Running drills are short, exaggerated versions of parts of the running stride. They take 10–15 minutes, need no equipment, and fit easily around the runs you already do. This article covers a core set of drills, how to run each one, and how to choose and schedule them for the distance you’re training for.
Drills at a glance
| What they are | Short movements that isolate and exaggerate parts of the running stride |
| Time needed | 10–15 minutes, including strides |
| Distance per drill | About 22–33 yards (20–30m), done 2–3 times |
| When | After an easy warm-up jog, before a hard session or at the end of an easy run |
| How often | 1–3 times a week, depending on your distance and phase of training |
| Effort | Light and controlled. Drills should never leave you tired |
What drills do, and what they don’t
Drills work on the skill side of running: coordination, rhythm, posture, and how quickly and stiffly your foot and lower leg push off the ground. A few of them are also mild plyometrics, the springy, bouncing exercises that train your muscles and tendons to store and release energy.
The strongest evidence is for running economy, which is how much energy you use at a given pace. It varies a lot between runners of similar fitness,1 and it can be trained. Explosive and plyometric work improves it, and in one study of trained runners it improved 5K time with no change in aerobic fitness.2, 3 Bounding, pogo hops and hill sprints sit in this category.
Warming up before hard running also helps. An active warm-up raises muscle temperature and improves performance in the efforts that follow,4 and drills make a natural bridge between an easy jog and a hard session.
Direct evidence on form drills is limited, though. There’s little research showing that A-skips on their own make you faster, and most runners already settle into an economical stride over time,5 so drills won’t reinvent your form. Think of them as a warm-up, a coordination tune-up and a gentle dose of plyometrics rather than a form overhaul. That’s why we treat drills as a small, regular habit instead of the centerpiece of your training.
The core drill library
Do each drill over about 22–33 yards (20–30m) on flat, even ground, then walk back to the start. Two or three repeats of each is plenty. Quality matters more than quantity, so stop a drill as soon as it gets sloppy.
Coordination and posture drills (low impact)
- A-march: walk tall, driving one knee up to hip height with the toes pulled up, while the opposite arm swings forward. Place the foot down under your hips. This is the slow-motion version of the A-skip and a good starting point for beginners.
- A-skip: the same movement as the A-march, with a small skip on the standing leg. Keep the contacts quick and light, under your hips, and don’t reach out in front.
- High knees: quick, short steps with the knees lifting toward hip height, moving forward slowly. Stay tall and don’t lean back.
- Butt kicks (heel flicks): quick steps with the heel flicking up toward your backside and the knees pointing down. This keeps the recovery leg compact.
- Ankling: tiny, quick steps using mostly the ankles, landing on the ball of the foot with the knees almost straight. Good for a quick, springy foot strike, and very low impact.
- Carioca (grapevine): moving sideways, cross the trailing leg in front, then behind, while the hips rotate. It loosens the hips and trains coordination in a direction running doesn’t use.
Rhythm and power drills (higher impact)
- B-skip: start like an A-skip, then extend the lead leg forward and sweep it back down under the hips, like a paw at the ground. It’s the most technical drill here, so learn the A-skip first.
- Pogo hops: small, quick, two-footed bounces on the balls of your feet with stiff ankles and minimal knee bend. Start with 2 × 10–15 hops in place.
- Bounding: exaggerated running strides, pushing hard off each foot to spend longer in the air. Cover ground with each step rather than going fast. This is the most demanding drill in the list.
- Hill sprints: 8–10 seconds up a steep hill at close to top effort, with a full walk-back recovery of 2 minutes or more. They’re short enough to build power without much fatigue.
Strides
Strides are 20-second accelerations to about 85–90% of top speed, with a full walk-back recovery. They’re where the drills turn back into running. See the easy run with strides for how to run them.
How to fit drills into a session
A standard drill set looks like this:
- Warm up with 10–15 minutes of easy running in zone 2.
- Run 4–6 drills from the library, 2 × 22–33 yards (20–30m) each, walking back between repeats.
