Sample Speed & Agility Drills
For multi-sprint sports such as basketball, soccer and tennis absolute speed is not the most important factor. Speed off the mark, acceleration and agility are…
How often does a basketball player have to sprint over long distances (50 to 100meters) in a straight line?
The point to remember is that you don’t have to be blessed with the genetic makeup of a Carl Lewis to be quick in many sports. With a little training and practise you can run 5 yards while your opponent is still thinking about it.
If you’re a sprint athlete then absolute speed is a major determining factor of your success. Speed off the mark and acceleration are still key elements however.
General Guidelines For Speed And Agility Drills
Quality is the key for successful performance of these speed and agility drills. Keep the individual sprints short and rest completely between sets. Use these 6 pointers to optimize the training response:
1. Warm up thoroughly. Speed and agility drills may not leave you out of breath but they do put considerable strain on your musculature.
2. Speed and agility drills should be performed either on separate days to other training or at the start of a training session after the warm up.
3. You will gain most benefit from these speed and agility drills if you have previously developed a solid strength and power base.
4.. A typical session may consist of approximately 5 sets of 10 repetitions (each sprint being 1 repetition). Work to rest ratio should be 1:5 i.e. a 5 second sprint should be followed by a 25 second recovery period.
5. The number of sessions per week varies greatly. For most team sports speed and agility drills should be introduced late on in the pre-season phase. Two sessions a week is usually adequate. During the competitive season, one session per week may be enough. Sprint athletes may need as many as 3-5 sessions per week.
6. The speed and agility drills below are suitable for many sports. To make them more specific adapt them slightly to mirror the movement patterns in your game. You’ll find some examples below.
Choose 2 or 3 of the speed and agility drills below to make up the session, keeping to the recommended number of sets and repetitions.
Ready? “Marks” “Set” “Go!”…
