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The neck will almost certainly be mentioned in any discussion or article spotlighting areas of the body which are underutilised (or omitted completely) in conventional strength training for athletes. A ‘shoulders down’ approach underpins most programmes, and while there is discourse about this omission, it has yet to result in consistent, confident, and rounded periodisation of neck training. This is not to underplay the value of work in this area, with multiple posts on this website providing valuable practical insight into approaches being used by strength coaches. My purpose, rather, is to highlight a lack of consensus or sustained longitudinal approach.

This absence is despite the benefits of neck training tending to be generally accepted. It appears likely that neck strength, endurance, and anticipation can be trained using simple methods, such as banded or harness isometrics (Hrysomallis 2016). Naish et al. (2013) demonstrated a reduction in neck injuries following the introduction of neck strength in juvenile rugby players, while greater neck strength was shown to be effective by Collins et al. (2014) in reducing concussion. Given the potential complications of injuries to the neck, and from concussion, any modifiable risk factor is potentially a crucial opportunity to protect athletes.

In addition, it seems likely that technical coaching of sports-related tasks like heading in soccer or tackling in American football, rugby, or Australian Rules (particularly relating to tackle height and head position) may provide athletes an alternative technique for absorbing energy through the neck and shoulders, which could reduce upper quadrant injuries and concussion.

Challenges in Neck Rehabilitation

The net result of the ongoing discussion is a general acceptance across sport that neck strengthening should have a role and would be a worthwhile pursuit. Unlike other areas of strength training, however, principles of this training have not yet been fully explored. In addition, this knowledge gap is heightened following injury, where restrictions may be placed on the athlete and precision is required to avoid worsening an injury. While injuries to other body parts follow established guidelines—particularly in terms of progression and criteria-based rehabilitation to guide exercise selection and clearance for return to play—these simply do not yet exist for the neck.

Sports rehabilitation often relies on established strength and conditioning practices to dictate reconditioning periodisation, but in the absence of clear pathways, considerations for exercise selection for the neck tend to be narrow and general. In many cases, the only strategy utilised are low load, control exercises for the deep neck flexors—perhaps using a band, or perhaps not. This leaves a vast, unexplored chasm to bridge the gap between such exercises and the chaotic demands placed upon the neck in sports performance.

While injuries to other body parts follow established guidelines, these simply do not yet exist for the neck, says @fearghalkerin. Share on X

Testing the strength of the neck muscles is useful as a tool in attempting to predict, prevent, and rehabilitate injuries, allowing this previously unknown variable to be quantified. However, the modality commonly used is an isometric test from a neutral position. Such testing—though clearly worthwhile—only provides clues as to a single component of neck function. This omits a variety of contraction types and positions, as well as the challenges posed by the randomness of sport-specific positions. Relying entirely on this data for neck rehabilitation would be comparable to only using isokinetic knee extensor torque in knee rehabilitation in order to gauge return to play. Or more precisely, a strategy that focuses on this position alone is akin to omitting plyometrics, running, or change of direction training following an anterior cruciate ligament injury.

This simply would not happen at other joints where there is higher injury frequency (such as the knee or ankle), since wide-ranging testing procedures, protocols, and variations in training approaches already exist. This situation highlights the importance of developing expanded rehabilitation pathways for the neck, where it is likely that a lack of familiarity may prevent the gap from being bridged between the early stages of rehabilitation and return to sport. Also, with such an approach, outcome measures must be developed that can guide return to sport clearance.

Assessment

It is beyond the scope of this post to detail the full assessment procedure following a neck injury, though it is worth noting the key points. The first principle should be to ensure the safety of the athlete, and this may require further imaging, investigation, or opinion. Often, range of motion is the first area to assess and treat. Small changes in range of motion can result in big changes in function and comfort, while also giving an indication of the level of the problem and the spectrum within which it is appropriate to work.

The first principle should be to ensure the safety of the athlete, and this may require further imaging, investigation or opinion, says @fearghalkerin. Share on X

While getting an indicator of strength is useful, in most cases, during the initial stages it is most appropriate to assess the ability of the patient to recruit their deep neck flexor muscles in a neutral position rather than any kind of resisted or eccentric test, or outer range loading.

Assessment should include consideration of the scapulothoracic joint and shoulder, and addressing dysfunction—particularly around range of motion or strength in this complementary joint—may define the success or failure of the rehabilitation process, regardless of how appropriate a loading strategy is applied to the neck column itself.

Strategies aimed at local strength recovery of the arm, forearm, and hand may be indicated in the case of radiculopathy or compression or distraction injuries to the brachial plexus following a “stinger.” Hypertrophy training may be indicated if atrophy or wasting is noted.

Consideration should also be given to the kinetic chain, as this underpins athletic motion; being at the top of the chain as it is, the neck will ultimately be influenced by the actions beneath.

Global Overview

Another important early strategy is to give broad consideration to the athlete’s programme—particularly if the injury is not preventing them from completing running or strength training. As an example, pushing (for example, bench press) or pulling (chin-ups) exercises will challenge the ability of the neck to maintain cranio-cervical neutrality, so these can be considered a high load, isometric, neutral task for the neck. Consequently, it is worth considering if such exercises—with appropriate cueing—provide an opportunity to further reinforce the goals and messaging during rehabilitation. Alternatively, poor performance of these tasks may indicate that the synergy of the kinetic chain has failed (for instance, shoulder mobility, rotator cuff, trapezius, or abdominal dysfunction), and may be implicated in the initial problem.

Ultimately, the clinician should view every dynamic task as an opportunity for the neck to be trained. A global review of the athlete’s programme should be considered, allowing minor adaptations as necessary to provide training opportunities. This will allow an integrated approach to rehabilitation and for different aspects of the programme to complement others. For instance, change of direction mechanics during side-stepping will provide an eccentric, side flexion torque to the neck, which may irritate the athlete if they have not demonstrated appropriate range or capacity before carrying out the task.

