ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE
Top 5 Exercises for Athletic Performance
SPEED • POWER • CONTROL
Five drills that build the qualities every athlete needs: the ability to accelerate, stop, change direction, and react faster than the other player.
By Ethan Clark • Ethan Clark Personal Training
WHAT MAKES A GREAT ATHLETE?
One of the biggest components of athletic performance is the ability to accelerate and decelerate efficiently. Reacting to a play is important, but being able to quickly get into position, stop under control, change direction, and create space can completely change the outcome of a play.
These five exercises focus on developing speed, power, deceleration, change of direction, and overall athletic movement.
If you can get to the play faster than your opponent, you have the advantage.
01
DEPTH DROPS
LEARN TO LAND BEFORE YOU LEARN TO FLY
Depth drops are one of my favorite exercises because learning how to absorb force and land properly is extremely important for athletes. Many athletes spend a lot of time practicing how high or how far they can jump, but very little time learning how to land.
HOW TO DO IT
Step off a low box and land with both feet. Focus on landing softly, keeping your knees in a strong position, and maintaining control of your body.
PROGRESS IT
As you improve, increase the box height or progress into more advanced exercises such as depth jumps.
The goal isn't just to jump higher. It's to teach your body to safely handle the forces that come with running, jumping, cutting, and landing.
02
SHORT SPRINTS
TO GET FASTER, YOU HAVE TO PRACTICE MOVING FAST
Most sports don't give you 100 meters to slowly reach top speed. You usually need to accelerate quickly over a short distance, so for most athletes I prefer shorter sprints.
DISTANCES
10 METER 20 METERS 30 METERS 40 METERS
FOCUS ON
A strong first few steps, driving into the ground, and gradually bringing your body upright as you accelerate.
Rest enough between sprints that every rep is performed with high effort and good technique.
03
DECELERATION DRILLS
SPEED ONLY HELPS IF YOU CAN CONTROL IT
Being able to accelerate is important, but being able to stop and control that speed is just as important. Deceleration allows an athlete to slow down, change direction, and react to what is happening around them.
START SIMPLE
Sprint 10–15 yards and practice coming to a controlled stop within a designated area.
FOCUS ON
Sprint-to-stop Lateral deceleration Single-leg deceleration Sprint-to-cut Reactive stopping
Stop with control instead of taking extra steps. The faster you stop, the faster you move into your next action.
04
BROAD JUMPS & VARIATIONS
HORIZONTAL POWER THAT CARRIES OVER THE FIELD
Broad jumps are a great way to develop horizontal power, which directly relates to sprinting and explosive movement.
HOW TO DO IT
Start from a standing position, load through your hips, swing your arms, and explode forward as far as you can while maintaining a controlled landing.
VARIATIONS
Repeated broad jumps Single-leg broad jumps Lateral bounds Skater jumps Broad jump into sprint
Don't focus only on distance. Athletic power isn't just about producing force. You also need to be able to absorb it.
05
SPORT-SPECIFIC CHANGE OF DIRECTION
TRAIN FOR THE UNPREDICTABILITY OF A REAL GAME
This is where training should become more specific to your sport. Football, basketball, hockey, and soccer players all move differently during competition.
Instead of only running through cones in a set pattern, eventually introduce drills that force the athlete to react.
EXAMPLES
Partner reaction Mirror drills Reactive cones Sprint-and-cut Defensive shuffle Chase drills
Don't focus only on distance. Athletic power isn't just about producing force. You also need to be able to absorb it.
DON'T FORGET RECOVERY
MORE TRAINING ISN'T ALWAYS BETTER TRAINING
You don't become faster or stronger simply by training more. Your body needs time to recover and adapt to the work you're doing.
EXAMPLES
😴Sleep 🥗Nutrition 💧Hydration
🧘Mobility 🚶Light movement 🛌Rest days
Train hard enough to create improvement while still letting your body recover, so you can keep performing at a high level.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Athletic performance isn't built from one exercise. A well-rounded athlete needs to be able to:
• PRODUCE FORCE • ABSORB FORCE • ACCELERATE
• DECERLATE • CHANGE OF DIRECTION • REACT QUICKLY
Start with the basics, become efficient at controlling your body, then gradually make your training faster, more explosive, and more specific to your sport.