One of the best uses for speed hurdles is to teach the quick, high knee action necessary for sprinting. Another great use for this tool is to use it during warm-ups. One useful drill that opens up the hips and activates the muscles of the legs is the around and over drill which combines a side shuffle with a cross-over step. This drill occurs in the frontal plane (side shuffle) as well as the transverse plane (cross-over step) and is an excellent preparatory movement for more complex hurdle and running drills.
Performance:
1. Set up six hurdles spaced roughly 18-24 inches apart.
2. Start from a wide athletic stance at one end of the hurdles.
3. Side shuffle completely around the hurdles.
4. Using a cross-over step, run over the hurdles as quickly as possible.
5. Once you have reached the end, stick and hold briefly before moving in the opposite direction using the same type of cross-over step.
Points:
1. During the side shuffle, stay low throughout and aggressively push off with the trailing leg-to move to the right, push off hard with the left foot and to move left, push off hard with the right foot.
2. During the cross-over step, move as quickly as possible landing on the balls of the feet.
3. Try to look straight ahead and not down at your feet during the execution of this drill.
Try this drill as part of your warm-up before you get to your speed work or plyometric exercises. 5-6 sets at a fast pace with 30-60 seconds rest between each set is a good place to start. To increase the intensity of this drill, you can increase the number of hurdles employed or wear a 10-12 pound weighted vest.
Matt is an ACE certified personal trainer and NESTA certified speed, agility & quickness specialist.