Total Body Transformation Training Blog

The Dot Drill

Runners and most strength-endurance athletes need to have strong and flexible legs muscles. From the ankles and calves to the glutes, hamstrings, and thighs the ability to have supple and relaxed muscles that can explode and endure is the secret to everything from the 400m dash to running a marathon.

The "Dot Drill" has been a staple of coaches at the high school and college level for years. Used initially in basketball and then adopted for football and later for track and field the Dot Drill generates an intense amount of leg activity in a short period of time. This intensity build muscle, flexibility, and coordination. The intensity of the Dot Drill is too much for many when they first try it -- buckling over in the fetal position and reverse peristolis are common. What is that they say about "no pain, no gain"? :)

THE DOT DRILL
You need a mat with five circles/dots on them arranged like a '5' on a single die. We'll call C the middle dot, A and B the bottom left and right, and D and E the top left and right. The mat should be 24 inches across and 36 inches high. Some commercial Dot Drill mats are a little larger. But you'll want to start small. Each exercise is done for 6 reps. One set per exercise. You are looking to minimize total time. Actually, on your first attempts you are looking to keep your cookies down.

DRILL 1
Left foot on A, right on B.
Jump Forward, both feet land on C
Jump forward, feet land on D and E
Jump back, both on C
Jump back to A and B
repeat this 6 times

Drill 2
Left foot on B, right foot in the air
Hop to C-E-D-C-A-B keeping the right foot in the air
repeat 6 times

Drill 3
Right foot on B, left foot in the air
Hop to C-E-D-C-A-B keeping the left foot in the air
repeat 6 times

Drill 4
Feet together at B
Jump to C-E-D-A-B landing on all dots with both feet
repeat 6 times

Drill 5
Left foot on A, right on B.
Jump Forward, both feet land on C
Jump forward, feet land on D and E
Jump and spin 180 degrees, landing back on D and E but with the feet switched, facing A and B
Jump forward , both on C
Jump forward to A and B
Jump and spin 180 degrees, landing back on A and B but with the feet switched, facing D and E
repeat this 6 times

Deduct 0.10 seconds for all missed dots. When you make it under 2 min, don't feel too good. An average high school and college athlete is under a minute! The Dot drill puts a lot of strain on the entire leg musculature so it is advisable to train more than 5 times in the drill per week when starting out.