The primary purpose of the SAQ training is to develop the rate of force

production, the response to stimuli, improve the velocity of movement

and prevent injuries. It has been proven effective in improving agility,
speed, acceleration and explosive power in sports like soccer, football,
badminton and cricket players.

SAQ TRAINING BENEFITS It is easy to see how faster feet, greater balance
and stability, and quicker reaction times would be beneficial for competitive
athletes in terms of improved performance and injury prevention, but there
are benefits for the general population of exercisers as well.

Speed – The ability to move the body in one intended direction as

fast as possible.

• Stride Rate – The number of strides taken in a given

amount of time(or distance).
• Stride Length – Distance covered in one stride, during
running.

Speed is a skill that can be learned through an integrated training

program.

Proper running mechanics allows client to maximize force generation

through bio mechanical efficiency.

• Frontside mechanics – Proper alignment of lead leg and

pelvis during sprinting, which includes ankle
dorsiflexion, knee flexion, hip flexion, and neutral
pelvis. Involves triple flexion of the ankle, knee, and hip in
appropriate synchrony. Improved frontside mechanics is
associated with better stability, less braking forces, and
increased forward driving forces.
• Backside mechanics – Proper alignment of rear leg and
pelvis during sprinting, which includes ankle
plantarflexion, knee extension, hip extension, and
neutral pelvis. Associated with stronger push phase,
including hip-knee extension, gluteal contraction, and
backside arm drive.
Agility – Ability to accelerate, decelerate, stabilize, and change
direction quickly while maintaining proper posture. Requires high
levels of neuromuscular efficiency to be able to maintain one’s center
of gravity over base of support while changing directions at various
speeds.

• Proper agility training can help prevent injury by enhancing

body’s ability to effectively control eccentric forces in all
planes of motion as well as by improving structural integrity
of connective tissue.

Quickness

• Quickness – The ability to react and change body

composition with maximal rate of force production, in all
planes of motion and from all body positions, during
functional activities. Involves ability to assess visual,
auditory, or kinesthetic stimuli and to provide the appropriate
physical response as fast as possible (such as hitting a
 baseball or swerving to avoid car accident).

Speed, Agility, and Quickness for

Nonathletic Populations
• Widely used and accepted way to improve sports
performance in athletes, components of SAQ program also
significantly improve physical health profile of apparently
healthy sedentary adults and those with medical or health
limitations. Increased neuromuscular, biomechanical, and
physiological demand for such training can aid in weight
loss, coordination, movement proficiency, and injury
prevention when applied safely and effectively as seen in
OPT model.

SAQ Training Programs for Youth

• Children are constantly growing, developing, and maturing

until early adulthood. Children are programmed to develop
progressively higher neuromuscular capabilities in line with
their physical and mental maturation. Environment must
challenge children’s biologic systems; must learn through
external measures how to adapt and apply appropriate
movement patterns.
• SAQ programs decrease likelihood of athletic injury,
increase likelihood of exercise participation later in life, and
improve physical fitness.
• Red light green light drills, follow the snake.

SAQ Training for Weight Loss

• Interval training is highly effective in improving variety of

health-related factors. High intensity, short bouts of SAQ
drills make them valid choice for interval training modalities
with appropriate nonathletic populations.
 • When designing SAQ programs for weight loss, primary
focus is to keep heart rate appropriately elevated to increase
fat oxidation and caloric expenditure.
• Jump rope/cone shuffle circuit.

SAQ Training for Seniors

• Primary function of SAQ for seniors is to prevent age-related

decreases in bone density, coordinative ability, and
muscular power. Aids in prevention of injury and increase in
quality of life.
• Movement confidence and proficiency are essential in senior
populations to aid in prevention of falls and maintain
activities of daily life.
• Sarcopenia, age-related loss of skeletal muscle mass,
slowing sarcopenai are interventions requiring speed of
movement and rate of force production.

