The acceleration ladder or tape drill dates back to the Cold War era. In debunking this exercise, formerly termed “East German Stick Drill,” one may take a look and think it was created to elicit disharmony in the speed and power athlete of the United States. The application is often butchered greatly by coaches and athletes alike. Hearsay has it that the Soviet Block countries were using this drill some time ago. Remi Korchemny, the author of Innovations in Speed Development, popularized the use of the stick drill to teach the bleed out and transitional component of the acceleration pattern from a static starting position. Korchemny prescribed a five to seven stride model for beginners and an initial 3-foot first stick placement. His progressions start with a lengthening of 15 cm (6 inches) per rung. Korchemny and the East Germans left an imprint on early sprint speed coaches such as Tom Shaw and Gary Winckler who used it to develop field and sprint sport athletes. These highly acclaimed coaches helped create a strong mid-1990’s buzz. Naturally, the drill became extremely watered down via high school and collegiate level coaches and athletes. Mechanical sprint dysfunction and technical model disturbance are commonly created by allowing athletes to: maintain poor posture, cast/overreach, and focus too heavily on limb speed of movement. Personally, I was a part of its incorrect implementation as a high school athlete in my football and track and field days. Many young athletes will develop an end goal thought, “This is where my foot needs to hit” rather than use the appropriate question, “what positions and feeling state will best get me there?” Furthermore, the drill isn’t a one size fits all model and is often used incorrectly in large group settings. Charlie Francis expressed its flaws best when he asked these questions, “How can everybody be the same? Are you 5’6” or 6’6”? Sprinting is a hindbrain activity where simple functions can be performed at great speed. Adding complexity to a simple activity slows function down and encourages tightness, which is death to a sprinter.” We must remember the how always trumps the what!Sprinting is a hindbrain activity where simple functions can be performed at great speed. - Charlie Francis Over the last few years, the drill has made its way back into popular sprint culture. Vince Anderson, sprint coach at Texas A&M, has used the acceleration ladder with great success. Andersen worked previously with two of the greatest “starters” of all time in Leonard Scott (6.46 60m) and Justin Gatlin (6.45 60m and 9.74 100m) at the University of Tennessee. He now produces great sprinters at A&M under his unique philosophy which incorporates the stick drill nearly every day. Renowned Altis World sprint coaches Andreas Behm and Stuart McMillan prescribe this drill early in their training year to help establish rhythm and a sound technical model. Marking the Athlete’s Pattern The athletes stride length pattern will be dictated in regards to anthropometrics, power levels, surface of use, time of year, and technical comprehension. Less powerful athletes or athletes with short levers will likely have a zero mark to first cone mark of 2’6 to 3’0 feet. Likewise, an athlete with a greater power reserve or longer levers will likely start from 3’0 to 3’6 feet. In general, the median may be caught in prescribing somewhere near a “1.1” formula. Stride length from zero to the first stride x 1.1 for shorter stride length and 1.15 or slightly above for greater stride lengths. Coaches should not get lost in finding a perfect formula. (Note: Coach Anderson sells his own charts for youth to elite athletes) Example:
What are you looking for? Intent is everything! Aggressive push, punch, and extension should be coached from ground through the head. Promote a gradual rise of the athletes torso angles, hip height, and heel recovery in respect to the previously mentioned principals. Coaches should progress distances and number of sticks/cones according to desired intensity, athletes abilities, and technical mastery. One may start with only 3 to 5 markers and when appropriate progress to fifteen or more. Use slow-motion video to identify the athletes biomechanics and ground contact positions. Don’t get lost in a few inches here or there in which the athlete strikes behind or in front of markers. Look for the contact of the athletes foot to be underneath the center of mass and traveling backward. From here the athlete will focus on violently driving through a post that projects one up and forward while pushing the ground away. Free your athletes from thinking about “how fast I’m moving” and steer them towards a philosophy centered towards “what I’m feeling.” Important Points to Consider
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Speed rules as the performance quality "king" in sport. Training for speed is the holy grail of training for the modern performance coach. Thankfully, training for speed has come a long way in both our performance training industry and sport coaching at large. We have progressed immensely to say the least. Initially, we ran kids until they puked thinking mental toughness and volume produced speed. We than fell in love with speed ladders and gadgets thinking it would create fast twitch freaks. The recent garage gym trend over the last ten years has led many believing speed can be developed through the weight room alone. By now everyone is bored to death with adage "strength = speed." Yes, high power output into the ground in minimal time is part of the speed equation. I do agree that the athlete needs baseline standards of maximal and general strength to effectively apply force and more importantly with stand these forces over time. If this is indeed a limiting factor than please train accordingly. However, aren't we all bored to death with this theory? Furthermore, are these juggernauts we're building able to express their strength? With that being said, lets take a look at the most often overlooked part of the athletes program...the warm up. The first fifteen to thirty minutes of your session as an athlete or coach will not only dictate the effectiveness of your workout, but really highlight your understanding of speed training. The "NX Level Speed Warm-Up" will unlock speed potential by improving structural alignment, mobility, and stability. Greater joint ranges of motion, core stability, and posture will help improve the athletes ability to express power. The "General Warm up Check List " will improve soft tissue quality, mobility and will elevate the core temperature while turning the lights on to the central nervous system. Moving forward the "NX Level Speed Training Prep Big 3" will further open up the hips while ensuring speed musculature is primed for enhanced force production and core stability in acceleration specific positions. General Warm-up Check List
![]() NX Level Speed Training Prep Big 3 *All exercises must be preceded with a posterior tilt of the pelvis A1 Starret Band Split Squat with Iso Hold (8 reps per leg)
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Matt GiffordNX Level Coach - C.S.C.S - USATF Level 1, Altis Apprentice Archives
May 2020
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