Ultimately, the clinician should view every dynamic task as an opportunity for the neck to be trained, says @fearghalkerin. Share on X

It goes without saying that tasks such as tackling include an inherent risk to the neck, but as mentioned previously, strategies can be provided to mitigate these by improving technical proficiency. As a result, this too will prepare the athlete for returning to play.

Pathway

A progressive model is presented below which provides suggestions for how rehabilitation can be staged and progressed, with a consideration of multiple variables. The model is not meant to be a dogmatic hierarchy, given that the relative importance of some variables could be debated or interchanged. In addition, an athlete could achieve competence in one aspect before another one that is presented higher on the chart, and these factors may vary depending on the injury, training age, or profession of the athlete. For instance, if later-stage goals for an NFL player following injury are to withstand impact from opponents, perhaps even blindsided, several characteristics of this impact should be considered and trained for. The athlete may require great range of motion, in multiple planes, while producing rapid, high eccentric force following an unexpected collision.

Clearly, there are several challenges in replicating this safely in rehabilitation. However, it is upon the clinician to prepare the athlete for this by applying a step-wise algorithm.

Variables

An initial point to consider is the range in which training is carried out. The term neutral is used instead of mid-range, and range should be considered from a craniocervical, upper-, mid-, and lower-cervical perspective. However, most rehabilitation will begin in a neutral position to teach the athlete the principles of recruitment with low load, high volume, isometric neuromuscular control exercises. The deep neck flexors act as stabilisers during movements in each direction, meaning that once volitional control has been established, there are multiple options for progression of this prime exercise. Increasing the volume (longer repetitions or extra sets) or increasing the load are obvious options, but changing the range of motion to a comfortable point in range in a different plane is also an important component.

Once pain-free, isometric control at an appropriate duration or load is established at a point in range or plane, concentric training should be utilised. This may initially be done with a slow, controlled build up against manual resistance, before progressing to higher loads (for instance using a harness, bands, or plates). Caution must be used when introducing eccentric training, by again reducing and rebuilding the load applied, as change in contraction type has the potential to exceed the capacity of the neck and cause irritation, soreness, and setbacks.

As has been long established in the upper and lower limb, rate of force development is a core component of rehabilitation. This relates to the athlete’s ability to create force quickly, something that is protective in contact sports given the speed at which tasks are completed. Exercises where the athlete has to respond to a visual or audible stimulus and create force quickly should be used. At an appropriate point in range and low load, this type of training can be introduced relatively early in the process.

While the terms control and anticipation may seem similar, they refer to separate components of rehabilitation. However, they may both be thought of as higher-level aspects that require particular proficiency at most other competencies before being introduced. Regarding control, exercises that combine loading with movement of the body or extremities will challenge the athlete’s ability to control the task. For instance, carrying out a head-over-heels roll, grappling, or landing on a soft mat following a tackle will train the athlete in instances where they do not have control over the loads applied and the positions the neck will find itself in.

Finally, preparing for unanticipated loading is a crucial component of the process. While initially this may be low-load, manual pressure from varying directions, perhaps to a Swiss ball in contact with the athlete’s head, the athlete must ultimately be able to train feed-forward mechanisms to tolerate being blindsided in contact from an opponent—with direction and force that can equate to being abruptly rear-ended or hit side-on by a car.

Progression

The variables can be manipulated to provide a pathway for progression—for instance, while first increasing the range in which the athlete is applying load, the clinician may simply reduce the load. If they are introducing eccentric loading, they may ensure that it is anticipated, controlled, and at a demonstrably safe range. Progression then can be gauged by the introduction of these progressive tasks, which will relate to the demands of sports-specific tasks. This allows clinicians and athletes to clearly identify the importance of an exercise on the road to match play.

The challenge in many cases is identifying key performance indicators that ascribe confidence that the athlete is now competent at each stage of progression, says @fearghalkerin. #NeckInjury Share on X

The challenge in many cases is identifying key performance indicators that ascribe confidence that the athlete is now competent at each stage. However, if considering neck strength testing with a strain gauge, this could be assessed at different ranges, contraction types, and different levels of anticipation. Similarly, symmetry could be assessed, or simply successful task tolerance may be an appropriate gateway for progression.

Moving Ahead

A lack of established guidelines around neck training have resulted in a knowledge vacuum that is particularly notable around post-injury rehabilitation. The clinician or coach then requires an understanding of the competencies that challenge the neck, so these can be included or mitigated against during training and reconditioning.

This post has attempted to provide a framework that allows for the progression of exercise across multiple domains. By combining alternate progressions, there can be confidence that rehabilitation is being advanced at an appropriate speed. Lastly, by understanding where these competencies exist in a rehabilitation spectrum, key performance indicators and criteria can be agreed upon, which may guide at which point the athlete progresses to advanced tasks including full contact and match play.

Since you’re here…
…we have a small favor to ask. More people are reading SimpliFaster than ever, and each week we bring you compelling content from coaches, sport scientists, and physiotherapists who are devoted to building better athletes. Please take a moment to share the articles on social media, engage the authors with questions and comments below, and link to articles when appropriate if you have a blog or participate on forums of related topics. — SF

References

Collins, C. L., E. N. Fletcher, S. K. Fields, L. Kluchurosky, M. K. Rohrkemper, R. D. Comstock & R. C. Cantu (2014) Neck strength: a protective factor reducing risk for concussion in high school sports. J Prim Prev, 35, 309-19.

Hrysomallis, C. (2016) Neck Muscular Strength, Training, Performance and Sport Injury Risk: A Review. Sports Med, 46,1111-24.

