Athletes have the very important and very unique need of being able to move laterally with quickness and power. Often neglected in many training programs, lateral movement is a foundational part of sport. Moving well in every direction takes practice, so at PLT4M we make you learn the economic way of initiating or changing direction.
For example, learning to run laterally from a static athletic position (with efficiency) takes reps. Thus, we drill the Lateral Sprint Start. To initiative movement in the lateral plane, it requires good foot positioning and proper mechanics. With the weight on the balls of the feet, toes pointed just slightly inwards, the athlete uses the lead leg to drive force into the ground and bring the back leg across explosively. This is what we call the crossover step. Notice that the athlete does not turn then run. Instead, the athlete creates momentum from the power position before transtioning the body into a normal linear sprint.
A simple drill, the Lateral Sprint Start will help you with the explosive crossover step that is ubiquitous throughout athletics and help you perform better on the field.
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