- Add 3–6 strides.
- Go into the main session, or head home if the drills finished off an easy run.
Put drills either before a hard session, as part of the warm-up, or at the end of an easy run. Don’t put them after a hard session or a long run. Tired legs lose coordination, and fast, springy movements on tired muscles are how strains happen.
Which runs get drills, and which don’t
| Run or session | Drills? | Where and why |
|---|---|---|
| Interval session | Yes | After the warm-up jog, before the first rep. Drills and strides get you ready to run fast from the start. |
| Tempo or threshold session | Yes | After the warm-up jog. A shorter set of 3–4 drills and a few strides is enough to settle into rhythm. |
| Easy run | Yes | At the end, while your legs are warm but still fresh. This is the best slot for learning new drills and for plyometrics. |
| Race day | Yes, short | In the race warm-up: 2–3 familiar drills and 2–4 strides. Nothing new, no bounding or pogo hops. |
| Hill sprint day | Replaced | The hill sprints are the power work. Do 2–3 light drills in the warm-up before them, not a full set. |
| Long run | No | Not before it (the first miles are your warm-up) and never after it, when your legs are tired. |
| After a hard session | No | The cool-down jog is enough. Tired legs lose coordination. |
| Recovery run | No | Its job is to be short and easy. Save drills for an easy run when your legs feel fresh. |
| Rest day | No | Rest means rest. |
One more rule: keep the higher-impact drills (B-skips, pogo hops and bounding) off the day before a hard session or long run. Low-impact drills such as the A-march, butt kicks and ankling are fine then.
Drills for each distance
The drill library is the same for every distance, but the mix changes. Shorter races are run faster and reward power and quick turnover, so the higher-impact drills earn their place. Longer races are run at a more modest pace for longer, so the aim shifts to relaxed, efficient form that holds up when you’re tired.
5K
A 5K is run close to your top aerobic speed, so quick, powerful turnover and a stiff, springy push-off pay off directly. The emphasis is power and turnover: A-skips, B-skips, high knees, pogo hops and bounding, then strides.
Do drills twice a week, once as the warm-up before your hard session and once at the end of an easy run. In the build phase, add 6–8 hill sprints once a week in place of the drill set on that day. In the taper, keep a short set of A-skips, high knees and 4 strides, and drop bounding and hill sprints in the last 7–10 days.
10K
A 10K is run a little slower than 5K pace, close to your threshold. You still need good turnover, but holding form for 35–60 minutes matters more, so the emphasis is turnover with rhythm. Use A-skips, B-skips, butt kicks, carioca and pogo hops, then strides, with bounding once a week at most.
Drills go in twice a week, following the same pattern as the 5K: once before the hard session and once after an easy run. The taper is also as for the 5K, with short coordination drills and strides and no bounding.
Half marathon
The half is run below threshold for well over an hour. Energy cost per stride matters more than raw power, and good posture keeps that cost down, so the emphasis is economy and posture. Use the A-march or A-skip, high knees, butt kicks and ankling, then strides, with pogo hops once a week as your gentle plyometric dose.
Once or twice a week is enough. Use the drills as the warm-up before tempo or threshold sessions, where they help you settle into a smooth rhythm from the first rep. In the taper, do a short set before your last few sessions, finishing with strides.
Marathon
The marathon is almost entirely aerobic, and the challenge is holding a relaxed, efficient stride when you’re deep into the race and your form is starting to fade. As runners tire, their stride changes and economy gets worse.6 The emphasis here is relaxed, efficient form and durability.
- Drills: A-march, ankling, butt kicks and carioca, then strides. These are low impact, which matters when weekly mileage is high.
- How often: once or twice a week, at the end of an easy run, and never after the long run.
- Plyometrics: keep them small, with pogo hops or bounding once a week at most, and only if you’ve built up to them. With high mileage, extra impact costs more.
- In the taper: keep the drills and strides. They’re short, keep your legs feeling sharp, and add almost no fatigue.