Naish, R., A. Burnett, S. Burrows, W. Andrews & B. Appleby (2013) Can a Specific Neck Strengthening Program Decrease Cervical Spine Injuries in a Men’s Professional Rugby Union Team? A Retrospective Analysis. Journal of Sports Science & Medicine, 12, 542-550.

Drills have been around since the dawn of athletics. Every year new things come into the fold and catch the eyes of everyone. Often old drills get repackaged, repurposed, and renamed. I’m sure some older coaches who’ve seen it all scratch their head when things come back into existence. Since coaches have been getting results with these basic items for years, it would be foolish not to pay attention to the classics, teach, and implement them as best we can. Coaches often reach out to me and ask for the best sprint drills to do with their athletes. My answer is always, “It depends.” It depends on:

1. The athlete’s experience.
2. How comfortable the coach feels and how well they can teach. If the coach doesn’t feel comfortable demonstrating the drill, they can show a video or have an athlete do the drill.

The best drills are the ones done correctly. Once that happens, figuring out how to use them becomes a bit more clear. The drills in this post are delightfully simple and have withstood the test of time.

Overview of the Drills

It’s important to note that the only good drills are the drills done the right way in the context they were intended. In this article, I’ve taken care to give credit to each drill’s origin as well as clear guidance on how to perform them. When it comes to drills, coaches should also have some bandwidth as to what meets the criteria for acceptable technique with their drills. I will, however, stop athletes if their form breaks down or they don’t take it seriously. No athlete will do the same thing in the same exact way, but drills performed poorly time after time serve no real purpose.

Although no drill is exactly like sprinting, each of these drills needs to look good and shouldn’t be performed robotically. Even when it’s not textbook, I’m never in a hurry to fix something that looks good. Athleticism means doing things right without thinking too much about it. Of course, it can take a while to flow this subconsciously.

The athlete should also know why they’re doing the drill and when they might use it. As a coach, it’s important to get my athletes to buy in and take most things seriously. Coach Ryan Banta, who penned The Sprinter’s Compendium, advocates using different hand and arm positions as well as loads when doing drills to give variations that can motivate the athletes.

Being a good sprinter is about more than having trained energy systems. For all the exciting drills out there, we can get more out of the old ones. Share on X

Being a good sprinter is about more than having trained energy systems. For all of the new and exciting drills that make the rounds, I think we can get more out of the old stuff. I know I occasionally post something eye-catching, but the truth is 90% of our results come from 20% of our items combined with the workouts.

While there are naysayers to including drills in athletic development, plenty of studies have pushed their value. Numerous studies have found that starting slow and progressing to drills nearer the end-range of an athlete’s abilities can help motor learning. An A-skip is not at the far end of Usain Bolt’s abilities and would likely serve as nothing more than a warm-up drill; it would not contribute directly to his world-class speed any more than a heavy squat would.

Two studies have found:

1. Technical skill development for speed involves specific drills designed to isolate and combine joints to rehearse a series of sensations that establish the exact motor pathways.
2. Drills also create patterns of movement, and if performed numerous times correctly, will lead to more efficient neuromuscular patterns.

A-Skip

The first drill is the A-skip. I chose not to write about the A-march because I find most athletes perform it with some proficiency. Gerard Mach was a Canadian sprint coach in the 1970s, and his ABC march, skip, and run series is still used by many coaches today. It’s interesting, though, that a quick Google or YouTube search for these simple drills often produces many different variations. For a coach who’s trying to learn technique, I can see why it becomes confusing at times. Coaches implement A-skips in many different ways. While it seems that Mach wanted us to perform these drills as fast as possible, I always say before doing something fast, do it with rhythm.

The A-series doesn’t seem to have been meant for sprint mechanics. Watch a video of an athlete performing it, and it’s easy to see why. One study of A and B drills discovered that “There were significant differences in vertical displacement, vertical velocity, step frequency, support time, non-support time, shoulder range of motion (ROM), elbow flexion angular velocity (AV), trunk flexion, trunk rotation, pelvic rotation, hip flexion, hip extension AV, knee extension AV, ankle ROM, plantarflexion AV, and dorsiflexion AV…It was concluded that the kinematics in the A and B drills were not the same as sprinting.”

This obvious fact shouldn’t deter coaches from using drills that can promote kinesthetic learning because every drill has some degree of specificity to sprinting.

In the A-skip, Mach emphasized the knee lift, which functions as a specific strength exercise for quads and hip flexors. I’ve seen some coaches cue the athlete to step over the opposite knee in a cyclical action, but nothing I’ve read about Gerard Mach says this has to be. I have included some stepping over variations in the video that follows, but to be honest, cueing it this way overcomplicates it for many of my athletes and really dilutes the ground contact quality.

Two common errors I see when athletes perform the exercise are not punching the ground with enough force and having posture that is too upright. Yes, the knee initially comes up, but after that, the ground strikes reflexively lift the opposite knee. A common cue I use with my athlete is “knees up, feet down.” When the A-skip is done correctly, there’s a period where both feet are in the air in a non-support phase. I use the traditional “heel up, knee up, toe up” cue as well, but the secret is the “toe up.” When athletes keep their toes up to the top of the inside of the shoe, their ground strike is better. To prevent early plantar flexion, I like the foot contact to be as close to midfoot as possible. Another assistant coach I work with, Tyler Colbert, has the athlete think about where the spike plate is located and strike there; there’s certainly a reason for its location.

As far as posture, I usually have them start “hips up and forward.” This is a good entry point for discussing posture and what works best for each athlete. As with most drills, if the athlete is too straight up and down, I find their foot reaches for the ground. I cue them to have some forward lean where they can get to the sweet spot of their foot and have good ground reactive force.

The A-skip is just one of Mach’s drills. Let’s use it to get our athletes stronger in the right places and promote neuromuscular adaptations that can make them better sprinters by teaching it correctly.

