Max Velocity drill
Wicket Runs
Force front-side knee recovery and a tall sprint rhythm at close to top speed.
- Time
- 25 minutes
- Players
- 1 to 4 players
- Intensity
- High
- Equipment
- Hurdles, cones
- Space
- 35m straight line including build-up
- Positions
- All positions
Setup
Eight 6-inch mini-hurdles ('banana hurdles') set 1.8m apart in a straight line, with a cone 20m back from the first hurdle to mark your build-up start. The 6-inch barrier is the whole point of the drill - flat cones will not do the same job.
How to run it
- Build up smoothly over the 20m so you arrive at the first hurdle at about 90% of your top speed - do not attack the first hurdle.
- Run through the hurdles, not over them: your feet land in the gaps and strike the ground underneath your body while you stay tall with your eyes up and forward.
- Keep sprinting for 10-20m past the last hurdle holding exactly the same rhythm.
- Do 4 reps with 3-5 minutes rest.
- Do not look down at the hurdles - that single mistake ruins the drill.
Coaching cues
- High knee, high toe, big arms
- Run big and tall
- Eyes up - never look down at the hurdles
Common mistakes
- Looking down at the hurdles, which drops your head and kills your posture
- Going up on your toes to clear the hurdles instead of striking through the foot
Related drills
- A-MarchGroove the knee drive, foot strike and tall posture used at top speed.
- A-SkipAdd sprint rhythm to the A-march position so you arrive at training ready to run fast.
- Dribble SeriesTrain the stepping-over action and foot contact of upright sprinting with no equipment at all.
- Straight-Leg BoundsTeach the hamstrings and glutes to pull the ground underneath you at top speed.
- Flying 20Develop and hold genuine top-end speed, which is where line breaks are finished.
- Float RunLearn to run at 90-93% of top speed while relaxed, so you have a gear left late in games.