Have you ever watched offensive and defensive linemen do so
called “form running’ drills? It is the most nonathletic disjointed looking
activity you could imagine, certainly the epitome of mindless exercise for this
population. I think the players just go through the motions because they intuitively
know it has nothing to do with the ability to play their position, it is
another task they must complete before they get to the stuff that matters. Various
permutations of from running including high knee skips, high knee running and
pawing are predicated on having time in the air to recover the leg through in
the step cycle – this is the opposite of what a lineman wants, for that matter
virtually any athlete who has to change direction wants to do. To be effective they need
to play with their feet close to ground in order to optimize their ability to
change direction and keep their center of gravity over and inside their base of
support. If you are using these types of drills for anyone besides a sprinter,
jumper or hurdler in track and field you are probably wasting your time. I have
heard the argument that they are good for hip mobility, yes they are, but there
are better drills that have positive carry over to change of direction sports.
So what should you do? Jump rope, do ladder drills with
short ladders, in short drills that emphasize getting the feet back to the
ground with the hips over the base of support. Be creative and imaginative;
devise drills that emphasize quickness in three to five second bursts. Drills
that promote triple flexion of the ankle/knee/hip – the key to playing low.
Playing low is rewarded in multidirectional sports.
phillip bazzini
Coach,
Perhaps you could offer more clarity on today’s post. In Coach Rad’s book “Functional Training,” he lists all of the “A” drills as recommended exercises for racquet sports. For coordination and hip mobility during warm up preferably on speed emphasis day, we use the A drills. I have found the “B” skip to be too difficult for many of the advanced tennis players so it has been de-emphasized or just plain eliminated.
Our tennis warm up is not a track and field warm up, but there are some carryovers, including the A skip (which we do in the frontal and transverse plane). Please advise if this needs revision.
Thank you!
Bill Hennig
The fact of the matter is that, other than lineman, players are judged and rated on their 40 yard time. We all know that 95% of a football game has nothing to do with running 40 yards. But if you are a back, receiver, or linebacker, and you do not have even a “decent” 40 yard time you will often be overlooked at the college or pro level. That is why form running drills are important. If you have poor running mechanics it is unlikely you will ever post the fastest time you can run.