Video 1. These athletes are still very much learning, but all display acceptable A-skip technique. As they do them more often, they will no doubt groove the patterns even better.

A-Run

The last piece of Gerard Mach’s A march-skip-run series is the A-run. I have fallen in love with this drill this year. Like the A-skip, the key to this drill is doing it fast and striking the ground hard. I still like my athletes to start with their hips up and forward to give a slight forward lean.

I’ve found that cueing “knees up, feet down” is helpful and prevents them from covering too much ground, leaning back, and thus reducing impulse. When done correctly, the heel should come to the hamstring before being driven back down under the hips. I sometimes call these “sprinter high knees” when coaching my athletes for simplicity. They are not the same thing as high knees, as high knees only focus on lifting the knees rather than what occurs on the ground.

A-runs are a good sprint drill in a warm-up before acceleration & max velocity work and as a finisher to intensive tempo work, says @grahamsprints. Share on X

I’ve had good results using A-runs as a sprint drill in a warm-up before acceleration and maximum velocity work. This drill has a lot of value when included in completion runs as a finisher to intensive tempo work. For example, if I have a kid who’s having trouble maintaining posture and relaxation at the end of a 200m race, rather than immediately panic and increase volume or another training stimulus, I’ve found it helpful to have them do 150-meter reps plus a +30 to 50m A-run. This allows them to run a quality 150m rep before they start carrying the kitchen sink and, after a brief 30-second rest, to finish with an A-run focusing on excellent finishing form. It’s certainly an exaggerated display of mechanics at the end of a race, but it forces them to dorsiflex earlier and advantageously contact the ground. Moving forward, we’re going to use this heavily in our program.

Video 2. The A-run is a useful tool for teaching exaggerated sprint mechanics. The focus is on core strength, front-side mechanics, and getting the foot over the knee and then down with force under the center of mass.

B-Skip

Lots of coaches have moved away from using the B-skip, and I’ve been among them at times. Mach designed the B series to focus on foreleg extension. In a recent post on Twitter, Coach Keith Whitman of Lutheran West High School lamented the epidemic of warm-up drills done poorly at track meets. He’s not wrong. He noted seeing B-skips looking like lazy flicks and A-skips done with pointed toes. I think it comes back to the fact that, again, it’s not a form drill.

Many coaches say that the B-skip teaches unwanted reaching or casting out excessively and risks hamstring pulls. This assumes that the athlete can’t separate a part from the whole. Triple jumpers and hurdlers are two types of athletes who do extend their foreleg quite a bit in their respective events. In both events, they drive their thigh up to the A-position where, at the apex, the foreleg is extended and clawed with control back under the hips. Executing the B-skip is done in much the same manner. It’s an A-skip with a foreleg extension. I find leading with the heel keeps a neat, cyclical loop and better foot contact on the ball of the foot.

Some coaches feel there’s an injury risk associated with B-skips. I’ve had my share of hamstrings injuries in the past (not because of the B-skip), and after including the B-skip, I can say it’s given me some needed confidence in specific hamstring strength.

Like with the A-series, Mach advocated doing these fast. I would argue that if an athlete does a funky A-skip, adding the B-skip without marching first is probably not a great idea. When an athlete lacks mechanics and coordination, almost everything has a risk. Moving forward, I do think there’s room for the B-skip in a hurdler’s and jumper’s inventory, but I understand why many coaches don’t use the drill or feel it’s unnecessary.

Video 3. The B-skip is a good tool for hurdlers and jumpers, who extend their foreleg quite a bit in their events.

Straight Leg Bounds

Most coaches are familiar with straight leg bounds—sometimes called scissor bounds or primetimes after Deion Sanders’ touchdown celebrations. Many top college coaches use them heavily for an abundance of reasons. While I must confess I can’t find the origin of this drill, it seems that many coaches who are disciples of or cite Tony Wells as an influence lobby for its usage. This may be because the drill is in the realm of bounding, which was a Well’s staple and can be a great way to be explosive even during general prep phases of training.

I love straight leg bounds; they teach developmental athletes how to use hamstrings & glutes to apply force into the ground, says @grahamsprints. Share on X

I love this drill because it teaches my developmental athletes how to use hamstrings and glutes to apply force into the ground. All speed athletes use these muscles to generate power through hip extension. I find them to be not only a nice mechanics drill but also a nice specific strength exercise. Getting stronger here can mean faster sprint times and also plays a part in reducing injuries.

To get the benefit of this drill, we must perform it correctly. I find numerous errors that I try to help my athletes with.

1. They perform the drill while leaning back excessively, and they look like the singing frog in the Looney Tunes cartoon performing his routine.
2. They are too concerned with being fast or quick rather than letting great ground contacts under the hip cause horizontal propulsion.
3. Legs don’t come up to about 45 degrees. I find this ROM allows them to prepare for the ground better and deliver a better downward strike and essentially pop away from the ground. The emphasis should not be on kicking upward.
4. Not keeping the toes pulled to the top of the shoe to make sure toes are not pointed. Telling them to lead downward with the heel but strike close to midfoot also helps.

Early in the season, when my athletes are shaking off the cobwebs, this is a terrific option to get a safe level of a sprinting stimulus along with shorter acceleration runs. I’ve also used it as a completion to a lactate type workout.

On the Complete Track and Field website, Kebba Tolbert has some great programming available regarding straight leg bounds in different contexts. (It’s under the General Prep & Specific Prep video. This particular segment on straight leg bounds starts at the 13:45 mark.) I recommend checking it out rather than randomly programming the drill. As always, once you understand how to do a drill correctly, you begin to understand how and when to use it.

