How to Increase Your Speed With These Speed Drills - Here are a few tips you to give you that competitive edge that speed brings no matter what sport you play.
How to Increase Your Speed With These Speed Drills
By Van Casey
Aug 23, 2010 - 10:44:43 AM
Here are a few tips you to give you that competitive edge that speed brings no matter what sport you play.
For a Winger in Rugby or in Football your pace as well as your agility
are two of your most valuable natural talents. The best wingers in the
world be it at club or international arena constantly work on keeping
their acceleration and speed up for as long as physically possible.
As a winger myself I have a number of drills I do by myself to help
maintain my speed . You are going to have to get a few things first
that you can easily obtain by doing a search on the internet or get
on eBay.
These are simply a weighted vest, ankle weights and a speed parachute pack.
Always remember a disciplined warm up before and warm down at the end of everydrill session is vital.
My First Drill: Ankle Weights Drill
I sprint the full length of the pitch with ankle weights on my ankle.
As a good starting block I would suggest you should try 5 sprints a day
with this exercise to get yourself used to it. Perhaps you can
start off with 60% pace for your first two sprints then gradually
up the pace to 75 then to 85 then sprinting at your full pace by your
5th sprint. Your rest periods should be the walk or preferably the
jog back to the starting line. You will notice you get fitter and
feel lighter when you run normally with no ankle weights. For the
weights I would suggest 2.5lbs should be fine to start off with and you
can gradually
make them heavieras you continue.
The Sessions for the 1st Drill Drill
3 sprints sessions per week will be ideal, sprinting with this
drill, doing this drill, abiding by this training every other day is
the ideal programme to enable you and your body to recover.
My 2nd Speed Drill: Weighted Vest Drill
This requires you doing the length of the pitch sprints with a
weighted vest on, this might be a bit taxing for some people so if
you do go with this drill I would advise you ask your general health
practiioner first that you are in the right shape to utilise this drill.
In any case it is not a rush to get as heavy as possible on. Rather it
is a steady consistent progression, start of gradually with 5kg in
the weights for say every other day of sprints. Then in the next week
increase the weights to 7kg and the week after 10kg.
The Sessions for the Weighted Vest Drill
Three sprint sessions a week will be ideal. For instance every
other day so if you start on Monday then next session should be on
Wednesday and the Third should be on Friday. This allows you with
24hours in between sessions to allow your body to rest. Just as with
the ankle weights drill you should allow yourself the rest in between
sprints to be the jog back or preferably the walk back to the starting
line this will improve your cardioand pace as you progress through
the drills and the weights.
My Third Drill: The Parachute Drill
This is a lighter version of the 2nd above; it involves you wearing
a parachute backpack on your back and doing sprints with it. I use
this drill as a warm down after the weighted vest drill. However this
drill can also be used on its own especially if you do not have a
weighted vest at first. The Sessions for the Weighted Vest Drill
As this drill is not as strenous I would say ideally ten sprints
every other day should be ideal. However rather than attempting them
10 at a go what you can do is break them into 5 sprints now then take a
break by jogging round the pitch at a slow pace and then do the next 5
straight away.
Final Thoughts
Self-Discipline, speed, confidence and fitness are all qualities
that show signs of improvement and develop train with drills and I
hope these drills help you to leave the competition behind as you zip
passed them.
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