4. Push-Up Starts Drill
The above steps will ensure that you will be up to speed in as low a time as possible. The trick here is to lay low and not go to extremes.
With toes on your line, start on your stomach. Pay heed to your coach’s signals, and rise up to sprint position upon the word “up”. Next is the four pint stance when the coach tells you to put a leg forward. React at lightening pace upon the word “go” and sprint 20 yards.
There are other advanced options to choose from, like “mountain climbers start”, where you execute the mountain climber maneuver and the “explosive push up start”, where you sprint vigorously for 20 yards.
5. Sled Sprints
One of the best methods to develop speeds is by using the sled sprints. The trick is to start light, exerting about 10% of your squat max. It becomes a strength drill if you increase the weight too much. Sort and fast are the buzzwords here. Stay low and accelerate as you keep the force on the ground high. Max out for 10 yards by getting into a two or three point stance. Have four sets in the beginning and keep a rest interval of 30 seconds between the sets. Increase the sets to six and eventually eight as you move forward but keep the rest interval same. The training should continue for 4 weeks, post which you should increase the distance to 20 yards, with the exception of people under 15 years of age. They should contain with 10 yards. In the 20 yard sprints, the rest time between sets can be increased to 45 seconds and the number of sets can be decreased to 4. Gradually build up the sets as you progress forward.
6. High-Speed Treadmill Sprints
Your turnover rate has a great impact using this drill. Be warned though, that you need to be adept at getting on and off a treadmill that is moving at a fast pace. Moderate speed and 5-8 runs on the treadmill should be your warm up session. Increase your speed once you start feeling comfortable. The real session should start with you gripping the handlebars firmly and following the tread with one leg, and as you get familiar with the pattern, get on the treadmill, with your hands still on the handlebars. Go flat out for six seconds once you get the hang of the turnover speed and let go of the handlebars. When you are finally done, grip the handlebars firmly and let go of the treadmill, for a rest of 60 seconds. The exercise should contain 6-8 reps. The speed of your treadmill should be bumped up as your training progresses. Go for the incline if you have reached the pinnacle of treadmill speed. Here again, you need to start from the lower levels of speed, working your way up until you are comfortable.