Speed Training Exercises

Many sports have specific rules and skills which don't translate easily to other disciplines, but sheer athletic ability--speed and agility--is useful in all sports. Increasing foot speed with speed training exercises will help you gain an edge over your competition.

  1. Sprints

    • One way to increase foot speed is to train by repeatedly running short distances at top speed. Training the muscles to endure repeated sprinting will force them to adapt and become stronger. Try running distance of 40 to 50 meters 10 times in a row, with short breaks in between each run. Not only will this work the legs and promote leg strength, but allowing minimal recovery time will force your heart and lungs to work hard, increasing your cardiovascular fitness. Often called "wind sprints," this type of training is commonly employed by athletes in sports such as soccer, wrestling and basketball.

    Agility Drills

    • Agility is the ability to move the body around and change direction quickly. While not the same as raw foot speed, agility is an important type of speed which can have a large impact on performance in sport. One of the best ways to increase agility is to do drills that force you to move your body in different ways as quickly as possible. A typical agility drill is running through a series of tires or elevated ropes, which forces you to keep your knees up and aim your steps precisely.

      Another useful drill is hopping on one foot in a set pattern. Setting up an obstacle course is fun way to improve agility. Another common drill which combines foot speed and changing directions is the "killer." Killers are done by running back and forth down a court or field, going progressively farther reach time before changing directions and returning to your starting location.

    Weight Training

    • Weight training is an important part of speed training exercise. The more powerful your muscles are, the more explosively they will perform activities, resulting in greater speed. To increase foot speed, use a regimen of heavy leg lifting. Squats, hamstring curls and calf raises are effective leg-strengthening lifts. Aim to lift weight at about 70 to 90 percent of your maximum strength from two to 15 repetitions. Lifting at lower weight and higher repetitions will build muscle tone and endurance but will not build speed as effectively.

      Another useful way to weight train for speed is to employ circuit training. Similar to wind sprints, circuit training involves lifting as fast as possible on a certain exercise for a short period of time (usually 30 seconds to a minute), taking a short rest, then moving on to new exercise. This type of training makes the muscles used to working in spite of being short on oxygen, which can help you maintain speed and agility during competition despite fatigue.