low hurdles set a stride apart. Each hop asks the quads, glutes, hamstrings, and calves to fire fast and repeatedly, while the abductors and adductors keep the knees stable on every landing. It's a rhythm drill as much as a strength drill, training how quickly your legs can produce force over and over. It suits anyone comfortable with basic jumping who wants to build springy, repeatable power for sports or general conditioning.
Why it works
Unlike a single maximal jump, cone hops chain several jumps together with almost no rest between them, so the legs have to reload and fire again before they've fully recovered. That repeated, fast stretch-and-release of the quads and calves trains the stretch reflex, the reason a bent knee that's already loaded can spring back up faster than one starting from a dead stop. The abductors and adductors get real work too, since every landing has to correct for any sideways drift before the next hop. Training this quality carries over to sprinting, cutting, and any sport where the ground contact time is short.
Set up
- Set 4 to 6 low cones or hurdles in a straight line, spaced about one comfortable stride apart.
- Start standing just behind the first cone, feet hip-width apart.
- Warm up with a few practice hops over a single cone before starting the full line.
How to do it
- Bend your knees slightly and swing your arms back to load the hop.
- Hop forward over the first cone with both feet together.
- Land softly on the balls of your feet, knees bent, right past the cone.
- Immediately hop forward again over the next cone with minimal ground contact time.
- Repeat down the full line of cones without stopping between hops.
- Walk back to the start and rest before the next set.
Form cues
- Spend as little time on the ground as possible between hops.
- Keep the hops small and quick, not tall and slow.
- Land under your hips, not out in front of them.
- Chest up, eyes forward down the line.
Breathing: Breathe in a quick rhythm that matches the hops, exhale sharply on each landing.
Common mistakes
Pausing and resetting between every cone.
Fix: Keep ground contact short; the whole point is quick, repeated hops, not a series of separate standing jumps.
Jumping for height instead of distance.
Fix: Aim to clear each cone by a small margin and move forward, not to see how high you can jump; height wastes energy you need for the next hop.
Letting the knees cave inward on landing.
Fix: Keep the knees tracking over the toes on every hop; if they start caving in, stop the set and rest.
Setting the cones too far apart for your current speed.
Fix: Space cones closer together until the rhythm feels smooth, then widen the gaps as your coordination improves.
How to program it
- Keep each set short, one pass down a line of 4 to 6 cones, then rest a full minute or two before the next.
- This is a skill and power drill, so schedule it early in a session, right after the warm-up, while your legs and focus are fresh.
- Once or twice a week is enough to build the pattern; the quality of ground contact time matters far more than total volume.
- Progress by shortening the spacing between cones or adding a cone rather than by doing endless sets.
Safety notes
- Hop on a flat, even surface with good grip; loose gravel or a slick floor turns a coordination drill into a rolled ankle.
- Stop the set the moment your landings start feeling heavy or your knees drift inward; fatigue is when form breaks down here.
Exercise profile
- Force
- Push
- Mechanics
- Compound
- Category
- plyometrics
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between cone hops and hurdle hops?
Cones are usually lower and easier to clear, while hurdles add a bit of height and force a slightly higher knee lift. Start with cones and move to low hurdles once your rhythm and landings feel solid.
How many cone hops should I do?
One pass over a line of 4 to 6 cones counts as a set. Two to four sets with full rest between them is plenty for most people.
Do I need real hurdles for this exercise?
No, anything low and safe to hop over works, cones, small boxes, or a rolled-up towel on the floor.
Why do my shins hurt after cone hops?
Shin soreness usually means too much volume too soon on a hard surface. Cut the number of sets, land softer, and make sure you're hopping on a surface with some give.