Fast Leg Drill

Here’s a drill that’s been around forever, but I never see it done anymore. The amount of timing and athleticism needed to complete this drill is a great measuring stick of your athletes’ coordination. To be honest, I have largely avoided this drill with my most of my athletes because it is quite challenging. I do love the unilateral work done in isolation.

The best way to teach this is to use a smaller straight leg bound/shuffle to set up the fast leg cycle. I would allow your athletes to act intuitively and decide when to step over the opposite knee. This lets them focus on getting the heel to the hamstring and stepping down over the opposite knee. A common error I see is that athletes will sometimes move out of good posture into hip flexion when cycling their leg. Hips should stay up and forward (stay tall) through the entire drill.

The key to the drill is this: the timing of the legs needs to be such that one leg is coming back under the center of mass into a position of full support while the other leg/heel simultaneously comes up before being driven down under the hips. Cueing the athlete to keep their toes up in the shoes prevents a floppy foot contact.

Does this mean someone doing the fast leg drill will learn speed and suddenly set school records? No, but it’s a great ROM drill even if it’s exaggerated. It’s certainly a great way for an athlete to pass the eye test. It can show who is improving on their neuromuscular coordination on some basic level. Make no mistake; this drill in the absence of a good sprint plan may not mean very much at all.

Video 4. In this continuous variation, it’s easier to see the synching of the shuffle leg and the cycle leg. As the foot returns to full support under the hips, the opposite leg drives down over the opposite knee.

Prellhopser

I have to say that I’ve called this drill ten different things. My first encounter with it came from a Swedish drill video in a program called Lauf-ABC, which translated means Running ABC. I’ve spent some time translating articles related to the Lauf-ABC method, and it appears to be a Swedish derivation of the Mach series for distance runners seeking to dip their toe into the coordination and sprint world. I heavily recommend any distance runner just hitting the road for miles to implement the entire Lauf-ABC drill list into their training regimen and see what sticks. They advise 2x a week for about 10 minutes to start and market it as a way to optimize muscular control and clean movements. They do advise a complete install and not an occasional dabble. I think we’re already providing our athletes with huge neuromuscular demand, so as sprint coaches, we can sometimes afford to cherry-pick intelligently.

As far as the Prellhopser, I can’t say if this is the origin of the drill, but it does have the best in-depth explanation. And it’s probably the one drill I use the most. In addition to being fun to say, translated Prellhopser means “bouncer.” When done right, it’s easy to see why.

The instructions from their program are to jump off with both legs, pull one knee, and land again. Keep both feet parallel and land at the same time and then pull the other knee in an alternating fashion. I mostly agree with this description, but I’ve found it easier to focus on getting the feet down together by concentrating on getting the elbow down. Although ground contacts should be relatively short on the ball of the foot, I have a lot of fun asking my athletes to go quicker, higher, or further and watch them manipulate the resultant ground contact. To go higher, the contact is longer. To go quicker, the ground contact is brief but lacks force. Ultimately, I find it teaches them something about harmonizing the ground contact time and forceful pop into the ground.

The Prellhopser is the drill I use the most. We use it as a sprint drill, a technical buildup run, and as a way to stay loose, says @grahamsprints. Share on X

I love including this as a sprint drill on speed days, and we can easily bleed it into a technical buildup run. I know my athletes love doing a few sets of these in between lactate capacity work to stay loose, and it’s proven to be an excellent choice on the meet day after being herded into long race lines.

Video 5. Both feet need to hit the ground at the same time and in a parallel stance. Pop away from the ground by driving down with the arms and legs.

Simple, Not Easy

Especially now in the middle of the Coronavirus, our athletes must continue to work on their athletic development and speed. It’s important that they have some sense of normalcy and routine. I know not all athletes will have access to terrific facilities. The beauty of these drills and sprints is they can do them in most places. Most of these could easily be implemented in any maximum velocity or acceleration day. If we are to hope for autonomy during this hiatus, then perhaps we should have our athletes repeat things. Most of the drills should be done for no more than 10m.

Mechanics and posture are important in sprinting, and I can’t say that drills are the full answer any more than certain exercises in the weight room are. Drills are one part of designing a complete program that includes sprinting, plyometrics, and lifting.

I’ve heard it said that anything works with developing athletes. If that’s the case, why not spend some time polishing the basics? After all, the best drills and exercises an athlete can do are those they can do safely and correctly right now. Don’t get caught up in the latest hype. We can worry about pushing them safely toward harder things and perhaps getting a better effect down the road. When they do the drills right, your athletes have a fighting chance!

Since you’re here…
…we have a small favor to ask. More people are reading SimpliFaster than ever, and each week we bring you compelling content from coaches, sport scientists, and physiotherapists who are devoted to building better athletes. Please take a moment to share the articles on social media, engage the authors with questions and comments below, and link to articles when appropriate if you have a blog or participate on forums of related topics. — SF

Medicine ball training is a timeless modality that athletes and coaches love to utilize. From the ancient Roman gladiators to the modern athlete, the classic loaded ball has served as both a training tool and a rehabilitation solution for centuries. Recently, Assess2Perform and other companies have made strides in improving the medicine ball with either better characteristics and features or the ability to extract data from the throwing motions. In this anthology, we cover the best medicine ball articles and posts on the SimpliFaster blog over the years.

Whether you are a coach wanting to know how to use the Ballistic Ball properly or how to use medicine balls in general, we review everything you ought to know about the subject area. In addition to medicine ball training guidelines, we also include a few interviews with coaches who understand the throws in general. Medicine ball training is versatile, fun, and very effective for teaching athletes how to explode their body in a coordinative fashion.

Medicine Ball Conditioning Workouts for Athletes of All Levels

Many coaches are familiar with the use of medicine ball training for power, but what about for conditioning? This article precisely investigates the idea that medicine ball circuits and workouts can enhance conditioning. In addition to the recommendations for training with medicine balls, the article expands on the research and digs into the exact metabolic pathways that the modality exploits. If you are looking for a way to improve athletic fitness without the use of running or practice, this article does a great job reviewing all you need to know about conditioning with medicine balls.

