The 12-week speed
& agility program
The whole thing is on this page. Three phases, three sessions a week, cones and one band. Nothing to unlock and nothing to buy.
Start here
Read this once before the first session. It is the part people skip and the part that decides whether the block works.
- 6 to 8 cones, or anything that works as a marker
- One resistance band
- About 30 metres of open space, indoors or out
- A phone stopwatch and a tape measure for test days
- MondayDay A
- TuesdayOff or light skate
- WednesdayDay B
- ThursdayOff or light skate
- FridayDay C
- SaturdayOff
- SundayOff
- Three sessions a week, 45 to 60 minutes each, with at least 48 hours between them.
- Sprint and jump work goes first, while you are fresh. Speed trained tired is just conditioning.
- Full rest means full rest. Walk back, breathe, then go again.
- Week 4, 8 and 12 are lighter on purpose. That is where the adaptation actually shows up.
- If something hurts, stop that exercise and tell a coach or a parent. Sore the next day is normal, sharp pain during is not.
- This program runs alongside a season, not on top of a full practice day. If it is a game day, skip it.
Test first, then train
Run these four before your first session, then again at the end of weeks 4, 8 and 12. Without a week 1 number, week 12 is just a feeling.
| Test | What it measures | How to run it |
|---|---|---|
| 10 metre sprint | Acceleration | Two cones 10m apart, three-point start, best of three with full rest. Phone stopwatch is fine as long as the same person times every session. |
| 5-10-5 shuttle | Change of direction | Three cones 5m apart. Start in the middle, sprint 5m right, 10m left, 5m back. Best of three. |
| Standing broad jump | Horizontal power | Feet behind a line, two-foot take-off and landing. Measure to the back of the heel. Best of three. |
| Single-leg hop for distance | Left-to-right balance | One hop off each leg, measured separately. A gap of more than 10% between sides is worth mentioning to a coach. |
Every session
These run before and after all 36 sessions, so they are written once here instead of 36 times below.
Same every session, all 12 weeks. Do not skip it. Cold tissue is where pulls come from.
| Exercise | Every session |
|---|---|
Easy jog or skip Nose breathing. You should be able to talk the whole time. | 2 min |
Leg swings, front-to-back and side-to-side Hold something for balance. Swing from the hip, not the low back. | 10 each way |
World's greatest stretch Elbow to the inside of the front ankle, then open the chest to the sky. | 5 per side |
Ankle rocks against a wall Knee travels straight over the middle toe. Heel stays glued down. | 10 per side |
Glute bridge Ribs down, squeeze at the top for one second. You should feel glutes, not hamstrings. | 12 reps |
A-skip Tall posture, toe up, drive the knee then punch the foot straight down. | 2 x 15m |
Build-up runs These wake up the nervous system. The second one should feel quick, not maximal. | 2 x 20m at 60% then 80% |
Five minutes. This is where the next session's quality gets protected.
| Exercise | Every session |
|---|---|
Easy walk Let the breathing come all the way back down before you stretch anything. | 3 min |
Couch stretch (hip flexor) Squeeze the glute on the stretching side. That is what makes it work. | 45s per side |
Figure-4 glute stretch Breathe out and let the knee drop. Do not force it. | 45s per side |
Standing hamstring reach Flat back, hinge from the hip. A rounded spine is not a hamstring stretch. | 30s per side |
Foundation & Mechanics
Teach the positions before we ask for speed. Every drill in this phase is about where the body goes, not how fast it gets there.
By week 4 the first three steps out of a stance stop looking like a scramble, and landings go quiet.
Acceleration mechanics
The first five metres decide most races to a puck. This day is spent entirely on the shape of those five metres.
