MOVE LIKE AN ATHLETE
One of the foundational components almost every athlete need’s is speed. Unfortunately, most athletes learn the technical and tactical aspects of their sport, but never get enough time to learn and develop sport speed. Do you feel the need for speed? For the most part, every athlete would benefit from running faster. Today I wanted to share a few drills that can help you build better patterns for your linear speed.
Prior to any explosive training, you must make sure you’ve done a warm-up that will help prepare your body. In our warm-up series, we refer to this as a RAMP. I first heard of this term from coach Alwyn Cosgrove and it makes a lot of sense. You can check out a sample RAMP here.
Learning how to sprint properly takes time, but these drills will develop your posture and position so you can get the most out of your body. We refer to these drills as Acceleration Wall Drills.
ACCELERATION WALL DRILLS:
WALL POSTURE HOLD
· Lean into a wall at a 45 degree angle with your hands in front of your shoulders
· Stay on the ball of your foot with your back leg and bring the other knee in front of your hip
· Your front leg should create a “4” so the heel is pulled back towards the mid-line slightly
· Body tension is key here, so keep your core, lats and glutes tight
· Perform 2 sets x :30 seconds each side
LOAD AND LIFT
· Start in the same position as the Wall Posture Hold
· Then lower down into semi squat position while reaching your front leg behind your body
· Think about pressing through the heel
· Lower down slow and explode up
· Breath out as you drive your leg up to help brace your abs
· You should finish back in the Wall Posture Hold position
· Perform 2 sets x 8/8 reps each side
SINGLE LEG EXCHANGE
· Start in the same position as the Wall Posture Hold
· Remember to keep body tension in the core, lats and glutes
· Quickly exchange your legs, trying to keep your body still
· Breath out as you exchange legs to help brace your abs
· Perform 2 sets x 8/8 reps each side
If you’re interested in speed development, incorporate these exercises 2-3x/week. Stay tuned for more speed and power development drills next week on the PI Blog. Want to learn more? We’re here to help. We’re excited to announce PI’s NEW Remote Training Options. Check us out at www.pitraining.ca or reach out to us at info@pitraining.ca
