Unique Drills (You Haven’t Tried) to Improve your SPEED..

Real Short post today!  Anyways, for all you speed freaks out there, this post is for you.

This is one of my favorite drills  to teach the athlete how to EXPLODE out of their stance, teach proper acceleration angles without having to confuse the athlete, and reinforces triple extension of the ankle, knee, and hip. You should perform these drills on grass (or sand, I’ve done this a few times) with a light med ball at first; for most, 8 lbs. does the trick. I like to start out my athletes with very low volume of throws, i.e. 2 sets of 6 throws done with maximal effort and complete recovery between throws. This allows them to execute the drill with confidence without wearing them down. **Quality over Quantity!!! In other words, err on the side of caution and start small, then work your way up in volume.  The keys to this drill are:

• Squat down and back.
• Hold MB at your chest; initiate movement from the legs first, then with EXPLOSIVE force, launch that ball outta there! Your body should leave the ground as your propel yourself with your legs from the starting position.
• Your body should ideally be in a 45 degree angle as the ball is released.
• As you catch yourself in the push up position, scramble out as quick as possible and accelerate for 10-15 meters/yards. Be very aggressive with your arm drive here.
• This is more of an advanced drill, so younger athletes (i.e. 10-14) that aren’t strong enough to do a couple push ups or squats should stick with the basics first. (These athletes in the video are all 18+ and are strong enough to perform this drill correctly).  I got this drill from Charlie Francis, in my opinion one of THE world’s foremost experts on training for SPEED. The guy is a genius!! Anyways, enjoy the short video clip below.

PS- This was the first time the athletes on this video had ever perform this drill, so although the technique may not be 100%, the principles remain in that you EXPLODE from your stance and you give it some effort. Nice work Alex, Julie, and Cara!

PPS- Leave me a comment below! Would love to hear your thoughts!

-John Cortese, YFS