The drills also give you simple cues to use late in long runs and on race day: run tall, quick light feet, relaxed shoulders and hands. A slightly quicker step rate reduces load on the knees and hips,7 so “quick feet” is a useful cue when you’re tired. See does cadence really matter?
Side by side
| 5K | 10K | Half marathon | Marathon | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emphasis | Power and turnover | Turnover with rhythm | Economy and posture | Relaxed form, durability |
| Main drills | A-skip, B-skip, high knees | A-skip, B-skip, butt kicks, carioca | A-skip, high knees, butt kicks, ankling | A-march, ankling, butt kicks, carioca |
| Plyometrics | Pogo hops, bounding, hill sprints | Pogo hops; bounding once a week | Pogo hops once a week | Optional, once a week at most |
| Strides | 4–6 | 4–6 | 4–6 | 4–6 |
| Sessions per week | 2 | 2 | 1–2 | 1–2 |
| Best placement | Before the hard session; after an easy run | Before the hard session; after an easy run | Before tempo or threshold sessions | After an easy run |
Starting out
If you’re new to running, start with the A-march, butt kicks and ankling once a week at the end of an easy run, and add strides once you can run 3.1 miles (5km) comfortably. From there, add one new drill every week or two, learning the A-skip before the B-skip and pogo hops before bounding.
Build plyometrics gradually. Start with one short set of pogo hops a week and add volume slowly, the same way you would with mileage (see building weekly mileage safely).
Pair drills with strength work. Drills train coordination, while strength training builds the capacity to cope with training load and is one of the most effective ways to reduce injury risk.8 A short core workout is a good place to start.
Common mistakes
- Doing drills cold. Always jog first, because drills are part of the warm-up, not the start of it.
- Rushing them. A sloppy, fast A-skip teaches the wrong movement.
- Doing too many. Stick to 4–6 drills, 2–3 repeats each. A 30-minute drill set is a workout in itself and leaves you tired for the run.
- Doing them after hard sessions or long runs. Tired legs, poor coordination and fast movements are a bad mix.
- Copying sprinters. A 5K runner needs some power work, but a marathoner training at high mileage needs very little. Match the drills to your distance.
- Expecting a new running form. Drills refine and warm up your stride without rebuilding it, and consistent running is still what shapes your form most.
Matching drills to your distance
Drills take 10–15 minutes, 1–3 times a week. Do them after an easy warm-up jog, and never after hard sessions or long runs.
For the 5K and 10K, lean toward power and turnover work, including B-skips, pogo hops, bounding and hill sprints. For the half marathon and marathon, favor lower-impact drills for relaxed, efficient form, such as A-marches, ankling and butt kicks, and keep plyometrics small. Strides belong in every plan, at every distance, through every phase including the taper.
Treat drills as a small, useful habit. They don’t replace consistent easy running, hard sessions and strength training.
This article is general information, not medical or coaching advice. If you feel sharp pain during any drill, stop, and talk to a doctor or physical therapist if it persists.
References
- Saunders PU, Pyne DB, Telford RD, Hawley JA. Factors affecting running economy in trained distance runners. Sports Medicine, 2004. doi.org
- Paavolainen L et al. Explosive-strength training improves 5-km running time by improving running economy and muscle power. Journal of Applied Physiology, 1999. doi.org
- Barnes KR, Kilding AE. Strategies to improve running economy. Sports Medicine, 2015. doi.org
- Bishop D. Warm up II: performance changes following active warm up and how to structure the warm up. Sports Medicine, 2003. doi.org
- Moore IS. Is there an economical running technique? A review of modifiable biomechanical factors affecting running economy. Sports Medicine, 2016. doi.org
- Hunter I, Smith GA. Preferred and optimal stride frequency, stiffness and economy: changes with fatigue during a 1-h high-intensity run. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 2007. doi.org
- Heiderscheit BC et al. Effects of step rate manipulation on joint mechanics during running. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 2011. doi.org
- Lauersen JB, Bertelsen DM, Andersen LB. The effectiveness of exercise interventions to prevent sports injuries: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2014. doi.org
