Lateral Shuffle Hand Tap
Quick Intro
Lateral Shuffle Hand Tap starts from the lateral shuffle, a defensive side-step drill where you stay low in an athletic stance and step quickly side to side without crossing your feet. You shuffle toward each other, tap hands in the middle and shuffle back out to your starting distance. The outer hips, glutes, inner thighs and calves carry the work for both of you equally, so the drill is the same on each side.
Stance, foot speed and ways to progress the shuffle are written up at Lateral Shuffle.
What You’ll Need
A clear stretch of floor wide enough for both of you to shuffle in and out, with shoes that grip. Avoid slippery surfaces, since the drill is all quick sideways pushes.
How to Do It Together
- Line up. Stand a moderate distance apart on the same line, each in an athletic stance, positioned so that shuffling sideways brings you toward your partner.
- Shuffle in. Move toward the middle with quick, low side steps and meet to tap hands.
- Shuffle out. Move back to your starting distance, then shuffle in again for the next tap.
- Keep going. Continue for the set duration.
Breathe steadily. This builds pace quickly, so keep your breath controlled.
Meeting at a Moving Point
When you both move toward the middle, your closing speed is the sum of both of your paces. A tap that looks easy at walking speed becomes a near collision at a hard shuffle, because neither of you can stop instantly from a low, sideways run. That is the main thing to manage here, and the fix is simple: slow the last step before the tap, and tap with your hands only, never with your bodies.
Set your starting distance with that in mind. Begin far enough apart that you each have several shuffles to reach tap range, which gives you time to adjust your speed on approach, and close enough that you aren’t covering ground just to cover it. Agree on a comfortable tap height beforehand, keep the palms open, then separate. The tap is a rhythm marker, and it should land at the end of a controlled approach.
Staying low matters for the drill and for the tap. Standing up between shuffles reduces the training value of the exercise, and a tall partner arriving at a tap is harder to judge than a low one. Keep your knees bent and your hips down, and keep your feet from crossing, since crossing steps mid-shuffle is the quickest way to catch a foot.
Pace is personal. You shuffle at whatever speed you can sustain, and because you are both moving toward the same middle point, the meeting point simply shifts toward whichever of you is slower. Nobody needs to match a number. If one of you notices the other is accelerating, slow down together so the tap stays a tap.
This is not a race to the middle. Some couples find themselves competing to reach the tap first, and that tends to push both of you faster than you can control. If it turns into a race, agree to slow the approach until the two of you arrive together.
The tap itself is light and quick, a shared checkpoint repeated many times, which suits the drill’s short bursts of effort. It is also an energetic drill, so pick it for a day when you want movement more than stillness.
If You’re at Different Fitness Levels
A shorter distance and a slower pace suit a couple who are both newer to the shuffle, with the hand tap unchanged. If one of you is fitter, each of you shuffles at your own sustainable pace, and the meeting point adjusts on its own, since you are both heading to the same middle spot. The fitter partner can add depth to their stance without changing the tap.
Safety and Consent
Keep your feet from crossing during the shuffle. Watch your footing on the approach so you do not collide at the meeting point, and slow down before the tap instead of arriving at speed. Stop if your ankles or knees complain.
Every connection moment in these exercises is something either partner can skip or scale back at any point, including this one, no explanation needed. If you’d like to move without meeting, shuffle the same lane next to each other with no tap.
FAQ
How far apart should we start? Far enough that it takes several shuffles each to reach tap range. That gives you time to slow before you meet.
Where do we tap? At a height you agree on beforehand, with open palms and hands only. Avoid any body contact.
What if one of us is faster? Each shuffles at their own pace. The meeting point drifts toward the slower partner.
How do we avoid colliding? Slow the last step before the tap and agree your distance beforehand. Stay low, and keep your feet apart.
Is this a race to the middle? No. If it starts to feel like one, slow down together so you arrive at the tap at the same moment.
Can I do lateral shuffles by myself? Yes. Lateral Shuffle covers the solo drill.
Built on Lateral Shuffle. Mountain Climber Hand Tap uses a similar light tap inside a different exercise.