SAQ Drills and Programming Strategies

Speed Ladder Youth Speed Ladder Drills - Bing video

A great training tool that covers each of these seven components is the agility
ladder. An agility ladder is a multi-rung ladder made out of rope or plastic and
nylon. It is laid on the floor to provide a hopscotch-like stepping platform. Ladders
can also be drawn on the floor with a piece of chalk.
Agility Ladder Benefits
Agility ladders are inexpensive, lightweight, and extremely portable. This makes
them great for use at home and when you’re traveling. There are hundreds of
different ways that agility ladders can be used to train for speed in a range of
different directions.
Agility ladder training is ideal for shuffles, sideways sprints, and plyometric
changes of direction. These moves will go a long way toward strengthening your
joints, tendons, and ligaments. Balance and coordination will also be dramatically
improved.
As well as boosting your agility fitness, training on an agility ladder will provide
cardiovascular benefits. A study, published in the Journal of Strength and
Conditioning Research revealed that agility ladder training was more effective
than conventional military fitness training at getting people fitter faster. It was also
seen that agility training had cognitive benefits, with improved memory and
vigilance.

Skill Level One

Drill #1: One Foot Runs
Alternately place one foot in each rung and concentrate on
maintaining an upright posture. Concentrate on keeping
the backward snap of the elbow in synch with feet; as the
right elbow drives back, the right knee drives forward, and
vice versa.

Drill #2: Two Foot Runs

This is the same as Drill #1, but this time, both feet must
land in each square. The motion is shorter and faster than
those used in the first drill. Make sure to perform equal
repetitions leading with your right and left foot.
Drill #3: Brake Run
You start off using the same motion as one-foot runs. Then,
at the half way point, switch to the motion of two-foot runs.
Switching motions will give you the sensation of slamming
on your brakes. You need to control your body and
accelerate your feet and elbows, rather than losing control
and falling forward.

Drill #4: Hop Scotch

On this drill, you start with both feet inside the first rung. You
then hop forward and land with a foot on either side of the
second rung. This pattern is repeated along the length of the
ladder. Concentrate on maintaining a low center of gravity,
especially as the speed of the hops increase.

Drill #5: Backward Hop Scotch

This drill is performed exactly the same as Drill #4, but in
reverse. Balance and rhythm are key to success on this
move.

Drill #6: Lateral Run

In this drill, you start facing side-on with both feet in the first
ladder rung. Both feet land in each square before moving on to
the next square. As with all lateral drills, be sure to give equal
attention to moving to your right and left.
Drill #7: Rabbit Hops
Here you will hop into each ladder rung with both feet
together. The emphasis here is on quickness off the ground
rather than height.

Drill #8: Jump Cuts

Jump Cuts are a great exercise for any athlete who competes in a
sport that requires cutting in very limited space. The feet are kept
together and alternately hop in and out of the ladder. Remember to
keep the knees bent in order to absorb shock.

Drill #9: Ladder Skips

Skips on the ladder are an excellent drill for teaching sprint
mechanics. Run through the ladder by placing one foot in
each rung at a time. Concentrate on keeping the body
upright and lifting the knee as high as you can. The dorsal
flexion of the foot and the backward snap of the elbow need
to be emphasized.

Drill #10: Scissor Skips

This skipping drill has your knees locked as you skip your way
down the ladder. You use only the flip of the ankle to propel
yourself forward. Make sure to keep the upper body in synch with
the lower body.
Drill #11: Icky Shuffle
This is one of the best drills that can be performed on the
agility ladder. Start at the beginning of the ladder with your
left foot in the ladder rung and your right foot outside it.
Now move your left foot to the outside of the ladder and
bring your right foot into it. Move down the ladder in this
pattern, alternating feet as they come in and out of the
ladder.

This move lays the ground work for a number of other drills.
Once you master the basic pattern of this drill, lightening
speed can be achieved by speeding up the sound of the feet.

