One of the hardest things for an athlete to develop is first-step speed and acceleration. However, these attributes are crucial to success in almost every sport. Plays rarely come down to how fast a player can run at his or her top speed. But it’s common for plays to depend on the ability of a player to react quickly and cover a short distance as fast as possible.

One great drill to work on your first-step quickness and acceleration is the Med Ball Push to Sprint. It forces you to get into an athletic stance and use your body to explosively throw a med ball before transitioning into a short sprint. The motion of launching the med ball forces you to drive off both legs and gets you into the right body angle for maximum acceleration and leg drive as you begin your sprint.

How to Perform Med Ball Push to Sprint

• Hold a med ball at chest height with your feet in an athletic stance.
• Perform a Quarter Squat to prepare your body to explode forward.
• Explode out of the Squat as you push the ball forward and step forward with the foot that feels most natural, throwing the med ball as far as you can at a 45-degree angle.
• Immediately transfer the momentum of your throw into a sprint, driving your feet into the ground behind you and achieving a body angle of 45 degrees.
• Sprint for 10-15 yards before retrieving the ball and performing another rep.

Sets/Reps: 10 total reps