Universal Drills - Designing a Program

Inspired by our book, Coaching Better Athletes

Part 2 of a 3 part series

See our previous post here

In our first post about this topic, we talked about how important universal drills are for building athleticism. Now, let’s get practical: how do you incorporate universal drills into a training program? In this post, we’ll break down how to organize drills, match them to an athlete’s needs, and ensure they’re effective for long-term development.

Step 1: Identify Athletic Needs

Although the individuals playing the game are all unique, the sports themselves have specific physical demands. To start training off properly, you need to start with a thorough analysis of the following: 

• Movement Patterns: What movements are critical to the sport (e.g., sprinting, jumping)?

• Muscle Groups: Which muscles need strengthening (e.g., quads for sprinting)?

• Physical Qualities: Does the athlete need more speed, strength, or flexibility?

For example, a young sprinter might focus on drills for acceleration and sprint mechanics, while a gymnast prioritizes flexibility and balance. Soccer and basketball players need speed, agility, and endurance, but a hooper might also need to address their vertical jump. Developing the whole athlete is always important, but understanding the game's specific needs is paramount.

Step 2: Organize Your Drills

To maximize effectiveness, integrate drills into specific parts of a training session. It’s important to note that you don’t need to do all of these in every session:

• Warmup: Use mobility and flexibility drills (e.g., dynamic stretches and moderate intensity sport specific drills) to prepare the body.

• Technique: Practice drills that refine movement mechanics, like sprint form or landing techniques.

• Movement Skills: Focus on speed or agility (e.g., sprint drills or ladder drills for change of direction).

• Plyometrics: Include explosive drills where you can, but tailor them to the athlete’s developmental stage.

• Nervous System Training: Reaction drills that incorporate as much of the game as possible are great to pair with constraints like resistance. Challenging the body’s motor control is also important to integrate into training.

• Strength Training: Incorporate strength training exercises, both bilateral (two legs simultaneously, like squats) and unilateral (single leg movements, like lunges or split squats).

• Cool-Down/Recovery: End with flexibility drills to aid recovery and grab a foam roller to help the muscles relax.

Example structure for a speed session: start with dynamic stretches, move to sprint mechanics drills, and end with maximal velocity sprints.

Summing it Up

Think of drills as the glue that ties all of the training elements together. They are your best bet for transferring strength/power training to the field or court.

Plan your training sessions with clear goals (e.g., speed or agility) and integrate drills into specific blocks. To try it out, start small—add a mobility drill to your warmup or a sprint drill to your movement skills block.

By organizing universal drills strategically, you can create a training program that builds a well-rounded athlete. The key is understanding the athlete’s needs and structuring sessions to target specific skills. In Part 3, we’ll cover how to choose the right drills for different ages and skill levels, plus share 15 foundational movements to kickstart your training. You always need a great foundation to build from, and you should never take for granted the most fundamental movements. Don’t miss it!

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