Drill #12: X-Country Skier Drill

Here you will move laterally in a motion similar to that of a cross-
country skier. The lead foot begins in the first rung of the ladder.
The trail foot is directly behind and outside the first rung. The feet
quickly switch places as you move down the ladder.

Drill #13: Straddle Hops

Straddle Hops places the athlete in a low wide base position,
similar to a defensive football position. Imagine that your feet
are locked about two feet apart. Straddle in and out of the
ladder as you move down its length, alternately bringing a
foot to the outside of the ladder. Ground contact should be
light with the top of the foot.

Drill #14: Double Step Icky Shuffle

This is an advanced form of the Icky Shuffle shown in Drill #11. It requires
that you take one extra step. Instead of both feet touching in the middle
and only one on the outside, here both feet are placed outside the ladder
before coming back in
.Drill #15: Single Square Buzzsaw
Moving laterally, step into the first square with your lead foot and then in with your
back foot. You then exit the square in the same manner and move on to the next
square.

Drill #16: Wide Icky Shuffle

This is another variation of the Icky Shuffle,
shown in Drill #11. This time you perform the
move as in the original, but exaggerate the
motion by moving wider outside the ladder and lifting the feet
higher. This is a great drill for improving lateral change of direction
speed.
11 Benefits of Jumping Rope That
Will Have You Skipping with Joy

Benefit #1: Some Serious Calorie Burning

Weight Loss

Jumping rope is perhaps one of the very best

things that you can do in terms of burning
calories and shedding some serious pounds.
Jumping rope actually burns more calories
than jogging and even running, plus cycling
and other such forms of exercise too.

Studies show that 1 hour of jumping rope can

help you burn as many as 1300 calories.
That is more than half of the calories that an
average male needs during a whole day. To
put that in perspective, jumping rope for 10
minutes is the equivalent of running 8 miles.
Of course, this also leads you to shedding
some serious pounds because chances are
that you don’t have enough calories in your
system to be turned into enough energy to
jump rope for an hour straight.

Not having enough calories in your system forces your body to turn your fat
reserves, aka those love handles, into energy to keep you going. Jumping rope,
since it is an aerobic cardiovascular exercise, also helps to rev your metabolism to
burn more calories in general, not to mention that it boosts your EPOC too.
Your EPOC is your exercise post energy consumption, or in other words, the
increased rate at which your body consumes calories after having exercised. All of
these things contribute to helping you shed that weight that has been plaguing you
for all of these years.
 Benefit #2: Fewer
Injuries To Your Feet,
Ankles, And Lower
Legs
Something that you will really appreciate
about jumping rope is that it can help to
decrease the chances of suffering from foot
and ankle related injuries. This is especially
beneficial if you are an athlete or team sports
player where the chances of injuring your
ankles or feet are pretty higher. This is also
good if you have suffered from previous
ankle or foot injuries.
The reason jumping rope is so good for
dealing with these kinds of injuries is
because doing it often enough will go a very
long way in strengthening the muscles in
your feet, the muscles around your ankles, and your lower leg muscles too.
Jumping rope is really good at strengthening those muscles because it forces you
to be on the balls of your feet instead of your heels, also something which makes
you lighter on your feet and helps you avoid injury in general.

There is also the fact that jumping rope improves foot coordination, as will be
discussed below, something that helps you avoid making a bad step that could
lead to a rolled or even broken ankle. That is why jumping rope is a good type of
training for people who play sports such as soccer, football, basketball, tennis, and
anything else where you make split second movements from one direction to
another.
Benefit #3: Strengthening Your Bones
The next thing that is fantastic about jumping rope is that it is a weight bearing
exercise. If you weren’t sure, a weight bearing exercise is any type of movement
that puts a load on your bones or joints such as running or jumping, and of course
skipping rope too. Every time you jump to skip over the rope, when you land, you
put an increased load on your bones.
Now you may think that this is a bad thing because of the stress it can put on your
joints, but that is not actually so. Weight bearing exercises are healthy for your
bones and joints. This is because your bones grow in much the same way as your
muscles grow.

