Speed and agility are essential attributes for athletes in many sports. Football running backs, for example, must have speed to outrun defenders pursuing them from behind and agility to elude defenders in front of them. Similarly, softball players must have speed to run safely around the bases and agility to field fly balls and ground balls. Improving your speed and agility involves training your whole body, but your legs most importantly, because they contain the primary muscles that facilitate acceleration, maintaining top speed, deceleration and changing directions. Follow a well-designed program that incorporates full-body strength and power training along with sport-specific speed and agility drills.
Speed Training
Step 1
Run three sprints of 30 yards, 60 yards and 100 yards with about five minutes of rest between each. Have a partner time each sprint with a stopwatch. Record your times so you can measure your progress by retesting periodically throughout your training program.
Step 2
Practice sprint mechanics, or technique, daily. Use video analysis to make sure your head remains steady; your body leans forward at first and becomes more upright as you approach maximum speed; your knees move to waist-height and you land on the ball of your foot for each stride; and your arms remain flexed to 90 degrees and relaxed as they swing. Perform drills to correct any mechanical flaws you see.
Step 3
Perform general strength and power resistance exercises two to three times each week. Include exercises such as deadlifts, power cleans and squats. Complete two to three sets of six to 12 reps for each exercise. Start with low weight and high reps, and then gradually increase the weight and decrease the reps over several weeks and months.
Step 4
Run four to six 30-yard sprints, three to five 60-yard sprints, and two to four 100-yard sprints while wearing a weighed vest to strengthen your leg muscles specifically for sprinting. Do these two times each week on days you do not perform general strength and power exercises.
Step 5
Practice sprinting without resistance three times each week on days you do not perform general strength and power exercises. If you sprint on the same day as weighted vest sprints, do the weighted vest sprints first and allow yourself at least 10 minutes rest between exercises. Perform eight to 10 30-yard sprints, six to eight 60-yard sprints and four to six 100-yard sprints during each session.
Agility Training
Step 1
Perform the 20-yard shuttle drill to test your agility. Place three cones in a line on the floor with 5 yards between them. Sprint 5 yards to your right from the middle and touch the top of the cone; sprint 10 yards to your left and touch the top of the cone; and finally sprint back through the middle cone. Have a partner time three trials with a stopwatch and record the average of the three times.
Step 2
Run short sprints two or three times each week for which you have to start, stop and change directions quickly. For example, sprint back and forth between two lines 5 to 10 yards apart or zigzag between cones set 5 yards apart.
Step 3
Perform footwork drills through an agility ladder as an alternative to agility sprint drills. Run through the ladder as quickly as possible, hop sideways through the ladder, or hop alternately inside and outside the ladder. Create other footwork drills using the ladder to improve your agility and quickness.
Tips and Warnings
- Adequately warm up before and cool down after each speed and agility training session. Adjust the intensity, reps and/or sets of the exercises as desired.
- Agility drills, sprinting and weightlifting are high-intensity exercises, which put you at risk for injury. Consult with your doctor if you think you may have injured yourself while training.
Things You'll Need
- Stopwatch
- Video analysis equipment
- Weight training equipment
- Weighted vest
- Cones
- Agility ladder
References
- "Training for Speed, Agility, and Quickness Second Edition)"; Lee E. Brown and Vance A. Ferrigno; 2005
- "Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise"; Progression Models in Resistance Training for Healthy Adults; American College of Sports Medicine; 2009
- "Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning (Second Edition)"; Thomas R. Baechle and Roger W. Earle; 2000
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