Speed Drill Techniques

Speed training is an important part of athletics, whether the sport is football, basketball, soccer or track. All team members must execute quickly and painlessly to perform the tasks that you, as their coach, assign them. According to the Sports Fitness Advisor, agility, which is the flexibility that allows the athlete to rapidly stop and shift gears should the situation require it, is paramount. Also, speed endurance is significant because players must endure long distances without resting. By using the following conditioning techniques you can place your athletes in the position to win games, keeping them healthy in the process.

  1. Warm Ups

    • Warm ups are essential to the speed drilling process. They condition the players' bodies for the rest of the game, meet or practice session, and protect them from injuries. As coach, your responsibility is to ensure that your athletes perform these exercises prior to every practice, scrimmage, game or meet. According to veteran coach Brian Mackenzie, the goal is to develop proper sprinting practices in your athletes, and to strengthen the muscles to guard against injuries.

    Leg Exercises

    • Two of the techniques associated with speed drilling involve the legs. The idea is to get the legs moving as rapidly as possible without causing injury. Your goal is to help your team members to gain strengthen their hips and legs. The two types of leg training are leg cycling and leg drives. The former entails having the players stand next to a wall or rail, supporting themselves. Have them brace their abdominal muscles, raising the thigh of one of the legs so that is level with the ground. Instruct them to keep the limb vertical, dorsiflexing the toes. Make sure they sweep their legs under their bodies, pulling the heel up towards the gluteus maximus muscles. They then should cycle their legs through the front of their bodies, pull up their toes, paralleling their upper thighs with the ground. Have the athletes repeat the act, for 10 to 20 minutes for each leg.

      The requirements for leg drives are similar. The aim is to develop the legs, but here you are also exercising the hips, which control the legs. As Mackenzie says, the purpose is to develop hip flexor speed. The athletes stand facing a wall with their hands at chest height. They position their feet so body is at a 45-degree angle to the wall and lift their heads. They are to bring one leg up, dorsiflexing their toes, keeping their lower leg vertical to the ground. (According to two-time Olympic coach Dr. Nicholas Romanov, dorsiflexion means moving the feet upward, using the shin muscles.) They drive their toes toward the ground, then pull their foot up, returning the leg to the starting position. Then repeat the exercise.

    Windsprints

    • The wind sprint training technique's purpose is to temporarily tire, or wind, the athlete in order to increase his long-term endurance. According to veteran fitness expert, author and television host Covert Bailey, wind sprints are intense instances of running. Most important, however, according to Bailey, is what happens when the exercise is over. After such a drill, instruct the participant to return to the speed he was running before you assigned him the task.

    Balance Exercises

    • This technique involves walking on both the heels and the balls of the feet. It also aids with balance, which in turn improves speed. The idea is to strengthen the lower leg muscles to reduce shin splints. Mackenzie recommends two repetitions for 10 to 20 meters. Have them walk on the balls of their feet. Instruct them to lift the free leg so that the thigh is parallel to the ground. Have them dorsiflex their toes, holding this position for a couple of seconds to develop and the balance they need. Assign them the same exercise exercising the heels rather than the ball of the foot.

    Skipping Exercises

    • Have your team members skip on the balls of their feet, lifting their free leg so that it is parallel with the ground, with the lower leg vertical, dorsiflexing their toes. Get them to practice this exercise clapping their toes.

      Assign them the skip claw version of this exercise, which consists of the athletes pulling their lower legs down, so that the toes claw the ground, pulling them forward. Get them to practice the skip-for-height exercise, which emphasizes the near-leg drive. In this exercise, the athletes skip, lifting their elbows to form a 90-degree angle.

    Side Strides

    • The objective of the side stride is to exercise the hips, increasing their flexibility and thus helping the athletes to better control the speed of their legs. To perform this exercise, have them jog sideways on the balls of their feet--the right leg across the front of the left leg, then the left leg across the back of the right leg. Switch their leg positions then repeat the sequence.

    Plyometrics

    • Another speed training technique involves plyometrics, which the American Sports Medicine Institute defines as a series of exercises whose purpose is to condition certain muscles of the body as quickly as possible. One of the exercises Mackenzie suggests is high jogging, which involves pushing off with the left foot, bringing the right one forward, then jogging fast in a short amount of time.

      Another plyometric drill involves jumping over hurdles with the athlete's feet together. The necessary balance to perform this exercise comes by the use of a double arm swing, according to Mackenzie. The athletes should land on their feet, then quickly spring up.