Improve Foot Speed With This Agility Drill

Ideally, the purpose of an agility drill should be to develop the athlete’s proficiency in as many of the following skill areas as possible:

• Acceleration
• Deceleration
• Change of Direction
• Reaction
• Foot Speed

Here are two of our student-athletes — both high school sophomore football players — demonstrating an agility cone drill, performed both laterally and linearly.

Lateral Shuffle Agility Cone Drill

Linear (forward/backward) Agility Cone Drill

The following coaching tips should be emphasized:

• Fast feet — short, quick steps — NO long strides
• Maintain arm action/pump — don’t leave them down at your sides
• Stay in a low, athletic stance
• Chin up, chest up; don’t look down at your feet

Your thoughts?

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Improve Foot Speed With This Agility Drill

Ideally, the purpose of an agility drill should be to develop the athlete’s proficiency in as many of the following skill areas as possible:

• Acceleration
• Deceleration
• Change of Direction
• Reaction
• Foot Speed

Here are two of our student-athletes — both high school sophomore football players — demonstrating an agility cone drill, performed both laterally and linearly.

Lateral Shuffle Agility Cone Drill

Linear (forward/backward) Agility Cone Drill

The following coaching tips should be emphasized:

• Fast feet — short, quick steps — NO long strides
• Maintain arm action/pump — don’t leave them down at your sides
• Stay in a low, athletic stance
• Chin up, chest up; don’t look down at your feet

Get STRONGER, Get FASTER!

Your thoughts?

Add Squats to Run Faster

At my facility, we encourage squats— and squat-type exercises — to improve sprint performance.  Research has also shown that squats can improve vertical jump and agility performance in athletes who perform the exercise regularly (athletes who swim, throw, and swing can also benefit from squats, which covers just about everyone).  Squats are a great choice to build the strength and power necessary to generate force against the ground, which is integral to speed, agility, and jump performance.

Recently, the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research further corroborated the relationship between squats and sprint speed.  In their study, researchers found that athletes who did squats increased their sprint speed by 10% compared with those who did not do the exercise.

In addition to the Barbell Back Squat (pictured), try these squat variations:

• Dumbbell Goblet Squat
• Split Squat
• Sumo Squat
• Front Squat
• Single-Leg Squat

Get STRONGER, Get FASTER!

Your thoughts?

Improve Foot Speed With This Agility Drill

Ideally, the purpose of an agility drill should be to develop the athlete’s proficiency in as many of the following skill areas as possible:

• Acceleration
• Deceleration
• Change of Direction
• Reaction
• Foot Speed

Here are two of our student-athletes — both high school sophomore football players — demonstrating an agility cone drill, performed both laterally and linearly.

Lateral Shuffle Agility Cone Drill

Linear (forward/backward) Agility Cone Drill

The following coaching tips should be emphasized:

• Fast feet — short, quick steps — NO long strides
• Maintain arm action/pump — don’t leave them down at your sides
• Stay in a low, athletic stance
• Chin up, chest up; don’t look down at your feet

Get STRONGER, Get FASTER!

Your thoughts?

Add Squats to Run Faster

At my facility, we encourage squats — and squat-type exercises — to improve sprint performance.  Research has also shown that squats can improve vertical jump and agility performance in athletes who perform the exercise regularly (athletes who swim, throw, and swing can also benefit from squats, which covers just about everyone).  Squats are a great choice to build the strength and power necessary to generate force against the ground, which is integral to speed, agility, and jump performance.

Recently, the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research further corroborated the relationship between squats and sprint speed.  In their study, researchers found that athletes who did squats increased their sprint speed by 10% compared with those who did not do the exercise.

In addition to the Barbell Back Squat (pictured), try these squat variations:

• Dumbbell Goblet Squat
• Split Squat
• Sumo Squat
• Front Squat
• Single-Leg Squat

Get STRONGER, Get FASTER!

Your thoughts?