The more you train your bones through weight bearing exercises, the more bone
mass your bones create. Therefore, the more you jump rope, the thicker and
denser your bones get. This is very important for your health, especially in your old
age when you risk breaking bones from little falls, plus it can help prevent
degenerative bone diseases such as osteoporosis too.

Benefit #4: Better Coordination

One benefit that you get from jumping rope on a regular basis is that it will slowly
improve your coordination over time. Jumping rope is a pretty complex process for
your brain to process, it might not seem like it, but it does involve doing more than
one thing at once.
This exercise involves quite a bit of hand-eye coordination because you have to
spin the rope with your hands and you have to keep track of the rope with your
eyes so that you know when to jump, not to mention having the right timing to make
precise jumps.

Jumping rope forces your brain to process multiple movements at once

and coordinate them to work in harmony. You might not be that good at jumping
rope in the beginning, but you will quickly notice yourself getting the hang of it.
When you notice that you’re not tripping over the rope every few passes it makes,
as opposed to the beginning where you could barely get over the thing once, that
is your hand-eye coordination improving. On an interesting side note, if you do
tricks like cross overs, your hand-eye coordination will get even better due to the
complex nature of the task which your mind and body have to process.
This does also have to do with muscle memory because it is a repetitive motion,
but it definitely doesn’t hurt your hand-eye coordination either. If you jump rope
enough, eventually you get quite a bit lighter on your feet and have that noticeable
spring, which is actually a reason as to why boxers jump rope as a form of training.
Jumping rope is also good training for other sports where you have to make quick
turnarounds and split second movements such as tennis.

Benefit #5: Breathing & Stamina

Another thing which jumping rope can help you with is your breathing abilities as
well as your overall endurance. As we’ll talk about later, jumping rope is a fantastic
form of cardiovascular exercise, and that means that it works out your lungs too.
Just like your heart, your bones, and your other muscles, your lungs can be trained
to work more efficiently. Jumping rope definitely makes you breathe hard, and
when you breathe hard and heavy for a prolonged period of time, your lungs slowly
increase their ability to intake oxygen and process it. Simply put, just like lifting
dumbbells makes your biceps bigger, breathing really fast and hard increases your
lung’s oxygen capacity.

The more oxygen your lungs can process the longer you can exercise for because
you aren’t going to get winded and run out of breath nearly as fast. There is also
the fact that your muscles need oxygen to function and the more oxygen your lungs
can put in your blood stream the longer your muscles will be able to work for.

Benefit #6: You Can Do It Anywhere

Another thing that you are going to appreciate about jumping rope is that it is very
versatile. When you have a gym membership you can only work out at the gym
and when you have a stationary bike you can only work out at home. However, a
jumping rope is very convenient because you can use it anywhere.

You can use a jumping rope in your bedroom, living room, out front on the sidewalk,
in the backyard, or you can go to a park too. You can also take it to the gym or skip
together with your friends too. Finding the motivation to exercise can be hard,
especially when you have to go to a certain place to do it, but being able to work
out anywhere you want is definitely a big bonus.

Moreover, it is shown that exercising outdoors is healthy for your mind because it
can actually increase your problem-solving skills, make you more creative, and
also relieve stress. So if you’re ever in the dumps, feeling sad, and in the need of
a quick and efficient workout, just try going to the park to jump some rope. There
is also the fact that all you need to jump rope is, well, a jump rope!

