Did you know that rugby players spend 90% of a game in the acceleration phase?
So,
if I had half a brain (some would say I don’t!) I would be focusing on my acceleration
because if I can explode off the mark, I’ll have a strong chance of
blowing past defenders,
making try saving tackles,
and
best of all, creating more time and space for myself to make a pass, make a decision without pressure or get into the best position to make a tackle.
Let’s take a quick look at what is acceleration
- It’s a distance from 0-20m
- An aggressive forward lean position to be able to generate speed as quick as possible
- A piston like leg action that pushes backwards
Over my years of coaching, I’ve realised that developing speed is similar to when you see a Doctor.
Here’s what I mean:
Like a doctor I look at the player to narrow down the exact issue.
Once I’ve found the issue, I then prescribe a series of drills that the player can go away and practise.
Here is a simplified version of what I would prescribe a player that had issues with their acceleration, and being able to explode off the mark.
1. Wall Drill
Your body position is key to acceleration. Having your upper body too high will produce a hand brake like action and leaning too far forward will result in loss of balance.
The wall drill teaches the player to be in the correct acceleration position and to produce force backwards.
2. Broad Jumps
Acceleration is all about horizontal power.
We want to propel our body forward.
Broad Jumps teaches the player to produce horizontal power and also absorb power when they land.
3. Rear Elevated Split Squats
You need strength to be able to produce force into the ground. The more strength you have the faster you are able to generate speed. We sprint on one leg at a time, so we need to train on one leg at a time.
There you have it, 3 basic drills that I would prescribe a player that needed to improve their acceleration.
Obviously, there is more to explosive acceleration than these 3 drills, otherwise we would all be fast!
These drills are the tip of the iceberg and will help your child produce results over the next 4 weeks
But
what happens after that?
Just like anything in life we need to progress and challenge the body in tiny increments to see constant improvement.
That is where the 90 days to Explosive Speed online program kicks in.
It’s a program that has laid out exactly what your child needs to do in the next 90 days to develop explosive speed.
No thinking. Just follow.
You can check it out below