Speed and Agility Exercise Technique

Movement Video Series: Speed & Agility Exercise Techniques

Join EXOS Performance Specialist Julius Charles in these practical training sessions to work on your exercise technique. We will break down common speed and agility movements into digestible parts to help you upgrade your form, improve your skill, increase your power, and gain confidence in the gym and on the field.

Mountain Climbers

Challenge your speed and stamina with this full body exercise.

Cues:

Hands on the ground, in line with the shoulders.
Flat back ( Neutral spine)
Tuck the hips in.
Alternate each knee to your chest (run the knees)
Decrease the difficulty by placing your hands on a stable and elevated platform.

Try them for 30s of work and 15s of rest.

Ball Slams

Let's get creative with our home exercises. If you think you can't do ball slams at home because of you don't want to ruin your floors or disturb your neighbors, then use a pillow. No more excuses! You can work on metabolic conditioning and full body power with this exercise.

Stand tall, feet shoulder/hip width apart, pillow over your head.
Slam pillow down from over head into the ground between the legs. (Think about going through the ground)
Keep a neutral spine as you go down (Try not to round your back)
At the bottom, imagine being in a squat position: push the knees out and keep both entire feet on ground
Your arms should swing behind you at the end of the movement
After you slam the pillow, pick it up keeping the same neutral spine. And repeat.

Acceleration Movement Drills

Follow along with Coach Julius to learn simple cues and movement drills that will help you improve your ability to accelerate from a start position. All you need is 5-10 yards of sprinting space.

Cues:

45 degree body angle.
45 degree shin angle.
Ground contact. (Where you place your foot on the ground will dictate your shin angle. Make sure you step under your center of mass and push the ground behind you.)

Drills:

Falling starts - Fall into the 45 degree body angle, then sprint forward. This will also work on the core strength you need to keep you in that angle.
Push up starts - Rise into your 45 degree body ankle, then sprint. Shoot out low and gradually rise like an airplane.
Half kneeling starts - Focus on the shin angle and push the ground behind you to sprint forward.

Change of Direction Movement Drills

Follow along with Coach Julius to learn simple non-reaction drills that will help you improve your ability to stop quickly and change direction. All you need is 5-10 yards of movement space, and cones are optional.