Increase Your SPEED | 10 Best Explosive Speed Exercises For Athletes

Key points

• Keep hands anchored firmly on your hips to eliminate upper-body arm swing momentum
• Maintain minimal knee flexion, driving force almost entirely through the ankles and calves
• Minimize ground contact time by rebounding explosively off the balls of the feet

Common mistakes

Bending deeply at the knees or landing flat-footed on heels, losing reactive elastic recoil.

Key points

• Place hands across opposite shoulders to prevent arm swinging assistance
• Descend under control into a parallel squat loading glutes and quads
• Drive triple extension through ankles, knees, and hips, transitioning immediately into the next rep upon landing

Common mistakes

Pausing or resting at the bottom of the squat instead of absorbing and exploding immediately.

Key points

• Drive the lead knee upward to 90 degrees level with the hip with toes dorsiflexed
• Coordinate contralateral arm drive (opposite arm to opposite knee) with 90-degree elbow bends
• Maintain a tall, upright posture and spring off the ball of the stance foot with rhythm

Common mistakes

Slumping the chest forward or allowing the driving foot to dangle with pointed toes.

Key points

• Maintain vertical knee drive and reciprocal arm action while translating body weight laterally
• Stay springy on the balls of the feet with short, controlled lateral ground touches
• Decelerate smoothly at the edge of the grid and reverse directions without losing skipping rhythm

Common mistakes

Letting knees collapse inward or losing the contralateral arm-leg synchronization during lateral transit.

Key points

• Load the front foot firmly into the ground from the half-kneeling position
• Explode upward through the stance hip, driving the trailing knee forcefully to chest height
• Switch lead legs at the 15-second mark to balance explosive output on both sides

Common mistakes

Pushing off the rear knee on the ground rather than driving force through the planted front foot.

Key points

• Load the outside hip and push aggressively off the ground across horizontal space
• Use a quick stabilizing foot tap before instantly re-loading and bounding back
• Coordinate driving arms to assist horizontal momentum and maintain postural balance

Common mistakes

Collapsing into a deep, slow squat on landing instead of utilizing a fast reactive rebound.

Key points

• Raise each knee fully to 90 degrees level with the hip on every single stride
• Pump arms vigorously with relaxed shoulders, driving from hip to cheek
• Keep ground contacts quick and sharp directly beneath the center of mass

Common mistakes

Leaning the upper body backward to compensate for lifting the knees, which stresses the lower back.

Key points

• Hinge at the hips with knees bent and swing arms backward to load the posterior chain
• Thrust hips forward and sweep arms through to propel the entire body horizontally
• Land softly in an athletic squat with knees tracking over toes and absorb force

Common mistakes

Landing stiff-legged with knees locked, transferring excessive impact into joints.

Key points

• Lower until front thigh is parallel to the ground and rear knee hovers above the turf
• Explode vertically with maximum power, switching leg orientation in mid-air
• Pump opposite arm and knee to maintain balance and kinetic alignment

Common mistakes

Letting the rear knee slam violently onto the hard turf or leaning the torso sideways.

Key points

• Transition sharply from a building jog to a violent change-of-pace acceleration at the 18-yard line
• Drive knees aggressively and push the ground backward with maximum sprint arm action
• Take a full 45 to 60-second walk-back recovery between reps to ensure peak neural output

Common mistakes

Rushing into the next sprint without sufficient recovery, resulting in sub-maximal velocity.