Part II - Fast Feet
Background
Having fast feet is essential for almost any sport. The ability to stay light
on one's feet and recover balance quickly can make all the difference in a game
situation. As mentioned in Part I, specificity is of the utmost importance,
thus as a coach you must strive to make the drills mimic the sport as closely
as possible.
Warming Up
As with any physical activity, it is absolutely essential to make sure your
athletes are properly warmed up. This involves taking them through progressive
activities to increase their heart rate, core temperature, and improve proprioceptive
connections. Below is an example of a basic comprehensive warm up for a fast
feet work out.
*5 minute jog
*Dynamic stretching of all major joints in body
*2 X 100m strides
*2 X 100m sprint at 75%
*Fast, high knees for 20 seconds
*"Butt kicks" for 20 seconds
*"Pawing" for 20 seconds (knee high, to leg extension, swinging ball
of foot to paw at ground)
*Calf raises (20 reps explosively)
Drills
**Please note the following drills require a certain level of muscle conditioning
and flexibility to avoid injury to the athlete
Fast Feet Interval
From a jogging pace, have your athletes increase their stride frequency to a
maximum for a 10 metre space. The idea is to do as many foot plants as possible
in this space while keeping perfect form (high knees, ideal arm swing, staying
on balls of feet). After the 10 metre space, the athlete returns to a jogging
pace for the next 10-15 metres, then repeats the circuit for a total of 5 times.
Important points to stress include, but are not limited to the following: keep
the legs in front of the body, stay tall, rapid foot turnover, and keep knees
high.
Down and Offs
The purpose of this drill is to decrease the amount of time the foot spends
on the ground during a sprint. From a high knee position, have the athlete drive
their foot down explosively. As soon as the foot hits the ground, it should
rebound up immediately back to the high knee po
Ladder Drill
There are different apparatuses available to aid this drill such as microhurdles,
agility ladders, etc, yet all that is needed is something to lay on the ground
approximately 8-10 inches apart from each other in a ladder formation. The sequences
of foot plants are up to the imagination. You can have the athlete sprint through
the ladder, hop-scotch through the ladder, one-foot-hops through the ladder,
or double-foot-plant in each space of the ladder. The possibilities are governed
only by your creativity. Ensure proper form and explosiveness of the feet. Have
the "ladder" consist of at least 15 rungs. Repeat for 4 sets, resting
only the time it takes to walk back along the ladder to the original starting
position.
One-Legged Hurdle Hops
Using a shoe, stapler, microhurdle, or cone, have the athlete stand beside the
object on one foot. Instruct the athlete to hop either sideways, or forward
and backward over the object while remaining on one foot. Emphasize speed of
movement and balance. Be sure to perform this drill on a safe surface, as there
is chance for ankle injuries. Continue the drill for about 20 seconds, and then
allow the athlete to actively rest for 1 minute before repeating 3-4 more times.
Forward and Back
Using the object from the previous drill, have the athlete stand facing the
apparatus in ready position. Instruct the athlete to step over and back the
object (right foot over, left foot over, right foot back, left foot back, repeat)
as quickly as possible, keeping feet only as high as they need to be to clear
the object. Emphasize tall form and balance. Perform the drill for 20-30 seconds,
resting for 1 minute, and repeating for 5 sets.
As with Part I, these drills require a high level of athleticism and can thus be dangerous to the malconditioned athlete. Ensure the athletes are properly warmed up, and the drills are subsequently followed by a thorough cool down and stretching program.