Full rest between sprint reps. Walk back to the start, then wait until you are breathing normally.
| Exercise | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Wall drive hold Hands on the wall, body in one straight line from ear to heel. Front knee up, toe up, heel up. | 3 x 20s per leg | 3 x 25s per leg | 3 x 30s per leg | 2 x 20s per leg |
Wall drive march Switch legs slowly and land on the ball of the foot underneath your hip. No reaching out front. | 3 x 10 per leg | 3 x 12 per leg | 3 x 12 per leg | 2 x 10 per leg |
Falling start to 10m Lean until you have to run. Let the fall start the sprint, do not step first. | 4 reps | 5 reps | 6 reps | 3 reps |
Three-point start to 10m Push the ground away behind you. Stay low for the first four steps, then let yourself rise. | 4 reps | 5 reps | 6 reps | 3 reps |
Band-resisted march Band around the waist, partner or fixed anchor behind. Slow and deliberate. This is a posture drill. | 3 x 10 per leg | 3 x 12 per leg | 3 x 12 per leg | 2 x 10 per leg |
The trunk is what stops the force leaking out sideways. Quality over reps.
| Exercise | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Dead bug Low back stays flat on the floor the whole time. If it lifts, shorten the reach. | 3 x 8 per side | 3 x 10 per side | 3 x 10 per side | 2 x 8 per side |
Side plank Hips stacked and pushed forward. Do not let the top hip roll back. | 3 x 20s per side | 3 x 25s per side | 3 x 30s per side | 2 x 20s per side |
Week 4 is the deload. Finish it with the four tests and write the numbers down.
Power Development
Now that the positions hold up, we make them forceful. This phase is about how hard you can push the ground and how fast you can do it.
By week 8 the broad jump and the lateral bound should both be measurably longer than they were in week 1.
Linear power
Straight-line force production. Bounding is the centrepiece because it teaches the leg to accept and return force in one motion.
Full rest between sprint and bound sets. If the reps are getting slower, the set is over.
| Exercise | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Three-point start to 20m First four steps low and long, then let the body rise on its own. Do not pop up early. | 6 reps | 6 reps | 8 reps | 4 reps |
Band-resisted sprint, 15m Band at the waist with a partner holding. Lean into it. The resistance should slow you, not stop you. | 4 reps | 5 reps | 6 reps | 3 reps |
Bounding for distance, 20m Exaggerated running. Cover the most ground in the fewest contacts. Count your steps and try to reduce them. | 4 reps | 5 reps | 6 reps | 3 reps |
Single-leg RDL Hips square, back flat, reach the free leg straight behind you. Slow down, quick up. | 3 x 8 per leg | 3 x 10 per leg | 3 x 10 per leg | 2 x 8 per leg |
Single-leg glute bridge Drive through the heel. Hold one second at the top. Hips stay level side to side. | 3 x 10 per leg | 3 x 12 per leg | 3 x 15 per leg | 2 x 10 per leg |
| Exercise | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Hollow body hold Low back pressed into the floor. If it lifts, bring the arms and legs closer in. | 3 x 20s | 3 x 25s | 3 x 30s | 2 x 20s |
Week 4 is the deload. Finish it with the four tests and write the numbers down.
Speed & Performance
Everything built so far gets pointed at top-end speed and at reacting to something that is actually moving.
Week 12 is a full retest against week 1. That comparison is the whole point of the block.
Maximum velocity
Top speed is a separate quality from acceleration and it has to be trained on its own, fresh, with long rest.
This is the highest-intensity day of the whole program. Full recovery between every rep, no exceptions.
| Exercise | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
A-skip and B-skip The B-skip adds a paw-back at the end. Foot strikes underneath you, not out in front. | 2 x 20m each | 2 x 20m each | 2 x 20m each | 2 x 20m each |
Cone runs, 1.2m spacing Lay cones in a line and sprint through so each foot lands between them. Forces a tall, cycling stride. | 4 x 20m | 5 x 20m | 6 x 20m | 3 x 20m |
Flying 20s 20m build, 20m all out. Take two to three minutes between reps. Slower reps do not count. | 6 reps | 6 reps | 8 reps | 4 reps |
Sprint-float-sprint 20m hard, 20m relaxed but still fast, 20m hard. Learning to relax at speed is the skill here. | 4 reps | 5 reps | 6 reps | 3 reps |
Single-leg pogo Stiff ankle, quick off the floor. Minimum ground contact time. | 3 x 8 per leg | 3 x 10 per leg | 3 x 10 per leg | 2 x 8 per leg |
Week 4 is the deload. Finish it with the four tests and write the numbers down.
Want eyes on it?
A written program cannot see a knee collapse on a landing. If you are in the Oshawa area, come in once and I will watch your athlete move and tell you what I would actually change. Max 10 per class, and I coach every one of them.
Book a free trial class