Form Drills
Form dills are exercises that target a key sprinting action (knee drive, etc.) and help develop proper
neuromuscular movement patterns. Each movement is performed slowly at first and then progressed to
maximal or near-maximal speed. It can be difficult for many teams to dedicate valuable practice time to
forms drills. However, by including them in the warm up along with technical work and dynamic
stretches, you can essentially “kill two birds with one stone”. That is, you have included sport specific
movements as well as addressing sprinting technique.
Include the following form drills in place of the standard movements (side shuffles, back pedals) if you
intend on addressing maximum speed in your training.
a) Knee Lifts (High Knees)
Objective: Establish proper knee drive during
the drive phase
Set-up and Instructions: Cover a distance of 20
yards at a time by powerfully bringing the knees
up and forward (one leg at a time) until the thigh
is parallel to the ground (Figure 4.9).
Coaching Points: The knee should be lifted up
and forward. The player should always land on
the balls of their feet, and the foot contact should
be fast and light. The ankle should be
dorsiflexed (toes slightly upwards) until the foot
makes contact. The torso must remain erect and
proper arm action should be emphasized.
Figure 4.9 Knee Lifts (High Knees)