Ditch the Sprint Drills...Here's Why...

Les Spellman discusses why being good at sprint drills does not always transfer to running faster on the track.

A lot of coaches start by teaching drills. Then reality steps in. On last week’s Team Speed Coach live call, Les Spellman reflected on a shift many coaches eventually face: realizing that being good at coaching drills doesn’t always mean athletes are getting faster. “The kids that were the best at the drills were running the slowest.” That realization forced a harder question: What actually transfers? In high-pressure environments like NFL Combine prep, time is limited. Every minute spent in a session has to earn its place. Over time, Les began stripping away pieces of the warm-up and technical drill work that looked organized, sounded technical, and impressed observers, but weren’t producing meaningful adaptation. The result was a cleaner system built around exposure, intent, and sprinting itself. This is one of the central themes inside Team Speed Coach: Learning to separate what looks like speed training from what actually develops speed. Because coaching maturity often looks less like adding more, and more like removing what no longer serves the outcome. Inside The Team Speed Coach Certification, these are the kinds of conversations we spend time on: How to connect intent, structure, and transfer across the entire training environment. The next cohort begins Fall 2026. Drop your details to be the first to hear when enrollment opens. 📍loom.ly/jQoR0AA