Speed Workouts And Cone Drills
Many athletes do not realize the intricate movements which come with quick change of direction movements. Athletes do not have time to fully stop and redirect their body. Therefore, it is very advantageous for athletes who wish to have a large amount of success to learn how to change directions without ever stopping. This can be learned by practicing speed workouts and cone drills which challenge athletes to redirect their momentum by using good footwork, body positioning, and technique and not ever allow their bodies velocity to completely stop.
Who Can Benefit From Speed Workouts And Cone Drills
Any athlete who must quickly change their momentum and direction they are moving in order to complete an offensive of defensive task which is pivotal to being successful in their sport needs to practice cone drills and speed workouts.
Cone drills differ Ladder Exercises of Sprint Training due to their rapid change of direction and mimicking of sports specific movements. A linebacker or defensive back who uses these cone drills will see improvements in covering receivers and tracking a ball carrier on a misdirection running play. Tennis players can greatly benefit from cone drills as a large portion of their competitive time is spent quickly shuffling their feet and sprinting to a different position on the tennis court. We see these same quick multi directional movements in sports such as lacrosse, soccer, and volleyball.
Kbands Box Turns | Football Workouts
The Kbands Box Turns is a great multi directional football workout which can help increase the agility and change of direction ability in linebackers, defensive backs, and some pass covering (and more athletic) defensive linemen. Athletes will learn the skills needed to successfully track and follow an opposing athlete through a variety of different directions.
To begin the football workout for speed athletes will need a set of Kbands Leg Resistance Bands, and 8 Speed and Agility Cones. Athletes will place the Speed and Agility Cones in 4 different lines. First, athletes will place a single Speed and Agility Cone as the starting point for the Kbands Box Turns. Next athletes will place a straight row of Speed and Agility Cones 20 yards away from the starting Speed and Agility Cone, cones should be 5 yards away from each other. 5 yards behind the outside Speed and Agility Cones, toward the starting Speed and Agility Cone, athletes will place 2 additional Speed and Agility Cones. The final two Speed and Agility Cones will be place 20 yards past the 3 cone line and will act as the finish line for the football cone drills. Once the entire Speed and Agility Cone set up is complete athletes should have 4 rows of Speed and Agility Cones which cover 40 yards.
Athletes and coaches can always adjust the length of the Kbands Box Turns Football Workout based on the skill level and age of the athletes completing the cone drills.
After all of the Speed and Agility Cones have been properly placed athletes will securely attach the Kbands Leg Resistance Bands above their knees and begin the Kbands Box Turns.
Athletes will begin at the starting Speed and Agility Cone and begin the football workout by powerfully sprinting to the middle Speed and Agility in the third row of cones. After reaching the Speed and Agility Cone athletes will shuffle to one of the outside Speed and Agility Cones of the second row. Once athletes reach the second row of Speed and Agility Cones they will turn and sprint around the opposite Speed and Agility Cone in this row, turn, and sprint through the final row of Speed and Agility Cones.
Athletes will perform a total of 8 resisted repetitions of the Kbands Box Turns, performing 4 resisted sets moving to each side of the second row of Speed and Agility Cones. After all resisted sets of the football workout for speed have been completed athletes will remove the Kbands Leg Resistance Bands and perform 4 unresisted rounds of the Kbands Box Turns, 2 unresisted sets on each side.
Speed Workouts Using Cone Drills
Athletes should pair the Kbands Box Turns with other speed workouts and football workouts that challenge multi directional movements with cone drills, sprint training with the Reactive Stretch Cord, and agility drills using the Speed and Agility Ladder.
However, athletes who wish to use the Kbands Box Turns and other speed workouts and cone drills to improve athleticism cannot just go through the motions of the different drills, Athletes must instead learn how each of the cone drills and speed workouts can benefit them and how they should be moving through each of the cone drills and speed workouts to achieve improved athleticism.
When working through the Kbands Box Turns it is important that athletes use great footwork, body positioning, and technique in order to see the full benefits of the football workout.
Athletes should begin the Kbands Box Turns by using good sprinting technique as soon as they accelerate from the first Speed and Agility Cone. This means athletes should be driving their knees, working off the balls of their feet, and keeping a low chest as they drive toward the third row of Speed and Agility Cones. As athletes reach their first change of direction point they will quickly begin to shuffle their feet to slow them down and make for a smooth change of direction into their shuffle. Athletes should begin this shuffle 2-4 yards before they reach the third row of Speed and Agility Cones. After athletes have shuffled to the second row of Speed and Agility Cones they will plant their outside foot, use a good dig phase and arm action to gain speed, gracefully sprint around the opposite Speed and Agility Cone in that row, and accelerate to the end of the Kbands Box Turns Football Workout.
During unresisted sets of the Kbands Box Turns or any other cone drills, or speed workouts, athletes should focus on directing their body in the direction they are moving and not allowing the resistance from the Kbands Leg Resistance Bands to alter their body movements during the Kbands football workout.