There are hundreds and hundreds of different acceleration drills you could choose from to improve starting and acceleration quickness, but I have one that creates great results…
Acceleration Drill – Band Resisted 3 Cone Read & React:
- Each athlete has a band around their waist, with the appropriate resistance for each.
- Place 3 cones 4-5 yards in front of the athletes, and place them 2-3 yards apart.
- The cones are numbered 1 through 3 or are different in color.
- The instructor yells out a number, and the athletes must explode to that cone and tap it.
- The athlete then shuffles back, always facing the middle (in other words, they never turn their back to the cones).
- Each time the athletes start or return, they are to take a split step (squared-up athletic stance). The split step is a very common movement pattern in sports.
Here is How it Looks…
This drill teaches the athletes to accelerate on angles as well as forward. The band enforces a forward lean. Plus, the band increases force production during the down-and-back push-off.
This drill, along with many other sports performance drills, improves acceleration skills and the components that underlie good acceleration in multi-directional sports.
A typical workout for more advanced athletes would consist of 4-5 sets of 10-12 seconds and 45-90 second recovery. I don’t have the time in a typical training session to allow for longer, more appropriate rest periods, but it is enough for them to still put forth full effort.