3 BEST Acceleration Drills to Get Faster Instantly (Used by Elite Athletes)
If you want to get faster in football, baseball, basketball, soccer, or any sport that requires explosive movement, you need to train one thing first: acceleration.
A lot of athletes focus only on running fast once they’re already moving. But in sports, most plays happen in short bursts of 5 to 20 yards. That means the athlete who can explode first, create separation, and reach speed quickest usually wins.
That’s why smart coaches prioritize acceleration drills and improving athletes first step speed.
In this article, we’re breaking down three of the best acceleration drills used by elite athletes at our facility to improve first-step quickness, increase power output, and help athletes get faster instantly. Make sure to go read our article on how to develop acceleration!
What Is Acceleration?
Acceleration is your ability to increase speed rapidly from a dead stop or slow movement.
It’s how quickly you can go from zero to full speed. It’s also how fast and efficiently you can produce force in the right direction.
Think about it:
- A running back hitting the hole
- Wide receiver exploding off the line
- Baseball player stealing second
- Basketball player blowing by a defender
- Soccer player chasing a loose ball
None of these start at top speed. They start with acceleration.
If top speed is your max horsepower, acceleration is how fast you can reach it. It’s which car can explode off the starting line fastest one you slam on the gas pedal.
Why Acceleration Matters for Athletes
Here’s the truth: many athletes are “fast” in open space, but struggle getting there.
They may run a solid 40-yard dash time, but they lose every first step battle. They can move once they get upright, but can’t explode out of cuts, starts, or reactive situations.
That’s a problem.
Because in sports, you rarely get 40 yards to build speed. You need speed right away.
Training acceleration improves:
- First-step quickness
- Explosive starts
- Change of direction carryover
- Separation from defenders
- Closing speed on defense
- Overall game speed
If you want to look faster in your sport and beat your opponents in those short spaces, start with acceleration drills.
1. Half Kneeling Starts
One of our all-time favorite drills for athletes learning proper acceleration mechanics.
The half kneeling start puts the athlete in a staggered position with one knee down and one foot forward. From there, they explode out into a sprint. The key is for the athlete to load that front leg and angle that shin forward in the direction they want to accelerate.
Why It Works
This drill forces the athlete to:
- Produce full extension through the hip, knee, and ankle
- Drive aggressively out of the stance
- Create powerful knee punch for frontside mechanics
- Learn to project the body forward
Many athletes pop straight up when sprinting. That kills acceleration. The half kneeling start teaches them to stay low, push hard, and drive out correctly.
Coaching Cues
- Load the front leg
- Drive through the ground violently
- Punch the back knee forward
- Keep chest angled forward
- Explode for 5 to 10 yards
Sets & Reps
3 to 5 sets of 10 to 20 yards on each leg with full recovery.
This is a quality drill. Focus on intent and mechanics.
2. Resisted Sprints (2-Point Start)
If you want immediate carryover to acceleration, resisted sprints are money.
Use a partner band resistance setup or a tool like the Run Rocket. Start in a 2-point stance, then drive into a sprint while resistance pulls backward.
Why It Works
Resisted sprinting teaches athletes to apply force in the right direction.
Instead of bouncing vertically, the athlete learns to:
- Maintain proper forward lean
- Attack backward into the ground
- Increase stride power
- Produce horizontal force
That’s exactly what acceleration requires.
When done right, resisted sprints help athletes feel what aggressive acceleration mechanics should look like.
Coaching Cues
- Start in 2 point stance, chest over the toes and full hinge at the hips
- Punch back into the ground
- Violent arm action
- Stay low early
- Drive for first 10 yards
Sets & Reps
4 to 6 reps of 10 to 15 yards with full recovery.
Keep resistance challenging, but not so heavy that mechanics break down.
3. Heavy Sled Marches
This is one of the most underrated acceleration drills for developing force production.
Load a sled heavy enough that the athlete must fight to move it while maintaining posture. Then perform aggressive marching steps forward.
Why It Works
Heavy sled marches overload the exact qualities needed for acceleration.
The heavy load forces the athlete into a natural acceleration angle while demanding strong pushes into the ground.
This builds:
- Horizontal force output
- Leg drive strength
- Core stiffness
- Sprint posture awareness
- Powerful ground contact mechanics
For athletes who struggle to stay low and push, this drill is elite.
Coaching Cues
- Strong forward body angle
- Drive knee up each step
- Push ground back hard
- Stay rigid through trunk
- Aggressive, powerful marches
Sets & Reps
3 to 5 sets of 10 to 20 yards.
Focus on quality movement, not rushing. It’s not a sprint.
How to Use These Acceleration Drills
To maximize results, place these drills early in your workout when fresh so you can perform high quality reps.
Make sure you’re doing a dynamic warm up, prepping the lower limbs with plyometrics, and then performing some of these drills to finish your speed and acceleration session before you hit strength.
Train acceleration 2 times per week consistently and watch your speed change fast.
Final Thoughts
Too many athletes think speed is only about top-end sprinting.
But the truth is, many athletes are already capable of moving fast once they get there. Their real problem is they can’t accelerate efficiently enough to access that speed.
That’s where games are won.
The athlete who reaches speed first looks faster, plays faster, and dominates more often.
If you improve acceleration, you improve your real-world speed.
Start using these three acceleration drills consistently and you’ll notice the difference in your first step, explosiveness, and overall athletic performance.
Want to Get Faster for Real?
If you’re serious about building elite speed, explosiveness, and game-changing acceleration, check out our Athletic Speed System.
Inside, we show athletes exactly how to develop first-step quickness, sprint mechanics, power, and true field speed.
Click the image below and start becoming the fastest version of yourself today.
