Properly folding the leg to maximize your speed is relevant not only for linear sprints, but also lateral based movements. It is not uncommon that an athlete possess a well developed leg fold, with clean thigh drive when sprinting forward, but lacks it when doing multi-directional speed work. The Parisi Speed School curriculum is systematic in teaching speed mechanics. The video shows an athlete practicing a few different leg fold drills. These will always our non-negotiables like dorsiflexion. I picked these 3 exercises because are also suited the athlete's mechanics needs or as I refer to as 'technical reminders.'
Even at the college level, athletes should return to the fundamentals of speed to help remind the body of the ideal movement literacy needed to maximize their speed. This video features:
Explosive bounding thigh drive - I love the energy of this movement and how it gives me time to see the athlete's leg fold in the air. It promotes a great movement cadence and I can actually hear the athlete's ground contact or punch.
The classic standing leg fold - This is usually presented only as a top speed mechanic, but I like this drill for so many other reasons. First of all, it is hard to perform perfectly despite how basic it is. I believe it is because of its simplicity that it really helps the athlete 'dial in' their leg fold.
Hanging leg folds - This exercise is a great total body strength movement that enhances core bracing, upper body posture, hip flexor strength, dorsiflexion, leg fold, etc... When my athletes perform this one, I focus on them 'punching' the stiff leg away and folding. The goal is to do this without making a lot of 'body noise.' The noise is when an athlete is wiggling a ton through the rest of the body.
The ladder drills being performed were an exercise in properly folding the leg for lateral movement. Ladder drills are great, but many coaches use them without making the athlete adhere to the correct mechanical application. The goal of the day with this college football player was to reinforce his leg fold and get him to punch the ground into a forward facing sprint from the lateral movement.
