Acceleration drill
Wall Drill Acceleration
Build the straight-line body position and knee drive used in the first steps of a sprint.
- Time
- 8 minutes
- Players
- 1 to 2 players
- Intensity
- Low
- Equipment
- None
- Positions
- All positions
Setup
A solid wall, fence or goal post on flat ground. Stand facing it with your hands on it at chest height, then walk your feet back until your body makes one straight line from ankle to head at roughly 45 degrees.
How to run it
- Press your hands into the wall and hold that straight line - ankle, hip, shoulder, head - with your weight through the middle of your feet.
- Drive one knee up until your thigh is level with the ground and your toes are pulled up towards your shin, hold for two seconds, then put it down under control.
- Swap legs and repeat, and once that feels solid progress to two or three fast leg switches before holding again.
- Do 5 reps each leg, rest 1-2 minutes, and repeat for 2 sets.
- This is a technical drill, not a hard one - chase perfect positions, not speed.
Coaching cues
- Toe up, knee up, back flat
- Push the ground away
- One long line from ankle to head
Common mistakes
- Hips sagging so the body bends in the middle
- Landing on the toes or heels instead of the middle of the foot
Related drills
- Falling StartTeach the forward body lean that lets you accelerate without wasting a step.
- Two-Point StartSharpen the standing sprint start used off the mark by backs and outside runners.
- Three-Point StartDevelop the low, powerful start position that suits forwards driving off the mark.
- Half-Kneeling StartTrain the shin and chest angles that stop you standing upright on the first step.
- Push-Up StartTrain getting up and accelerating from the ground, like reloading after a tackle or a clear-out.
- Walk-In AccelerationBuild sprint volume with less strain by accelerating out of movement instead of from a dead stop.