5 Troubleshooting Tips for Your Medicine Ball Training

All training has areas that may create roadblocks for coaches. If you are a young coach who wants to know more about the pros and cons of medicine ball training or a veteran coach who needs to polish their craft, this blog post is a great primer. It addresses, in full detail, five common mistakes in training and includes tips to reduce the pitfalls of medicine ball throws and catches. If you are a Ballistic Ball fan or a regular medicine ball user, this is a blueprint for better training outcomes and testing.

How to Test Athletic Power Using Medicine Balls

Shane Davenport from Exceed Sports and Fitness breaks down the use of the Ballistic Ball in detail, covering everything a new user would want to know. Davenport and his business partner, Sean Smith, do pioneering work with athletes utilizing the latest technology. What coaches need to understand is that in order to have a great evaluation of a quality, you need to have a near-perfect testing protocol. This article covers every type of throw for the Assess2Perform Ballistic Ball in detail. It also includes videos that show the precise technique of how to throw the medicine ball correctly for an accurate reading.

Achieving the Summation of Forces with Medicine Ball Training

A primary quality of medicine ball training is that it teaches the summation of forces to athletes. The summation of forces is basically the ability to generate power from the feet up through the body and finishing with the arms. Nick Garcia, a throws coach in track and field and a very good user of technology, explains why medicine ball training is a wonderful option for teaching the summation of forces. Included in this article are the details he believes are essential for fully capitalizing on this popular training method.

7 Key Strategies to Improve Medicine Ball Power Training for Athletes

In this popular piece on SimpliFaster’s blog, Carl Valle includes seven effective recommendations to improve athletic power with medicine ball training. Coaches in sports performance will love this article, as it includes exactly what coaches and therapists want to know with medicine ball training. If you are a high school coach, an athlete, a parent, or an elite performance coach in team sports or Olympic sports, this discusses the cream of medicine ball training. Also included are ways to fine-tune both testing and training, as well as measuring with a sound set of protocols.

The Art and Science of Medicine Ball Training

This is another article written by Carl Valle on medicine ball training that combines the research and practice seamlessly. His series on medicine ball training reviews all topics and components exhaustively. No stone remains unturned in this guide, and Valle covers some principles that would be very useful for teaching, testing, and training. “The Art and Science of Medicine Ball Training” is not just for strength coaches or track and field coaches, it’s for sports medicine professionals as well. The article is popular and a quick read, as it doesn’t go too deep into the science but does use evidence from research to keep it less opinionated and more informative.

A Deeper Look into Medicine Ball Training

The second article from SimpliFaster to be translated into another language, this is one of the most successful foundational blog posts for all coaches. With thousands of reads, it explains the heart and soul of medicine ball training. No other article is more exhaustive in teaching the core essentials of the modality. Videos, charts, exercise explanations—you name it, and this article has it. If you are serious about refining your expertise on medicine ball training, this article will do everything to get you started and mastering the method.

Integrating the Ballistic Ball into Performance Training

Another comprehensive article by Carl Valle, this covers all the details you need to get started with the Ballistic Ball. Valle is known for finding ways to make the complicated easier to understand and explaining how to apply technology to the real world, and here he outlines how to use the Assess2Perfom device in detail. This includes how to use the app, why athlete management system users can benefit from an API, and the nuances of using the hardware. If you are on the fence about purchasing a Ballistic Ball, this article can help guide you to the right decision.

Developing an S&C Program for Basketball Players with Matt Johnson

The Chicago Bulls got lucky with Matt Johnson, who is one of the best strength coaches in the NBA. In this Freelap Friday Five, Coach Johnson explains what it’s like to train the world’s best basketball players. In one of the questions, he brilliantly points out the value of using medicine ball throws. While jumping on force plates is the new standard for evaluating leg power and fatigue, coaches can use medicine ball throws as a proxy for athletes who may not be tolerant of the impact from playing games. Coach Johnson is a great teacher and knows his way around the barbell, but if you want to know more about athletic development, this is a quick read and perfect for those in strength and conditioning.

Finding Money for Your Strength and Conditioning Program

Doug Gle nails this blog piece on finding money for your weight room, as he nearly single-handedly transformed a school from one with barely any lifting area into a school with one of the best programs in Michigan. Included in this article is a showcase of the Ballistic Ball used by high school athletes, as well as other velocity-based training products. Every coach, even those with large budgets, has to plan for incorporating equipment and renovations into their weight room at some point in their career. If you want to improve your program or sustain excellence, this primer is awesome for anyone in the iron game.

Athlete Development Lessons from Shot Put Coach Jim Aikens

One of the most candid Friday Five interviews, this sit-down with Jim Aikens is off the charts for developing throwers. Known as a coach of coaches, Aikens is a wizard for athletes in the Illinois area. An expert on all areas of throwing, he specializes in the shotput and has helped athletes learn both the glide and the spin. Coach Aikens is currently retired, but he still coaches local athletes at the high school level, as well as in private practice. His videos are tremendous teaching examples of how to throw with better mechanics and movement quality.

Cultivating Talent with Strength Coach Bobby Stroupe

Medicine ball training is a vital part of programming for Bobby Stroupe, the founder and lead coach of APEC in Texas. Coach Stroupe is known for his tutelage of Patrick Mahomes, a standout quarterback on the Kansas City Chiefs, but he has fostered the success of many athletes in the area. If you are looking for more information on long-term athletic development, he is one of the best resources on taking athletes from youth to pro, as his list of athletes is extensive. Also included in this article is a video of great medicine ball throws with some very powerful football players.

