Acceleration Training: Essential Drills & Techniques

with Vince Anderson,
2025 USTFCCCA George Dales Award;
Texas A&M Sprints & Hurdles Coach - 2004 through 2019;
while there, Aggies won 9 NCAA Outdoor National Championship titles (5x for the Men's team, 4x for the Women's team) & one NCAA Indoor National Championship title (2017 Men's team);
trained Phyllis Francis (2017 400 meter World Champion & World 4x400 Gold Medalist in 2017 & 2019) and also trained Jessica Beard (4x400 double Gold Medalist at the 2019 World Championships - 4x400, mixed 4x400);
University of Tennessee Sprints & Hurdles Coach from 1988 through 2004 (Jumps Coach from 1996 to 2004);
while there, the Vols won the 2001 Men's NCAA Outdoor National Championship title and the 2002 Men's NCAA Indoor National Championship title;
started his coaching career as a volunteer for Tom Tellez at the University of Houston in 1986

Long-time collegiate assistant coach Vince Anderson gives you everything you need to develop an explosive start and acceleration ability in your sprinters! This video, produced at the Championship Virtual Track & Field Coaches Clinic, will provide you with wall drills for effective posture, the pointers you need to set up the start, and instruction on effectively coaching the tape drill.

Wall Drills

Acceleration mechanics are a learned skill, emphasizing aggressive pushing. Coach Anderson demonstrates a wall drill designed to help athletes feel the proper required pushing technique. The drill begins with in-place marching against a wall, progressing to a pushing jog to help athletes move from leaning to upright posture. As his athlete advances through the series, Anderson breaks down the technique and important coaching points necessary to help her progress.

Setting up the Start

This segment begins with a discussion of the "on your mark" position and its impact on the set position and ultimately the start itself. Using video analysis, Coach Anderson breaks down the three important keys to correctly establish the mark position. Anderson also shows you how to cue athletes to raise up from the mark to set position, by using the angle of their front knee as a guide.

Effectively Coaching the Tape Drill

A main goal of acceleration is forceful projection away from the block. It is also one of the areas that athletes struggle with the most, failing to develop the momentum required to be successful as the race progresses. Coach Anderson discusses the tape drill that he uses to help cue athletes to properly push from the start. He expertly deconstructs the drill to help you understand important body positions to look for.

Throughout this video, Anderson shares his insights and goals for coaching acceleration in all of his athletes. Of this presentation's features, one of the most important is the use of the 100 meter acceleration pattern and its adaptability to all of the other sprint events, up through and including the 400. In this discussion, Coach Anderson shares his views on how breakdowns in the long sprints are typically an acceleration problem and not endurance related. With a change in acceleration mechanics, you may be able to see improvements in your long sprinters faster than with longer work intervals.

This video is full of useful information, coaching anecdotes, tips, and cues to help sprinters maximize the most important skill in their event. It's a must-watch for coaches of all levels. Coach Anderson is an expert on acceleration and you'll gain plenty of insight from this presentation!

61 minutes. 2021.