Four Best Speed and Agility Drills

Here on the Kbands Training website, we offer a growing list of speed and agility drills in the form of video demonstrations and tutorials. These drills demonstrate the use of the Kbands resistance and suspension training equipment, and they also help athletes develop speed, strength, condition, and technique that can improve performance across a wide range of sports. Here are some of the best speed and agility drills that our viewers are responding to at the moment.

Best Speed and Agility Drills: The Kbands Wall Drill

This drill supports speed and agility development by building strength in the core and hip flexors. To complete the drill, each participant will need a set of Kbands resistance bands, which can be attached to the legs for the resistance portion of the drill. Athletes will also need a firm wall to lean against and a floor that isn’t too hard, since this drill involves a high level of impact.

At the starting signal, the athlete will lean against the wall at a 45 degree angle and begin running in place, driving the knees up against the resistance of the bands. This speed and agility drill will be conducted in intervals, not reps. So each athlete can drive the knees for 15 seconds at top speed, then take of the bands and complete 12 more seconds with no resistance in place. Complete this process five to six times, two to three times per week in order to build quickness and power on the field.

Best Speed and Agility Drills: 1-2-3 Reaction Pro

The next in this short list of the best speed and agility drills will be the 1-2-3 Reaction Pro. To execute this drill, teams will need Speed and Agility Ladder and a set of Kbands for every athlete. After the Kbands are strapped in place around the legs and the resistance bands are clipped to the straps, the athlete can start at the end of the ladder and begin with a quick, high-knee run down the rungs to the other end and back. Then the athlete can move own the ladder and back a second time using a lateral step and placing each foot in each square.

For the third step in this speed and agility drill, the athlete will stand to the side of the ladder and move back and forth across, planting both feet between each rung. At each rung, the athlete will end the step with one foot on the ground and the other raised and ready to land inside the ladder. The fourth step will involve wide hops, and each succeeding step will involve a complex combination of foot work that can help athletes develop agility and coordination as well as strength and speed. At each rep, or each move down the ladder and back, the feet should stay in rapid motion and the arms should stay bent at the elbow and fully engaged. The best speed and agility drills involve the entire body, including the back, arms and hips, legs and feet.

Best Speed and Agility Drills: Fast 40-Yard Dash

Some of the best speed and agility drills in the Kbands library of sport training videos involve straightforward, full speed runs with emphasis on technique during the line-up, the dig phase, and the sprint. This speed and agility drill is called the Fast 40-Yard Dash, and it can help athletes build the power and performance they need on the track and across the field.

Atheletes can observe the video carefully and listen for detailed pointers on body position at the starting line. As demonstrated, the athlete should plant one foot at the line, then place the other at a slight distance behind, even with the ankle bone. Then the first foot can be pulled back by one full step and the athlete and bend the knees and place the hands on the ground just over the line. As explained in the video, the first few steps of the run—called the dig phase—are critical to overall speed. At this point, the body is not yet fully upright, and hips and knees are driving forward. During the drill, the chin should stay down and the head forward during this phase. The body will be working against the resistance of the bands as the next few steps take the athlete into the full, straightforward, explosive stage of the sprint.

Best Speed and Agility Drills: The Kbands Progressive Sprinting Drill

This final quick summary of the best speed and agility drills will involve the Kbands Progressive Sprinting Drill. This drill can be adjusted to meet the needs of both beginning and advanced sprinters, and it will require only a set of Kbands Resistance Bands for each participant and a set of Speed and Agility Cones placed down the length of the field in pairs about ten yards apart. Athlete will begin this drill by taking a position at the starting line and breaking into a full sprint down the field. But at each rep, the focus and technique will vary and so will the starting position. Athletes will begin the first sprint in a standing position, the second with a quick in-place high-knee run, and the third in a 40-yard dash starting position with the hands placed on the ground.

At each successive starting signal, the athlete will execute the specific start, enter the dig phase, and complete the full run while coaches carefully observe technique during the dig phase and the full sprint. As with most of the best speed and agility drills, the first few reps will be executed with the Kbands in place, and the next round will involve removing the resistance from the legs and tapping into the brief neurological sensation of extreme lightness that occurs after the sprinting muscles have been fully activated. For more information on the use of the Kbands and all other Kbands resistance and suspension training equipment, and for more speed and agility drills similar to these, coaches and players can explore the resources available at KbandsTraining.com.