How to Upgrade and Modernize Your Local Combine

While the NFL Combine doesn’t use medicine ball throws for their assessment of football players, nearly all the scholastic combines in high school do. Popularized by Nike with their SPARQ testing, the medicine ball throw is more than just an upper body power test, it’s a great way to see athleticism. Many coaches want the medicine ball throw included in testing because they believe, and rightfully so, that the movement and load is an excellent indicator of total body power. If you are interested in hosting a combine for profit or for talent identification, this is a comprehensive review on modern combine testing and sports technology.

7 Methods to Develop Rotational Power in Sport

Rotational sport coaches are often fans of medicine ball training, but there is more to do than simply tossing a load a few times a week. Rotation is a controversial subject because there are so many opinions on what is right and wrong with training today. Instead of sharing an opinion, this article covers the necessary science and practice with all forms of training, including isometric options. If you are involved in rotational sports or want to know more on how to prepare the body for anti-rotation, this article is a compelling read. It also includes information on medical perspectives with rotation, as training and rehabilitation sometimes go hand-in-hand.

Buyer’s Guide to Sport Velocity-Tracking Devices

One of the most popular Buyer’s Guides on SimpliFaster is this review of systems that measure ball or sport implement speed. While most of the products are radar systems for baseball and golf, a few of them are able to measure continuous speed of the body and medicine ball. Included in this guide is a review and explanation of the Ballistic Ball from Assess2Perform and other systems from new companies. Most coaches who are looking to measure ball speed in athletic training will want to read this list of options, as it enables smarter investing in sports technology.

6 Top Circuit Training Workouts for Sport

Circuit training is often poorly implemented and programmed in sports training, and this article reviews the principles that are essential to coaches. Specifically, it covers the use of medicine ball circuits, adding insight on how to create an effective training plan using the world’s oldest ballistic training implement. If you are interested in circuits or want a few ideas regarding medicine ball training, this article does a fantastic job of listing workouts that many athletes can use in detail and explaining the purpose behind in each session. Coaches love circuit training because it organizes groups of athletes and is simple to administer at all levels.

Updated April 12, 2020

Since you’re here…
…we have a small favor to ask. More people are reading SimpliFaster than ever, and each week we bring you compelling content from coaches, sport scientists, and physiotherapists who are devoted to building better athletes. Please take a moment to share the articles on social media, engage the authors with questions and comments below, and link to articles when appropriate if you have a blog or participate on forums of related topics. — SF

Who doesn’t love a nice round of golf on a beautiful Saturday? Drinking some beers, getting some sunshine, catching up with good friends—for years, this has been the image many people had in their mind when thinking of the game of golf. But when golf is your livelihood, the game looks a bit different. At the elite level, it is a sport requiring a true sense of athleticism, strength, and power.

In the world of training, the term “sports specialization” is thrown around a lot, and—granted—the only way to truly specialize in a sport is to play the sport. Golf is no different, and due to the intricacies of the swing, it becomes extremely important that the strength professional not only understands their golfers’ physical needs, but also the basic tenets of the golf swing, and how those physical improvements will correlate to a more efficient swing.

Improved club head speed—which then transfers to ball speed—can mean a huge difference in driving distance. And while many think that 10-20 yards of driving distance isn’t all that much, that difference can be worth millions; or, for some pros, the difference between having a year of status on the PGA or LPGA Tour or battling their way to the top on the Korn Ferry and Symetra Tour (or on the numerous other mini tours that exist).

Why Biomechanically Specific Strength and Power Are Vital to a Golfer’s Success

A golfer’s body must be able to move through the range of motion required of the swing, all while producing force and maintaining balance and stability—but not rotating through the spine; rather, through the torso. Oh, and there’s the whole upper body/lower body disconnect and keeping the kinematic sequence of the swing in proper order. If it sounds like a lot…it is. So, producing force and power along with maintaining and building strength play key roles in the success of a golfer.

Producing force and power along with maintaining and building strength play key roles in the success of a golfer, says @J_Golden85. Share on X

In a normal golf swing, a player will typically maximally recruit 30 lbs. of muscle to generate four horsepower throughout the swing. This equates to around 900 kgs of force being applied to the ball in half a millisecond at impact, an action that is repeated multiple times in a round of golf. On a par-72 course, if a pro ends up shooting even par, on average they will take 36 full swings. This number doesn’t take into account players going for the green in 2 on a par-5. Currently, the average driving distance on the PGA Tour is 297 yards, with Cameron Champ averaging a whopping 322 yards.

All of this poses a question—what does a training program entail for an elite-level golfer? Obviously, training is so individualized in the sport that it’s going to look different for every player, but for the sake of this article, let’s focus on young, up-and-coming PGA and LPGA Tour players who are currently looking to build power and gain more club head speed and discuss the needs of that particular athlete.

1. Movement

A movement assessment is important for any athlete, not just a golfer. One philosophy I have carried with me through my years as a coach is my movement pyramid. At the foundation of the pyramid is movement, followed by strength, with the top of the pyramid being power. In other words, if you can’t move properly, nothing else will follow. You can’t have strength without movement, and you can’t have power without strength. If you’re lacking in any of those areas, the pyramid’s foundation will ultimately become weak and unstable.

The Titleist Performance Institute (TPI) talks about assessing each golfer before beginning a training program. “Assess, don’t guess” is the expression they use, and they have put together an entire certification based on assessing a golfer’s physical capabilities, covering the entire body. It is a screen that gives strength and conditioning professionals, as well as golf coaches and medical professionals, the chance to work together to come up with a plan to help improve a player’s swing. It allows the strength professional to see not only an imbalance in a player, but also where a player is moving well, and then build on that player’s strengths.

