Revisiting running drills
As much as coaches love drills, it is important to remember that drills do not equal skills. If the intention is to enhance running skill, then this must be coached directly via running per se. Moreover, if you want to get faster you must run fast. This is simply adhering to the principle of specificity. The primary benefit of drills is to challenge posture and positions that are similar to those that occur during the sprint action. Drills should be considered as specific strength and functional flexibility development – the technical benefit is ancillary.
Practical applications
There are 5 primary training approaches utilizing drills for running based athletes:
- Reconditioning – use of drills for reconditioning enhances local muscle conditioning and systemic conditioning. Often with certain individuals, or at certain stages of return to run only so much running can be completed. However, drills can more than adequately simulate similar physiological demands as running, but without risk.
- Rehabilitation – programming here is directed toward the injury. Drilling can be commenced before running. Here the typical ‘jogging’ stage can be passed over with drills, which better prepares the athlete for quality ‘striding’. Depending on the type of lower limb injury and stage of rehab, drills can be modified to progressively load respective muscles involved in the running cycle. The role of the calf complex in the running cycle is to function as a ‘brace’ – not a ‘pump’. Therefore, when able, running drills offer a much more specific means of improving calf strength as compared to general calf raises ahead of running per se (see more on the calf in this article).
- Functional development – drills are core work. Drills can improve flexibility, reactive trunk strength and lumbo-pelvic function for all forms of running.
- Warm up and preparation for speed training – if well implemented, drills can be used as an excellent primer for speed. Often too, there are many variations of drills that are very similar to plyometrics, or are plyometric in nature.
- Reintroduction to speed – often acute and overuse injuries can be attributed to poor running technique. Gait is the cornerstone of function. When an athlete has the capability to operate their musculoskeletal system efficiently, they will tolerate greater stress, strain and load. As such, the return to run process presents a great opportunity to improve technique and running efficiency, as I wrote about with Vern Gambetta in our 2006 article. This can then be used to enhance performance and robustness with high intensity running.
Often the 5 modes are addressed synonymously in training. However, there are subtle differences in how drills can be applied to target these 5 respective areas. This will vary with injury and the individual athlete.
A brief history of running drills
The popular A and B running drills were originally developed in mid-60s by Gerald Mach, former National Sprint Coach for Poland and later Canada. The drills were designed to enable the sprinter to complete preparatory work in harsh Polish winters with limited space:
- A-Drills – designed to improve function related with the push off and hip extension in the stance phase of the running cycle
- B-Drills – designed to improve function related with the leg approach phase of the running cycle
- C-Drills – designed to improve function related with the leg recovery phase of the running cycle
During the same era, renown American sprint coach, Bud Winter also developed a series of sprint drills. In recent years Frans Bosch has further developed other versions of these drills applying motor learning principles, which have also been adapted by practicioners like John Pryor to offer better transfer for team sport athletes and positive running enhancement.
Recently there has also been a considerable interest and popularity with isometric drills on social media. Before programming and coaching isometric drills there are a few considerations. Sometimes modalities look similar but are not the same:
- Isometric running drills are devoid of variability. The whole purpose of running drills is to challenge balance, coordination and range of motion – not to take these variables away.
- Repeatedly training in specific joint angles can lead to a reduction in execution variability. While this might sound beneficial, the ability to adapt and perform movements across a wide range of conditions and angles is crucial.
- Reduced variability might limit an athlete’s adaptability on the field, while likely predominately stressing the same joint structures repeatably.
It is understandable how the use of isometric drills by inexperienced coaches can be seductive, due to the ease of implementation and low coaching skill required. However, they provide a false ‘comfort’ of measurable force production.
Putting drills into practice
As described above, the potential uses for running drills are numerous. The potential drills to choose from are also numerous. No matter the drills, coaching comes back to some key principles: how, why, what and when:
| COACHING considerations | PROGRAMMING considerations |
| How: knowledge of how to teach running drills by way of cues, implicit/explicit methods and observation skills | What: knowing what drills are appropriate to what injury and the individual athlete |
| Why: knowledge and capability of how to sell the reason for running drills as part of a broader RTR program | When: knowing the appropriate sequence of drills within a session and progression throughout the RTR program |
