These Sprint Drills Will Transform Your Speed!

I also created a youtube video to demonstrate each drill CLICK HERE TO WATCH

Get your free drills cheat sheet here CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD

Look, I get it. You’ve been doing the same sprint drills everyone else does. High knees, butt kicks, leg swings – the usual suspects. But what if I told you there’s a whole dimension of speed training you’re missing? What if the secret isn’t about running more miles or lifting heavier weights, but about fixing how your body actually moves?
After years of coaching sprinters, hurdlers, and jumpers, I’ve discovered that raw power means nothing without efficiency. You can squat 400 pounds, but if your body can’t coordinate that strength into smooth, elastic movement, you’re leaving seconds on the track. These five drills will change how you think about speed training forever.

1. Ankling: The Foundation of Elite Ground Contact

Most people think ankling is just some boring warm-up drill. They’re dead wrong. This rhythmic, elastic movement is one of the strongest predictors of efficiency in upright sprinting. Elite sprinters share one crucial trait: they spend minimal time on the ground with each step – we’re talking 0.09 seconds per contact. Ankling teaches your body exactly this skill.
Start tall on the balls of your feet. Take quick, short steps forward, striking the ground directly under your hips with minimal heel contact. Keep that upright posture locked in. I had a quarter-miler who was over-striding terribly, and after just three weeks of focused ankling work, his turnover became silky smooth. The drill literally taught him where and how to contact the ground without me having to give him a single technical cue.

2. Single Leg Bounds: Building Unilateral Power

Here’s a fun fact that’ll blow your mind: sprinting is essentially a series of one-legged bounds. Yet most training programs focus on bilateral movements. Single leg bounds fix this gap by developing unilateral strength, coordination, and that crucial ground contact efficiency.
Stand on one foot with your knee slightly bent, core engaged, arms at your sides. Lift your non-working leg off the ground and explosively push through your forefoot, propelling yourself upward and forward. Land softly on the same foot, immediately loading and pushing off for the next bound. The key is maintaining that rhythmic bouncing motion with minimal ground contact time.
I remember working with a long jumper who couldn’t hit the takeoff board consistently. After implementing single leg bounds into his routine, his rhythm improved dramatically. Within weeks, he was hitting the board with laser precision because his body had learned to coordinate that single-leg force production.

3. Lateral Pogo Hops: The Missing Piece

Most sprint drills are linear, but sprinting isn’t just forward movement. Every foot strike includes lateral components that most athletes never train. Lateral pogo hops strengthen ankle and foot control in the frontal plane, improving joint stability and stiffness that translates directly to better sprint performance.
Stand with feet hip-width apart, knees slightly bent, torso upright. Push off with both feet simultaneously, jumping slightly upward while moving laterally. Keep your feet close together and legs relatively straight during the brief airtime. Upon landing, rebound quickly without pausing, pushing off again in the same direction.
This drill builds the lateral stability that prevents energy leaks during high-speed sprinting. When your foot hits the ground, it needs to be rock-solid in all directions, not just forward and back.

4. Karaoke: Unlocking Rotational Power

If lateral pogo hops unlock the lateral components of sprinting, karaoke unlocks the rotational elements. Your hip is a ball-and-socket joint with multiple degrees of freedom. It doesn’t just move forward and back – it rotates as you run. Same with your knee and ankle joints.
Stand sideways to your direction of travel, feet shoulder-width apart. Keep your torso square and perpendicular to your travel direction, hands raised to shoulder height. Step laterally with your lead leg, then bring your trail leg behind your body and across your lead leg. Step laterally again, then drive your trail leg high and across in front of your body.
This criss-cross pattern teaches your body the rotational coordination that allows for elastic recoil in the muscles – crucial for high-speed sprinting. Remember, sprinting isn’t about pushing longer; it’s about bouncing faster off the ground.

5. Power Skips: Tying It All Together

The power skip is an amplified version of the classic A-skip that emphasizes vertical force production and explosive thigh switching. This drill reinforces proper sprinting mechanics while building the vertical force and posture control that separates good sprinters from great ones.
Start tall with feet hip-width apart, arms at 90 degrees. Drive one knee toward your chest while pushing off with the opposite foot, trying to get maximum height. Bring your thigh parallel to the ground, then actively drive the raised leg down and back, striking with the ball of your foot directly under your hip. Land with quick, elastic ground contact as the opposite leg begins driving upward.
This isn’t just another warm-up drill you mindlessly go through. It teaches vertical force application while maintaining perfect posture – two non-negotiables for elite sprinting.

Putting It All Together

These drills work best when paired strategically. Try this weekly rotation: Monday pair ankling with power skips for posture and elasticity work. Wednesday combine karaoke with lateral pogo hops for rhythm and mobility. Friday match single leg bounds with ankling for force production and coordination.
The magic happens when you understand that speed isn’t just about getting stronger – it’s about getting smoother, more coordinated, and more efficient. These five drills will unlock movement patterns you never knew you were missing.
Your body is capable of moving faster than you think. You just need to teach it how.

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I also created a youtube video to demonstrate each drill CLICK HERE TO WATCH

Get your free drills cheat sheet here CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD