Every single one of these is scalable, too.
“My Top 10 Speed Drills (in no order):
Flat Ground Sprints
Hill Sprints
Resisted Sprints
Jump/Bound Variations
Squats
Deadlifts
RDL’s
Split Squats
Step-Ups
Rows/Pull Ups”
-Ray Zingler on Twitter
My Top 10 Speed Drills for youth athletes (in no specific order):
-Flat Ground Sprints – There is hardly a better drill than good ‘ol fashioned sprints. If you want to get better at the guitar, play the guitar, if you want to get better at sprinting, sprint.
-Hill Sprints – Hills are a low risk/high reward drill most importantly because they are safe due to their largely concentric nature. They are also a great way to increase resistance (by having to overcome the hill).
-Resisted Sprints – I’ve included resisted sprints on this list because, performed correctly, they are very high value. Using a sled can be very beneficial to athletes looking to improve their speed. Drag sleds and prowlers are great.
-Jump/Bound Variations – Do them all. Vertical, broad, box, plyos, lateral bounds, vertical bounds, skipping, hopping, you name it, all jumping/bounding is great. And remember, short ground contact times are king.
-Squats – I care very little about the variation, (do them all if you want), but I do care about making the leg/trunk muscles stronger, so they inherit the potential to produce more force. Don’t skip squats.
-Deadlifts – I love the trap bar, but you can use whichever you like. Like Squats, deadlifts are an exercise that can effectively increase global strength. I teach my athletes to PUSH their feet into the floor (apply force) and PULL with their arms, using their legs to ‘push’ the weight off the floor. The fastest sprinters ‘push’ the hardest.
-RDLs – RDL’s in my opinion are the posterior chain king. I love me some GHRs and Hypers, I do, but building a strong RDL and developing the hamstrings, glutes, and hips in the process will contribute to speed on the field.
-Split Squats – If you get strong on 2 legs what do you think happens if you get strong on 1? A lot of good. Single leg strength transfers.
-Step-Ups – Ditto to the above point. Load this exercise and drive that knee HARD.
-Rows/Pull Ups – “Huh?” Why are these on a sprint/speed drill list. It may be causation or correlation, there is room to debate, but the fastest sprinters have strong (and often peeled) upper backs. An argument can be made for increased arm swing speed, as well. Build the backside.
