On Monday, I gave you a list of the first 5 out of the top 10 speed training drills I think will help you run faster. Today, I'm going to give you the bottom 5. All of these are great drills that we utilize in our training facility in Colulmbus, Ohio. Without further ado, here we go:
6. Speed Sled – I just purchased one of these and am liking it more than my sprint cords. I can adjust the weight I put on in relation to the athlete using it. Thus some of my younger athletes can use it, with little added weight, but good enough for them, and they feel they are doing something cool. I have the athletes run 20 or 30 yards and watch their mechanics. As soon as the running mechanics start to breakdown, I take a little weight off and keep the athlete there for awhile. Great for developing speed and power.
7. A Skips – This is the ‘old reliable’ of the speed drills. One of the best drills to work on arm placement, opposite arm and foot movement, dorsiflexion, and skipping on the balls of the feet. These are short quick skips and I focus on keeping the arms in L shapes and making sure they are quickly skipping on the balls of the feet. I want their foot to pop off the ground in a dorsiflexed position (toes pulling towards the shins) and the upper thigh to get just about parallel. You can never do too much of these to work on running form.
8. Toy Soldiers – Another great drill to work on the lower body mechanics. I have my athletes put their arms straight out in front of them. They then swing one leg out in front just a little bit and paw the ground with the ball of their foot. After pawing the ground, the foot leaves the ground behind them shooting the heel straight up like it is kicking your own butt, then whipping the dorsiflexed foot in front of your body with thigh parallel to the ground. Place it down, step up to that foot, and proceed with the other leg. Great to work on that leg turnover.
9. Striders – I always want to maximize my athletes’ running stride. I want to make sure they are covering the most ground possible for their running form. I have them run 20-30 yards at 75% speed, with as long a stride as possible. This is almost like bounding, but really trying to maintain their running form, land on the balls of the feet, and get as long a stride possible.
10. Overspeed Runs – I like this drill for developing speed with my older or more mature athletes. I use a sprint cord, but you can use a small decline (like 10 degree angle). You just want to run 20-30 yards at a speed faster than what you normally can do whether it is on that decline or being pulled by a sprint cord. Once again, the key is running mechanics. Run as fast as you can, but if your mechanics are shotty, then you are being pulled too fast or the decline is too great and you’re not getting out of it what you really need.
There you have it. 10 great running drills that will make you a better runner. These drills cover everything: mechanics, power, speed development, and increasing stride length. If you want to improve your speed, than these drills will work. I have video of athletes getting faster, stride length improving, etc. You just have to put the time into it. I can’t overemphasize running mechanics enough though. Once your mechanics are picture perfect, then these drills will really help you out. Enjoy!
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