Youth Speed Training
Acceleration
Athletes in any sport, need to be able to accelerate as quickly as possible to get to the ball or opponent first. As a coach you must be able to put your athletes in the best possible position to succeed. I’m sure you can tell stories of athletes that you’ve seen that haven’t mastered body control and haven’t even learned to skip correctly. Now, how are you supposed to teach these athletes proper sprinting mechanics?
Fake it until you make it!
This doesn’t mean just have your athletes run until they get it right, because they won’t get it right. You must teach them proper form even if you have to trick their bodies to get into it.
Partner Marching Drills
1) The first drill that needs to taught is the Partner Marching Drill
Have the two partners face each other. The first person leans in at a 45 degree angle, while their partner is holding them in this position. Have your first athlete bring their right knee up, keeping the ankle behind the knee and the toe up towards the shin. This is triple flexion on the front side, the position your athlete would be in during acceleration. On the support leg (left leg), have your athlete in triple extension. That left leg will be in a straight line with the hips, spine and head. The ankle will be plantar flexed (pointed) and make sure that your athletes left glute is firing. For now, both arms will be at the side.