No matter what sport you play, agility and speed training will make a difference in your game.

Think about what makes a winning play… The answer is first step quickness or agility. Having the ability to quickly accelerate will always give you a one-up on the competition.

Agility and speed training go hand in hand if you’re trying to improve permanence in any sport. I’m just finishing up off-season training with my football guys and these 3 drills have been creating huge changes in their first step quickness or acceleration.

If you’re a football player check out these FOOTBALL DRILLS FOR AGILITY AND SPEED TRAINING

Each drill has a slightly different focus, that targets each particular motor pattern of acceleration. Let’s get into it.

  1. Half Kneeling Starts

Linear Speed Drills

This first drill works on powerful hip extension, which pushes the hips forwards. I usually start the athlete off with in their dominant stance, but you can definitely play around with starting off both feet.

One knee should start off on the ground as you power off into a quick acceleration. What this does, is sink the hips deeper towards the ground so you have to overcome a greater range of motion before your first step.

This means you’ll need to create even more force to start moving.

  1. Begin with the feet staggered, one in front and the rear knee down on the ground.
  2. The hands should begin in a “sprint position” with one hand by our face and the opposite by your hip.
  3. As you drive the back foot to step forward, simultaneously push the hips forward to work on extension.

2. Falling Starts

Falling Starts Speed and Agility

This next drills focuses on driving knee and flexing at the hips for a strong start.

  1. Start with your toes directly on the line.
  2. Keeping the body aligned as you start falling forward.
  3. At the last minute as you start reaching a positive angle, react and flex at the hip to go directly into that sprint.

3. Aggressive Crouch Start

Athlete Practices Start

Finally this last progression of drills focuses on projection. You’re taking these from a crouching start, which is how track athletes move forward out of the blocks during a sprint.

I changed this position up a bit by spreading out the hands and feet a bit more to create a more “aggressive” angle. This forces the athlete to have to cover more ground, and really explode in order to overcome the crouch start.

Not only are you applying force backwards, but you’re also quickly flexing the thigh to quickly gain ground.

  1. Begin with the feet staggered, one in front and one behind as in a traditional start, with both knees up.
  2. Both hands should be on the ground in front just outside of shoulder distance. Tent up onto the fingertips.
  3. As you drive the back foot to step forward, simultaneously swing the opposite arm back to build momentum.

Benefits of Agility and Speed Training

Each drill is meant to work in succession, on top of one another. Hip extension, hip flexion and projection are the three most important elements of agility and speed training.

As an athlete you know that speed is important, but your first step is everything.

Having that initial quickness to accelerate across the field, intercept a pass, or school a goal can make or break your performance this season. All these elements play into better agility and speed on the field, so it’s importantly to regularly include them in your training.

Or even better yet, dedicate this off season to agility and speed training.

Seamlessly add acceleration training into your current program using GAME SPEED AGILITY which focuses on 3 important elements in building agility:

  • Mechanics
  • Force Management
  • Cognitive Conditioning 

To succeed, you’ve got to do something different. Start today.

Click Here to Access Game Speed Agility Training Program


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