Benefit #7: Better Cardiovascular Health

Jumping rope is also very beneficial for your heart and for your cardiovascular
system. Jumping rope is definitely a form of aerobic exercise. In other words, it
trains your heart to be better and stronger. As we mentioned before, jumping rope
can burn a serious number of calories, and that is due to the fact that it is so
strenuous and demanding, and of course the number of calories burned is also
thanks to the workout that jumping rope puts on your heart.
It’s just as demanding for your heart as anything else and will definitely get it
pumping. Having a stronger heart is very beneficial for a variety of reasons. A well
exercised heart leads to lower blood pressure, a lower resting heart rate, a
decreased chance of heart disease and heart attacks, as well as healthy
cholesterol levels.
Not only are there those heart healthy benefits, but a more efficient heart that can
pump more blood and oxygen to your muscles also helps to improve your physical
performance. More blood and oxygen in your muscles means that they can work
harder and work for longer periods of time before getting tired.

Benefit #8: Agility, Quickness, and Balance

Another benefit that you get from jumping rope is that makes you quicker and helps
you balance better too. Like we mentioned before, jumping rope makes you lighter
on your feet, or in other words, it makes you quicker.

Of course, jumping rope does make you more agile and it’s as simple as being in
better shape, having stronger leg muscles, and having better endurance. Jumping
rope makes you quicker because it increases your coordination and your reaction
time, at least if you’re working hard enough not to fall over the rope!
Jumping rope also helps increase your balance and it does so through a number
of ways. First of all, having stronger leg muscles allows you to deal with quick slips
better, also known as saving yourself at the last minute before you fall on your butt.
Your balance is also increased by skipping rope because like we talked about
before, you skip on the balls of your feet, which automatically forces you to balance
every time you land.

Benefit #9: Eliminating Toxins

Another thing that jumping rope is great for is for eliminating toxins from your skin
and from your body. First off, your lymphatic system is kind of like your body’s trash
compactor system. That is where all of the toxins in your body collect, but there is
a problem, that being that your lymph system has no way of getting rid of those
toxins by itself.
Your lymph system needs you to manually contract your muscles to get blood to
flow through them and pump the toxins out of your lymph system. Skipping rope
definitely makes your muscles contract from top to bottom, and that gets the toxins
out of your lymph system.
On that same note, jumping rope will definitely make you sweat, and sweating is
good for your skin. Bacteria and other bad things that can cause acne and skin
infections build up in your pores. When you sweat, like after a good jump rope
session, you sweat out those toxins and bacteria, this preventing acne, keeping
your skin healthy, and eliminating even more unwanted compounds from your
body.
Benefit #10: Building Muscle
Something else that you should like about jumping rope is that it will definitely help
you build some muscle. Sure, it isn’t going to build muscle like lifting weights, but
it will tone your muscles for sure.
Just think about it, when you jump rope you engage pretty much every muscle in
your legs, plus you use your arms to swing the rope, you use your back to stay
upright, and if you feel like it, you can even clench your abs to engage those too.
In other words, something as simple as skipping rope definitely qualifies as a full
body workout.

Benefit #11: Relieving Stress

Another benefit that you can reap from jumping rope on a regular basis is that it
helps to make you happier, relieve stress, and helps combat the effects of anxiety
and depression too. It is shown that exercise causes your brain to produce an
excess of neurochemicals which make you feel happy.
The 2 most important chemicals that your brain produces when you exercise are
called serotonin and endocannabinoids. Serotonin gives you a sense of elation,
joy, and happiness, and endocannabinoids give you a sense of relaxation and also
help to relieve pain. Together these two things help to give you an increased sense
of wellbeing and happiness.

Conclusion
As you can see, the benefits of jumping rope are quite numerous, and all of them
go a long way in keeping you fit and healthy. From strengthening your legs, your
heart, and your lungs, all the way to improving your balance and coordination, plus
a whole lot more, you can’t argue with all of the great aspects that come with a
simple rope which you jump over.
Jumping Jacks
Shuttle Runs Watch Penn State's Saquon Barkley's shuttle runs - Bing video
Cone Drills Speed and Agility 5 cone drills - Bing video
5-10-5 Drill
Set up 2 cones, that are 10 yards apart. Place a third cone at the mid-point
between them. Starting at the mid cone, sprint 5 yards to the right cone. Then
sprint 10 yards all the way across to the left cone. Finish with a 5-yard sprint back
to the middle. Be sure to touch each cone as you quickly change direction.

