Speed Training Made Easy

Too busy with work and other commitments to train with us at Soar?

Do you have to design speed and agility workouts for a youth team but not sure where to start?

Here is a simple guide you can use at anytime.


First of all, let's go over Speed Training 101.

1. True speed drills are 2 - 8 seconds in length with at least a 5:1 rest to work ratio. If the drill is 5 seconds long, your rest should be at least 25 seconds long....probably a little longer.

2. All drills must be performed at the highest intensity possible. Sprinting at 80% speed will get you 80% as fast as you are capable of getting. Train fast to be fast!

3. At least one full day of rest is necessary between speed training sessions. Nobody gets faster training every day.

4.KISS.....KEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID. Don't try to work on linear speed, lateral speed, reaction and conditioning at the same time. Focus on one aspect, maybe two per workout if you are on your own.


Now that we addressed that, lets set up the workout.

1. Full Dynamic Warmup. See my previous blogs for the Soar Warm Up. Just stretching and going for a jog will not cut it.








2. Perform some type of plyometric. Plyometrics excite the body's Central Nervous System and should have you prepared to run at high speeds. Box jump variations, box blasts and skips are a good place to start for any level of athlete. If you are training beginners, consult a proper plyometric progression. FYI - plyometric rules are different for big guys such as lineman.




3.High Speed Work. I usually alternate between linear speed days and lateral (change of direction) speed days. A good volume would be 2 - 4 sets of 3 - 6 reps.


Here is very simple linear workout.

10 yard sprints - 5 reps with 20 - 25 seconds rest between reps. Rest 2 minutes and repeat 1 - 3 more times. Maybe the following week, increase distance to 15yards in the last 2 sets.

Here is a very simple change of direction workout.

Shuffle 3 yards and back, 5 yards and back, then turn and sprint 10 yards up the line.

3 reps facing each way with 45seconds seconds rest between. After 6, rest 2 minutes. Repeat 1 - 2 more times. This drill can also be used to condition a group of athletes by keeping the rest periods to 20 - 30 seconds.


After the high speed work, you can add conditioning if it is necessary for you. This is where you might increase distance and decrease rest to a 2-3:1 ratio. If your drill takes 8 seconds long, keep the rest around 20 -25 seconds. Remember, if you play a multi-directional sport, you should condition in that manner with shuttles or other starting and stopping drills.

Speed training can go terribly wrong by just performing various drills around cones without any regard to rest, volume or intensity. Just because you did 30 sets of different cone drills does not mean you accomplished anything. I have said it many many times, LESS IS MORE and QUALITY OVER QUANTITY. This specifically applies to speed and agility training.