Speed and agility aren’t just physical traits — they’re skills. And like any skill, they can be trained, refined, and dramatically improved with the right drills and the right coaching.
At The LAB Performance & Sports Science in Fairfield, NJ, we’ve been developing high school athletes across New Jersey for over 12 years. Speed and agility work is at the core of everything we do — because the athletes who move better, think faster, and react quicker are the ones who get recruited, get playing time, and win.
Here are five of the most effective speed and agility drills we use to develop high school athletes in New Jersey — plus coaching notes on how to execute them right.
1. Resisted Sprint Accelerations
What it trains: Acceleration mechanics, hip drive, forward lean, ground contact time
Resisted sprints — using a sled, band, or partner resistance — force athletes to develop the proper body position and mechanics for explosive acceleration. Most high school athletes accelerate wrong: they come upright too fast, lose their angle, and kill their first few steps.
How to do it: Set up a light-to-moderate resistance (should NOT prevent forward movement or cause you to lean too far forward). Drive hard through 10-15 yards maintaining a 45-degree body angle, pumping arms aggressively. Focus on pushing the ground behind you — not pulling it.
Coaching note: The biggest mistake here is too much resistance. This should feel hard but fast — not like you’re dragging a car. If your heels are coming up and your stride is shortened dramatically, lighten the load.
2. The 5-10-5 Pro Agility Drill
What it trains: Change of direction speed, deceleration mechanics, lateral quickness
The 5-10-5 — also called the short shuttle — is used at virtually every major recruiting combine in the country. But beyond the test, the mechanics it builds are directly transferable to the field, court, or ice. The ability to decelerate hard and redirect is one of the most undercoached skills in high school athletics.
How to do it: Set up three cones in a line, five yards apart. Start at the middle cone in an athletic stance. Sprint five yards right, touch the line, sprint ten yards left, touch, then sprint five yards back through the middle. The goal is minimum wasted motion at each direction change.
Coaching note: Most athletes lose time on the turns, not the straights. Train the touch — lower your center of gravity before you get there, plant outside foot, explode out. Don’t just run up and slam into a deceleration.
3. Wall Drills for Sprint Mechanics
What it trains: Arm action, leg cycle, posture, dorsiflexion
Wall drills are the foundation of sprint mechanics training. At The LAB, we use them with every athlete regardless of sport — because proper sprint mechanics mean faster top speed and better efficiency over the course of a game.
How to do it: Stand facing a wall, arms extended at chest height, leaning into it at roughly 45 degrees. Drive one knee up to hip height while keeping a strong core and neutral spine. Focus on dorsiflexion (toes pulled up), full hip extension on the grounded leg, and sharp arm drive. Progress from single-leg holds to alternating to rapid cycles.
Coaching note: This drill looks simple and gets butchered constantly. The hip must come to full extension on the down leg. Watch for collapsed ankles, hunched posture, and lazy arm mechanics. Everything in sprinting comes from this drill when it’s done correctly.
4. Reactive Agility: Mirror Drills
What it trains: Reactive quickness, anticipation, lateral footwork, game-speed decision making
Most agility drills are pre-planned — you know where you’re going before you start. Game situations aren’t. Mirror drills bridge the gap between drill work and actual competition by forcing athletes to read and react in real time.
How to do it: Two athletes face each other, five to eight yards apart. One leads, one mirrors. The leader moves laterally, forward, and backward in random patterns. The mirror must stay within a yard, reacting to every change. Work in five-to-ten second bursts with full recovery between sets.
Coaching note: The stay-low rule is non-negotiable. The moment an athlete comes upright, they lose reaction speed. Stay in an athletic stance throughout. Progress by widening the gap, speeding up the leader, or adding directional rules.
5. Single-Leg Broad Jumps
What it trains: Single-leg power, hip extension, landing mechanics, asymmetry correction
Speed is produced one leg at a time. Most athletes have a power imbalance between legs they don’t know about — and it’s costing them speed, efficiency, and increasing their injury risk. Single-leg broad jumps expose those imbalances and build the unilateral explosive power that transfers directly to sprinting and jumping.
How to do it: Standing on one foot, load the hip and drive forward explosively, landing on the same foot with a soft, controlled landing — shin over toe, hip loaded, no knee cave. Measure distance from each foot and work toward equal output on both sides.
Coaching note: Don’t rush the landing. A sloppy landing means poor deceleration mechanics — which is where most non-contact injuries happen. Build the habit of sticking the landing before chasing distance.
Putting It Together: Why Drill Quality Beats Drill Quantity
Any coach can put cones on a field and run athletes through patterns. What separates elite development from busy work is technical precision — doing each repetition with intent, understanding why you’re doing it, and getting feedback that corrects errors in real time.
High school athletes in New Jersey have a short window to develop the physical tools that get them noticed by college programs. That’s why every drill at The LAB is coached with specificity — not just run through for the sake of fatigue.
If you’re a high school athlete in Fairfield, Caldwell, West Caldwell, Cedar Grove, Livingston, Wayne, Montville, or anywhere across Essex County and northern NJ, and you’re serious about your speed and agility development — come train where it’s done right.
The LAB Performance & Sports Science
58 Clinton Road, Fairfield, NJ 07004
(973) 808-0300
Learn more about our sports performance programs →