T-Drill
Set up the three cones as above, but place a fourth cone 10 yards from the
middle cone, to make a 'T' formation.

Start at the fourth cone and sprint to the middle cone. Now side shuffle to the left
cone. Sprint all the way across to the right cone. Side shuffle back to the middle
cone. Finish by backpedaling to the start point.

Box Drill
Set up four cones in a square with sides of 10 yards. Start at the bottom right
cone. Sprint to the top right cone. Now side shuffle to the top left cone.
Backpedal to the bottom left cone. Finally, carioca (over, out, back, out) back to
the start position.

Modified Box Drill

Set up the cones as in the Box drill, but have a fifth cone in the middle of the
square. Number the corner cones from 1 to 4. Begin at the middle cone. Have a
coach call out a cone number. Sprint to that cone and then return to the middle to
wait for the coach to call out another number.

Penalty Box / Shadow Boxing Penalty Box Compilation Video - Bing video
Shadow Boxing Training - Bing video
What Are Plyometric Exercises?
Plyometric exercises are specialized, high-intensity training techniques used
to develop athletic power (strength and speed). Plyometric training involves
high-intensity, explosive muscular contractions that invoke the stretch reflex
(stretching the muscle before it contracts so that it contracts with greater
force). The most common plyometric exercises include hops, jumps, and
bounding movements. One popular plyometric exercise is jumping off a box
and rebounding off the floor and onto another, higher box. These exercises
typically increase speed and strength and build power.

Concerns About the Safety of Plyometrics

Experts in the field of exercise science have varying opinions of plyometrics.
The American College of Sports Medicine states that "plyometric training is a safe,
beneficial and fun activity for children and adolescents provided that the program is
properly designed and supervised."

The American Council on Fitness also recommends plyometric exercise if done properly.
And the National Strength and Conditioning Association offers a position stand in favor of
plyometrics.

Plyometrics (and any impact exercise) can increase the risk of injury if you don't follow
certain safety precautions. The tremendous force generated during these moves requires
that athletes use them sparingly and with proper training.

Safe Landing Technique

The most important aspect of a safe and effective plyometric program is
developing a safe landing technique. This means the athlete lands softly on
the toes and rolls to the heels. By using the whole foot (and a larger surface
area) for landing, it helps dissipate the impact forces on the joints. The other
key to proper landing is to avoid any twisting or sideways motion at the knee.

Safety Tips
• Plyometrics are recommended only for well-conditioned athletes.
• You should have high levels of leg strength before performing
plyometrics.
 • Warm up thoroughly before starting plyometrics.
• Start slowly with small jumps and gradually build up to larger jumps.
• Land softly with the proper technique (see above) to absorb shock.
• Allow plenty of rest between plyometric workouts.
• Stop immediately if you feel any pain in your joints.
• Pay attention to injury warning signs.
• Use footwear with plenty of cushioning to help absorb the shock.
• Perform plyometrics on soft or cushioned surfaces only.

This plyometric training program has been used to prevent ACL injuries in
women soccer players. The ACL injury prevention program has been found
to reduce the number of ACL injuries significantly. It is a training regimen that
teaches avoiding vulnerable positions, increases flexibility and strength and
uses plyometric exercises.

Keep in mind that you can develop a great deal of strength and power without
resorting to plyometrics, but if you participate in sports that require jumping
and landing, plyometric training may be beneficial to improve skill and
performance.

Plyometric Agility Hurdles

Athletes often use plyometric jumping exercises to build power and improve
coordination.3 Hurdles are not only vital to training for field sports, they can
improve the strength and jumping ability of basketball players, skiers, figure
skaters, and sports divers.4

How to Do Plyometric Agility Hurdles

1. Set up a series of low agility hurdles in two-foot increments.
2. Starting with feet at hip-width distance, jump upward and forward to
clear each hurdle, landing on the balls of your feet.
3. Upon landing, jump again, driving forward with your arms.
4. Repeat for 10 to 12 repetitions ("reps") for one set. Rest for about a
minute and complete two more sets.

