Speed Training Drills: Where to begin

• Tweet
• Sharebar

• Tweet

Welcome back to the discussion on how to speed train athletes with an eye on improving athletic performance.  In my previous entry, I broke down the variables of speed . . . from starting speed to acceleration to top speed.  The point was made that it doesn’t benefit team sport athletes to train for top speed since game conditions call for short bursts along with the ability to change direction.

So, today my agenda is to take acceleration concepts and put them into practice with speed training drills designed to increase starting speed and acceleration. 

First, let’s make sure we’re on the same page.  One saying I hate to hear is, “you can’t teach speed.” 

Not true.  Granted, athletes are born with a genetic ceiling, but it is our job to get them to that genetic ceiling by ensuring that they are efficient in their movements, so they can maximize the force production they are generating. 

Arm action should be a catalyst for leg action, not inhibit the athlete’s speed.  If you’re slow and sloppy up top, you’re more than likely gonna be show and sloppy down low.  I’m referring to those athletes who you see crossing their body with their arms or ”playing the drums” by swinging through the elbows instead of the shoulders.  Crossing in front causes rotation through the trunk and creates negative movement, slowing the athlete down stride by stride.  Meanwhile, swinging through the elbow instead of the shoulder compromises power production through the lower half by shortening the stride. 

Think about it.  The body coordinates itself through symmetrical movements in which the opposite shoulders and hips match up, just as the opposite elbows and knees match up.  So, a lack of flexion and extension through the shoulder is going to translate to the same deficiency for the opposite hip.  This is a recipe for poor power output. 

To correct this, I first have my athletes begin by performing a straight-arm swing in which all movement is taking place through the shoulder and not the elbow.  By grooving this movement pattern, athletes gradually adapt and swing far less through the elbow.  

Once the feeling of swinging through the shoulder is in place, I have the athlete gradually begin to flex at the elbows to resemble a normal angle.  Technically speaking, the elbow should be flexed at about 90 degrees on the forward swing and about 120 degrees on the backward swing.  With the elbow now in a generally fixed position, I take the athlete through tempo runs while only using the upper half.  

The tempos are . . . “walk” . . . “jog” . . . “sprint”

With each tempo change, the focus is on maintaining a stable trunk position and the same mechanics, while changing tempos.  The video below is the seated version of this drill only without the straight-arm action and tempo changes.  That being said, you can still see consistent and efficient movement . . .  

I cue my athletes, “cheek to pocket”, to get their forward swing hand to reach their face and backward swing hand to reach their hip.  Another cue I promote is driving the elbow “down and back”.  This will make more sense when I discuss leg action but, for now, understand that this coordinates more power production in the lower half if the athlete is in the correct posture position.

Speaking of posture position . . .

This is critical to the athlete’s starting speed and initial acceleration.  The first element of posture is making sure that the athlete isn’t in a crouched position.  Saying that an athlete needs to “get low” to accelerate is a relative statement.  Being low does mean that the athlete shouldn’t be standing straight up, for reasons I’ll discuss in the paragraph below, but it’s also very important that the athlete allows his hips to extend through a full range of motion to ensure max power output.  I cue my athletes to have their “hips tall”.  In other words, when viewing the athlete from the side you want to see a straight line through his head, shoulders, back, hips, knees, and ankles.  You DO NOT want to see his butt sticking out.  Power comes through extension and this positioning will not allow the athlete to fully extend the hips and recruit the highest levels of power.   

In my previous post, I described an appropriate shin angle of 45 degrees.  Let’s face it, to get forward you have to push back, right?  And, the more you can push back, the faster you’ll get forward.  So, with that in mind we have to make sure the athlete is in the correct position to push back.  

This is where I employ the wall progression drill.  I place my athletes in a position about 3-4 feet away from a wall and have them fall forward to the wall and catch themselves while maintaining the posture line in their body that I spoke about above.  This should create a 45 degree angle between the ground and shin.  If not, adjust the athletes distance from the wall.  Rep this several times before moving on to the next progression.

With the concept of a 45 degree shin angle in place, it’s time to incorporate the variables of triple extension and triple flexion.  There’s an inverse relationship in play between the athlete’s 2 legs.  While 1 is in flexion and storing energy, the other is in extension and releasing energy.  To apply this, have the athlete extend the hip, knee, and ankle of 1 leg, as he falls forward, while flexing those same 3 joints on the other leg.  On contact of the wall, you should witness an athlete with a straight posture line through his body, 1 leg fully extended through the 3 joints in contact with the ground, and the other leg fully flexed through the 3 joints elevated.

Speed Training Drills

The athlete would hold this position for a couple counts to feel triple extension and flexion and become mindful of the process that his body is going through.

The next step would be to start the athlete the same 3-4 feet away from the wall, only this time in a squatted stance and have him explode to the wall, instead of falling, and finish with the same positioning.  This is the first opportunity in this process for the athlete to generate force through extension. 

The final step in the wall progression is to have the athlete perform the above action but, this time, have him finish with a 2-4 step push.  It’s like running in place against a wall, but the 45 degree angle sets the athlete up to produce piston-like leg action (versus cycling as you would do at top speed) with a straight line of body posture and push back through the ground in the same footprints that he started with.  You should see triple extension and flexion being cycled through while the athlete maintains a consistent shin angle.

Here’s an example of an athlete performing piston leg action on the wall drill . . .

I use the acronym “A.P.L.” with my athletes to make sure they are always conscious of their Arm action, Posture, and Leg action early in the training process.  The idea is to rep these fundemantal speed training drills enough at the beginning so they become an automated part of the athlete’s movement patterns. 

Like I said, this is just the beginning.  It’s important to have good movement efficiency, but if you’re a “pretty runner” who can’t produce force, you’re going to have a hard time accelerating.  I’ll be following up soon with my training recipe for greater force production.  Until then, lay a foundation for your athletes by putting these beginner speed training drills into practice, and reap the rewards down the road.

Your Coach,

Brian Utley

	Sign up to become a VIP today.  Receive free coaching, cutting edge training content, and instant updates on weekly coaching lessons.  Plus, gain access to FREE video training on the secret to improving performance and decreasing injuries.
	Name: Email: