Acceleration Training Tip #7 - Use Skipping Drills

Acceleration Training Tip #7: Use Skipping Drills

When most people think of skipping, they picture a warm-up filler or something kids do on a playground. But here's what elite sprint coaches have known for decades — skipping is one of the most underrated speed development tools available, and it deserves a permanent place in your training program.

Skipping is sprint-specific plyometric training in disguise. Every variation — whether it's skipping for height, distance, speed, or arm emphasis — is teaching your body the same fundamental patterns it needs to accelerate efficiently. Rhythm, coordination, proper foot strike, hip extension, arm timing — it's all in there, delivered in a format that's lower impact and highly trainable for athletes at every level.

What makes skipping so valuable is the way it bridges the gap between basic movement and full speed effort. It slows the sprint pattern down just enough for your nervous system to absorb the mechanics, groove the right movement habits, and build the elastic, reactive qualities your muscles need when it's time to go full speed. Think of it as sprint training with a teaching moment built into every rep.

For young athletes especially, skipping drills build the athletic foundation that everything else is built on — body control, spatial awareness, and the coordination to link upper and lower body mechanics together seamlessly. But make no mistake, advanced athletes benefit just as much. Skipping keeps the nervous system primed, reinforces technical patterns, and serves as a powerful activation tool before high-intensity speed work.

The result? A nervous system that's dialed in, movement patterns that are grooved and consistent, and an athletic foundation that makes every other acceleration tip in this series easier to execute at full speed.

Don't sleep on the skip. It might be the simplest tool in your training arsenal — and one of the most effective.

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