You can perform the same drill with only the right foot and then only the left
foot. As you improve, move the hurdles further apart.
Plyometric Box Drills
Plyometric box drills are a great way to build explosive power and foot
speed. A plyometric box is a padded or unpadded cube that is anywhere
from 14 to 36 inches in height.

Among some of the more popular plyo box drills:

Step-Ups
1. Start by standing in front of the box.
2. Step up onto the box with one leg, then bring the other leg up as you
straighten both legs.
3. Step back down and repeat on the opposite side for one rep.
4. Repeat 10 times for one set.
5. Complete three sets

Lateral Stepovers
1. Start by standing to the side of the box.
2. Step laterally onto the box with one leg, then bring the other leg up so
that you’re standing on top of the box.
3. Step down with one leg, then bring the other leg down to the ground.
4. Continue for one set of 10 reps.
5. Complete three sets.

Box Jumps
1. Start by standing in front of the box.
2. Jump up onto the box, landing with both feet.
3. Jump back down from the box, then immediately jump back up.
4. Continue of one set of 10 reps.
5. Complete three sets.
Lateral Plyometric Jumps
Lateral plyometric jumps help build dynamic power, coordination, and
balance by using just an athlete's body weight. This advanced exercise is a
must for any athlete who needs lateral power and coordination.

How to Do A Lateral Plyometric Jump

1. Lay a string or length of masking tape on a carpeted floor, lawn, or
gym floor. Avoid doing this drill on a concrete floor.
2. Standing on one side of the line with your feet no more than a hip-
width apart, bend your knees to a deep squat position.
3. Pushing through your heels, propel yourself upward and sideways to
the other side of the line. Land softly and absorb the shock by
squatting to parallel.
4. Repeat jumping back and forth over the line, keeping your shoulders
and hips square and facing forward. Continue for 30 to 60 seconds
for one set.
5. Rest and complete two more sets.

Start slowly and gradually increase the height of the barrier. As you get
stronger, you can jump over exercise steps and even low hurdles.

Tuck Jumps
Tuck jumps are simple drills that improve your agility and power without the
need for equipment. They not only strengthen the quadriceps muscles, they
fully engage the core and hip flexors that lift your knee toward your body.

How to Do a Standard Tuck Jump

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart with your knees slightly
bent.
2. Bend your knees and jump straight up, bringing your knees to your
chest while in midair.
3. Grasp your knees quickly with your arms and let go.
4. Upon landing, immediately repeat the next jump for a total of 10 to 12
reps. Rest and complete two more sets.
Dot Drills
Dot drills develop dynamic leg strength while increasing knee and ankle
strength and stability. This is a great drill for any sport that requires quick
changes of direction and solid landings (including soccer, basketball,
racquetball, and skiing).5

To do the dot drill, you will either need to purchase a dot drill mat or place
five tape marks on the ground in the same pattern as the five dice.

The dot drill involves three exercises:

Exercise One
1. Start with your feet on two dots on one side of the square.
2. Jump to the center dot with both feet, and then jump to the two dots on
the opposite end of the square.
3. Jumping backward to the center dot and back to the starting position
for one rep.
4. Continue for a total of six reps per set.
5. Complete three sets.

Exercise Two
1. Follow the same pattern as exercise one, but instead of jumping
backward, jump up and spin around 180 degrees before continuing
back the starting position.
2. Complete three sets of six reps.

Exercise Three
1. Start with your feet on two dots on one side of the square.
2. Following one step after the next, move your right foot the center dot,
left foot to the forward dot, right foot to the forward dot, left foot the
center dot, right foot back to the starting dot, and left foot back to the
starting dot.
3. Continue, picking up speed, for a total of six reps.
4. Complete three sets.