2. Strength

A very important aspect in developing club head speed is vertical jump power. There is a direct correlation between increased club head speed with a driver and vertical jump height. But, much like the pyramid shows, you can’t begin to think about developing power until you have the strength necessary to create the power. Remember how they say in order to create a bigger vertical jump, work on your squat? This is exactly the reason why it’s such a widespread belief—because improving your squat means you’re building strength, which will then translate into power.

Now, I’m not saying all golfers have to back squat to improve leg strength, but they do need to do heavier, compound movements during certain phases of their training. But strength is relative, and when you’re looking at all types of different people with different physical capabilities, exercise selection becomes that much more vital. It is our job as performance professionals to find what works best for our athletes.

I’m not saying all golfers have to back squat to improve leg strength, but they do need to do heavier, compound movements during certain phases of their training, says @J_Golden85. Share on X

We can always teach someone to back squat and get them into a perfect squat over time. In a perfect world, we all have time for that. But sports, especially golf, don’t reside in a perfect world, and we only have a limited amount of time to get a player ready for the grind of a long season. It is our job to do what is best for the person we are working with, and many times, the back squat may not be the best tool to utilize (but that’s a discussion for another day).

Even though everyone is different, and it’s important to be adaptable in your philosophy, it’s also important to stick to what you, as a performance coach, do best. For me, I believe in what I view as the five basic tenets of a good program: push, pull, squat, hinge, and carry.

Lower Body

When it comes to strength training, any type of squat variation is my go-to for heavy strength movements. A trap bar deadlift is another great option due to the fact that it is easy to teach, and the bang for the buck an athlete can get from it is so high.

RDLs and SL RDLs are two exercises that are a must in any training program for golfers. The need for a strong posterior chain in any sport cannot be understated, but in golf, where the glutes are one of the most—if not the most—important muscles in the body, it’s vital to make sure they are strong and activating properly.

In terms of unilateral lower body pushing movements, the DB split squat or rear-foot-elevated split squat are exercises widely used by golfers and ones that hit all the major muscle groups a golfer will utilize. A lateral lunge is another accessory exercise that is very beneficial to building strength in the lower body.

Activating—or getting the muscles firing—is widely discussed in the performance world. In other words, getting the muscles primed for performance. A series consisting of glute bridges with a mini-band around the athlete’s knees, clams, hip internal rotation, and bird dogs with the band on is a great way to begin their movement pattern work before lifting, and become a part of their pre-round warm-up.

Upper Body

As is the case in heavy rotational sports, the debate about whether to use the barbell bench press comes to the forefront of any discussion on training. Once again, this comes down to the athlete you’re training and what is best for them. Players need to understand their bodies and be able to communicate what will work well for them at the level they’re playing.

Brooks Koepka, the #2 ranked golfer in the world, benched 225 lbs. for reps before the third round of the Honda Classic last year. Other golfers wouldn’t touch a heavy, endurance-based bench press workout before starting their 36th hole of any tournament, let alone a Major. Once again, though, what works for one person doesn’t necessarily work for another, which is why the performance professional working with golfers needs to be adaptable in their philosophy.

So, About the Benching Myth…

If you choose not to include the barbell bench press in your program, there are many other ways to get the upper body pushing necessary to help achieve the results needed. Dumbbell training exercises, especially in upper body pushing motions, are a great way to gain strength while building stability and balance in the upper body. An alternating DB incline bench is an example of an exercise that is adaptable in many ways, while still providing the necessary resistance for an athlete to achieve the strength results that they are looking for.

What About the Posterior Chain?

There are so many options that, in my opinion, not one is wrong. Whether you’re talking about a vertical pull like a lat pulldown or pull-up, or a horizontal pull like a seated low row, anything will work. In terms of pulling, there is no bigger bang for your buck than pull-ups, but it is important to stick to the rule of thumb of 2:1 ratio of pulls to push.

3. Power

I’m not going to get into the debate over Olympic lifts in this article. There are so many ways to develop power without them, and many golfers entering the professional ranks, depending on what they’ve done while in college, may have limited experience with them. So, sticking to the basics and getting golf athletes in triple extension is the safest, most efficient way to build power.

Sticking to the basics and getting golf athletes in triple extension is the safest, most efficient way to build power, says @J_Golden85. Share on X

If you build them properly into the program, the benefits will carry over to the course.

• Trap Bar Jumps
• Box Jumps (landing focus)
• Skater Hops for distance
• Split-Squat Jumps
• MB Squat Jumps
• MB Slams and MB Rotational Wall Slams

These are just some of the exercises that you can utilize as power movements in the program.

Contrast Training

A fast way to build work capacity along with power is to implement contrast training. The athlete needs to have a foundation of strength, but contrast training—pairing a strength movement with a non-resisted or lightly resisted power movement—is a great way to create work capacity and get the body working and adapting to different physiological barriers.

Some very effective pairs in contrast training include DB split squats paired with skater hops and goblet squats paired with MB squat jumps or power step-ups without weight. These are just a few examples that show the benefits of what contrast training can do when programmed properly.

More Forceful Golfers

Lifting weights—once seen as dangerous to golfers—is quickly becoming a normal part of a golfer’s routine. Previously believed to make a golfer stiff and slow, weight training is now widely perceived as a necessary tool by many on Tour to improve their game.

Golf is a multi-faceted game with many different areas of need. With courses being lengthened and players hitting the ball further than ever, it has become very important for young golfers to be able to produce force off the tee. Strength and conditioning is a huge part of players being able to develop the necessary force while staying healthy through one of the most explosive, complex movements in any sport.

Since you’re here…
…we have a small favor to ask. More people are reading SimpliFaster than ever, and each week we bring you compelling content from coaches, sport scientists, and physiotherapists who are devoted to building better athletes. Please take a moment to share the articles on social media, engage the authors with questions and comments below, and link to articles when appropriate if you have a blog or participate on forums of related topics. — SF