Find your top speed up a hill

Make the most of hill sprints

“Set up by marking out a 30-metre lane for a short sprint. Your speed and explosive power will plateau if you run for any longer.

You want to complete both uphill and downhill runs. Running up makes the acceleration phase harder, so you have to generate more power to cover the distance as quickly as you would on a flat surface.

During these runs, picture the explosive start of the 100 metres final at the Olympics and the power the runners generate in the first three to four yards.

They use their arms to produce explosive power. When you run on a flat surface this will add another gear to your speed.

Downhill sprints increase the number of strides you take. They also develop co-ordination by forcing you to absorb the load at a higher speed.

Shorten your stride, concentrate on quicker foot turnover, and try to keep your shoulders, hips and feet aligned. This will aid injury prevention.

Complete eight reps of each, resting for three times the amount of time it takes you to complete the run – so if it takes five seconds to complete one rep, rest for 15.

If you play on a Saturday, plan to get this into your training on a Tuesday, as part of the warm-up or during the session.”

Also see:
Theo Walcott's guide to sprinting
Gareth Bale: Improve your speed
Aaron Lennon: How to be quick off the mark
Aaron Lennon: Speed masterclass